Tell us Your Deal Breakers
I think I have identified these a handful of times but just for fun, let's do it again. This time in list format!
1. Lack of character development: If the characters suck, for me, the book will suck. I don't have to like the characters but they have to be at least well thought out and developed. Otherwise, reading that book will be like poking myself in the eyeball.
2. Instalove: A la Twilight. I hate Twilight. I don't get the whole "we meet and fall instantly in love and are soul mates" thing. I like to believe in soul mates. I can even believe in love at first sight to an extent. But if there is no build up to the relationship, it leaves me feeling like I missed a chapter. Or five. I like a good, slow burn!
3. Bad plot: If I don't care where the book is going or can't figure out where it has been, I'm not going to be a happy reader. I'm okay with predictability. I think there is a degree of that in all books. Plus, I like to guess where it is going and being right is always nice. But I have to care whether the characters are going to get to the end of the book and if all of their hard work is worth it.
4. Too descriptive: I get bored to easily with too many dry descriptions. I love to hear about new worlds and I think a lot of description is necessary for that (for good examples, see Harry Potter and the Gentlemen Bastards series.) But if I find myself skimming, it's no bueno. I'm looking at you Tolstoy! (I loved the peace but hated the war parts of that book for this exact reason.)
5. Too many characters: I can handle quite a few characters. If I know how they relate to the main characters or they have their own mini sub plot that I don't necessarily have to keep track of, I can dig a lot of characters. But there is a breaking point. And it usually comes for me when there are a million characters, they have ridiculous names, and they disappear for huge parts of the book just to pop back up in the end. Where the heck have you been all this time? Drives me crazy!
These irks will pop in and out of my reviews as you will see. And while while they may drive me crazy, I rarely DNF. Even the worst of the worst I bite the bullet to get through. I know, it's like torturing myself and there are so many good books out there I shouldn't waste my time. But I do. It's my thing. Leave it alone and let me complain and be judgmental here in my part of the world.
Do you have any deal breakers? Or agree with any of the above?
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