All About Books

The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

The Marbuy Lens and Clockwork Angel books

I’m basically the queen of unpopular opinions. There are so many big names out there and books that everyone seems to love, but I just feel very meh about (thank god I found MY people in this community so that I never feel like a black sheep because of this!). I’m not sure if this tag is easy (because I just have to look at the YA HC Bestseller list and find a book for each prompt, no problem), or if it is hard (because I could name so many for each of these).

If you (dis)like the same books as me, HIGH FIVE!, otherwise: Don’t hate me, okay? It’s just books :P

A popular book or series you didn’t like

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is the first that always comes to mind because I. Just. Don’t. Get. It. I couldn’t even make myself finish it. It was like I was told this character is dealing with anxiety but wasn’t shown, I didn’t FEEL it. And then the guy everyone shipped her with kinda made fun of her? Thanks, no. Also: I was pretty much bored to death because nothing ever happened. I mean, I don’t read contemporary anymore for a reason, but this didn’t work for me at all.

A popular book or series that everyone seems to hate but you love

(how is a book popular if everyone hates it?)
Here comes a problematic favorite: Andrew Smith’s The Marbury Lens. I know many people who don’t enjoy Andrew Smith’s books, ESPECIALLY The Marbuy Lens, if they’ve read it. His books are problematic with his lack/bad representation of girls and LGBT characters in his stories, no question there, BUT The Marbuy Lens is just so deliciously fucked up, I can’t but like it.

A love triangle where the MC ended up with the person you did not want them to end up with or an OTP that you don’t like

Being Team Gale probably doesn’t count as an unpopular opinion. I bet there are many on that team. (and there aren’t a lot of books I feel passionate enough about to ship anything, that feature love triangles) As for an OTP I don’t like: Alina and Nikolai from The Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. Nikolai deserves someone WAY better than her. Even the Darkling does.

A popular book genre that you hardly reach for

“Hardly” is the understatement of the year. I’ve read exactly ONE contemporary this year and that was only “half” contemporary and mixed with thriller/adventure. I totally get why others love the genre though, I even have some books I want to read someday, maybe, in the unlikely event,… but I would just rather read about space and dragons, things I could never experience myself.

A popular or beloved character that you do not like

Celaena (AKA how-do-you-spell-that-again and reason #34759 why she annoys me) from Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series. Worrying about the size of her breasts right after almost starving to death, judging other girls on sight and based on looks alone, dropping friends left and right and pretend-best assassin, Celaena is just a big no-go for me.
(I could write a whole book about what I dislike about her character/this series LOL)

A popular author that you can’t seem to get into

I can easily name a few big ones and repeat myself but to spice it up a bit: Cassandra Clare. I read the original Mortal Instruments trilogy but I was pretty much done with that after she tried to make her readers think, they are shipping incest. Her series after that also didn’t feel like I actually get to read something new, so I never picked up anything else.

A popular book trope that you’re tired of seeing

I have no idea what book tropes are popular to be honest but I pretty much hate the whole “she is the key to….” thing, as if a single person could change the world. 

The Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead

A popular series that you have no interest in reading

I’ve had the first four books in Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series for ages but could never make myself actually read them. I probably only bought them because everyone and their grandmother is in love with this series and when that new followup series came out, I was stupid enought to buy a boxed set, even though this is so not my kind of thing.
Don’t even try to make me read this, it’s not happening! People tried before but I already put them in a box, to be shipped off.

The saying goes “The book is always better than the movie”, but what movie or T.V. show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?

I don’t really watch a lot of movie adaptations (mainly, because I always tell myself I’ll read the book first, but then that never happens, so I forget about the movie). The only time that I like a movie more than the book is when it’s a genre that only works for me as a movie. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is one like that. I watched the movie and liked it, but I just couldn’t get through the book because it’s not what I like to read but as a movie it’s perfectly fine.

 

(I’ve been tagged for this ages ago and don’t remember who did it and who else has done the tag already, so if you want to do it too, feel tagged!)

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  • I can’t really comment on most of your choices because I haven’t read them.

    I only read the first Grisha book and it annoyed me so much I haven’t continued yet although I want to finish this series someday, because I loved the setting in the magic.

    I’m totally with you on the popular genre part. I’m really not a contemporary type although I do enjoy one from time to time. However, due to my job, I’ve read SO MUCH contemporary this year already *sigh* !

    I did love the original Mortal Instruments trilogy when I was younger, but The Infernal Devices was really not my cup of tea (my Celaena is Tessa (since I haven’t read ToG) – I could write an essay on why she’s one of the most problematic female characters out there). I’m still planning on reading the second TMI trilogy since I already own them, but that might be it for me.

    I didn’t want to read Vampire Academy for a long time, but when I came around it really surprised me. Didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Still, it’s more of a guilty pleasure read than anything special, so you don’t really miss anything earth-shattering ;) !

  • I wholeheartedly agree with you about Celaena, I think I got to 33% of Throne of Glass before I quit. I just couldn’t read another page of her annoying POV and how everyone told her how PRETTY she was. SO PRETTY.

    I’m also not for Cassandra Clare, but that’s mostly from all the controversy around her. There are so many stories about her plagiarising and bullying and I just don’t feel like I could be objective reading her books, so I just stay away from them.

    I loved The Lovely Bones movie! I haven’t read the book, but I’ve often heard that it’s harder to get through than the movie.

  • Unpopular opinions can be so fun.? And I’m 1000% with you on Celenaea (like however you spell that omg…and her second name isn’t much better because I keep calling her Alien. Ahem.) It’s the whole treating-friends-like-dirt that gets me. I can’t forgive it. I JUST CAN’T. Friendship is sacred and glorious!! So yeah, no go for that series. And I haven’t read the VA books but I think I will? Because I’m curious. But I’ve read two Richelle Mead books and they didn’t work for me at all.??

    Nikolai definitely deserves better. He is, hands down, THE BEST PART OF THAT SERIES OMG. And I hated bk 3 because of how he just got dumped out of the story basically for no good reason.?

  • I am SO GLAD someone else feels the same way about Fangirl as I do! I really couldn’t get into it, I didn’t love it, I didn’t ship Cath and Levi and I just didn’t feel it.

  • Ha, my unpopular opinions post features Celaena as well. No surprise there. xD

    Not reading Vampire Academy is a good choice. I DNF’d the first book pretty quickly. You’re not missing anything with Cassandra Clare, either. :P

Sep 02, 2016