Cinder
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Too formulaic?
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I completely agree. Cinder, as much as I loved it, and as much as I couldn't put it down, I knew exactly what would happen. I found it extremely predictable. The plot was too perfect, for lack of a better word, and it killed any sense of anticipation.
Yes. I enjoyed it completely and read it as quickly as I could, but it definitely had a formula to it. Besides the fact that it was taken from Cinderella, so many plot points are already known before you start the book, it had its own discoverable points. (view spoiler) It's also a book filled with clichés. The sassy best friend (in robot form)? Check. The creepy-ish older mentor? Present and accounted for.
Cinder is indeed very predictable, but I don't look at it like that. I look at it in this way: they were all very old fairy tales, Cinderella, Snow White, Tangled and Little Red Riding Hood. And now they are the same but totally different. They are old fairy tales with a (big) modern twist and a very original one in my opinion. That's one of the reasons why I love this book. Who would think that Cinderella came from the moon. And that Little Red Riding Hood would fall in love with the wolf?! I think is so original and well thought off. And of course you know how it's going to end, everybody knows the fairy tales! So it's not a surprise it's predictable.
Afke wrote: "Cinder is indeed very predictable, but I don't look at it like that. I look at it in this way: they were all very old fairy tales, Cinderella, Snow White, Tangled and Little Red Riding Hood. And no..."Agreed. The fairy tales are so familiar, even retellings feel repetitive.
Having heard the author speak at a debut of Cinder, I knew to expect a formula and the type of ending. She never led the reader to believe it would be anything other than a fairy tale -- and we all know how those end. Given that this was intentionally a retelling of several fairy tales, it would have been odd if she had deviate too far from the original plot lines. Part of the charm is that the characters and plot lines are known. Personally, this allowed me to enjoy the YA category a bit more than I might otherwise have done. I totally feel that Merissa Meyer delivered everything she promised in that book signing I attended so long ago.
The parts that were predictable were never elements from the original fairy tales.For example, Cinderella wasn't a missing alien princess in the original story, yet in Cinder it's obvious from the beginning that she is Princess Selene, etc.
It's fair enough that YA literature can be acceptable if it's predictable. But we don't have to settle for it. That's why books like Harry Potter succeed.
Cinder is successful in making money, but not as much as a story.
I think because I heard Merissa Meyer speak about her series early on, I had an entirely different expectation - and the fact that I'm not a big YA reader may have also had an impact on my expectations. Believe it or not, I haven't read any of the Harry Potter series - nor have I seen the movies. My reading list for 2016 will be composed completely of books suggested by others and those on my book clubs' reading lists. One of my local book club members suggested I read Harry Potter - at least the first one before deciding on reading the entire series - so that's on my 2016 reading list. Until I read it, though, I can't speak to your comparison, but when I do read Harry Potter, I will definitely be looking for those formulaic instances (or lack thereof).
Thanks for the insight.
Fair enough. I read too much YA Fantasy for my own good, and I know my expectations are too high after reading HP. I don't find adult books much different (aside from references to sex here and there), and YA at least generally has better character development in my experience. I see that YA has the most potential to be something good, if only taken advantage of, so I always have that hope.
Thanks for your comment.
That's an interesting though.So, since I'm not naturally inclined to YA, and the only one on my list so far is HP, what other one or two would you recommend adding to my 2016 reading list that might broaden my appreciation for the YA genre?
Harry Potter is the best by far.Besides that, maybe The Mysterious Benedict Society or The Seeing Stone (Arthur Trilogy) or Fablehaven.
Like I said, most YA fantasy has lots of potential, but I'm not saying they're really, really good. The ones I listed were probably the ones I enjoyed the most.
Great. I'll check them out and add at least one or two to my reading list.Last year, I took a reading challenge that had me select genre's and books I never would have read on my own. I found that, for the most part, I enjoyed it -- and I gained a deeper appreciation for some of the genre's and authors. By building my 2016 list on recommendations from other readers, I hope to have a similar outcome. So, I really appreciate your suggestions, especially since you have a lot of experience with YA.
Thanks, Fish. I really appreciate it.
Anytime.It's a good idea about trying to select genres you wouldn't have thought of yourself. Maybe I should do that too.
Here's the list I used, in case you want to borrow categories from it. I asked others for input on the books I should use for each category so as not to fall back into my favorite genres. I set the bar pretty high, with a number of books being quite lengthy and challenging. My list included book club reads as well, so, while I read many more books than the original 40+ I had set out to read, I wasn't able to finish a couple of these 24 until early January - and I'm halfway through number 18 and have yet to start number 21 (but, I'm carrying that one over to my 2016 list). I'm not sure if this will appeal to you, but it really expanded my reading experience. I actually opted to read more from genres I previously turned away from.1. A book written by someone when they were younger than 25
2. A book written by someone when they were older than 65
3. A collection of short stories either by one person or an anthology by many people
4. A book published by an indie press
5. A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ
6. A book by a person whose gender is different from your own
7. A book that takes place in Asia
8. A book by an author from Africa
9. A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture
10. A microhistory
11. A YA novel
12. A sci-fi novel
13. A romance novel
14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade
15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story
16. An audiobook
17. A collection of poetry
18. A book that someone else has recommended to you
19. A book that was originally published in another language
20. A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics
21. A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure
22. A book published before 1850
23. A book published this year
24. A self-improvement book
Thanks again for your suggestions. I've reserved a copy of The Seeing Stone and Fablehaven from my local library. They'll be among my first reads for February.
Here's the list I used, in case you want to borrow categories from it. I asked others for input on the books I should use for each category so as not to fall back into my favorite genres. I set the bar pretty high, with a number of books being quite lengthy and challenging. My list included book club reads as well, so, while I read many more books than the original 40+ I had set out to read, I wasn't able to finish a couple of these 24 until early January - and I'm halfway through number 18 and have yet to start number 21 (but, I'm carrying that one over to my 2016 list). I'm not sure if this will appeal to you, but it really expanded my reading experience. I actually opted to read more from genres I previously turned away from.1. A book written by someone when they were younger than 25
2. A book written by someone when they were older than 65
3. A collection of short stories either by one person or an anthology by many people
4. A book published by an indie press
5. A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ
6. A book by a person whose gender is different from your own
7. A book that takes place in Asia
8. A book by an author from Africa
9. A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture
10. A microhistory
11. A YA novel
12. A sci-fi novel
13. A romance novel
14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade
15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story
16. An audiobook
17. A collection of poetry
18. A book that someone else has recommended to you
19. A book that was originally published in another language
20. A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics
21. A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure
22. A book published before 1850
23. A book published this year
24. A self-improvement book
Thanks again for your suggestions. I've reserved a copy of The Seeing Stone and Fablehaven from my local library. They'll be among my first reads for February.
Wow, I hope you enjoy them!Cool list, I might have to try this soon.
It seems, however, that some authors are too obvious in what they're trying to do. It feels more like the story was invented to fit the formula, rather than having the formula in the back of their mind while writing an already established story. It feels like the author said, "I want to write a book. Now what should it be about?" Instead of, "What should I do with this story? I'll make it into a book."
In older books, for example, Alice in Wonderland, stories did not seem so hung up on "there always have to be questions and cliffhangers" or "a grand climax," etc.
Any thoughts on how this book in particular, or any others, do or don't rely too heavily on formulas that were already invented, or what kind of creative spins were put into it? (I'm not talking about ideas like robots, but the structure itself? I make the discussion on this book, because I personally felt it was a generic YA Fantasy).