I thought it would be fun to talk about what I as a reader would like to see less of in Young Adult (and Middle Grade) books.
The Chosen One
I know that this will be close to impossible to get rid of. The trope of the chosen one is deeply ingrained into YA and MG lit. I guess I’m just tired of our protagonist being the only one who can save the world/the universe/the school/etc. It’s pretty hard to believe that they are the only person in the world who has the capabilities to do what needs to be done. What about an adult or friend who can help? What about being the only one who cares enough to stop it? I just want some variety.
Love Interests
I wouldn’t be so sick of romance if it wasn’t in every book out there. I can understand why it makes sense to be in some books but it doesn’t need to be in all the books out there. When you’re trying to save to world or struggling to survive, you shouldn’t be concerned about how cute that guy or girl is. Not to mention, I want to see more characters that are okay to be single or don’t really want a relationship. That should feel just as normal as someone having a crush.
Traditional Re-tellings
I love, love, love re-tellings. I really do. I just would like to see fewer of the better known stories: Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, etc. The market it almost saturated with those stories. I would love for authors to dig a bit deeper and find some lesser known stories to tell. Shannon Hale’s “Book of a Thousand Days” is a good example of a lesser known tale.
I’d also like to see fewer re-tellings where you can clearly see all the elements of the original tale. Those are fun and everything but I want to see more re-tellings done in a creative way. Think of the Lunar Chronicles. You can see some of the hints at the original tales but they’re intermixed with other elements of a completely new story.
Series Books
I know series books are good money makers for the author and the publisher but I’m growing weary. I start too many series only to never finish them. I just want to read a book with no strings attached. I don’t want to have to wonder what’s ahead because nothing was explained in the first book. I don’t want to invest years of time waiting for a series to be finished. I just want to sit down for a few hours, get lost in a new world, and walk away when I’m done.
What do you want to see less of in your books?
I’m talking about what I Want to See More Of over here.
Future installments of What I Want to See Less Of are here.
The Cheap Reader 
I agree with the chosen one. It’s starting to get a little old. I really like when there’s a chosen group now. Like in The Heroes of Olympus. I like the quest to find everyone!
Chosen groups are a fun twist on the idea. It was enjoyable trying to round up everyone!
If there were more retellings like The Lunar Chronicles and Book of a Thousand Days, I would be a very happy reader 🙂
We can dream, right? 😀
I would love less romance in books out there, it would be great to see one where friendship or being single is enough! Great post 🙂
Yes!
Amen on fewer love interests. A good, strong, platonic relationship is so much more satisfying than yet another romance.
Absolutely. Besides most people have most likely have more platonic relationships than romantic ones. Why not occasionally explore those relationships?
I’m with you on the romance, especially when the romance involves insta-love or love triangles!
I also much prefer to read standalone books than a series. I’m more likely to try a book if it’s standalone (or if I mistakenly think it’s a standalone :-) since I know I don’t have to invest in multiple books to get the whole story. However, I understand why authors and publishers do it. The data shows that series outsell standalone books by a significant amount, so that’s where the easy money is.
Yessss. I’d be incredibly happy if I never saw another insta-love romance.
I understand the money angle but I’m still not a huge fan of the overwhelming number of series.
Huge yes to the trope of the Chosen One. I liked it in Harry Potter that the trope was subverted to an extent — it was only true insofar as Voldemort believed it to be true. But, yeah, it’s been way overused and I am ready to be done with it.
If we can’t get rid of it completely, maybe more books can take the HP route and be subtle about it.
I completely agree with Less Romance. It’s enough!! I actually rly like series, I’m just getting tired of trilogies.
Trilogies are definitely getting boring. Why not mix up the number of books in a series? Anything more than 7 books might be a bit much but some variety would be nice.
I agree with everything you have mentioned, especially series. God! seriously what is with this authors and all these series including novellas like 1.5, 2.5….
Yes! Novellas are really annoying. I’d wish they would consider putting the novellas in the paperback version of the books.
Yes, yes, yes, absolutely YES. I am beyond sick of the “chosen one”, of the idea of “true love” when they’ve known each other for a week (or, like you said, the fact that there’s a romance in every single book ever), and I’d much rather read a standalone book. I’m a poor student, I don’t have the money to buy all the series, and the English section in a Belgian library is to weep over.
Ah yes, money is the other side of series books. They can be a huge money killer. Sorry your library is so bad! 😦
I totally agree with the Chosen One. It’s very warped in some ways–in the Hunger Games, Katniss sort of becomes the “Chosen One” for District 12, because she’s the only one who can fight and is put into the Hunger Games.
And romance–seriously? Please, half of us readers are cat-crazed hermit ladies. We’re just fine with being single 😛
I haven’t read the Lunar Chronicles–I’ve been wanting to for a while now–and it’s wonderful to see it doesn’t have all the elements. I don’t like it when retellings are basically just rip-offs of the original story.
I honestly don’t mind a good series–if it’s done well. For the Harry Potter series, each book was like its own “mini-story” which all led up to the cumulative events of the seventh book. So each novel felt like a finished arc, but there was an underlying arc common between all of them that tied them together, and made them even better. I think I’d like to see more of those, but not cheap books where the story isn’t even half finished by the end of the book.
Thanks for another great post!
Yes! How about some books featuring hermits who are okay being single. 😉
Series can be enjoyable. I just wish authors tried their hands at more stand alones. It could be a real exercise for them trying to put an entire world and story into a single book.
Haha, yes! I would read them all! 😉 Though, quite frankly, they would be rather boring.
Well, especially for fantasy and science fiction authors, that could be a challenge 😛 I see what you mean 🙂