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“I Am The Chosen One But I Hate It”: People In This Online Group Share 19 Of The Most Annoying Book Tropes
Article created by: Konstancija Gasaitytė
Those who love reading books know that a good book can bring you all kinds of different feelings: it can make time fly really fast, train your imagination, or teach you something valuable. Bored Panda already made a list of books that everyone should read before turning 30, but there is no wrong time for a good book.
One of the greatest things in following a story is being fully drawn to it by a plot twist, characters, and their unpredictable choices. Have you ever read a book and stopped a minute just to wonder how it was possible for someone to come up with such a story?
There is a saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, and one of the things that fascinate people about reading is that you don’t know where it might take you. And even though there are many great books, sometimes the storyline can become predictable.
Having this in mind, Reddit user u/R_J2 asked others “What are some common tropes in books that you hate?” This question encouraged people online to share and discuss cliches they find used in books too often.
What annoying tropes do you find in books? Share your thoughts in the comments down below!
More Info: Reddit
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#1
Miscommunication leading to conflict.
Especially when the characters point blank refuse to utter another word to each other, even when a simple sentence of explanation could resolve the entire problem.
Forced drama like that makes me hate a book.
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#2
I feel like oftentimes characters are able to read just a little too much simply by looking into another's eyes. "She looked into his eyes and saw hope with a tinge of sadness, layered with uncertainty mixed with conviction."
Obviously that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you see my point.
#3
As a woman who married a widower, I really dislike romances where one of them was married before, and even if he or she thought it was a happy relationship, they have to find out how secretly evil and twisted their first love was before they can fall in love with the new love interest. Like... it's possible to be in love more than once in your life. It doesn't undervalue your present relationship to say your last one was also good. Especially when the person is dead.
#4
Making a girl obnoxious and extremely confrontational means they’re strong and independent. This is also done purely because the character is a girl.
There are so many better ways to portray this but some authors get really weird when writing women.
#5
How about the " I'm just an average teenage girl...who has superpowers....three love interests....always getting into trouble and then miraculously saved. Blame everyone for my problems and never take responsibility. And by the final book in my series I will not have learned or grown in any way but I'm still somehow the heroine" trope. I've read too many bad YA lol
#6
It is the « I am the chosen one but I hate it and just want to be normal » trope. It’s super common in books and I feels that it prevent the plot from moving forward and leads to many chapters (sometimes it is the whole book) where the protagonist complains about it every two pages for finally accepting them for the grater good.
#7
The main character carrying a terrible, horrendous, shameful burden that is alluded to constantly. Turns out to be something very common.
#8
Protagonists who refuse to respect their friends' ability to make their own decisions in some misguided attempt to "protect" them.
#9
For some reason I’ve never liked the plot of someone unjustly accused who has to solve the crime & clear their name
#10
I love urban fantasy books, though they often fall into paranormal romance, which I don't care for quite as much. I can always tell when it's going to get romantic and who the protagonist is going to be romantic with because it will always describe the guy's pants.
#11
Beautiful young ingénue (who is incredibly attractive and somehow doesn't realise it) meets older, emotionally damaged man, and fixes him. A la 50 shades of grey.
#12
When a character is a runner, because they want to be free/get away from where they are.
When a character likes maths or science, because it's binary right and wrong.
Just two very tired characterisation tropes.
#14
The families opposition in a relationship and particularly the excessively rich family who do there best to destroy this relationship...
Come on guys be original. I hate this trope more than my school's years.
And the fifty shades of Gray's trope with the rich man and the desperately uninteresting women and their even more uninteresting life in bed. Please no.
#15
Tragic backstories that are never brought up again after they're introduced or effect the character. Only ever used for cheap sympathy.
#16
Bad guy/group who never gives up. Like ever. Even right before imminent death, not a shadow of hesitation.
Related - good guy always giving bad guy one final choice to walk away or end the fight. Bad guy never does and “earns” his ultimate death/destruction and not just mere defeat.
#17
Fake dating. Is my life just boring because I have never met anyone who has ever participated in fake dating. Seems so stupid and unrealistic to me.
#18
"Billionaire player MC1 who lives in a modern minimalist decorated home who is a commitment-phobe but somehow falls head over heels for MC2"
#19
Prophecy. It's mostly another word for plot armor. As soon as it's introduced, there isn't much tension to the conflict anymore. Now it does work when the prophecy was fake or misinterpreted since that creates a discussion on blind faith or the characters are suddenly in real danger because the higher powers aren't looking out for them.
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