Book Icks (Eww): 6 Atrocious Examples

 

Let's admit it: Book icks, no matter how much they might irk us now, were once insanely popular. Tropes, characters, arcs, even genres, whether they came out five years ago or fifty, have proved to be either endlessly enduring or like brief, bright flames: compelling, but leaving us to choke on the smoke that follows. 

Looking at some novels, it is painfully evident that not all things bookish are meant to stand the test of time, so here are 10 currently atrocious book icks that are spewing controversy all over:

1. Permanent Stickers?!

You know those unremovable (no, scratching doesn't help), glossy 'Netflix' stickers on book covers? Yep, those ones. It turns out some icks have made it off the actual pages. If you're like me, you probably won't mind those stickers all that much, but you have to admit it's kind of an aesthetic killer. If you chat with other bookish friends, or even spend some time on social media, you'll find a large number of people complaining about these little rounds fiends occupying the cover of their favourite novel. Since I doubt these were ever even popular to begin with, it's surprising we still have to suffer from them.

2. Indecipherable Names

If you read a lot of fantasy books like me, you will probably be familiar with reading long names that you find hard to pronounce (I just assign my own made up names). If done right, these names could give us the feeling of an old, faraway land with rich lore, or they could just have us blubbering nonsense in our heads. Either way, whether it's Jake or Jelebrhyr, sometimes it may be better to just pay more attention to the plot.....

3. Love Triangles *shudders internally*

This trope screams Twilight for me, and while I did enjoy some elements from that series, this one, sadly did not make the cut. Love triangles is one of the few tropes that has remained consistently popular while also drawing a lot of dislike at the same time. Members of the book community are very often at vicious odds with each other on whether love triangles deserve the hype that they generate. I personally do not find the trope very attractive. I do believe that there are better ways to steer character development and draw interest, but I have a lot of friends who would disagree. Ultimately, this is perhaps an 'each to their own' situation.

4. Mary Sue- the flawless fiend

Ever come across a character who had everything work out for them, as if by fate? A character who seemed flawless and perfect from the very beginning? If you have, you are thinking of a Mary Sue, or as I call them, flawless fiends. Quite a common occurence in novels, Mary Sues are notorious for their lack of personal growth and character development. Every conflict seems to revolve around them and is also solved by them effortlessly. They just can't go wrong, no matter what they do. Annoying, right? Perhaps it is their bland, flawless nature that makes them so easy to write, and subsequently, so common in literature. I dislike Mary Sues for their unrealsitic and boring nature. After all, how can you succeed in slaying the dragon, if you never learned to wield the sword? 

5.  Multiple POVs

I would say dual points of view in a book is fine, but when the POVs stretch to over four, even five characters, I'm just going to say that might be one too many. Not only does it make the continuous switching of POVs jarring and confusing, it also leaves little room to explore each character in depth. As a result, readers often stumble over who did what and also feel a lack of any real connection to the characters. It's just to much to take in. I find multiple POVs annoying simply because I end up confusing one character with another and just cannot read enough about a particular character to actually like them.

6. Dual or Multiple Timelines

While this trope isn't exactly unpopular, there are quite a few people who find reading different timelines that switch throughout the book confusing and therefore unlikable. I for one, like multiple timelines, an example being The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue, a beautiful story of a woman granted the gift of immortality, who spends centuries wandering around the world. If done right, multiple timelines can make for an engaging read, exploring character growth, plot and climaxes in new and unique ways. Perhaps it is only a matter of mastering the skill to write this trope that will determine the novel's popularity.