So, it's been a while since I last participated in Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the other blog I participate on: The Broke and the Bookish. I love making lists, I just haven't had the time or couldn't think of 10 for the list.
But I'm back with a topic that I'm loving: Top Ten Trends I'd Like To See More/Less Of.
Let the games begin :)
Trends I'd Like To See More Of:
1. Mermaids: I LOVE mermaids. Don't you love mermaids? They are awesome and underwater worlds are among the most beautiful and mindblowing I've ever come across. Plus I wanted to be Ariel when I was little. Enough said.
2. Fairytale retellings: LOVE them! Fairytales were my first love story-wise and well, there's just no going back after that. Fairytale retellings can be so strong, especially when they take a tale and make it into something new. I just love it.
3. Greek Mythology: I'm a Greek Mythology geek and I'm not afraid to admit it. I love the mythology thing happening in YA lately and hope to see more of it!
4. Ass-kicking female main characters: seriously, I think girls these days can fend for themselves and it should be reflected in the books we read. I'm tired of girls waiting around to be saved and I'm glad to see there are some strong women running around these days.
5. Series: this is something I'd like to see more AND less of... I love series because I like to get a little reward for investing in these characters and staying with them for more than one book is something I enjoy. BUT (yes, huge but), there are so many series seemingly just being written to follow the trend of being a series that there's hardly a book out there that's NOT part of a series. SO, I'll rephrase: I love to see more great series who actually have a business being a series because the story needs it, not because it's good for marketing.
6. Witches: I'm loving witches. I've been in love with witches and wizards ever since Harry Potter stole my heart. And it just so happens that The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab is released today! YAY! I haven't read it yet, but I'm going to very, VERY soon.
Trends I'd Like To See Less Of:
1. Love Triangles: it's a somewhat chewed out topic in the blogosphere, but I'm a bit tired of love triangles. Or more like lust triangles, seeing as you're not really in love if the next hot guy to come along makes you have doubts about being with your 'soulmate'.
2. Soulmates at 16: seriously. SERIOUSLY! Just, no.
3. Defanging paranormal beings: vampires/werewolves/demons/you name it, all these kickass creatures are being romaticized and just getting their 'grrr' ripped out. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for there being more to them than just bloodlust, but they have to remain a little dangerous and there has to be a little doubt that they're 'good'. They don't need to be lapdogs, let them run a little wild.
4. Absent parents in YA: I mean, I get it's more convenient, but really? It's just not realistic. My parents weren't home all the time, but they still knew what was going on in my life. And believe me, they'd KNOW if I was sneaking out at all times, battling demons and such. Parents always KNOW. It's spooky how they seem to have this special radar for stuff you're trying to hide from them.
So I did a combination, cause I love gushing and ranting :)
What do you guys think? Leave me a link to your list!
I agree with you, I like reading series too! But sometimes it's so obviously unnecessary, that I added this to my less of!!
ReplyDeleteNice list!
Here's mine: http://peskypiksipesternomi.blogspot.com/2011/08/book-trends-id-like-to-see-moreless-of.html
This is a great list :) I agree there needs to be more feisty females in YA! And the absent parents is convenient but not realistic. Some of my favourite YA novels are about family dynamics.
ReplyDeleteThis is a truly awesome list.
ReplyDeleteI actually agree with you on all your points.
I love mermaids, mythology and re-tellings; I think witches are very interesting paranormals, and I'll take a kick ass heroine everyday and twice on sundays, :) And I have to admit that I love trilogies - though I'm not as fond of longer series.
As for the "Less of"
Again, I'm with you 100%, I don't dislike paranormal in general, but I'm getting a little tired of it - mostly because it lends itself to insta-love, meant to be type of romances - and the same goes for love triangles, it takes a lot of skill to pull them off, and I just feel like they are a lot of them lately.
Absent parents in YA drive me nuts, because - to a point, and it might be cultural because I'm Mexican and we still have a very strong family unit concept - for me that's the hardest thing to buy sometimes, that a parent seriously would just not care.
And true love at sixteen? Well, though I guess you can meet people that will mean something to you at any age, I kind of hate the idea of the guy you are with at sixteen as the be all and end all of relationship.
Anyway, I think I've gone on for far too long, but I loved your list!
I see too much kicking among main characters. Perhaps that is one way to get things done, but I wish there were more modeling of other ways. JMHO.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Top Ten list for this week:
Top Ten Trends You'd Like to See More Of
I hope you will stop by and join in Readerbuzz's August Giveaway!
Less soulmates at 16 is a good one!! There are WAY too many of those going on these days. Awesome list Daisy :-)
ReplyDeleteSoulmates at 16 is a great one! I wish more 16-year-olds just dated rather than planned their weddings. I just read an awesome retelling of Peter Pan so I hope more YA authors take the bait and keep using fairy tales as inspiration.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Top Ten: http://bit.ly/qlepOJ
I do love a good fairy-tale as well. I hate the missing parent thing too. Kaye—the road goes ever ever on
ReplyDeleteI love fairy tale retellings too! Either set in modern times or something more historical/fantasy is good with me. I just finished Heather Dixon's Entwined and was in love.
ReplyDeleteAbsent parents is another good ones. I don't mind it when there's an in-story reason for the parents to be gone or vague, but just forgetting that teenagers have parents is lazy writing!
Great list. I enjoyed it muchly!
Yay for fairytale retellings! Gotta love them, so much potential for creativity there. Also, I totally hear you on the series, that made it onto my list as well. And good call on the absent parents — often it's so unbelievable that the parents have no idea what's going on!
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I totally agree with the missing parents in YA. It really bothers and I feel like it's a lazy way to make a reader believe the unbelievable. So glad you had it on your list. Here is mine:http://wp.me/pzUn5-w3
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your list. Would love to see more fairy tale retellings. And I roll my eyes at parents in novels who are so clueless that they don't notice their daughter's boyfriend is basically living in their house. My parents were never like that!
ReplyDeleteI love witches too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Mine
Cassandra @ Book & Movie Dimension (http://bmdimension.blogspot.com/)