I've been thinking a lot recently about different fantasy tropes - the ones I love and the ones I really don't! - so I thought, today, I would do the Fantasy Tropes Book Tag by One's Peculiar!
LOST PRINCESS: A BOOK/SERIES YOU LOST INTEREST IN HALFWAY THROUGH
For me this has to be the Kingdom of the Wicked series by Kerri Maniscalco. I am currently about a third of the way through book two and it's a real struggle. I really enjoyed book one - and then purchased books two and three in the series - but I've had little motivation to continue, and now I've finally picked up Kingdom of the Cursed, I'm not enjoying it anywhere near as much as book one.
I had seen a lot of negative reviews for book two, but I decided to give it a go anyway. In my opinion there is just not enough plot in this book - 90% of it is the main character lusting after the love interest. Now don't get me wrong, if that's what you're looking for from a book, you're going to love it! But it just isn't for me.
KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR: A HYPED BOOK/SERIES YOU WERE SWEPT UP BY
A Song of Ice and Fire! I read all but the final book in this series a few years ago. Considering each book is at least around 700 pages, I am still shocked that I managed to read them all in a matter of months. I flew through that series, and I just couldn't put the books down!
I don't really have any motivation to continue with this series, but it was a huge obsession of mine at the time!
WISE OLD WIZARD: AN AUTHOR WHO AMAZES YOU WITH HIS/HER WRITING
Adrienne Young! I will never stop recommending Adrienne's books, and she continues to be my biggest inspiration as an author!
Adrienne's writing in the Fable series and Spells For Forgetting in particular is beautiful. I have experienced so many emotions while reading those books, and I would highly recommend them to readers and authors alike! Her writing is absolute magic.
MAIDEN IN DISTRESS: AN UNDERVALUED CHARACTER YOU WISH HAD A BIGGER STORY LINE
Thinking about Game of Thrones a bit more: I'm going to go with Ygritte. I loved her character both in the book series and in the adaptation. She was one of my favourite characters, and I would have liked to see more about her for sure.
MAGIC SWORD: A MAGICAL ITEM/ABILITY YOU WISH AUTHORS USED LESS
I can't think of a specific type of ability, but one thing that drives me insane is when characters immediately accept their abilities. They're shocked for all of thirty seconds, before accepting it as their new reality. And usually, they are able to use their magical item/power with complete confidence.
MINDLESS VILLAIN: A PHRASE YOU CANNOT HELP BUT ROLL YOUR EYES AT
Anything to do with the height and strength of a male love interest - especially when it is coming from the point of view of the female main character. I see this constantly, and it has become really boring. We get it, the man is tall. We don't need reminding every other page. This is often also paired with how tiny and physically weak the female character is which is even more infuriating.
UNTAMED DRAGON: A MAGICAL CREATURE YOU WISH YOU HAD AS A PET
The tiny dragons from the Once Upon a Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber. They are small, so they would be possibly the most convenient type of dragon to keep as a pet.
CHOSEN ONE: A BOOK/SERIES YOU WILL ALWAYS ROOT FOR
I will choose a series I haven't already mentioned in this post, but one that will come as a shock to nobody: the Percy Jackson universe by Rick Riordan.
Now, I haven't read everything by Rick Riordan, but he is definitely one of my favourite authors. I never read the Percy Jackson series as a child, but it was one of the first series I read when I joined BookTube. It will always hold a special place in my heart!
Well, there you have it! Let me know some of your favourite fantasy tropes in the comments!
