Nators Discuss: Pet Peeves

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on August 10, 2013 | 12 Comments


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[Jessi] Hello loverlies! Jessinator and Inkinator here with the second Nators Discuss! It got pushed back a few weeks because of absolute procrastination and laziness on our (okay, my) part, but you can expect next month’s to be on the second Saturday. This week we’re talking about…. 

Those darn pet peeves

This topic was submitted by Melanie from YA Midnight Reads. Thanks Melanie!

Do you have one specific thing (or several) in literature that just annoys the crap out of you? You’re just minding your own business, trying to enjoy your book, and BAM! there it is, making your eye twitch? We feel you! 

[Inky] Aaah Jessinator, ickie things Pet Peeves are. We hates them, we HATES them don’t we precious?

[Jessi] Yes we do, precious. We do!

But anyway.. I’m just gonna kick it off, talking about one of the most common peeves. INSTALOVE.

I DESPISE INSTALOVE. WITH THE FIRE OF A THOUSAND SUNS. You can’t love someone you just met a week ago! Argh.

I believe you used the exact same phrase last month. Oh how fitting it is. :D Yes I know! It can’t even be CLASSIFIED as love. It’s attraction to the max. Insta-lust.

EXACTLY. That’s the fastest way to ruin a book for me! If the L word pops up before say, the last quarter of the book (because that gives it time to actually develop), I’m probably not going to enjoy the rest of it very much.

You nailed it girlfriend. Sometimes, being a writer it makes me wonder what the author thinks. Is it not obvious it’s insta-lust? What do you justify as development? A glance? A touch of hands?

True that. But lust is sometimes more natural. What’s not natural is telling someone you love them after a week! *crosses arms*

But it’s gross. And that doesn’t change the fact that lust doesn’t make love which is where it generally comes from. I LUST FOR YOU. Then you’re declaring LOVE for the person.

 …my brain hurts. Yes Inky, you are right Inky. How wonderful are your thoughts Inky. All Hail Inky.

*blushes* You flatter me. Stop it!



^ This is how I feel when the main character won’t stop complaining. And all they do is whine, whine, whine through the WHOLE book.

YES YES YES YES YES. Or when you have a synopsis that leads you on and then BAM it’s not like that. Like when I read Born Wicked. Independent MC? HECK NO. She was a whiner and worrier and did nothing happened till the freaking end when she ruined my fangirl heart.

LAME. The synopsises (Synopses? Synopsi? WHATEVER I DO WHAT I WANT) always make the books sounds amazeballs! Then sometimes you get the book and you’re like, WAIT. Where is the awesome story I was promised?! That’s like false advertising, dude.

I guess it just shows how different perspectives are. Some people see one thing and others well done.

I also hate it when EVERYONE loves a book, then you read it and hate it. And you feel totally gypped because you want the copy that everyone else read. Why did I get the bad one?!

*cough* Black Sheep *cough* That’s so annoying, I agree!

Let’s not even get started on being a Black Sheep! (For those of you that missed it, we discussed what it’s like to be the Black Sheep back in June.)
Anyway. My next pet peeve is…dun dun dunnnn: LOVE TRIANGLES! What happened to good ole’ fashioned one on one romance? Between a woman and a man? I’m talking ONE woman and ONE man?!?!! Being with two people is basically cheating! CHEATING IS NOT OKAY.

Haha Jessi’s fire cometh out. I agree. It’s so refreshing when every eligible hot teen guy in a book isn’t tugging at the MC’s heartstrings. Sometimes I find that I even start to analyze boys when we first met them as if expecting there to be some romance with each one. It’s annoying, agreed.

Yeah! Boys and girls can be JUST friends. It’s totally possible, guys. Really.

I LOVE when it’s like that. For example, the movie “Ever After”. She has a boy that’s been her friend for forever but even when the  Prince shows up that doesn’t change a thing. It’s so refreshing!

I haven’t seen that one! >.> But Yes Inky I Will Watch It.  That IS refreshing for sure!

So our last topic today is: World building. I am a major world building whore, and I neeeed to know certain things about the world in the books I read, specifically in high fantasy or dystopian settings. If I find myself asking a bunch of questions about the world, I’m probably going to be too distracted to enjoy the book.

*claps* Oooooh yes. Half the time if a book is another setting and I am just getting NO info or answers to my critical questions, it keeps me pulled away from the story and DNF is my new best friend.

Exactly! I need to know things like: What year it is (in futuristic settings), how the world came to be like it is, and many other why’s and how’s. I can’t accept ‘it just IS that way.’

True dat. And if it’s for fantasy and there is magic, then explain the freaking powers please!

I mean, I’m good at using my imagination, but at least give me a foundation with which to build my mental structure upon!

*sigh* Yup. I think some of the worst experiences of lack for world building was For Darkness Shows the Stars. I liked it but it kept referring to these events and I’m all “WHAT THE HECK ARE THEY? I AM SO CONFUSED.” It took me like five times to get past it. If I recall something similar happened to you?

YES! I had to DNF that one because I had NO clue what the crap was going on. I felt like I was missing a whole prequel story!

I like how you put that. It’s so true. I think it was only sheer will-power because a friend loved it that pushed me to finished. Merp. >.<

You’re stronger than me! I couldn’t finish even with several of you guys saying it was good.

Not anymore. Haha. I just dump a book, no matter what people think.

Yeah, I’m getting to that point too! Life is too short to read bad books! If I get to 100 pages and there’s NO enjoyment for me, I’m moving on to something else.

It’s kinda sad that all these pet peeves are pushing us to more and more DNF’s. But I guess it makes the good books worth it in the end.

It really is. With so many books out there, it’s hard to find unique stories that haven’t already been done a million times. *coughTwilightcoughcough*

What are YOUR pet peeves? What things can totally ruin a book for you? Feel free to join the discussion in the comments below!

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Anything you’d like us to discuss? Submit a topic!

Be sure to check out my loverly Nator Twin’s blog, Book Haven Extraordinaire!

Jessi (Geo)

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12 responses to “Nators Discuss: Pet Peeves

    • Ah, yes! Showing vs. telling. That’s a peeve of mine too and I didn’t even think of it! Cliches in general are a major pet peeve, there’s SO many >.<

  1. Fantastic post, you guys! I agree, I hate when the world-building isn’t done well. I heard somewhere that editors choose to ignore the obvious holes in the world-building because some teens would find it boring so they don’t bother developing it or something in the hopes that it would sell more? I’m not entirely sure, but I think that could be a reason. Also, instalove and love triangles (especially when they’re only used as a plot device) suck so much and I hate it D: D: D:

    • Thank you darling!
      WHAT that’s so lame! I mean I can understand if it drones on and on and ON, but jeez. We need some good world building. That makes me sad :(
      UGH YES. ME TOO.

  2. What bugs me even more than Insta-love is when the MC drops EVERYTHING to be with someone and spends the entire book obsessing over their love interest. Blah. Love triangles CAN be well does and somewhat realistic, but I totally agree with you when it basically the MC refusing to choose one over the other. The Selection/The Elite is one of the more egregious examples I can think of. Make up your damn mind, America!

    • YES OMG I hate that!! I really struggle with books that heavily focus on romance, though. If the MC is doing everything just for the love interest, I’m probably not going to like it much. Lol, I haven’t read that one yet! I’ve seen some VERY mixed reviews, so I’m kind of nervous to even read it O_O

  3. Stephanie H.

    I agree, at least to an extent, with all your pet peeves. I think one of my biggest ones, though, is when the MC starts out as just an average every day person and then their life is in danger, or they are suddenly paranormal and without any sort of training they can beat everyone that crosses their path. Not realistic. Even natural athletes need practice and training.

  4. I kind of agree with the love triangle argument. Although, I really like them (sometimes) or the best friend relationship between two characters and then there’s jealousy by one the best friends because the other is getting pulled away by a person of interest.
    I’m okay with jealousy; subtle, aggressive, what ever!
    – Krys

  5. I agree with all of these! I have another one: Slut-shaming! I really hate it, and when I see word slut I automatically lower my rating for the book. I hate it when protagonist is a good girl because she doesn’t sleep with many guys or is even a virgin, and there are “sluts” all around with revealing clothes, which are instantly marked as bad people. It’s so sexist – the way you dress and your sexual life has nothing to do with your personality. I wish more authors would realize that.

    • Ugh, yes! That’s what drives me crazy about reading paranormal romance, it seems like ALL the MC’s are early 20’s virgins. What kind of 22-year-old has never experienced ANYTHING sexual?! And yeah, I agree…I don’t mind the term slut if the girl acts like one, though. It has nothing to do with how many people they’ve been with but how they act! If they make themselves look cheap and throw themselves at anything with a second head, even I tend to view them as slutty (*ahem* Rose from VA….HATED HER).

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