Some Writer/Reader Thoughts on ACOTAR

I finished ACOTAR (books 1 and 2)

I did it! After several starts and stops I managed to finish the first two books in the ACOTAR series. I'm not a completist by any means but I did have specific reasons for wanting to get through the first two books--it involves spoilers so I'll post those further down. But! I think it's OK to name and explore why I had so much trouble investing in these NYTimes Bestseller novels AND ALSO why I wanted to work through these novels.

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From the beginning, I just wasn't invested in this world; there didn't seem to be anything essential and important at stake. From Chapter One, Feyre despises and resents her family. Promising her mother (who she also despises and resents) that she'd take care of her family didn't feel like a good enough reason for her to be anxious to return to the human world after Tamlin takes her into the fairy world. There's tension between the fairy world and the human world, but not enough was established for me to really care.

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It's important for me as a writer (and reader) for me to name this because it helps me solidify my own desires/expectations for these types of fantasy/dystopian-esque stories--I need to care about the protagonist (which makes me vested in the story) and I need stakes.

Katniss (Hunger Games) is in many ways unlikable but her driving force is to take care of her little sister who she adores. And her protection and care for Rue deepens that caring so that when she's an a-hole to others (distinctly those who are as strong or stronger than she is) we know she's capable of caring for the most vulnerable. Harry Potter and Violet (Fourth Wing) are treated terribly by those who are supposed to protect them but both are determined to be strong and to grow stronger. That terrible treatment and that determination made me care about them.

(A note here about Fourth Wing—I lost interest in the story in the second book because of the same reason as ACOTAR; I didn’t care about the world since there wasn’t much world building. For both ACOTAR and Fourth Wing, the writers tell us we should care [there’s a war! people are dying!] but there’s no work of showing.

For example—in Harry Potter, we really get to know the wizarding world. Hogwarts yes, but also Diagon Alley and the Weasley household. They are quirky and interesting and it hurts so bad when SPOILER! those places are attacked.)

This is important for *ME* to understand as I work on my own fantasy-ish novel. I’m still working on creating the protagonist and I know that I must create a reason for the audience to root for her, to care about her and alongside her.

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SPOILERS; ACOTAR

I found out during my first attempt of reading ACOTAR that Feyre doesn't end up with the primary love interest, Tamlin. And I was mad. Why was I investing all this time reading a novel that obviously had a significant romantic plot only to find out, oh, she ends up with some other faerie dude. What convinced me to try again was an episode of the Culture Study podcast and the discussion about First Loves and the importance of seeing these types of stories reflected back to us. I was also curious to see how Maas could turn the reader away from cheering for Tamlin as the love interest to cheering for Rhys--which, yeah, she did a great job at! I'm still trying to process and describe that turn.

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Anyway, I'm glad I read them. As I noted, it’s important for me to try and understand what makes some of these book-phenoms, well, phenomenal AND also why they may not draw me in. (I’m always looking for the next book that will make me read like a teenager again).

What’s the last book that drew you in—the book that made you forget about everything else, the book you thought about while you were doing other things, the one that made you stay awake all night?