reading Wednesday
Jan. 9th, 2019 03:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ironymaideni read Snowspelled yesterday (it's a novella). it has fun worldbuilding (fake regency england with elves, trolls, men doing magic and women doing government) with a smart and cranky heroine. it was light and charming and i enjoyed it.
but i couldn't love it.
i was sure the plot was going to resolve in a certain way, and i was there for the ride to said resolution. i was right about the mystery aspect, but not about the destiny of our heroine. the choice she made at the end felt out of character to me (even though on reflection i could see how it was supposed to have been set up in earlier scenes).
what happened?
i thought that i was reading a fantasy with romance elements, but actually i was reading a romance in a fantasy setting.* i expected the story to be about fulfilling the heroine's thirst for knowledge and adventure, but actually it was about fulfilling her need for belonging.
i've been trying to allow myself to read more romances; i like longing and love (and sex) in stories. but oh, the tropes and the formulas still aren't for me.
*when a book that's mentioned somewhere online piques my interest, i put it on hold at the library. due to my local libraries being well-loved, enough time has passed when i get the book that i often have no idea where the recommendation came from or why i thought it was something i should read.
but i couldn't love it.
i was sure the plot was going to resolve in a certain way, and i was there for the ride to said resolution. i was right about the mystery aspect, but not about the destiny of our heroine. the choice she made at the end felt out of character to me (even though on reflection i could see how it was supposed to have been set up in earlier scenes).
what happened?
i thought that i was reading a fantasy with romance elements, but actually i was reading a romance in a fantasy setting.* i expected the story to be about fulfilling the heroine's thirst for knowledge and adventure, but actually it was about fulfilling her need for belonging.
i've been trying to allow myself to read more romances; i like longing and love (and sex) in stories. but oh, the tropes and the formulas still aren't for me.
*when a book that's mentioned somewhere online piques my interest, i put it on hold at the library. due to my local libraries being well-loved, enough time has passed when i get the book that i often have no idea where the recommendation came from or why i thought it was something i should read.
vaguely spoilery - i know, right?
Date: 2019-01-10 04:48 am (UTC)