What turns you off a book?

[Rowena]

Is there anything in a book (or fic, for that matter) that can turn you off reading it right away?

For me, if I see the words "inexplicably drawn" in a book jacket summary, I put it down right away. (You know, along the lines of "[female MC] finds herself inexplicably drawn to [male MC/love interest] despite his temper/mystique/blah blah blah".) Also, vampire spelled with a 'y' has become a warning sign since the rash of YA vamp novels trying to imitate Twilight's sucess.

What about you?

[Tokoloshe Monster]

Anything that looks like a Twilight rip, honestly. (Especially the 'dark' covers.) '

I also get annoyed with books that have very flowery blurbs or sound like emo poetry titles. >.>

[Rowena]

Ah, we have the same taste in books Both of those things annoy me a lot too.

[Tokoloshe Monster]

I generally find the YA realm very depressing to be in. >__> But there are some good things if you look, so yeah.

[Rowena]

Every time I walk through the YA/Teen section at the library or bookstore I end up wanting to bang my head against the wall -.-

[Aanaleigh]

Anything that even hints at any stupid romance. Though if I can't find anything, I will read it, jsut so no one can say I've never read it and can't pass judgement.
Also, anything vampire related, after Twilight, I'm not sure I can't trust anything.

The first little bit on the book I'm reading (-_-) right now.
Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell

Ellie was never particularly good at taking to boys-- or anyone rather then her best friend and fellow outcast, Ruth. Then she met Michael.

I hate this type of books. What annoys me more, is she's suppose to be an 'outcast' at school. Yet the 'popular' girls don't bug her, or are mean to her in anyway just because she lives next door to one of them.
/end minirant

[KATE]

I hate the things about people coming back to life, or aren't really dead. The vampyre nonsense, and the overly mushy romance. I like a nice action plot with undertones of a romance. I'm so sick of reading about vampires/werewolves/witches/zombies. I'm so sick of the super natural hype right now.

Or, the absolute worse are these 'remakes'. I almost cried trying to read Little women and wervwolves. Or sense, sensibility and sea monsters. AGG!

[Rowena]

AJ - yeah, that's the kind of summary that would have me wary! But I might give it a chance unless it said she was inexplicably drawn to Michael. (It doesn't, does it? D:)

Kate - agreed about the supernatural thing. It used to be cool, but now it's overdone.

But I totally agree. I love me some romance (trust me) but not if there's no plot. Now, if there's a great plot and no romance, I might still read, but I really need a plot to get my attention. Still, most stuff really doesn't have much of a plot.

Another thing that bothers me, now that I've gotten to the age where a lot of book characters are, is how unlike mine their lives are. Like, even in books where they are supposed to be "normal" teenagers or their parents still think they are but they developed weird powers. I just read Thirteen Reasons Why (perhaps not the best example?) and maybe it's just because I don't live in a small town, have friends who can drive (and have cars), and have overprotective parents, but I don't think my mom would be chill with me wandering around the city all night with my only excuse being "It's a school project." Yet (I forget male MC's name)'s mom is totally fine with this - a little suspicious, but she lets it go.

That's probably just my view, though.

One of the reasons I really want to write a good YA novel is because all the YA books right now are so bad. Is that lame?

[Aanaleigh]

Rowena - Uh, if you read between lines, yeah, pretty much.

Kate - I also agree with the supernatual thing. I still read it cause I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe I'll find something new, and original. Sadly, not the case.

I like romance, as long as it's not the main part of the books.

Rowena, not lame at all. That's the reason I write as much as I do. I want anyone my age, and who reads the same stuff as me, to find something good, and new to read.

[KATE]

We really need some NEW YA and not somehting trying to hop on the bandwagon. I miss my fantasy YA books. Half the adult fantasy books have women running around half naked or at leas ton the cover and I just can't be seen reading something liek that, or have so many cliches its not even funny. I like apocalyptic or dystopian but the good ones are so few and far between and the olders ones say that the world she already be over and done with.

its so sad.

[Subject Matter]

Oh gosh, where do I start?

I can no longer go to the library YA section anymore. It's too embarrassing to look through it. It goes like this: Vampire Romance, Vamp. Romance, Werewolf Fights, Vamp Romance, Stupid Romance, etc. I miss the YA realm of years past.

Rowena: That's a great way to write a book

[Rowena]

I still go to the YA section in my library/local bookstore, but I am embarassed to be seen there. I always hope I'll find something new but I rarely do and I'm doublely reluctant to actually buy any books because even ones that have been reccomended to me by friends have turned out to be really bad. I like supernatural, and I like romance, but not the new stuff. No! D:

[KATE]

The new stuff is just awful. I've been heading to the used section of my local bookstore more often because the older books are just so much better.

[Rowena]

My bookstore does not have a used section. And they've recently moved the teen section to one side of the main hallway when you enter the store, so you have to browse on display -.- I highly dislike this.

[Hannah]

I pretty much agree with all of what's been said about romance-without-plot, Twilight-copies, and YA Fiction sort of sucking in general lately.

I mean, sure, you can find something wrong with every book if you try hard enough--Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc--but what I really can't stand are the series that start off really awesome, and then, of COURSE the author has to bring romance into it that just screws it up.

*mini rant ahead, and Maximum Ride spoilers!*

One example of a good-series-going-downhill-really-freaking-fast would be Maximum Ride, in my opinion, at least. I mean, it starts out pretty good, a few plot-holes maybe, but nothing major. And then, of course, Max (main female), and Fang (main male, and no he is not a vampire or whatever, just 2% bird like most characters) have to get together. Honestly, I didn't have a huge problem with that. They were teenagers, there was lots of stress with the whole "saving the world thing" and it sorta made sense.

But, then, of course, Max HAS to find out that someone made her "perfect other half" and there has to be a ton of drama. Literally, the latest book was reduced in one scene to a bunch of mutations dancing around a campfire, singing:

"Oh, we'll all go out together when we go! Yes, we'll all go out together when we go! Oh, how the world will die! In great fire from the sky! Oh, we'll all go out together when we go!"

Seriously, that takes up something like twenty pages, and that's really all the plot that there is to it, except that they find out that people/mutations now worship one of the members of their family/flock in weird ways and that soaking them in cold water is the only way to break them out of that trance even though it apparently really bothers them.

*end spoilers*

To conclude that rant, basically, at least bad books you can stay away from, but good books with bad endings are worse, in my opinion, because then you still want to know what happens, but the writing just gets worse...