My Least Favourite Book Tropes

Just to give you a quick overview, tropes are not necessarily clichés.  Rather, they’re devices authors use in the course of writing their novels and every single writer out there uses tropes.  But there are some that I absolutely can’t stand so I’m going to list them for you, using the names from TvTropes, one of the most informative and scarily addictive sites out there.  Follow the links provided at your own risk; I am not responsible for any browser crashes from opening multiple tabs or the hours you may waste on the site.

Bad Boys

1.  All Girls Want Bad Boys

This trope annoys me like no other simply because it’s so prevalent in YA.  It seems like every female protagonist out there wants the distant jerk, especially when it comes to love triangles.  You know what?  Not every girl out there wants a bad boy, but YA writers happily ignore this fact and keep writing about girls falling in love with manipulative, controlling jerks.  Of course there are exceptions to my hatred of this trope, the most notable being Strafford in Diantha Jones’ Oracle of Delphi series.  He definitely has a reason for being distant in the beginning, but the fact that he changes as the series goes on makes the trope short-lived.

dv1637066

2.  What Happened to the Mouse?

This trope name is actually quite fitting because the trope itself is about minor details or even characters just disappearing from the narrative for no good reason.  Usually it means that the author simply forgot about said detail or character and the editor didn’t catch the mistake.

This trope is especially annoying when you realize that something has never been fully explained in the novel once you’re done.  Take, for example, the girl zombie in the red vest that follows Mary around in The Forest of Hands and Teeth.  She’s stronger, faster and more intelligent than a normal zombie and Mary speculates that something was done to her to make her that way, but there’s no explanation as to what happens to her or even what the heck was done to her to make her this special zombie.  It’s like Carrie Ryan just completely forgot about it or really didn’t care.  It’s carelessness like that that annoys me to no end, making What Happened to the Mouse? one of my least favourite tropes.

Damsel in Distress

3.  Faux Action Girl

This one happens so much in YA that it’s almost become as annoying as the love triangle.  A Faux Action Girl is a heroine that can supposedly kick butt at will but never actually does any butt-kicking.  Usually she turns into a Damsel in Distress as soon as a man shows up.  This is annoying because all of the other characters make her out to be this awesome warrior and strong woman but her actions never actually demonstrate this.

Faux Action Girls appear a lot in YA and usually they’re just standing around waiting to be rescued.  Or, they’re the prophesized saviour of the people and learn to fight and are proclaimed ‘natural fighters’ but never actually do much fighting.  When they do fight, they usually end up needing to be saved by their love interest who is invariably male.  Yawn.

Dr. No

4.  No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine

This seems to happen a lot in fiction, not just in YA.  But it’s basically when the villain has the hero or heroine in their clutches and instead of torturing or killing them, invites them to a dinner and then a tour of their evil lair.  Unsurprisingly, this happens a lot in science fiction and fantasy because there’s usually an unstoppable doomsday weapon involved.

I get it, villains love to gloat.  Heroes are supposed to say “You’re crazy!” when they hear said villain’s gloating plan to rule the world.  But why for the love of all that is bad, do villains not just shoot the hero?  By letting them dine and tour the facilities where they’re carrying out their top secret evil plan, they’re giving them a chance to escape.  Sometimes writers try to put a spin on this trope and instead get the villain to dine with the hero/heroine so they can have a big reveal like Luke, I Am Your Father.

Tv Tropes

I spent 5 hours researching this article. It’s true!

This list doesn’t even begin to cover all the tropes and/or clichés I’m sick of, but these are definitely some of the main ones (aside from love triangles).  So now it’s your turn: what tropes annoy you the most?  Is it because said tropes are overused or are just based on a dumb premise?

Short Story: Caesar’s Ambassador by Alex Johnston

Caesar's Ambassador by Alex Johnston(Cover picture courtesy of The Masquerade Crew.)

“He was a salesman of Rome. Honor him.”

Apologies to you Gladiator fans. Marcus Mettius may or may not have been a trader in real life. In Julius Caesar’s masterpiece, Caesar’s Commentaries: On The Gallic War and On The Civil War, he only mentions Marcus twice, once to point out that he sent him as ambassador to the German king Ariovistus because Marcus “…had shared the hospitality of Ariovistus.” Sounds like a salesman to me.

Marcus should be honored. He played an important role in one of the greatest historical dramas of all time, Caesar’s conquest of Gaul.

Caesar sent his Gallic interpreter, Gaius Valerius Troucillus, and Marcus to act as ambassadors to Ariovistus. They were both taken captive, and Gaius at least was threatened with being burned at the stake (it’s not clear from reading the Commentaries whether Marcus was also so threatened). Caesar goes on and on about Gaius, writing that he is a “young man of the highest courage and accomplishments.” And when Caesar personally rescues him on the battlefield he writes that this act “afforded Caesar no less pleasure than the victory itself; because he saw a man of the first rank in the province of Gaul, his intimate acquaintance and friend, rescued from the hand of the enemy, and restored to him, and …” Marcus? Oh yeah, “M. Mettius, also, was found and brought back to him [Caesar].

In my opinion, Julius Caesar does not give Marcus his due, so I filled in the gaps. Join him as he outwits a German witch, tells Julius Caesar (and others) stupid salesman jokes, parties with Gauls and slaves, watches Caesar’s troops freak out at a bar, and much, much more. He is a soldier of a different kind – a man who lives by his wits. Honor him.

Caesar’s Ambassador was certainly not what I expected, but that’s definitely in a good way.  I expected the usual dry historical retelling of a minor character, not the hilarious escapades of a snarky, sarcastic salesman who played a part in the conquest of Gaul but never really got his due.

I think Alex Johnston intentionally used modern phrases and attitudes to make Marcus a bit easier to understand for modern readers.  He does this with great humour as Marcus tells dumb blonde jokes, salesman jokes, drinks and marches along with Caesar’s army around Gaul.  Marcus may have found himself a diplomat by accident, but I still love that Alex Johnston made him a salesman at heart.  His take on the German situation as he and his friend Gaius are in chains waiting for a soothsayer to determine whether they should live or die is hilarious.  There are some serious moments in the story, but overall the tone is humorous.

Alex Johnston brings historical figures like Marcus and Julius Caesar to life in his short story and makes them just a little more human.  Marcus is, of course, a salesman at heart.  Caesar is a soldier’s best friend but also reveals his ruthless streak to Marcus, who is both chummy with Caesar and wary of him.  It’s hard to get much characterization into a short story, but Alex Johnston certainly succeeded in making all of his characters three dimensional.

The plot doesn’t fly along at breakneck speed, but neither does it drag along.  With lots of humour along the way as well as fascinating historical details, you can’t go wrong with Caesar’s Ambassador.  There are some modern phrases Marcus uses throughout the story, but I suspect that was deliberate on the part of the author.  Overall, Caesar’s Ambassador is just a fun historical romp that fills in some of the gaps in the life of a bit player of Roman politics.

I give this short story 5/5 stars.

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The Devil’s Concubine by Jill Braden

The Devil's Concubine by Jill Braden(Cover picture courtesy of Salacious Reads.)

QuiTai, ruthless concubine of Levapur’s mysterious crime lord, the Devil, receives an unexpected invitation to cocktails with disgraced Thampurian Kyam Zul. She doesn’t trust Kyam enough to drink anything he pours, and won’t help him no matter how hard he begs – or threatens. But when QuiTai’s ex-lover is murdered, Kyam is the only one who knows the name of the killer, and he won’t tell QuiTai unless she helps him first.

The torpid back alleyways of Levapur’s tropical colony hide more than lovers. There are things with claws, beings with venomous fangs, and spies lurking in the jungle.

Most of them want to keep their secrets.

One wants QuiTai dead.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

I am seriously in awe of this book.  Not only is it well written with amazing characters and a fast plot, but it also takes place in a fantasy world that’s not based on Medieval Europe!  Instead, it’s based upon a tropical island culture with elements taken from both island and Asian cultures as well as some European ones.

QuiTai is now one of my favourite characters—ever.  Considering how many books I read a year, that’s saying something.  She is amazing!  Sensual, manipulative, complex, intelligent, ruthless and at the same time, loyal to her conquered Ponongese people.  Words can’t even do her justice.  She’s such a strong woman but at the same time is seriously flawed when it comes to her lust for revenge and her distrust of people in general.  Seeing her interact with the intelligent, snarky, disgraced Thampurian Kyam is fascinating especially when she becomes attracted to him.  Trust me on this one though: she doesn’t fall in typical love and it certainly doesn’t blind her like it does other narrators.

I can’t get over Jill Braden’s fantasy world.  It’s a little hard to get used to at first, but when you learn the backstory of Levapur you really appreciate how much detail she put into it.  The Ponongese people, which seem to be almost human-snake hybrids have been conquered by the ‘sea dragons’, Thampurians.  Thampurians can shape shift into a sort of fish, which I think is really cool.  On top of being a colony to the ruthless Thampurians, every full moon the Devil’s werewolves lurk around threatening the populace even though QuiTai does her best to keep the island population safe from the werewolves.  The dynamic between the Ponongese people and the Thampurians is ever-changing and full of tension and clearly demonstrates that Jill Braden actually understands politics.

Kyam and the Devil, much like QuiTai, are more complex than they actually seem.  Each one has hidden motives that aren’t immediately apparent even to the suspicious QuiTai.  The Devil seems to be your stereotypical crime lord who runs the island, but when we learn the real power behind him you can’t help but laugh.  This real power also makes sense because of how the first book ends, but I can’t go into any more detail than that.

The plot is fast paced and Jill Braden constantly throws in plot twists to keep you on your toes.  Even the characters themselves throw you off sometimes because just when you think you know their motives, their true motives are revealed.  Especially when it comes to QuiTai as we slowly learn more of her backstory and how she came to be the Devil’s concubine.  These plot twists are mostly unexpected, but they actually make sense within the story and are part of the greater politics of Levapur (especially when it comes to the island’s colony status).  I guarantee you won’t see the ending coming; QuiTai has a revelation that will truly shock you.

The Devil’s Concubine was so good that I can’t wait to read The Devil Incarnate, the next book in The Devil of Ponong series.  If you haven’t already read it, give The Devil’s Concubine a try.  You’re pretty much guaranteed to love it.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Fun to Be Russian by Theodor Rasputin

Fun to be Russian by Theodor Rasputin(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

In FUN to be RUSSIAN you may find the answers to all those niggling little questions you never knew you wanted to ask!

• Why do Russians tie fishing boats to their feet while camping?

• What German phrase do all Russian men know and when would they use it?

• How do you catch a bottle of vodka while fishing off your balcony?

• Why is it unwise to relieve yourself out the door of a Russian train at night?

• Find out which is stronger; an Al Qaeda head or a Japanese television?

• And, just why is it essential that your wife always wears white knickers while travelling?

Drink vodka during a consultation at the clinic, experience a fishing weekend with friends, spend a relaxing summer week at the country Dacha and see how a seaside vacation to Egypt can be unusually eventful in the right company. Enjoy reading and Na Zdorovie!

[Full disclosure: I received a free print copy from Theodor Rasputin in exchange for an honest review.]

In all honesty, I had some mixed feelings about Fun to Be Russian.  On one hand, there were parts that were so funny I had to literally laugh out loud.  On the other hand, this reads more like a joke book rather than an actual story.  Once you get past the jokes, there really isn’t much of a plot or that much characterization.

The story obviously takes place in Russia where we meet Vadim and Julia, a husband and wife who are going to a family planning clinic.  Once in the doctor’s office hilarity ensues as Vadim and the doctor exchange hilarious tales over some vodka.  Essentially, the whole book is like this.  No, it doesn’t all take place in a family planning clinic, but it is mainly characters telling each other stories without much action in between.  Sure, Vadim has a little adventure with some strong medication and actually does something at the end of the book, but that’s about all that actually happens.  The scenery changes a couple of times, but the characters are just essentially telling stories within a story.

My problem with this is that while it’s funny, it’s not necessarily fun to read in a linear manner.  Such tales would have been better in a sort of joke book rather than Theodor Rasputin trying to tell them all in one book.  It also doesn’t leave much room for characterization.  Vadim comes across as a stereotypical Russian man, only really caring about drinking and the other characters are just one dimensional.  There are no real motives behind their behavior other than the fact that they just want to drink and tell each other stories.

There are some proofreading errors, but they don’t really affect your ability to read Fun to Be Russian.  Some of the humour is a little crude, so I’d definitely recommend it for adults only.  However, the one redeeming feature of this is that it is actually hilarious.  Theodor Rasputin can tell stories in a humorous manner, it’s just that trying to fit them all into a novella was not necessarily the best choice.

I give this book 2.5/5 stars.

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Black Crow White Lie by Candi Sary

Black Crow White Lie by Candi Sary(Cover picture courtesy of Luxury Reading.)

Carson Calley grew up living in Hollywood motels with his fortune-telling mother, who is full of stories about their former lives together and prophesies about his future.

We were Indians—Californian Indians.  This pale skin was once native brown.  And these legs of yours were once big and strong so that you could run after deer and shoot them with your arrows, and then bring the meat back to me.  You were destined to be the great medicine man, the great healer who would take away all the pain and disease and suffering of our people.

Believing his mother’s yarns, Carson becomes a healer, with the people of Hollywood waiting in long lines to see him, but a purpose built on lies and exaggerations can’t last…or can it?

[Full disclosure: I received a free print copy from Candi Sary in exchange for an honest review.]

I wasn’t really sure what I expected from Black Crow White Lie.  Maybe I expected your typical coming-of-age story or maybe I thought Candi Sary would go much deeper into Native American spirituality and explore it in the modern world.  But her book is neither and it really turns some genre tropes on their heads.

Carson is a fascinating character.  In the beginning he’s quite naive about his mother and her obvious drinking problem, but what makes him different from other protagonists in the same genre is that he slowly realizes his mother isn’t perfect.  It’s not a sudden proverbial dropped ton of bricks, but rather a gradual realization as he’s exposed more to the world outside his mother’s fantasies.  I don’t want to give too much away, but his friends like Casper and Faris eventually help him come to a startling conclusion.  Part of why I enjoyed Candi Sary’s writing so much is that she really took the time to flesh out all of her characters, but really focused in on Carson as the protagonist.  He’s imperfect, but I love him as a character anyway.

The plot is pretty fast-paced, all things considered.  Black Crow White Lie packs quite a bit of story into 159 pages but it never does really feel rushed.  No, instead there’s a perfect balance between characters and plot because of how the plot is moved forward by Carson’s actions and realizations.  As he grows, the plot moves along and that’s what makes this one of my favourite coming-of-age novels: it’s most definitely character-based but not at the expense of the plot.

Really, what more is there to say?  Carson, Faris, Casper and Juliette are all fascinating characters that are so well-developed you feel that you’re there in the story with them.  Carson is an amazing protagonist for such an amazing coming-of-age novel and is definitely one of the most memorable characters I’ve read about in a long time.  Not only that, there were some interesting plot twists that I didn’t see at the time but when I look back make sense.  Candi Sary knows just how much information to give to her readers at certain points in the novel so there’s never really a huge info-dump but we still know what’s going on.  Overall, Black Crow White Lie is an awesome novel that I’d recommend to readers of all ages.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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