DAY 22: Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise.
I don't know about you, but every time I pick up a book and read the back cover or I read the blurb for it, it always says something along the lines of "a hidden evil lurking to destroy his/her entire world... the shocking truth threatens to his/her life as he/she knows it... must choose between this or that... the stakes are high blah blah blah". Yeah, I understand that there has to be some kind of antagonist working against our main character but geez. It's incredibly annoying to read basically the same plot over and over again. You would think they would find a way to word it differently to where it doesn't sound like the exact same book you read just the other day. And a few days before that. And a few days before that. Need a few examples? (I'm not going to say where these quotes came from, but just trust me on this one)
"...lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed."
". . . the shocking truth . . . —and the horrifying fate that awaits her."
" . . . must choose between true love and her life."
" . . . more secrets will come out . . ."
" . . . everything . . . knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered."
" . . . faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known . . ."
" . . . there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten."
" . . . time is running out for . . . to decide."
" . . . their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending."
" . . . the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood."
And that's just in the first two pages of My Books on Goodreads. And all from really great books to read but they all sound almost exactly the same just from those little bits of quotes. I mean, I'm still drawn to those books, but here lately when reading the blurbs for books, if I read one of those sentences I hesitate. Even if it is a popular book and everyone loves it, it makes me think it's just like what I've already read, even if it isn't.
Another thing that's started to get old for me: LOVE TRIANGLES. Don't get me wrong, I still read about them. I still enjoy choosing a team and feeling the tension, but sometimes I just want to read something with a little less drama and more romance.
Those summaries, right? There was even this one series that ended with the same line in their summaries, which was something along the lines of: Because of this and that and this other thing "she will lose everyone she loves." Just--urgh! And I get annoyed when the word "secret" comes out. Is the same person writing these things?
ReplyDeleteFor love triangles, its more of me wanting this one person to get the MC. Most of the time, I choose the wrong love interest to side with.
Wow. In the same series? That's crazy. I'm pretty sure the same person writes them all. They all sound the same! Occasionally I'll read one that sounds different and I'm like "Oh someone different must have wrote that one!"
Delete