Ten Tropes That Make Me Want to Instantly Read A Book || Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme created by The Broke and the Bookish, where each week a new prompt is discussed. It's a ton of fun, and if you're interested in finding out more and linking up, you can go HERE. This week's topic is about things that make you want to pick up a book/things someone can say in a review that will instantly get your attention/etc. I decided to go with ten bookish tropes that I love and am always on the hunt for. 

Without further ado-- 

TEN TROPES THAT MAKE ME WANT TO INSTANTLY READ A BOOK

ASSASSINS

Not sure what it is about people who are payed to kill others that makes me get so excited (we'll blame it on my love of all things stabby and medieval from when I was a kid and read too much fantasy middle-grade), but I absolutely love the idea of assassins, and as soon as I hear that a book features a character(s) that is an assassin/being trained to be one, I'm guaranteed to like it 10x more. 

HATE-TO-LOVE ROMANCE

I generally loathe romance in all forms. I have concrete plans to live out my life with a small collection of cats in a nice house somewhere near the ocean, in some coastal town far, far away from civilization. I'll probably be known as the village witch who never leaves her house, which I'm completely fine with. My one true weakness though, is my adoration of the hate-to-love trope. 

A book with a couple that says cute, fluffy, "feels-inducing" lines? Yeeeaah, no thanks. 

But a book with two people exchanging childish insults and pushing each other's buttons, only to have one of them turn around and have to convince themselves that ha no, they're not buying those flowers because they LIKE person A, they're just... y'know... doing it as a social experiment... or something...??? Psshh. Like person A?? That's... that's ridiculous.

 (I've read The Hating Game twice in the past two months alright?? I just. I have too much love for this trope.) 

WITCHES

THERE IS NOTHING, I REPEAT, NOTHING, I LOVE MORE IN THIS WORLD THAN STORIES WITH WITCHES. 

HEIST/SPY STUFF

Look, I may not understand everything that's being said when characters are explaining their plans for heists, but bOY DO I LOVE IT ANYWAYS. Spy stuff has always fascinated me, and if I so much as hear the word mentioned in a blurb/review, I'll add the book to my tbr, no questions asked. I feel like it's such an unloved concept?? I can only think of a handful of books that dealt with heists/spies, and I think that's a darn shame. 

MORALLY GREY VILLAINS/CHARACTERS

aka Victor Vale, Kaz Brekker, Holland, Manon Blackbeak, etc., etc.

Besides my adoration of witches, morally grey characters are my most favorite thing in the world. I love complex characters, and I love reading about ones that are "sort-of-villians", but have such interesting and contrasting qualities that either make them not entirely evil, or just plain interesting. Seeing stuff such as the development of characters like Victor and Holland (can you tell I love Schwab's books??) and exploring their past to find out why + how they ended up the way they did, mesmerizes me. 

DRAGONS

Again, we'll just go ahead and blame this on the fact that I consumed far too much fantasy as a kid. Honestly, my dream book is just assassin witches that ride dragons and crush the patriarchy. 

BOOKS... WITHIN BOOKS
My broken-spine, floppy, well-loved version of Inkheart can testify for my love of this trope.* There's just something so perfect about reading a book that's about books, or features an avid book reader. I'm currently reading Strange the Dreamer, and the mc Lazlo actually lives in the library. There's so much bookish love within the story, and I just adore when authors do this.

*For like a year and a half, when I was about 9 or 10, 

it was the only thing I'd read, and I can probably 

recite the first fifty pages by memory. I regret nothing.

FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS THAT ARE ACTUALLY... REAL??
It's a mind-blowing concept, I know. Fictional ladies who don't stab each other in the back and truly care for each other?? I think this trope is one that we all agree on, love, and clamor for.

1920'S SETTING
Okay so technically this isn't really a trope BUT I'M USING IT ANYWAYS. My favorite time period is the 1920's and every time I see a book that is set in this time I get so incredibly giddy. I love the history of this era, and I think it's such a rich + perfect backdrop when used in stories.

OBSCURE FAIRY TALE RETELLINGS
If I see another Beauty and the Beast retelling, I will scream. To be fair, if you mention any well-known fairy tale, with the word "retelling" behind it, I'll probably roll my eyes, point to the Lunar Chronicles which are my one true retelling love, and refuse to read it. But mention something that hasn't been done often in ya books, like say, a f/f take on the Little Mermaid with Norse Mythology?? Fam, I will be there in a heartbeat.

And there we go! Ten bookish tropes that will make me instantly want to read a book. I hope you enjoyed, and that all you lovelies are doing well. ^-^



LET'S CHAT! What book tropes can you just not get enough of? What's your favorite time period? And do you think more books should feature witches + dragons? (The correct answer is yes.) TELL ME ALL THE THINGS BELOW.