What makes you crazy about a book? And what about the book makes you crazy?

[Karen]

As a writer, I read a lot of the negative reviews to get a sense of what turns readers off. And while a lot comes down to personal taste, there's also much one can learn from comments ths (ie Mary Sue's are a big

[Karen]

Sorry! Stupid phone! Anyway... While reactions are subjective, I do find certain things that pop up as negatives helpful to learn what readers hate (and what they love). So I am curious... What makes you love an urban fantasy book? And what makes you want to fling it against the wall?

[Megan]

I love it when there is romance, but when the characters banter with one another rather than confess their undying love after all of 3 seconds.

I can't stand when the hero/ine makes stupid decisions. I will throw a book when I know the choices they are making are clearly the wrong ones. Like its so unbelievable that you have to question the author's sanity.

That's just me :P

[Kat]

I'd love an urban fantasy with a great love story in it. I don't want to read something like the author was like in a hurry to finish it right away (take for example Bitter Frost - was really disappointed). something that's close to reality even if we know that it's actually fantasy. :)

[Brittany]

I have to have characters that are NOT perfect. I like that Katniss wasn't sure about trusting Peeta, that Harry Potter's hair was messed up all the time, and that The Black dagger Brotherhood's men are all messed up until they find their better halves.

I also love suspense and a plot that twists and pops out surprises.

[Mel]

Love
I love romance and I love action, is a book manages to have both without making it look like it was rushed then I'm sold.

Hate
Love triangles. I'm tired of them. Also, I hate when lust is renamed love. Unless the story involves true mates or something similar, I won't believe that X met Y and 10 seconds later they are madly, passionately in love.

[Estelle (E)]

I'm backing Mel regarding Love triangles. tired of them too!
I'm also tired of the usual scenario when it comes to 2 people falling in love with each other. When I get to 50%, I know the sex scene is going to be around the corner (that's why I loved Demonica!).

I love when it's unpredictable and when the story shocks me with darkness or things that are not appropriate (goody 2 shoes, no thank you)

And most of all, what i love in a good Urban fantasy series are the side characters. Treat them with the same importance than the main characters. That makes readers go through the series until the end I think.

And I also love a character that doesn't take no crap. ie, don't care what people think and just trust him or herself to the end. Great example for all of us
:-)!

[C.C.]

I love it when the romance aren't just blah blah talk. Like, when a scene is being described and it makes me feel such strong emotions.

I go crazy over a book if the characters are intelligent and relatable. It's also a plus if the growth in them is evident.

Action packed UF with ass kicking woman is also what I look for in a book.


What drives me crazy in a book?
If the woman was portrayed as a klutz.
If the woman is being pushed around by the guy
Love triangles *rolls eyes* especially if the woman is so "torn" because she "loves both of them"
Insta-love and insta-sex

I most especially cannot stand it if the love/ conflict in the entire book could have been solved by talking to each other.

[Lisa]

I love characters that seem realistic. Theres nothing worse than a character who is 100% perfect, 100% of the time. I want be able to relate to a character, to feel a realconnection to them.

[Jute]

I absolutely hate it when the magic system doesn't make sense. I know there is a certain amount of disbelief needed, but I can't deal with systems that just make people all powerful with no consequences or one that keeps ignoring their own rules.

I don't like books where thousand year old characters act like they are 15. Not that characters shouldn't have a sense of fun but that they shouldn't be immature adolescents.

I don't like it when characters do stupid things 'just because' to advance the plot. People do dumb things all the time, but be consistent with their character.

I know this is a personal preference but I hate it when historical characters are suddenly part of a fantasy (such as Abraham Lincoln hunting vampires) or when characters are related to known gods. Don't be a lazy writer...make up your own stuff.

[Sydney]

When the sex happens between the characters in the first chapters. Yes, attraction is a powerful thing, but c'mon.

[Dee]

Love characters who are smart, but not perfect.
A romance that developes over time, not in 5 seconds. I don't mind instant attraction, but true love, no.
I like to know what the scenery and such looks like, but unless it's got something to do with the plot, don't get carried away. Some authors drone on and on about how the countryside or the city or whatever looks like and after awhile you feel like chucking the whole thing.
And some humor, when appropriate, is always nice.

[Pickle]

i like books with paranoid characters or an underlying paranoia feel to it, probably why i enjoy Philip K Dick.

I detest dream sequences, rarely offers anything to the story and in the case of American Gods or Memory Sorrow Thorn its pages and pages of it.

[Riley]

i loathe too much discription in a book. I dont need to know that a coat has six red buttons and square pockets, and its made of red wool etc. The last book i read could have been shaved in half with the amount of stupid stuff they banged on about. I like my books to be to the point and full of action.

[Sandra J]

I hate love triangles and cliffhangers (by which I mean a literal cliffhanger, not an on-going story arc. I need to have some kind of resolution at the end of the book). And I hadn't run into this before, but I bought an ebook without reading the sample (stupid me) and found the darned thing was written in the present tense-all of it. I gritted my teeth and managed three pages. Definitely a DNF.

[Sandy]

I like stories that move and characters that I can care about. Things I hate are love triangles, main characters that are too stupid to love, and plot inconsistancies - eg. I read a book where the hero hot wired a car and two chapters later abandoned the car with the keys in the ignition.

[Danielle Book Boss]

Riley wrote: "i loathe too much discription in a book. I dont need to know that a coat has six red buttons and square pockets, and its made of red wool etc. The last book i read could have been shaved in half wi..."

I feel the same way Riley. That is very annoying.

For me:

1. I don't like books that have character that have an accent (French, Italian, Scottish, Irish, English) and the author uses overly-used phrases that are I guess inherent to that native language. I don't mind it every once in a while but every other sentence is annoying. Like poppet, pet, dearling, ma cherie, madamoseille, lassie, lad, etc. etc. I just hate hate hate highland stories with poorly written scottish or irish accents. I was ready a freebie once and it seemed like that author didn't do any research about inflections and what not and it was just awful. One minute the writing and dialogue was brogue and the next it was straight lace english. It was just weird.

2. Why are all vampires into wearing leathers? I don't personally know any vampires but I can't imagine those are the most comfortable set of clothing to be fighting in especially if you are going commando under those pants.

I do like an alpha hero who actively fights his feelings but not in a cruel way to the heroine. More so those heroes that are surprised by how the heroine affects him.

I like heroines that are strong without trying to be. (Mercy Thompson or Elena for example). Or heroines that didn't know they were strong but end up being by the end of the story (Nalini Singh write a good heroine like that).

[Ally]

I love books with mature relationships. I seriously HATE instalove, and I really enjoy watching the relationship(s) between characters form.

One thing I can't stand is vapid heroines who always need saving. Not only do these types of girls piss me off, they also send a bad message to young women reading these books. Give me a nice, strong heroine with concrete values and, of course, flaws to keep it interesting.

I'm really starting to enjoy books that portray classic supernatural creatures as different from the mainstream. I am not talking about Twilight here, but books with more subtle nuances or ones that deal with supes that aren't normally written about, like Succubus Blues.

I love books with rich description that make me feel like I am right there with them. I'm currently reading Shadowfever, which makes me feel like I'm right in Dublin and makes me want to hop on a plane right now. I dislike books that don't allow me to visualize the background or environment.

[Paganalexandria]

I guess my biggest pet peeve is TSTL heroines who confuse brave for stupid by running into unnecessarily dangerous situations because the hero dared to tell them not to go anywhere without protection. If the heroine is trained in her own right like Anita Blake or Dorina Basarab then it's a girl power moment and I love it. My problem is when unskilled civilian characters pull this (it's annoying if a male character in the same boat does it).

My favorite UF/PNR series right now is hands down Karen Marie Moning's Fever series . I love it because it's never predictable. Every time a mystery seems obvious KMM flips the world and it always makes a strange sense. It never comes out of left field. Plus she should teach a class on making complete alpha-holes unbelievably irresistible.

[Warneke]

I love a lead character that is funny. I love when the love interest does not perfectly fit in their life. I love when the characters are flawed but try to do the right thing. I love a well developed world and characters.
I hate predictable plots. I hate reading something I feel like I have already read. I hate when a character does something out of character, or doesn't make any sense. I hate when elements of plot are not fully explained by the conclusion. (If it's not purposely left hanging for another novel.)
In short, real and funny characters in surprising situations in a well built world are my cup of tea!

[Vanessa]

I love books that have a romance that grows with the book, even though they instantly hate each each! Saying that, the story has to be strong... And whether I like it or not ultimately depends on my mood. Reading is escapism for me, so I don't like to get depressed, but I love to think and even to cry.

Authors that have made me love the characters have been Sarra Manning, Stephenie Meyer, Jojo Moyes, John Grisham, Victoria Hislop, PC Cast, Agatha Christie, And many many others... Check out my reviews! :)

[Danielle Book Boss]

Ally wrote: "I love books with mature relationships. I seriously HATE instalove, and I really enjoy watching the relationship(s) between characters form.

One thing I can't stand is vapid heroines who always n..."

I've been obsessed with going to Ireland since reading the Fever series :)