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Crossposted from https://lemmy.world/post/48797836
I fucking hate that Romantasy has become such a big thing. I go into the fantasy section of the bookstore and only find romance shit now. I swear the back-flap description of every single fantasy book at the last bookstore I went to talked about how the protagonist would have to come to terms with her feelings for some man she shouldn't be with.
As someone who likes the genre I'm just really happy there's so much content being made. Yea some of it is slop trying to recapture the fad of ACOTAR (the book pictured), but some of the stuff coming out of it is really good. Also, because of this, there's more romance in a lot of genres that didn't have much before (looking at you sci-fi).
Personally, I love love and reading romance brings me joy. Some of these books are cringy teen angst with unrealistic and toxic relationships (mainly the YA side), but I've found that most I've picked up have healthy relationships with interesting plots that don't revolve around just the romance.
That said, pure romance books (the pastel section of the store) have burned me too many times for me to bother trying anymore. Almost everything that this post complains about but 1000%.
Ngl, this post reminds me of the backlash that seems to follow anything coded for women that becomes really popular.
i dunno. twilight was really bad
Now come on, if you stock to reading it out of principle it sorta turns into X-Men and that's ok with me.
When I watched the movie, I turned every line spoken by a vampire into a pickup line and it became fun again, but you shouldn't have to play games like that with your literature. Or cinema.
The whole "imprinting on a baby" thing I heard about, that really skeezed me out
it's huge because real life romance is collapsing as people prefer imaginary romance.
the problem in real life is that if you are with someone you shouldn't be with, there are usually real negative consequences in your life.
A lot of romance was like Pirates and shit. It's not like it was ever really particularly grounded.
I also hate this trend. I've been reading a ton of SciFi the last few years because I fucking hate romantasy.
I don't mind love being part of a storyline either. But there's a huge difference between love as part of the story and fucking romantasy.
An X of Y and Z.
Can we have a different pattern of book title?
I recommend the upcoming novel by Jason Pargin, There Are No Giant Crabs In This Novel: A Novel Of Giant Crabs, the fifth book in the John Dies At The End series. With titles such as What The Hell Did I Just Read?, and If This Book Exists, You’re In The Wrong Universe. Or his other series, which includes Zoey Punches The Future In The Dick, and Zoey Is Too Drunk for This Dystopia.
please give A Pleurisy of Ducks and Sannakji a chance first. just one chapter.
It’s only a shadow of A Gaggle Of Geese And Gander.
In the X besides Y because Z seduced ∆.
Lol, I started this series based on it's popularity and went in blind. I have never noped out of a book faster.
I had multiple people tell me how good it was. Couldn't manage even the first book. Didn't care about any of the characters. If they had all died, and the book started following a completely different group it wouldn't have changed how engaged I was in the story at all.
Surely it would have then gotten better, or at least interesting, right? (For a moment anyway?)
It would have probably at least made me curious. Not many books will kill off their whole cast and just start telling a different story.
Which ones will?
Game of Thrones
There was no doubt in my mind that this would be a pretty prompt response.
I dunno. I just figure it has probably been done at some point. Probably not a good book though.
The "only barely legally distinct from that one popular book series" nature of the titles and cover art put this one in the "maybe later" category for me.
Similar experience, but not necessarily noped out as much as a drop out of lack of interest. Had this recommended to me after I got done with Fourth Wing. Not a good recommendation in my opinion.
I'm glad I grabbed it from the library and didn't buy it. Definitely not my flavor. If it gets people to read, great, but I don't recommend it.
Lindsey Ellis' latest video is about fantasy/ romance and this book gets more than a couple mentions.
Nebula exclusive. Not on yt.
Everytime I am at a cafe there is a woman reading this book. I don't think I've ever seen a man with a copy of it. Been seeing it around for few years now.
Is it one of those romantasy novels? Or is more like YA fantasy fiction type stuff?
The same was said of Twilight. I’m male (AMAB/identify as male) and I read Twilight. It was okay. I stopped partway through New Moon. I did enjoy the movies. I liked what Meyer did with her vampires. I didn’t take it any more seriously than was warranted.
I’m currently reading the Dungeon Crawler Carl books. Are they fine literature? No, but they’re fun. I’ve read about a dozen of the Sword Art Online books, and DCC is better. Same thing though. Kind of. They’re both very lowbrow, and I thoroughly enjoy both.
No interest in the new romantasy stuff though. It just doesn’t appeal to me. I am curious… but not interested.
It's fairy sex romantasy.
Are you saying that guys are not into furries?
It’s most certainly romantasy
Fairies fucking, fairies fucking, shadow daddy rocking her world
Thorns and roses??
Rhetorically, that would be a juxtaposition: the thorns are the unpleasant part that will hurt you if you're careless, the roses are the desirable part that people risk getting stung by the thorns for, the symbol of romance and love.
This is a court of pain and pleasure; chance and courage; dangerous, reckless love.
Idk if that actually describes the book, but it's how the title works.
The original title said Thorns and More Thorns but the editor changed it last minute.