Things I HATE in YA Books | Bookish Pet Peeves

[@benjaminwambeke9458]

I don't think people realize that when we say "we want strong female characters" we actually mean "we want complex female characters that can carry a story" not "WE WANNA WOMAN WHO SHOOTS HER GUNS BOOM BOOM BOOM."

[@queenning28]

Benjamin Wambeke And I think for most of us readers, strong means a strong heart. It's not just physically strong or skilled at fighting and it definitely doesn't equal rude and bitchy. In fact most strong women (and men actually) I've met in my life are polite, kind and generous to others and are only tough on the inside.

[@Jackylification]

Tiffjhp21 yeeeessss! This exactly

[@amonreucin7675]

Benjamin Wambeke do you mean well written characters?

[@kioeclipse]

If you want a strong female character and strong female leads in general stop reading YA books most strong female leads in books are usually found in scifi books.

[@PeanutButterZombie00]

kioeclipse There's no reason why authors can't create strong female protagonists in the YA genre. They're writers just the same as sci-fi authors. YA writers just need to stop mimicking each other and focus on quality writing more often; just because their target audience is young does not mean they can get away with lazy writing.

[@Makiaveli01]

I could not concentrate on what you were saying I was lost in those blue eyes blue as sapphire

[@TheBookLeo]

haha thanks!

[@lisabalsini1]

More like aquamarines, I would say. Sapphires are darker. :P I don't know why authors are so fond of dark blue eyes. Everyone I ever met that had deep dark blue eyes were wearing contacts.

[@o.steinman3855]

Makiaveli ikr

[@ellabookhunter]

Makiaveli lol

[@21chemicalatthedisco93]

Lisa Balsini I dunno. All I know that all the guys I have ever liked (minus one) have blue/grey eyes.

[@summerkitsune1164]

Sometimes I wish I could jump into a book to slap a character in the face.

[@marigonzalez4041]

Summer Kitsune omg same 😂

[@loverofbookmovies8984]

Summer Kitsune or kill them

[@hanphilnoffz8827]

me everything I hate reading

[@thecraziestcrayon]

Amen! Same with movies or TV shows. Like i wanna just reach in there and be like "get yo shit together!"

[@SnorriSnibble]

One of my biggest pet peeve is that every main character, without fail, is super attractive and good looking. I mean what are the chances? And then the author always has to point this out like "She had to admit, that he was extremely good looking" when the characters are talking about something really important. And I always sit there like "Giiirl, focus! You have to save the world, this is important, can you just get your shit together?" I never understand how people can be so hormone-driven that they think about how attractive someone is when they're in severe danger...

[@reaganp6830]

Snorri Snibble trueeeeee and they always have a really hot love interest. Or multiple. TBH that's why I didn't like throne of glass because it seemed like eveyone guy in the book was just in love with celana. And it wasn't realistic or fun.

[@SnorriSnibble]

Reagans Library yeah... I actually really liked Throne of Glass, especially Heir of Fire, because I loved Celaenas and Rowans friendship, but know I've read QoS and it was by far the worst book in the series. I was constantly annoyed by the fact that now every single guys is in love with her and everyone is super hot...

[@reaganp6830]

Snorri Snibble yeah that's what I'm saying. Everyone is white, attractive, and in love with celana. It got boring.

[@IchibanOjousama]

Snorri Snibble I agree with you but ToG sucks

[@JasmineLiontamer]

Ugh ToG is terrible, I thought the concept sounded nice when I bought it at the store but I couldn't get past chapter 3, the main character is so arrogant and annoying! Probably should have looked at reviews first lol :)

[@procrastinathi]

"she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding" CRINGE

[@graciiee8937]

procrastinathi ikr, I see them so much in online books (wattpad)

[@SnorriSnibble]

procrastinathi Yes! Seriously, did anyone ever experienced this in real life? You always know if you're breathing or not... 😅

[@21chemicalatthedisco93]

Kristina Ma I do. I also don't notice when I'm biting my lips or the inside of my cheek. But that's always because I'm really ditzy and don't notice anything whwn I'm thinking (which is when it normally happens). But I would hardly ever write the troped unless my character was like me.

[@Ami_E_Bowen]

procrastinathi I encounter that phrase too many times to count. Its gotten so that I find myself expecting it and when it shows up I'm like "Of course; it wouldn't be a YA book without it!" It reminds me of the late V.C. Andrews habit always describing two characters of massively different physical sizes in which the smaller was defending themselves against the larger by writing "It was like a fly trying to battle an elephant" or "it was like a sparrow trying to fend off a hippo", ect, in most of her books all she did was replace one tiny animal with a much larger one and how ridiculous it would be for them to be engaging each other in this way overused analogy. The "releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding" and how its so overused always makes me think of Ms. Andrews and her own overdone phrases. *Double Cringe*

[@gracezinkgraf5676]

This actually happens to me sometimes, so I don't mind it too much when I see it in fiction.

[@alinab.5852]

I hate how in YA books the author always tries to make the female main character "unique" by putting down other girls... I don't understand why the girl always has to be "not like other girls"... I have yet to find a book where the female main character likes make up and fashion and is still a badass fighter. Liking feminine things doesn't make you weak!

[@TheBookLeo]

SAME! it so stupid, as if girls who like makeup and 'girly things' can't be interesting?

[@RedPhoenixRockerGirl]

maybe try out throne of glass...?

[@TheBookLeo]

already read it and didnt like it

[@lisabalsini1]

Vampire Academy series, I guess. The main character likes make up and fashion, has flaws like everyone else, and the way she behaves sometimes makes me want to yell at her, to say the least.

[@anarocha9039]

Alina B. You just low-key described MacKayla Lane from the Fever series. I 100% recommend it, it's one of my favorites!! (also... Jericho Barrons)

[@JillLikesCheese]

You mentioned things I hadn't even realized bother me until you said it & I thought, "yeah, what's up with that?"

[@TheBookLeo]

haha I hope you don't start to get annoyed when you see them in books!

[@wholewheatcracker3561]

I'm gonna use all of these to write a parody

[@TheBookLeo]

that would be the best parody

[@radioactivecookie7912]

is it done yet ?

[@nightlizard8595]

What about now?

[@paryhere]

Not yet?

[@mimirants7935]

I don't have an issue with eyes compared to gemstones, so long as the author does not go overboard *cough, Stephenie Meyer*. If we were to blandly describe eyes as blue or brown, meh, what's the point of literature?!

[@elvie2230]

mimiofthemalfoys Yes, I think it sometimes gives something else to the story by putting similes, metaphors and others like that in the book

[@cupstudios3788]

Beer bottle brown, the colour of dead grass, they were blue but only stood out when they wore orange. Though that is far and few I like more chipped nails, dry lips, bulging eyes, thin brows, long dainty fingers, straight long or small crooked nose. It’s much more fun than describing the colour of something which feels so much more intimate?

[@skylar4390]

Water is too wet. And cold

[@thoughtengine]

And fantasy could see someone with eyes that ARE made of sapphire.

[@finnChitwood]

i think it'd be great if we could ditch describing eyes with these overboard, dramatic colors and getting lost in them, and instead describe things like eye lashes, bags, the lid, anything else than the color. eyes are cool but they're more than colors

[@adollfordolls]

The only acceptable reason to use crimson is when you're describing blood or bruises.

[@TheBookLeo]

yup!

[@ItsBritt2967]

AGREED! but not when EVERY vampire book or chapter in thr SAME BOOK uses crimson to describe it... switch it up!! Also, I think authors think that the love interest would find the girl more attractive if she were short and skinny.

[@adollfordolls]

Britt _ It depends on the book. Like if it's a post apocalyptic world then it makes sense for the girl to be skinny because there probably isn't a lot of food to eat and they have to move a lot.

[@INTCUWUSIUA]

Or medival heraldry and other forms of livery.

[@larrystylinson3309]

I hate when I character is super evil and rude and bad and then, in the last book, they redeem themselves but get killed like a week later. WTFFFFFFF

[@TheBookLeo]

+Larry Stylinson oh omggg that's the worst! I've had that happening to me once!

[@MagickalMermaid]

I'm sick of hearing about blue eyes. They're always described so beautifully. If they're brown they're described as...coffee beans or raisins or something not so remarkable! what about brown or green eyes!!?

[@TheBookLeo]

+ConfettiCurls lolol true!

[@angelscores4332]

IKR

[@alexisclearburrow4801]

I describe brown eyes as deep as river stones, or as smooth and rich as chocolate!

[@tropetrinitytrilogy8533]

Also what about hazel! It's an eye color too!

[@alexisclearburrow4801]

tropetrinitytrilogy Hazel eyes are beautiful! I often describe them with gold tinges to them.

[@Oleeh-oleeh]

Miscommunication is the absolute worst in stories, I just get extremely annoyed and stop reading because I can't handle the frustration

[@Harleigh_19]

This isn't specific to YA books but one thing I absolutely cannot stand is when the author describes characters features in EVERY SINGLE BOOK..... -___- Seriously if I'm reading the 5th book in a series I know what the characters look like already! I swear its like the author is describing characters as if a new reader in starting the series at a random book.

[@LetsStopThisSong]

Harleigh19 yeah this is something that irritated me at times in harry potter

[@adiazrue5776]

Haha, I actually did pick a book from a numbered series randomly when I was little. So the character's description in the latter, so and so book help a lot for little-me. The Author do need to solve this issue if it did happen, yes? A precaution for idiot like me, ehehe.

[@laurenworrall7082]

Or when they mention stuff that happened in a previous book. I'm like 'Yes, I know that happened. It was in the last book. Can we just get on with the story please?'

[@clarissagutierrez5015]

I hate when they summarize past events. So many books in series do this. I know what happened if I'm this far song in the series.

[@potterhead665]

I have really bad memory so when I'm reading the new book in the series and the last one came out a year ago this is really a lifesaver for me, otherwise I wouldn't know shit about who's who and that

[@triplecatnip7413]

Do people really use raven so much? I don't mind when it describes hair color, but anything other than that sounds silly

[@Azire]

Triple Catnip I agree :)

[@allysonmorgan5009]

I’m writing a book and one of the character has raven hair, so I use raven a lot, but I didn’t know it meant black. I thought it was bluish. I don’t know, but I’m not changing the character now. I’m too far for that.

[@xoBElieveInYOUrself]

I agreed with almost every single one I think. Here are some of mine: Mirror Introduction: When they immediately start out the book with cringe worthy forced character introductions, like, they literally just copied down the character description they wrote earlier and popped it under the mirror scene, example: "16 year old Kayla Jae Roberts looked into her mirror, she had dirty blonde hair, and crystal blue eyes." And tied to that a little, when the characters are super vain and are gorgeous but think they're ugly, and like, I get it, the authors are expressing their own insecurities and fantasies of actually being stunning, but it's annoyingggg, and if it's from their point of view, they would view themselves as unattractive (imagine if that was done and then you saw them in someone else POV as beautiful, ahhh, I'd love that) -- they wouldn't just SAY they're ugly while a description of them as beautiful is being shown, example: "Kayla sighed as she looked into the mirror, her dirty blond curls, well-lashed blue eyes, she wished she was pretty." Getting dressed brand scenes: When kids are "rich" and have the coolest clothes so the author is brand dropping every few seconds in the first scene where they're getting dressed: "I got out of bed and looked around for something to wear, I pulled on my Lee skinny jeans and hot topic band t-shirt, then got one of my Converse shoes to put on." Like, first of all, "just got up, getting dressed scenes"? Over-rated, secondly, nobody cares about your characters clothes that much, we read stories because we want stories, not examples of stylish clothes and trendy brands. If you want to point out the characters clothes to explain part of the story, maybe to show she's a soldier, or that she was wearing something special for a date, or he was in a fight, that's fine, but a reason is important. Those are just a few, I suppose I have too many too haha

[@saphia7082]

Dont forget Love Triangles

[@TheBookLeo]

yup!

[@mickeydiestel6475]

oh I hate those soo much

[@camx8027]

When she BLUSHES AT EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME NO MATTER HOW SERIOUS THE SITUATION IS. They could be in a battle, people dead and dying everywhere, and the main guy will spout some trash like *"you're the only one who can"* or *"you're the only one I trust,"* usually in a whisper, and they'll pull into the whole *"time slowed down and the world vanished, and Sophie felt her cheeks burn under the heat of his gaze."* LIKE THERE IS A SCREAMING DYING HUMAN BEHIND YOU AND A CORPSE UNDER YOUR FEET HOW DO YOU HAVE TIME TO BLUSH RRRRRGH

[@przykran]

"crimson" translated to my language sounds quite old-fashioned too, but I don't mind when it's used in books, since it just suits the description of shoes or cloaks (especially in high fantasy), I get how annoying it can get when archaisms are used too much though 😂 my little pet peeve is when a description of something appears just too regularly, for example, in one moment of my favourite series, there was a sentence like "his aura smelled of rotten eggs" every few pages…

[@booksnotlovers]

YES TO ALL. I really hate it when YA-heroes is riding horses. And the author obviously doesn't know how a horse works. Like no, you can't run through the forest for 20 hours at the time without either a) killing your horse, or b) getting some serious muscle cramps. It's not that hard to do some research.

[@BetweenStories]

Oh gosh yes that annoys me as well, when the author describes the person late in the book. What are they thinking that I imagine a blur as long as they're not describing his appearence? Like you said it's done I imagined it for myself. But sometimes I even don't care about description at all :D I feel like a lot of authors give their male lead long hair and I don't like that at all so I always imagine them to have short hair :D loved your rant (and Justins What do you mean :D) - agree on everything! ;)

[@TheBookLeo]

Ahaha so true, sometimes I just ignore the description and i'm just like nah i'll imagine the love interest like this XD

[@morganwalters8218]

OH MY GOD YES! I thought I was the only one who noticed every strong female character is short and skinny! As a 5'8" heavy woman, it would be nice to see a hero of a story be strong, beautiful, and powerful that also matched my description in some way!

[@75sol21]

Omg that sound effect annoys me SO MUCh. Also when people scream in books and its like "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" like honestly

[@75sol21]

like like like like

[@adaalbright1849]

Aspen Copper was

[@wolkcumulus2547]

Yeah I agree it feels like you reading a comic or manga x3 With those I like the sounds effects but in a book I want to read about it. they need to desribe it.

[@illiteraterogue1707]

I totally agree with you on the pretty rude popular girl thing, the whole popular mean girl stereotype in itself gets so so so old and it always makes me so sad, and that is what I loved about the DUFF. if you've read the DUFF you know the main character isn't necessarily extremely attractive or anything, but she hangs out with the "popular girls" and is very good friends with them?? and doesn't judge them?? and its just so great the DUFF did a great job of breaking that stereotype

[@harasnicole]

Miscommunication between characters is my biggest pet peeve. Especially when it's used to create drama. It's just lazy writing, in my opinion.

[@TheBookLeo]

+harasnicole ugh Miscommunication is the worst plot device for angst

[@JoyAndAgony]

i always assumed the difference between a doctor/medic and a healer was that a healer uses magic while a doctor uses technique.

[@morganm5742]

I hate it when a character is described as short and then they say that they are five foot seven inches tall. That is not short for a girl that is tall. I'm only five foot two.

[@cryptclown]

OMG lol; good to know other people feel this way. Even the villains are obsessed with the MC though, they hate her but they can't stop thinking about her; if they ignored her their problems will go away. That and the Mean girls is hated for being pretty or wearing a dress that might attract the main stud, then heroine wears the same dress and she's modest and lovely.

[@ziggylavigne]

I get the memory loss point but one of my favourite series is the Program series, and it's based around a suicide epidemic where teenagers memories are wiped. It's super good I would strongly recommend it.

[@commanderjae9888]

And the Heroes of Olympus series. That memory loss just worked so well in the book.

[@spiritted6297]

What do you think about the Percy/Jason memory loss? (I'm assuming that you've read it because it's one of the most popular YA books out there) There's a reason for it, and they don't completely forget everything, and they regain their memories in the end.

[@jewelsims8805]

Amnesia can be done the wrong way or the right way. Rick Riordan did it the right way.

[@ohreyoh1193]

Memory loss can definitely go wrong, but I think Rick did it perfectly (because it actually, like, contributed to the plot and there was a reason for it and it turned out to be a lot more serious than just regular memory loss)

[@sims1sim]

To add to 1 of your points I hate the "memory loss" trope because some authors erase the characters personality along with the memories

[@rachelmcquade8910]

I actually quite like sounds effects in books! To me it help you get more into a scene, but hey to each their own! Excellent video non the less!

[@sarawawa8984]

My pet peeve is when the main character is an asshole but everybody loves her/him anyway. They just adore the mc despite the fact that the mc is rude and not a good friend, etc. or basically what you said, when we are told but not shown. Like other characters will be talking about the mc like "she's so intelligent and selfless" but she has just been making poor decisions the entire book. Like just idiotic decisions. If she was so intelligent how did she get herself into this situation??

[@ottoismy1dog]

Your eyes are such a beautiful Benitoite ... um, I mean blue ;)

[@TheBookLeo]

+ottoismy1dog hahaha ;)

[@AJ-Parker94]

I usually use the word Maroon to describe a dark red color, mainly pertaining to clothes.

[@OhioEddieBlack]

Also Sarah J. Maas frequently says that her characters "sighed through his/her nose." There's so much sighing in her novels, I'm surprised there aren't low-key wind storms.

[@anaaguilar4373]

Your eyes are so beautifully blue! This is the first video I see from you, and I didn't know you were Dutch. You speak English so good it sounds natural.

[@stahppls2293]

Ana Aguilar so her eyes are...sapphire? (maniac laughter)

[@queenning28]

As a tall girl, about 5'8, I noticed this thing about short female protagonists ages ago, like, why do they have to be short and slim??? We non-petite girls just can't save the world or what??? And I only accept rich girls complaining about their wealth if they actually face some serious problems brought by it. Things like parents forcing them to give up their dream and work in their family company, or arranging her marriage to an ally, or having mean siblings or other family members who wanna rip her into pieces in an inheritance fight, etc. Otherwise any complaint about being too rich just makes me roll my eyes into the sky.

[@Lynnize]

do you have a video on romance pet peeves? would love to hear about those too! :)

[@TheBookLeo]

I hope to film it any time soon!

[@courtneyd5379]

I hate when there's a villian who acts as more of placeholder than an actual villian. They don't really have a reason to be evil or to hate the protagonist. They just want "to rule the world" or something like "Destroy Earth and then people will regret looking down upon him/her." To me it makes the story unfinished like we should get another book as a prequel which would show you their back story and explain things . However, the book never comes and you're left confused as to why the villain acted like that.

[@TheBookLeo]

Yes I hate that so much too! I should have added that to this list haha

[@adollfordolls]

It works sometimes (Like in the case of the Joker) but now it's so over used and pointless. I don't even care if the villain is EVIL, just give them a damn motivation!

[@honeytrap3231]

i totally understand the pet peeve about the mean girls. i grew up reading books where the mean girl was always blonde and blue-eyed with big boobs, which now make me distrust girls that look like that... even though i am that exact description. meanwhile, girls with brown curly hair and brown eyes are automatically more trustworthy to me. i hate the stereotypes that books and movies, especially american ones, perpetuate. it's made me think my natural appearance is bitchy.

[@helenejakobsen2040]

I definitely relate to a lot of your opinions about YA "issues" ^^. I particularly really can't stand new characters being introduced and killed in the final volume of a trilogy as the only ones. It seriously gets on my nerves. It just feel like an easy (and artificial) way to compensate for the lack of damage done to the protagonist and his/her squad of whomever, but it's just really hard to buy. I feel like you just don't get the time to properly bond with all of these random new people, so when the big showdown finally happens, I'm personally not on edge/immersed at all, simply because I'm not scared for the main squad and I don't care about the rest of them. Then it doesn't really matter if a thousand demon horses ascent from a hole in the ground and start spitting hydrochloric acid on everyone and their mother - if no one but the random side characters die, I'll still feel like it was a really uneventful reading experience.

[@TheBookLeo]

+Helene Jakobsen lolol Yes it's just a cheap way to "shock" the reader!

[@benjaminacuna8013]

In the defense of crimson and raven I will say those are shades or red and black; yes black has shades so from a distinction point of view it makes sense. However the over use of raven and crimson are annoying especially when there are more distinct and descriptive shades of either color like pitch and sanguine. From an artistic point of view it also makes sense since we tend to use descriptive tone and shades instead of the base hue

[@couragouscharlotte]

YOURE HONESTLY SO FUNNY. I understand wha you mean by when translating it. When they translate english books to french they have some of the weirdest translations

[@sylve2474]

I'm okay with them being called healers, but only if they are legitimately supernatural in some way to heal, like they have magic healing powers, but if they heal in some mundane way, then it just seems like a bad description.

[@vyrothevirus5304]

As someone has already said, Old English doesn't contain the word "doctor," hence it being very modern-sounding. So if it's set in Fantasy and it's not modern (as most Fantasy books are not), "doctor" would not be appropriate.

[@namelessshameless1505]

I really want to read a book with a romantic subplot where the main is like "ughhhh I'm really not sure if he likes me does he like meee" and all her friends and het mother are like "go get Mr. Sixpack!" And in the end she's like "i love you" and he's just like uhhhhhhhhhhh and then when they talk about it like "It's not that you aren't nice and all, I'm just not interested"

[@lightlawliet3526]

oml 2016 leonie is a different person. voice wise. idk why this showed up in recommendation all these yrs too late.

[@milablacksheep802]

"It's really not fun to be annoyed by everything." Guuurl do I feel you! Miscommunication is the WORST and so annoying. Especially in romance, how can you believe it's an epic love when the two assholes can't even talk to each other?? Amazing video!! I have many of this pet peeves myself (like the girl who just wants to be normal, why? Just why??) Thanks for the laughs! :)

[@TheBookLeo]

yes miscommunication happens most often in romance and it's sooo annoying! and omg I totally should have included the girl who just wants to be normal. If I gained special powers I would totally love it lol

[@milablacksheep802]

The Book Leo Hahahah yes! I'm still waiting for my Hogwarts acceptance letter, and there are chaarcters who complain because they have magic :( Have you read Air Awakens? It has a character like that (at least at the beginning of the series).

[@matchamei3079]

Ohhhhh I get you so much with the eye/gem stone pet peeve, wtf are "drops of sapphire' NO NO NO WHO EVER LOOKS AT SOMEONE'S RAL EYES AND COMPARES THEM TO GEM STONES. But I especially can't stand it for reason when someone uses 'orbs' to describe eyes, THAT may just be me but I just can't.

[@sagetucker5558]

my Pet Peeves are 1) I'm so perfect but yet i'm so ugly 2) girl hate 3) i have only one friend of the same sex 4) love triangles done wrong 5) i get my powers on my 16 birthday and i have full control over them 6) your eyes shine like a lake on a crystal blue sky day 7) i so physically strong but i'm brain dead 8) i love to look at people only for their looks, but i'm not a mean person. I just don't care for the personality. 9) i'm always white, short, and skinny 10) i can never have both brown hair and eyes and more....

[@Useless_Gears]

This is the first of your videos I´ve seen, and I got so excited when you said you are Dutch I´ve been thinking of starting a booktube channel myself in January, and I´m so excited to find a booktuber whose first language isn´t English. And oh man do I feel you on the "Mean Girl" pet peeve ...

[@TheBookLeo]

I promise you, It's really great to have a booktube channel! And there are actually quite a lot of booktubers who's first language is not English so don't worry :D

[@Useless_Gears]

It wasn´t so much worrying as just being sad I hadn´t seen more, but thank you for the reassurance! Do you have any recommendations of others I could go watch?

[@TheBookLeo]

Robin Dahl specifically Dutch or others?

[@Useless_Gears]

Not necessarily. I´m not Dutch myself, I´m Danish. Just anyone whose first language isn´t English ^^

[@TheBookLeo]

Robin Dahl I dont know anyone from Denmark but some great other ones are: BrittReads is also Dutch FaerieDrugs is from Germany (although born in America) BookWithWings is from Argentinia The World of a Bookworm is from Austria and a very well known one is Book&Quills who is Dutch but now lives in England ^-^

[@charlottearchey1673]

Great video! And all good points. I can't think of any particular pet peeves in books that annoy me at the moment (or at least none that you haven't mentioned). I'm looking forward to the romance pet peeves :)

[@TheBookLeo]

+Charlotte Archey thankyou ^-^

[@isitlina]

omg the thing with raven and crimson and gem stones.... its like sometimes authors try too hard to make their writing sound more sophisticated and complicated??? theres nothing wrong with simple writing style, u dont have to pull out thesaurus every two lines to find an old fashioned fancy sounding synonym of a word you were about to use aaaaggrhhh most of the time it seems to be a cover up for the lack of actual plot of world building too? ive read so many books where when the story gets dull and bland, suddenly youre hit with complicated words and sentences that go on for half pages.

[@mirror728]

First of all, I really enjoyed your video, these things bug me too. As for the last one, I think that in some cases the word "healer" could be used instead of "doctor" or "medic", because the two last are crated by our specific society, they have more complex roots, than word "healer", which just comes from word "to heal". Of course, in many cases authors just want to sound fancy, but sometimes it is worth to take a look at roots of words and the way they are built. For example, in one work I read the medics were called "clerics", simply because they had a very close connection to church and religion of that specific culture. That is how I see it.

[@carolinezina3543]

okay, kind of serious compliment, but honestly, AMAZING thought-out rant video! This has changed some of my basic thinking for my own writing and now my reading process. Thanks for this! Also, love your voice/accent. great video!!

[@TheBookLeo]

thank you! good luck with your reading and writing ^^

[@elementsxalign]

Thumbed up for the communication point :) Nothing is more annoying than when the main conflict would be resolved with one clear conversation!

[@bubbledreams6382]

Oh geez, the purple prose. HATE that. I HATE writers using long or elaborate words to make readers feel smart and give the impression of imagery/descriptiveness, while the plot and characters are actually very simple and predictable.

[@tharcblack]

The main character's description point is SO relevant. I literally finished a book that said her hair was black 6 chapters in, and I was like "Nope, she's blonde, shut up".

[@CharlieBookFanatic]

Your bookshelf looks so satisfying I could cry. I don't know what it is. Just the top shelf looks perfect already.

[@TheBookLeo]

+Charlie Book Fanatic I just recently reorganised them haha ^^

[@WantedHerocom]

Oh my goodness, you made me laugh. Loved this video. Raven. Crimson. ...and the only memory loss happens to my own, and that's because I'm getting old (smirk).

[@TheBookLeo]

haha but that's acceptable

[@teabooksgirl854]

That last kept peeve cracked me up! I never thought about it before, but as soon as you mentioned it I was like, "That's so true!" 😂

[@TheBookLeo]

you can't unsee it now ;)

[@marg8562]

Awesome video! I think I'm also annoyed when a certain thing happens in the book and instead of the author describing the scene and letting me figure out my emotions he/she just goes on and on about the main character's feelings. I feel like instead of trying to make the readers feel something they're just telling them what to feel, hoping that will work.

[@TheBookLeo]

+CryMeAReader ugh yes! Authors need to SHOW not TELL

[@Jammythewerewolf]

These are all so right! XD I agree with pretty much all of these, nice to hear it articulated. About the short thing, I guess as a short guy I always just really appreciated when male characters weren't huge and strong. I don't remember coming across this trope too much myself.

[@LucDAnschel]

I've got one! What about everyone being white?

[@TheBookLeo]

true, that also happens very often!

[@ashhash407]

Friggin mayonnaise people errywhere

[@bookmilla8616]

Ash Wood what a terrible thing to say...

[@3brendan933]

tell black people to write more books then. when white people write black people they end up getting hate for getting things wrong so it's a lose lose

[@gonaedeath2]

@@3brendan933 Theirs lots of black authors. People don't like reading their books.

[@gabeg9855]

That last one about the Healers... I think it worked well in Harry Potter, because they explained why they aren't called doctors.

[@fancyasreads]

OMG SO RELATABLE!! Im so looking forward to the romance pet peeves video

[@TheBookLeo]

+elysianBOOKS haha thanks, I have many ;)

[@AnnaStarseedOracle]

Raven actually means black that shines blue or green in the light, like a raven's wing.

[@TheBookLeo]

hmm yeah I guess that would make more sense

[@frejawille4900]

I write stories and watching this video, I realized how many of my main female characters actually fall into the category of being either short, skinny or both. Thank you for making me aware, even though that was not what you intended at all - it's such an easy hole to fall into!

[@joaovictorleandroribeiro6562]

I sincerely couldn't agree more with you. I hate especially when authors try to describe the characters using some out of context words. Really annoying. Congrats to your amazing channel! ❤️

[@Moribunny8]

As a tall/not exactly skinny girl, I agree a lot with you on the whole short main character. Also, have you noticed how those characters are always like "omg im short and skinny, i hate it so much" . It just bothers me so much -_-

[@TheBookLeo]

yep I understand it's annoying when they're all the same! I personally can relate with those characters but I totally see that not everyone can relate to that!

[@ivymuse]

Just discovered your channel and you're hilarious xD Totally agree on all of these! Never even really noticed the crimson/raven thing, but it's actually true!

[@larrystylinson3309]

When I was reading the selection, I imagined maxon as a brunet and the author never even said that he was blond until like the last book. Yea he's still a brunet in my head.

[@TheBookLeo]

+Larry Stylinson oh it's too late to change the image now!

[@ali7nah]

Wait, he's not a brunet? I haven't read the last book yet, but that is surprising!

[@AsdfAsdf-mi6ks]

I'm very glad to hear these kind of things. As a writer, I like to keep all of these things in mind for my own personal writing. Also all of these pet peeves are the reason I am afraid to get into YA novels.

[@HannahCassieBooks]

This is such a great video! I think I need to do a pet peeves video myself in the future! :D And I could not agree more, all these things annoy me so much too, and especially miscommunication. What also annoys me is when main character keeps secrets because she/he thinks everybody will hate them because of these secrets but really they are nothing and in the end they cause most problems, hrr hate it so much! :D

[@TheBookLeo]

+HannahCassie yes do that I love pet peeves video's xD and ugh yes that frustrates me too!

[@thewordsthewoods]

hahaha karmozijn. Jup. And it's not just with colors, but many translated books just sound really weird in Dutch. I was really happy when I could start reading the books in English. A lot of pet peeves you talked about annoy me as well hehe. Nice video! :)

[@TheBookLeo]

Yes I agree! Ever since I started reading english books, I can't read Dutch translations like I used to

[@Poptartsthatareplain101]

"uhhh girl stop whining" had me rolling XD lol

[@TheBookLeo]

+paula cantu hahaha it's just so annoying when they keep whining

[@Poptartsthatareplain101]

The Book Leo you're so right! Lol hahaha

[@starrynight2915]

leo: “the second thing that annoys me is when eyes are described as gemstones” dorian havilliard from tog: 🔵👄🔵

[@kaylapage1579]

Thank you for mentioning the "mean girl" character! This drives me crazy because I read so many books with this character in it and usually I just end up feeling sorry for the "mean girl" and hating the main character because like you said she doesn't usually have a reason for hating the girl. Also many times the main character gets all the other characters in the book to hate the "mean girl" too and something horrible happens to her just for not getting along with the main girl. I agree with a lot of your other pet peeves too.

[@TheBookLeo]

Yes thats so me!

[@faeoori]

I agree with you on most of these. I don't consider the sound effects childish though, because I loved Edgar Allan Poe and he used them routinely.

[@otherlen4917]

If its first person I dont mind sound effects because Its like the maincharacter is sitting next to you telling you the story. I just picture them getting all excited "and then booooommmmmmm!!!" and the image in my head is just so adorable.

[@macion9481]

Totally agree with you about the sound effects!! Whenever I see "boom" in a book, I always roll my eyes lol. However, I am a native English speaker and I once in a while use "crimson" in my books that I write, lol! Good video! You got a new sub! :)

[@TheBookLeo]

Thanks! I don't worry, using the word crimson of course isn't a bad thing, as long as it's not overused

[@tan_the_man]

I like the term "healer" but I agreed with all the others, you should totally talk about the romance in books, I can't wait to see your opinion on the "love triangle" lol.

[@Eriennexton]

I agreed with ALL OF THESE POINTS. XD And I'm so happy you were able to put them into words.

[@r4d.1sh]

Saw winter in the background and clicked. Was not disappointed !!!!

[@julielocktree]

I so agree with you when it come down to memory loss. Absolutly hate it. It's such a easy way out.

[@bookswithwings]

omg memory loss is the least original trope, it reminds me of mexican telenovelas haha! It's only good if it's done wonderfully otherwise it's cringy and horrible. Loooooved this video, same same same with everything! Brilliant video :)

[@TheBookLeo]

+BooksWithWings yes haha it's also super common in tv series XD thankyouu!

[@austinfiedler6957]

As an author, I have a few things to say about this. 1. Do you have any idea how repetitive it gets if you use black all the time? Using Raven as a synonym is pretty much vital in order to avoid boring your reader. 2. Using the term healer in place of doctor is done to preserve world building and help keep the reader immersed in the story-you don't use president when talking about the medieval ruler. 3. I like to use slight, small characters because I myself am slight and small and it feels good to empower the little people, plus, I've never been tall and wouldn't know how to write from that perspective. Great video though, earned a subscriber!

[@lifeofteenx4011]

Austin Fiedler Along with the whole eye thing... When I see "emerald eyes" I see fierce, intelligent, and smartass personality inn the character, whereas off someone uses "eyes the color of leaves" I see caring, sweet, loving, nurturing...

[@commanderjae9888]

As a fellow author, I can relate. Sometimes you have to go in depth when describing characters and things in your story. And I also made my MC short. I can't imagine him any other way, to be honest. I try to imagine him taller and it just seems fake.

[@Charles-nm1zx]

Today I learned readers are bored by seeing the word black so often in a story, this has been backed by many non existant studies. 🙄 Not sure why you think saying you're an author gives what you've got to say credibility, just makes what you're saying more foolish. Your entire argument is based on you being this unknown niche liked author who knows more than those who wrote those hundred year old books to harry potter. So delusion. And you're ignoring evidence against your unproven beliefs.

[@Nodnarb0130]

I completely agree about the crimson and raven descriptions! There are other creative ways to achieve the same visual! I will say though, I do interpret "black" and "raven" as similar but different. "Raven" implies to me that it is a more silky black that has a bluish hue, like a ravens feathers when they reflect in light. When I hear "black" I think "jet black" where there is no refraction of light, you know?

[@TheBookLeo]

+Brandon Gates Hm yes I understand that! But it's becoming kind of a cliche

[@Nodnarb0130]

+The Book Leo haha I agree :)

[@tessamg2281]

I don't have many pet peeves but I agree with a big bunch of the ones you said in this video, specially the short and tiny main character!! EVERY BOOK! It gets on my nerves but whyyy?? :( I am very tall so I get frustrated about that haha! However I love the eye thing, I love looking at eyes and be able to see all the colors and the different tones so I love it when it happens!!

[@TheBookLeo]

+Guess It's Tess I'm going to look out for characters that are described differently haha. And I also love the way eyes look, I just like to see a little different description of it ;)

[@n.naddak-ivanov5959]

Actually, raven is a shade of black (with a blueish tint) and you can use it in very limited cases

[@BerthaElHajj]

I agree with all of these. But once I read a book about miscommunication, and I loved it even though it was a bit frustrating since the MC found out who are her love interest's real parents and she tried to tell him, but stuff kept happening, until one day they had a conversation where she discovered that if she told him she'll ruin his life and beliefs and the good memory he has of his fake parents to replace it with people who actually gave him up for money and power. So she decided not to tell him, until he began noticing things and their relationship begins to fall apart because she was hiding things from him and when she finally decides that losing him wasn't an option so she has to tell him, she finds out that he found out on his own, around thirty chapters later and he will leave her for two years.... but it was a book about the MC discovering herself, her own power and strength and her own voice.

[@thecakegarden5324]

Sounds pretty sucky

[@florencelupin9885]

Wait, are those Fairy Tail books behind you?

[@lamegoldfish6736]

Yuppers! Preaching to the choir here! I agree with ya completely. 😃

[@user-bp9ll1gq6m]

I agree on all of the points. You explained it well. You should totally do video on romance pet peeves in books. 😃

[@TheBookLeo]

working on it :D

[@bookbuddies9577]

My biggest non romance related pet peeve is that the female main characters are either flatter that sheet metal or they're so "strong" that they're annoying and rude. Like there is a middle ground, please find it. -Katie

[@TheBookLeo]

yes! that's actually a big pet peeve of mine too!

[@riiko112]

great video ! You made many good points and we share quite a few pet peeves. One of my biggest pet peeves, in relation with your comment about everyone loving a character, is when that character is "perfect". Nobody's perfect, everyone has some flaws. When it happens it's just so unrealistic that I disconnect completely with the story. The moment which made me laugh the most is the comment about crimson. I'm from Belgium and I can speak dutch too (well, vlaams really). I've never even heard of karmozijn XD

[@TheBookLeo]

Yes I agree, It just totally makes me dislike the character! haha Karmozijn is such an old fashioned word xD

[@belledello6774]

I'm rereading Harry Potter at the moment, my pet peeve is how much the words reprove and reproachful... DAMN WOMAN DO YOU KNOW ANY OTHER WORDS. (Seriously, reread it - everyone is described as having either "glanc[ed] reprovingly" or of being "reproachful". You'll notice this now and never be able to unnotice it).

[@nojam6212]

d ljm she used reckon a lot too

[@elvie2230]

belle dello And Scarlett.

[@OhioEddieBlack]

There for a while, every crime author in the US was using the term "gunmetal gray." As in, "I drove through the city lost in thought, the sky above me a gunmetal gray." It was cool the first time I saw it, and then MUCH less cool the 5th or 6th time.

[@wkcyrokin122]

I use "raven" to describe something black if the black in question has a shiny quality to it, and I usually pair it with the word "black". Therefore, "raven," instead of being an adjective describing "hair", becomes an adverb describing "black." I use raven-black to exclusively describe characters with shiny black hair. My character Rusty, on the other hand, has black hair, but it's not particularly shiny, so if I were describing him in a book, I would use something like jet-black instead. Words like "jet" and "raven" should not be the color, but should describe the color in question if they are to be used.