Top Ten Tuesday: Things I Want to See More of in Books

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Hello, Strangers! Having been a reader since forever, I have become very familiar with the kinds of characters and tropes I like and found ones I want more of. And that leads me to this week’s topic: the top ten things you want to see more of in books. And so, without farther hooplah, here are the top ten things I want to see more of in books.

More. Female/Female. Relationships.- Show me Sapphic girls in love. Give me fluff. But also, give me epic, world-changing love. Give me basically every relationship trope, but with two girls. That’s all I ask.
Magic Competitions- I’ve seen a small increase of these (the Essen Tasch in A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab, the Crown’s Game in The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye, the Tournament of Wishes in A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi), but I want more. They’re fun and exciting.
Companion Series- I love series where each new book continues the story from before, but I really like companion series. They connect by being in the same world or having characters from a different book appear, but it’s its own story. It’s a concept I really enjoy.
Ensemble Casts- I often find that some of the best characters come from ensemble casts, as the different personalities bring something out of each other. They also tend to include more diversity. I mean, two of my favorite series have ensemble casts (the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo and The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer).
Antiheros and Morally Gray Characters- As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been less and less interested in the Good Guy vs. Bad Guy dynamic. I want some more ambiguity with my characters. I want characters who walk that fine line between hero and villain.
Satire and Parody Books- I don’t mean those books you see where someone rewrites Twilight or The Hunger Games, except it’s Silly™. I mean books that have a genuine message, but also parody or satirize a genre or an issue. Books like Beauty Queens by Libba Bray and The Lightning-Struck Heart by T.J. Klune. Books that make you laugh out loud but also have an earnestness and genuine quality to them.
No Romance- Listen, I love a good romance. Shipping characters gives me so many feelings. But I’d like more books that have no romance involved at all. It’s so prevalent, so it would be refreshing to read books without it.
Exclusive Groups- I don’t mean cliques. I mean really close-knit, closed-off groups of friends like the Gangsey from The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater or the Ancient Greek class from The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Even if it’s not always healthy, I am fascinated by this dynamic.
Inventive Mythology- Look, I’m a writer. I know how difficult it is to develop, well, anything. But I’m tired of reading new versions of the same, tired mythos. That’s one of the reasons I love the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor. Its world and creatures are so unique and unlike any other. I want more books that don’t feel like other books.
New Retellings- I’m not going to lie to you. I love retellings. But I’m sick of hearing the same stories over and over again. That’s one thing that was so great about Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones. Give me more retellings like that.

And there you have it: things I want to see more in books (and some things I’m definitely taking into consideration for my own book). What are some things you want to see more of in books?

See you tomorrow, Strangers!