1. Faeries: I don't know what it is about these creatures, but I see the words "fae" or "faeries" and I'm out before I even started. Now, to be fair, I have tried these books. I tried reading several different series' by highly acclaimed authors (The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, and Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston). I was bored within the first five chapters and DNF'd all of them.
2. Mermaids: Not sure why this one doesn't wok for me. I adore The Little Mermaid, but something about half humans with scaly tails just doesn't work for me. Maybe it's because I find it freaky that they breathe underwater? Again, I have tried different series (Fins by Tera Lynn Childs and Tempest by Tracey Deebs) and clearly it's not meant to be.
3. Ghosts: Here's the thing: I am very much a girl who craves a good romance. All of my favorite books have some sort of romantic aspect to them. With a ghost, what can you do? Does the main character die so they can be together (depressing)? Do they both put their lives on hold to engage in a pointless relationship (even more depressing)? I tried reading Tara Hudson's Hereafter series and I just don't get it. She's a ghost. A dead, no longer living entity and he is still kickin'. What future can they have?!
4. Witches: I can't exactly pinpoint what it is about witches that doesn't work for me. And this includes wizards and warlocks, too. Which means sadly it includes a series about a boy wizard who is destined for great and amazing thing and spawned 8 hit movies, 7 massively popular books and countless devoted fans ... except me. (I am not naming this series by name because I was forbidden to by someone who could legit inflict bodily harm on me.) But I have also tried reading Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton and Half Bad by Sally Green.
Exceptions to the rule:
There are always exceptions, right? Some books just break through my mental barriers and work for me.
My faery pick: Wings series by Aprilynne Pike
My mermaid pick: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks* (I haven't read this yet, but am giving it a try because Jen raves about it)
My ghost pick: The Dark World by Cara Lynn Shultz
My witch pick: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
The good news is that my co-blogger doesn't have the same issues I do, so she happily reviews all of those types of books.
I've struggled with mermaid books as well, but did enjoy Of Poseidon. Anna Banks has a great sense of humor which is always a bonus for me. I haven't yet found too many witch stories that have made me go all fangirl either, though I keep hoping for one to come along. *sigh* Maybe next year:)
ReplyDeleteThis made me think of In the Shadow of Blackbirds when one reviewer described their encounter as "ghost outercourse." I almost died.
ReplyDeleteAnd I really do get all of what you're saying, I promise, but, but, but Harry Potter!!! It's just NOT the typical witch/wizard book. It's just SO MUCH MORE!!! PLEASE, HANNAH!!! I CAN'T TAKE THIS!!
OMG. I can't do mermaids either. Just nope. The only one I could do was TEEN by Hannah Moscowitz because it wasn't really a mermaid story. And it's dark and twisty. Ghost on the other hand. I love these books but feel like the here is reaching it's breaking point for me soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really can't do is stempunk and historical fiction. Nope and nope.
I struggle with Mermaids myself, but get what you are saying. I am not a fan of straight up contemporary romance, particularly YA. I need mystery, murder, suspense, or a small-town dynamic to accompany it. There are exceptions like Pushing the Limits.
ReplyDeleteI can't do fairy books either, it's so strange. There has only ever been one fairy series I liked and that was the Modern Fairy Tales by Holly Black. I think a lot of it is that it's the same lore, the same characters, the same thing over and over again and it just gets old.
ReplyDeleteIf I could recommend one mermaid book that I think would change you mind, it would be Monstrous Beauty. There are bits of historical, some mystery, some romance, and an unconventional mermaid, too. It's quite different from any other book about those creatures that I've read so far.
You know, that's why I love that there are a zillion different types of books out there. So you don't HAVE to read what you don't like. While I love most supernatural/paranormal stories, I really don't like mermaids (strange, because I love the water...). Everything else, I'm good with, it just depends on the story.
ReplyDeleteHannah, from your list I've only had bad luck with mermaids. I've been burned by these so much that I'm afraid to pick up another book about them!
ReplyDeleteNot liking Harry Potter is just criminal *shakes head in despair*
I want to love a mermaid book because of The Little Mermaid but for some reason I never read them. I tend to see negative reviews so I give up before I start. I am going to read Deep Blue and my fingers are crossed it's amazing. Ghosts are ok, Fae--I want to love them but struggle at times to find a great book. I'm not that fond of witches either. But I love warlocks and magicians (as in fantasy). Very brave of you to admit to not loving Harry Potter :-)
ReplyDeleteHahaha, I hear you on fairies. I tried the second series Call of the Forgotten and just couldn't get behind it for a lot of reasons. I do, however, really like mermaids, though I agree that there are a lot of bad mermaid books out there, sigh. I really liked Of Poseidon, so maybe that one will work for you ;-)
ReplyDeleteWitches. I don't know why, but I just don't like them? I love Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, but the books about witches? My least favourite!
ReplyDeleteIt might be one of the reasons I'm struggling with Richelle Mead's Bloodline series, after loving VA.
Whenever I picture witches, I just wonder how they have time to recite incantations or whatever, before someone just whips out a gun to get them the old fashioned way. Like, if I thought a witch was going to put a spell on me, I'd just run away or get her first, while she prepared her spell. I just...can't figure it out! Haha
Gotta admit it, your stance on Harry Potter breaks my heart. But! I do think it's great that you know what you like and what definitely doesn't work for you. I haven't tried many mermaid books, even though I keep meaning to pick one or two up… Ghosts, though. I love me a good ghost story. Have you tried the Shade series from Jeri Smith-Ready? Probably my favorite one out there!
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