🚨DISCLAIMER:SPOILERS🚨

Dear Reader,

Welcome back to another post on the book nook. This is where I post my opinions on Bookish stuff and what’s on my mind. Tropes are the new trend in books, and they are widely used to promote books and quickly explain what the book is about. I have mixed opinions about tropes as they make choosing books you know you’ll like to read easier. However, people rely on them too much. Many authors now promote their books with Instagram posts featuring the book in the center, accompanied by arrows pointing to it, and attached to the arrows with text. It’s becoming more about the tropes than the book’s plot. Sometimes, tropes can be pretty misleading; for example, in The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, the book was promoted on Booktok based on being an enemy of romance when, in reality, that is the smallest part of the plot. I have yet to read it, but after the hype, I see book review videos stating it is more political. So they can be super misleading. We can discuss various tropes, what they are, and my thoughts on them. 

 

So, I have a list of romance and fantasy tropes to break down(since they are the most popular in these genres). Unsurprisingly, romance has the most tropes. As I was googling to find tropes, I mostly found romance tropes. I had to dig a lot more for the others. I won’t be able to discuss all the tropes, but I’ve got the most popular ones together. 

 

Alright!! Let’s get started!!

 

First up, we have romance tropes. This is the genre where tropes are most popularly used. In BookTok and Bookstagram, romance books are the ones we hear about for readers of all ages. Here are a few that I hear about repeatedly:

 

1. Enemies to Lovers: – This trope is the most hyped-up or popular trope in romance. In this trope, the main characters start the book/series hating each other but slowly develop feelings for each other as the story progresses. This work depends on whether the book is a standalone or a series. Personally, if the book is a standalone, it is better if they are “enemies” due to minor prior incidents; an example of this would be Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter. In this book, Wes and Liz are “enemies” because of childhood incidents. In reality, Wes has secretly liked Liz forever. It works better (for my taste) in a standalone. However, if it is a series, it would be better to be genuine enemies with hatred towards each other. As the readers, we get to see why they hate each other and clearly see them working through it. It is stretched across 2-3 books and is suitable for people who hate each other to work through their issues.

 

2. Morally Grey: This is also a very popular trope and is widely loved tropes. A morally grey character does both good and bad things, but it’s hard to tell what side they’re on. I enjoy this trope because it’s very human. No one is an entirely good or a wholly bad person. As humans, we have to make decisions that might be “bad,” but to grow, we have to. What I like about morally grey characters is that they don’t act to be liked. They act out of necessity, conviction, or survival. They exist for themselves, not for the approval of others. I know this is too deep when discussing a trope, but I love it when characters feel so real. Perfect characters with no flaws are bland; the flaws make them relatable.

 

3. Grumpy Sunshine: Alright! So this is a big one in the world of booktok books. This trope is when a cynical character pairs with a cheerful one. This trope seems adorable on paper, but it would be a nightmare in real life. Grumpy characters are known for not being social and angry all the time. I am nonchalant regarding certain things, but I will lose my mind regarding others. The Sunshine tends to be written in a very annoying manner most of the time (sorry, not sorry). The sunshine character is happy and always sees the positive, even in situations where it’s unnecessary. This trope is primarily the man being the grumpy and the woman being the Sunshine.

 

4. Fake Dating: This is one that I enjoy, and it works so well. In this trope, two characters pretend to be in a relationship that eventually becomes real. This works so well because it’s pretty obscured, and in no real-life situation is it that deep. So, when I read a story like this, it’s just pure fun and a good time. I recently read Better Than The Movies, and this book has the trope of fake dating. The fake dating is written well and works perfectly with the story. The characters falling for each other is fun to read because you, as the reader, realize it way before the characters do. It feels absurd and makes you want to be a character in a 2000s romantic comedy.

 

5. Love Triangles: This is a big one, and people have very mixed opinions. This trope is self-explanatory, but if you don’t know, it’s when a character is caught between two romantic interests. I don’t like this trope at all; there’s always one that’s a better option. I recently watched The Life List on Netflix, and I was on Team Kyle Allen the entire time. This strong dislike towards this trope has made me not want to watch the Twilight series or The Summer I Turned Pretty series.

 

Next we have Fantasy tropes, I would say that this is where tropes are used a lot as well. Especially in the crossover of Romantasy. Here are a few of the popular ones:

 

1. Tortured Hero: Who doesn’t love a tortured hero? I certainly love one. In this trope, the protagonist is haunted by past trauma or guilt and fights for redemption. This trope hits me hard every time!! It is again so real and human, and obviously that makes me love it so much. Some popular characters in this trope are Batman and Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre.

 

2. Villain with a Reason: Once again, I love this trope. The antagonist’s motives are rooted in pain, injustice, or twisted ideals in this trope. No one is born a villain; they turn into them, and I love a villain with a good back story or a misunderstood villain. Instead of being evil for evil’s sake, these villains believe they are justified, driven by past trauma, a warped sense of justice, or a desire to fix a broken world. An example is Luke Castellan; he feels abandoned by the gods, especially his father, Hermes. He doesn’t randomly turn evil; he’s a deeply hurt and disillusioned demigod who thinks that the Olympians neglect and use their children. He believes overthrowing the gods will bring justice and create a better world for demigods. This makes it easy for the readers to sympathize with Luke. Luke ultimately realizes the danger of what he became. He makes a sacrificial choice, proving he wasn’t purely evil. He was lost, angry, and trying to fix a broken system.

 

3. Found Family: Many people love this trope. Who doesn’t love the idea of people having such a strong bond as if they are family? Unrelated characters form deep, chosen bonds stronger than blood in this trope. I love this trope, but it has to be done correctly, or it doesn’t give you the same connection to the characters. An example of this would be Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover become family as the plot progresses, and you can feel their genuine connection. An example where this trope fell flat for me is the Heroes of Olympus series. I thought the characters individually had deep connections with each other but not the group. Percy, Hazel, and Frank built a strong bond with the Son of Neptune, and Annabeth, Leo, Piper, and Jason also built a great bond. Still, there isn’t much of a bond between all these characters. I see people trying to make Jason and Percy’s friendship way more than it was. They had a good relationship, but it felt like the found family trope came in without any significant bonding moments. I loved the series, and it was a 4-5 star series for me, but I wish this was done better.

 

4. Chosen One: In this trope, a character is singled out by destiny to fulfill a world-changing role. I enjoy this trope, but this could go very wrong and have the chosen one turn into a highly hurt main character. The most prominent example of this is Harry Potter. Harry is the chosen one, and it is said in the series that he is the CHOSEN ONE. I love Harry Potter, but after the end of the Second Wizarding War, he joins the oppressive government he fought against. After the war, he doesn’t do anything to change that, even with the privilege of being chosen. In the series, the chosen trope is well done until the end, where Harry doesn’t break the cycle but contributes to it.

 

5. Reluctant Hero: This trope also needs to be well done. In this trope, a character resists being a hero but rises to the occasion when it  matters most. The hero is thrust into a situation that demands bravery or leadership, even though that’s not what the character wants. This is relatable, and the hesitation makes them more human. It progresses character growth and encourages development. However, this  may be frustrating, as their resistance can be annoying or cowardly.

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about these different book tropes and my views. What are some of your favorite tropes, and do you agree with me on this, or do you have completely different opinions on them

With mixed feelings and strong opinions,

Sarayu