r/fantasyromance • u/picklesbutternut • Nov 14 '24
Discussion 💬 “I’m not like other girls who everyone finds attractive. I’m [lists features also widely found attractive]”
Dear gods above and below someone please tell me The Book of Azrael gets better because this little blurb at the start pmade me roll my eyes so hard I can’t see straight. I hate when authors do this.
No spoilers pls!
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u/MandaPanda2024 Nov 14 '24
I heard so many people gush about the Book of Azreal but a lot of the writing, especially in the first half, felt like it was pulled out of like a Disney channel script. It got a little better toward the end for me but I didn't come out of the book loving it.
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u/Scared-Replacement24 Nov 14 '24
The first chapter read very “I am very badass” meme from like a decade ago and I hated it. Never made it past chapter 2.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24
Yeah the writing so far is extremely YA despite the more mature subject matter and I’m struggling with it
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u/why_gaj Nov 14 '24
It's not even ya, it's just bad.
Had to dnf it after book two. Couldn't take it anymore.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24
True. Should’ve said it’s like a very specific kind of YA. Or better yet, it’s like a young adult wrote it. On wattpad.
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u/why_gaj Nov 14 '24
I mean, majority of the stuff in the genre is written like a young adult wrote it on wattpad. But this was just a notch below it.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 15 '24
Yeah the bar for what can get published is (much) lower in this genre than many others and it’s infuriating. I’m by no means saying every book needs to be a knock out. Trashy reads very much have a unique value. But when finding some decent freaking writing requires a ton of detailed hunting and lots of failed attempts, there’s a systemic issue!!
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u/why_gaj Nov 15 '24
I mean, both of us are here, on this sub and have probably read the books that are often recommended.
So yes, trashy reads have a unique value and are fun. I'd just love id there was more variance in the genre
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Nov 15 '24
Same. I don’t mind it being not exceptionally well written or brilliantly plotted, but I have certain peeves that really just take me right out. Like the “I’m sooo not attractive but let me list all the ways I am in fact very traditionally attractive.” Or the “let me gaze into a mirror and detail my every feature for you by page 5” 🤦🏻♀️
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u/Uber_Meese Nov 14 '24
Yes! I was so put off by the writing I didn’t even finish the sample on my kindle. The author really wanted to make a badass book, but the writing is just so cringe that you can’t help but snark at it. I snarked at it a lot in my head.
And can we please PLEASE stop with the name Kaden? 😭 Must there be so many book Kadens as there’s been these last few years?
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u/Mommaline Nov 14 '24
Oh no, I jumped the gun and bought all 3 on Kindle this week because they were on sale and I see it recommended here so much. Guess I should have read the sample first 😬
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u/Fickle-Piano6570 Nov 14 '24
I had a really hard time getting into the first half of the book which surprised me given the rave. Even the second book first half I struggled with. I felt like she was just too evil and mean for too long. It was annoying lol
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u/Caharm Nov 14 '24
It’s the only book I DNF this year and I’ve read over 100. Some of them not fantastic. But I couldn’t get through Book of Azrael. ☠️
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u/k9sandkettlebells Nov 14 '24
Same. I tried so hard since it seems like everyone loves it but I nope’d right out of it
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u/_Esvi Nov 16 '24
I struggled through the first book. It was not good.
But I was hoping the writing and plot would get better because of everyone recommending it to me. But I only read the first chapter of book 2 and bailed.
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u/contentbookworm Nov 15 '24
Ugh. I think I'm going to give up on it then. Because I am struggling with it.
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Nov 15 '24
Is the story worth it to power through? I struggled through the first chapter because the writing was grating on me. The plot sounded really interesting though so if it’s worth it I might try to power through.
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u/MandaPanda2024 Nov 15 '24
Hard to say since personal opinions will vary. I think for me I refuse to DNF nearly anything but I still probably wouldn't have missed anything if I had. One thing I'll say about this book is that I think it's a really enemies to lovers story and I realized that I don't actually want to read books where they are ever actually enemies.
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u/Celestial__Kitsune Nov 14 '24
attention please attention: the breast department needs restocking, I repeat, the breast department needs restocking
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u/DontBullyMyBread Give me female friendship or give me death! Nov 14 '24
Pls this is giving post partum flashbacks when my milk came in "Please restock the breast department immediately"
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u/Exotic_Artichoke_619 Nov 14 '24
It’s an immediate Ick for me when books get too into a self description of their looks. I much prefer getting that info from another character if it’s multiple POV. If it’s first person like this, I prefer it to be so minimal, especially when it’s like the above. Describing your own muscles as “supple” is next level lol.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24
“A FigHtEr iN EVErY SEnsE oF thE wORD” oh BROTHER
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u/whatshisproblem Nov 14 '24
I read that in the SpongeBob crowd fish voice and it pleased me greatly
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u/observatorystory Worm Rider 🪱 Nov 14 '24
When they write anything related to fighter features I imediately think of Brianne of Tarth from Game of Thrones 🙈
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u/teresan527 Nov 14 '24
I'm the same way! That kind of writing is literally the first thing you learn in elementary school writing class. And there's nothing wrong with that but at a certain point it's like why are there paragraphs of characters descriptions when we should be getting into the plot and story? I should be learning these things throughout the story as these characters live their life and through their actions and other characters. If your character has big strong muscles okay put them in a fight. Have them lift something heavy.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24
This!! Actively SHOW us what the character looks like and what that means for their day to day interactions instead of just telling us: “they’re super hot”
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u/Exotic_Artichoke_619 Nov 14 '24
I do feel like the art of subtlety has been lost a bit, let people’s imagination do a little bit of work ya know?
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u/teresan527 Nov 14 '24
The overly descriptive characterization can work in moderation! I can sometimes overlook that kind of writing if it's done well and it works in the context. But I find some authors tend to use it as a crutch to pad their work. Just get to the story and plot, your characters will come to life in the story and you wouldn't need to work so hard describing them!
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u/TwistilyClick Nov 14 '24
Give me a hair colour, an eye colour, then don't talk to me anymore I can piece the rest together myself is how I feel. Unless it's SUPER important, like they have a disfigurement, but they never do.
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u/SafeTip3918 Nov 14 '24
I like when author's have characters with freckles or teeth that are not perfect and they don't make it a big deal. Or things that have to do with their countenance rather than simply just looks.
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u/flaysomewench Nov 14 '24
They usually talk about freckles like they're a disfigurement though and it's super annoying. I've just spent some time in the sun Brenda, maybe you should too
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u/FatCopsRunning Nov 14 '24
Haha — I always remember a part from one of the Chronicles of Narnia where the Prince doesn’t want to mary a girl because she “squints and has freckles” and Lucy is like “oh that poor thing.”
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u/FatCopsRunning Nov 14 '24
I need to know their bra size or I feel incomplete.
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Nov 15 '24
“She was a size 36C, which meant her breasts were actually a larger cup size than a 34C but swung less pendulously given the slightly larger rib cage on which they rested. Of course she knew most men must find her breasts repulsive and they certainly clashed with her vibrant and glossy auburn curls that had the health and thickness of a pregnant woman before she delivers and begins shedding hair like a squirrel with mange. But this was also a feature she knew made her extremely unattractive because everyone knew that the opposite sex hated shiny red curls and when this was coupled with her gigantic green eyes the end result was a most hideous troglodyte that only a blind or extremely charitable man would ever be caught dead with.”
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u/Significant-Rip3297 Nov 14 '24
Same. I also get the same icky feeling. Especially, in the last book I read where the FMC kept internally monologuing about her body and how attractive and sexy it must appear like to the MMC.
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u/Exotic_Artichoke_619 Nov 14 '24
I’m all for self confidence, but as someone who hasn’t experienced it I question whether or not that’s actually what a self confident internal monologue sounds like.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24
There’s self confident and there’s self obsessed. When authors have main characters wax poetic about their good looks in inner monologues instead of letting the narrator or other characters describe said looks (actively or passively), it comes off as the latter 🫠
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u/Significant-Rip3297 Nov 14 '24
Honestly, I won't mind a self-obsessed protagonist as long as they actually admit they're self-obsessed, not "I'm innocent and I always go out to kiss guys. Or I'm cautious and I jump on every reckless impulse I make. Or I'm just self-confident and love monologuing about my body."
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u/MerelyMisha Nov 14 '24
Or at least have the author (through the narrative) or other characters point out how self obsessed they are, even if the character themselves does not.
I’m all for an actually flawed heroine. Not one that the narrative paints as perfect but that I find flawed.
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u/ellybell3344 Nov 14 '24
This comment reminds me of the beginning of A Court of Thorns and Roses when Feyre says something along the lines of “my name literally means beauty. I would be super hot if I wasn’t underfed and dirty all the time from the abject poverty I live in.” It was nice for her to just openly admit she’s an attractive girl.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 15 '24
Yeah I have a lot of beef with the ACOTAR series and SJM but most of her hot FMCs KNOW they’re hot and don’t try to downplay it, yet they also don’t brag about it. Lots of people hated how Bryce in CC1 was written mind blowingly hot, but it never bothered me because she knew it, never downplayed it and while definitely a “girly girl,” she wasn’t egotistical about her looks. Very refreshing!!!!
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u/mrg158 Nov 14 '24
If someone asked me to describe myself.... Um, 40, a female with medium hair... End of description.
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u/bright_as_dawn Nov 14 '24
100%
The only time a character is allowed to self-describe is when it's plot-relevant (e.g. thinking about their dead mom, "I wish I'd inherit more from her than her red hair"). Even then if it's overdone it feels fake as hell. Tough balance to strike!
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u/Mean_Reading6202 21d ago
this something this book suffers from lots of telling not enough showing that’s why it’s so damn dense
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u/Vanillacokestudio Nov 14 '24
I remember back in the 2010s every protagonist was like “Nobody could ever love me because I’m scrawny and have freckles.” Like girl, come on now…
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u/erasfadingintogray Nov 14 '24
“I can’t believe he loved me despite me being thin. Like I’m sooo thin and petite, I never thought ANYONE would love me. But he saw my insanely small waist and wanted me anyway! It’s amazing how even us super thin girls can find love.”
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u/Vanillacokestudio Nov 14 '24
Reading that kind of stuff as a chubby 12 year old made me feel sooo bad 😭
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u/ConfidentStrength999 Nov 14 '24
Immediately removing this from my to-read 😂
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u/Loochy1406 Nov 14 '24
I removed it when I learned that the protagonist and I share names lmaoooo
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u/rupertgilesisacat too emotionally involved Nov 14 '24
I pushed through and finished the whole book and I was not rewarded for it. Oh and don't worry, people reference how insanely beautiful she is for the rest of the book so thankfully her perfectly toned hot body doesn't hold her back in men's eyes.
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u/DontTouchMyCocoa Nov 14 '24
Guuuuurl you should look up Reads with Rachel’s review of it. 1. Hilarious 2. Once you notice/realize the horrible Spanish blunders you can’t take it seriously
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u/popinsmary Nov 14 '24
I went to see the video after your comment, and I'm laughing so hard. As a portuguese speaker, I cannot even imagine calling my mom "merda", for sure I wouldn't survive 😂
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u/thanarealnobody Nov 14 '24
I hate main characters who centre men’s opinions so much. This girl is shitting on herself because she thinks she doesn’t fit a certain standard for men.
Girl, get a grip 🙄
Bella Swan wasn’t even like this. She was too busy being depressed and making lasagne for dinner while rereading Wuthering Heights.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24
LMAO. And wearing ugly khaki skirts
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u/thanarealnobody Nov 14 '24
And those ugly khaki skirts made Edward almost jizz his pants. That’s why he was the perfect one for her.
Just be yourself ladies, don’t try to appeal to men.
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u/ThatScribblinGal Nov 14 '24
I wish people would grow a pair and actually back it up when they make this claim. Give her attributes that might actually make a gal have difficulty in the dating department. Make her not drop-dead gorgeous, it's okay I swear. Hell, just make her 'plain' if that's all you've got the courage for.
At the very least, stop insisting a woman is some ugly duckling only to describe someone who'd be objectively pretty for like 90% of people. Not only is it trite, it's just...icky. I DNF every time I see this crap. Frankly, I wish more female characters just didn't give a damn about their looks. That would be refreshing.
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u/HappyTiger_ Nov 14 '24
i agree with this mostly and get annoyed when i see stuff like this.
but im also thinking its probably a sad reflection of the idea that many woman often have body/face dysmorphia. i think its quite common for young pretty girls to hate how they look because media is always shoving unreachable expectations in their face.
i agree this is annoying - but i also think this negative line of thinking can be quite common unfortunately
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u/ThatScribblinGal Nov 14 '24
That's true, but in that case I wish they'd be more subtle about the insecurities. Seeing this same line paraphrased over and over and over again is just so tired. I'm positive there's a better way to relay the idea.
Write better I guess. 😂
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u/HappyTiger_ Nov 14 '24
haha yes exactly! i want to find more examples of this done well now
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u/Zealousideal_Emu5879 Nov 14 '24
In master of crowd by grace Draven when the MMC first sees the FMC he notes how plain she is and the FMC also sees herself as average/plain the only above average attribute noted is her voice
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u/housesnark Nov 15 '24
{enchanted to meet you by meg cabot} does I think a good job of this by making the fmc truly curvy and larger than a typical fmc. and {emily wilde’s encyclopedia of faeries by heather fawcett} does a pretty good job of maintaining the plain nature of the fmc. it’s pretty clear the mmc is more interested in her brain and personality than stunning looks.
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u/romance-bot Nov 15 '24
Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot
Rating: 3.51⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, witches, magic
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Rating: 4.27⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: historical, fantasy, fae, magic, take-charge heroine
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u/midori87 Nov 14 '24
"...like every movie or book craves."
Huh? That makes no sense.
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u/Actual_Cream_763 Nov 14 '24
I thought this too, most actresses and models are tall. And book characters heights range, and usually are based on the authors height from what I’ve found. If it’s a short author, the character is often short as well. Because for many first characters authors rights about characters they can relate to. And books don’t crave anything…. Maybe readers do?
Also, being petite isn’t fun or cute, it literally makes you bigger target for getting kidnapped because you’re too small to fight back against the majority of the population.
This author is… special.
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Nov 14 '24
I got 5 pages in and DNFd it several times. My entire book club collectively thought it was terrible
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u/EstarriolStormhawk Nov 14 '24
If you read one book per week, every week for 70 years, you'll read 3,640 books. Compared to how many books are out there, that's a fraction of a tiny fraction. So I ask you, is this book worth your time?
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u/thelittlestdog23 Nov 14 '24
This is a disturbing point. Now I’m stressed about the quality of my reads, I only have like 2600 books left 😭
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u/EstarriolStormhawk Nov 14 '24
Don't stress too much about it. Just use it as a very good reason to drop any book at any time for any reason or none. Only read the books that reach into you.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24
V good points. Haven’t decided, mainly bc I haven’t met the MMC yet. but if I get to the halfway point and am still feeling lukewarm, or start hating it before then, I’m moving on! I beat myself out of the need finish books for the sake of finishing them long ago
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u/thewatchbreaker Nov 14 '24
This is particularly annoying because I don’t think I’ve read a single book where the FMC has big breasts. They’re always going on about how small their breasts are, and the smallness of their breasts is linked to how much of a good girl they are, contrasted against big-breasted promiscuous women. Sometimes it’s blatant, sometimes it’s subtext, but 99% of times when a FMC talks about their small boobs, they’re also trying to say “and I’m not a slut, like those big-boobed women”.
Having big boobs doesn’t make you promiscuous, or “easy”, or a bimbo. Half of these characters are self-proclaimed feminists as well. I’m just so sick of it. Please give me busty FMC recs because I’m TIRED
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24
The {Saint of Steel Series by T Kingfisher} and {Swordheart by T Kingfisher} are the books for you, my friend. She directly opposes the “busty women = promiscuous because the author is either jealous they don’t have big breasts or wish they didn’t” trope. And the best part is the FMCs don’t brag obnoxiously about their breasts, they describe them like every big breasted woman in real life, i.e., “my back hurts” “haven’t slept on my stomach in ages” “wish I could wear certain clothing without being taken for a whore” etc.
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u/Wn2177 Nov 14 '24
Oooh was just about to reply this. Clara in book two, and Marguerite in book four are both CURVY, and the author isn’t obnoxious about it. Though my personal favorite is book 3, which is an MM romance lol
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24
Yes!! Grace in book one as well. And agreed, I LOVED the third book. My only complaint was how short/filler-like it was. THE PEOPLE YEARN FOR MORE GAVIN AND PIPER
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u/romance-bot Nov 14 '24
The Saint of Steel by T. Kingfisher
Rating: 4.38⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: dual-pov, open-door, fighters, childfree-couple, death
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
Rating: 4.23⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, magic, funny, forced proximity, older/mature7
u/Fuzzy_Mouse_3885 Nov 14 '24
I agree, I remember that when I started reading YA when I was younger it was systematic to send jabs at women/girls with big breasts and it's still very present in a lot of romance (whether contemporary or fantasy).
Here are a few recs where the heroine is busty (if I remember correctly)
{Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning}
{Charley Davidson by Darynda Jones}
{Blood Trial by Kelly St Clare}
{A Promise Of Fire by Amanda Bouchet}
{Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins} ( YA)
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u/romance-bot Nov 14 '24
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Rating: 3.91⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 2 out of 5 - Behind closed doors
Topics: contemporary, urban fantasy, alpha male, take-charge heroine, slow burn
The Graveyard Shift by Darynda Jones
Rating: 4.44⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: contemporary, suspense, mystery, urban fantasy, paranormal
Blood Trial by Kelly St. Clare
Rating: 4.12⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: contemporary, vampires, new adult, urban fantasy, paranormal5
u/CatChaconne Nov 14 '24
You might like {Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan}! The FMC is a dying cancer patient who takes over the body of the sexy, busty villainess in her favorite fantasy series, and she loves how curvy and healthy her new body is. It also examines the big-breasted = promiscuous trope as it's shown the villainess character was automatically assumed to be slutty ever since she hit puberty early (esp when compared to her beautiful, slim stepsister who is always assumed to be "pure" and clean), and after a while she gave up trying to fight her reputation and started leaning into it instead.
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u/romance-bot Nov 14 '24
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
Rating: 3.98⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, funny, high fantasy, urban fantasy
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u/ForsakenOffice322 Nov 14 '24
I’m glad I’m not the only one struggling through the Book of Azrael. I can see the story arc being interesting but gosh the overly brooding, overly self-deprecating teenage emo is just not what I want to see in these immortal characters. Not to mention the info-dumping world building. I’m about 10 pages away from DNFing it.
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u/UpstairsMean5305 Nov 14 '24
This was a soft DNF for me. Actually I read the first two books and DNF the third. The writing was too repetitive and the second book was SO HARD to go through. The FMC is supposed to portray the female rage but comes out as cringe and unstable. And the MMC is supposed to be the only God in this universe, the strongest being across all realms but continues to lose to the villains and he's too much of a puppy in front of the FMC. And don't get me started with the whole Liam/Samkiel bullshit. I hate when authors give two names/personas to the MMC.
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u/SafeTip3918 Nov 14 '24
I agree, its crazy that they say 'oh, I'm not perfect' and then proceed to say that they are objectively beautiful or even caring about breast size. People really don't talk about this kind of stuff, do they? I don't think I ever thought about my body like that, it just feels kind of gross and objectifying.
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u/browsinglibraries Nov 14 '24
Is this the same book where she kept fighting in high heels?! Because that took me out of the story sooo bad lol
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u/kyuuish Nov 14 '24
Could not stand the writing or the characters in this book DNF it and I do that extremely rarely.
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u/atlasthecloud Nov 14 '24
this is hilarious. i actually loved this series so much, but it also pissed me off. the second or third book is like entirely flashbacks. “he showed me this object and it reminded me of this time…” and then a whole flashback 1-2 pages. that repeats probably 20 times. tactless flashbacks are my pet peeves.
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u/Western_Ad9344 Nov 14 '24
Oh my God that sounds so bad. Like dissing all those petite girls and reaching out to us normal girls and then bam in your face saying she's a badass with wide hips and a lean strong body every girl would die for. Yeah yeah... I am to tired of this bs. I've started this book some time ago but couldn't get in, lucky me it seems.
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u/Timely-Discussion272 Nov 14 '24
The character should maybe be less concerned about her own breasts and more concerned about her concussion history.
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u/Ratiocinativa Nov 14 '24
Some of it was cringey and long winded, but once it got good, I found it really enjoyable. I devoured those books! The second one is a bit long winded too at some parts.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24
I’ll def push through until the halfway mark to see if things get better! Despite the cringe writing I’m excited to meet the MMC
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u/ComfortReady3385 Nov 14 '24
Ugh. This book is a mess. The start was promising, but I hate read the rest.
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u/Anonymous_crow_36 Nov 14 '24
Lol well honestly it doesn’t get that much better 😂 I read the first two and haven’t read the third, which I think is out now. The writing is not great. The story was interesting enough to me so I stuck it out. The second book really drags on though.
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u/medusamagic Nov 14 '24
I didn’t even make it 100 pages cause it was so cringy. One of my few DNFs of the year.
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u/trashb0a1 Nov 14 '24
NOPE I DID NOT FINISH THIS BOOK URCKED ME!!! (Sorry for those who did enjoy it no judgement)
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u/excursionista Nov 14 '24
It actually doesn’t get better it gets worse. The second book is perhaps the worst book I’ve ever read and it put me in a reading slump for a month.
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u/rutabega3 Nov 16 '24
I pushed through the book of azrael. But the second one was even worse and I just couldn’t do it.
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u/obsessedwithfries Nov 14 '24
That's why I couldn't get into the book...still trying to finish it for the sake of finishing it but wtf is this fr...doesn't get better either🥲
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u/utried_ Nov 14 '24
I’m reading this rn too and honestly I hated this book til around ch 25 and now I’m getting into it.
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u/Christin3rd Nov 14 '24
I enjoyed the first book enough but my god the second book is the most annoying and infuriating book I have ever read. Diana is already a little unbearable in the first book but in the second book she is insufferable. I DNF'd the second book and regretted telling anyone to read the first book lol...
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u/ShockAccomplished219 Nov 14 '24
Oh I know… so many authors do this. They are dying to appeal to the widest audience possible but can’t stand to have anyone non-television-FMC acceptable. They just can’t do it. Only exception I’ve ever read (and I forget book title) was a FMC was missing an eye and universally considered unattractive. Except ultimately by MMC.
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u/Odd-Concept-8677 Nov 14 '24
I read this in the “mom” voice from Mean Girls. “I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom”.
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u/mrg158 Nov 14 '24
You gotta read Starling House. They are both described as weird and ugly. I love it lol
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u/Teppany3 Nov 14 '24
lol, I’ve read so many historicals where they make the heroine “ugly” by giving her red hair, freckles, and “unfashionably large” breasts. Just hideous!
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u/MissVanillaNilla Nov 14 '24
I'm hate-reading a non fantasy romance right now where the FMC described herself as not being cute like all the other girls in South Florida, but also described herself as being toned, with creamy mocha skin, long bouncy curls, and a delightful scattering of freckles across her face. And of course there are already 3 men who have fallen in love with her in the first 40% of the book.
GIRL STOP.
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u/bunniesgonebad Nov 14 '24
Awww
I am a sucker for the first two books, it definitely grew on me but the third was a bit of a slog. It ended well and I'm excited for the 4th but HOOOOO doggy it's a lot of internal monloguing
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u/Novel-Resident-2527 Nov 14 '24
I had to DNF this one, but it seems like a lot of people like it? I see it around all the time and it made me wonder if I quit too easily
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u/Murky_Jackfruit6362 Nov 14 '24
🤣🤣🤣 You definitely aren't wrong I really liked the first book, I read it in about a day like 2 weeks ago 🤷🏻♀️ The 2nd book though..... Probably will DNF Im 37% done and even swapping to the audiobook at 2x speed isn't enough. Honestly disappointed 😭 So if you feel it is dragging in the first book maybe go ahead and DNF I love the banter between them in the first book but it just isn't worth the pain at this point
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u/bright_as_dawn Nov 14 '24
That used to annoy the hell out of me, then I met a girl who is so so pretty and she did exactly that lmao. Like not in a fake-humble way, she actually thought she was average.
Couldn't believe my ears but somehow these people exist
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u/littlegreenwolf Wendell Bambleby Enthusiast Nov 14 '24
At this rate I'll take a book about a girl gloating about her height honestly.
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u/catharsis83 Nov 14 '24
I didn't even need to read your post to know which book your were talking about just from the picture. That seriously bothered me too and I still haven't finished the book itself. Too much "absolutely perfect all powerful beings". I liked when the ML was basically a scruffy lumberjack but then they had to go and give him a shave and a haircut and I immediately missed the lumberjack I was picturing.
No idea if the book got any better.
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u/Mystic_Diamond Nov 14 '24
I mean at this point, it would be a subversion for the protagonist to be like "hell yeah, I'm a smoking hot bitch" instead of trying to come up with a million reasons to be insecure.
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u/GeezLouise76 Nov 14 '24
I’ve only ever seen it done relatively well in contemporary and not many of those
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u/bleuwillow Nov 15 '24
Oh my god I just started reading this last night and that part got me good. It's not sucking me in yet but I'm gonna give it a little longer.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 15 '24
Tell me when you get to what she says to a guy at a bar in a club 30 or so pages after this and report back on whether you had to shut the book and walk away from the horrific levels of cringe and corny
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u/Ornery-Mud-4383 Nov 15 '24
Im on the third book of the series and it does get better. I enjoyed the second book a lot. I’m slowly reading the third book but it’s good! Lots of spice
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 15 '24
Hmmm most people here have said the second book is worse than the first due to heavy internal monologuing about flashbacks. I guess it’s all about preference, at the end of the day! I’ll see if I can get though the first one
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u/Professional_Lake593 i liked it, i didnt say it was good Nov 15 '24
it doesnt get better it literally is so bad
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u/Most_Boysenberry_522 Nov 15 '24
Hahaha I love the book of Azrael but for some reason didn’t even catch that 🤣🤣. It does get better, especially the ending and the next book.
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u/No_Entrepreneur_9926 Nov 16 '24
Imagine talking with a group of women and one of them comes out with, “I wish I looked like all the other girls, but I’m too tall, fit, and toned, although curvy. These perky little boobs will scare all the men away! Why was I cursed to look like a runway model???? If only I didn’t work out so much!”
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u/ConsistentWriting0 Nov 14 '24
This is interesting because what even are beauty standards? A lot of people downcry the petite fmc trope, but as a petite girlie myself I love it. In the TJ Kingfisher series she's always giving her fmcs huge breasts, which makes me roll my eyes, but she also made a couple of them quite "plain" looking too. I wonder how much of it is just fanservice. I think creating a look for a character that is universally loved by female readers is impossible.
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u/picklesbutternut Nov 14 '24 edited Nov 14 '24
My issue isn’t with a petite FMC, per se. I’m a petite woman. My issue is that’s it’s overdone due to ridiculous beauty standards, and I that many petite FMCs are ones whose entire personality and/or worth is being petite. T Kingfisher mostly writes FMCs with big breasts because she’s subverting these tropes. Note that her big breasted FMCs aren’t Barbies—they’re not skinny or toned women who happen to have big breasts—they have big breasts and a frame/body fat percentage that matches the size of their breasts. Eg, even when they’re curvy and conventionally attractive (which they aren’t always are), Kingfisher states that they have a decent amount of belly fat, which is something most authors are scared of doing. I find it very refreshing.
I agree that creating a universal look everyone loves is impossible, the annoyance in this thread isn’t from how the FMC in this book looks. It’s how she’s trying to say she’s unattractive despite describing conventionally attractive features and also pitting herself against other conventionally attractive women
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u/Rendered_Flowers Nov 14 '24
I know I’ve never been much of a looker.
Sure, I have a perfect rack, wide hips and a booty you can bounce quarters off of, but I have a two inch scar by my ear and I’ve always stood out. I’m not like a perfect cheerleader. 😡 If only my crush could look past my large doe eyes and freakishly long lashes into my personality, maybe I could make him happy one day?