Hi, friends!
Before I start I would like to thank the lovely Sibby for tagging me. This tag was created by Marisa on her channel littlespider9 and it looked so fun that I just had to do it!
A Really Hyped Book You’re Not Interested in Reading
This one was too easy. This book was really popular a couple of years ago and I was planning on reading it, until I discovered what it is about. From what I gathered, it’s a story about a romance between a master and his slave. And no, I don’t mean that it’s a BDSM novel (I don’t mind those lol). It’s a book about a man falling in love with a person he OWNS. I said it before and I am going to say it again. There is no such thing as a consensual relationship between a master and his slave. Not when the power imbalance is so big. Also, I heard that there is a scene of “sex” with a 13-year-old. So while I sometimes like to reach for “problematic” books with very, VERY questionable content, pedophilia and master/slave “relationships” are too much even for me.
A Series You Won’t Start/Won’t Be Finishing
I am SO SORRY for this one. Guys, listen. I tried to love Maggie’s books. I really did. I suffered my way through Shiver series. I tried Scorpio Races, but gave up halfway through. And I tried to read The Raven Cycle. I actually succeeded in finishing the first book, but I just couldn’t get through the sequel. I actually think that Stiefvater’s writing style is beautiful. One of the most beautiful I ever read. And she creates very original stories. But the pacing of her books is so painfully slow, that I just can’t bring myself to finish them. And I have tried. So. Many. Times.
A Classic You’re Not Interested In
Hahah. I am not interested in any classics, actually. Do you want to know a guaranteed way to make sure I will never want to read a book? Just tell me it’s a classic. I am sure there is a lot of amazing classics out there. I am just not really interested in them. At all.
A Genre You Never Read
Biographies. I am sorry… I just don’t care.
A Book on Your Shelves You’ll Probably Never Read
I have absolutely no idea why did I buy this book. It looks like something I could maybe enjoy in middle school. Now? I am pretty sure it’s not for me.
I tag everyone who is interested in participating. Just make sure to let me know when you post your answers. I can’t wait to see them!
LAUREGALIE 
You’re…not wrong about Maggie Stiefvater.
She’s one of my favorites and even I struggle with her pacing.
Thanks for at least trying!
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She’s a great author and I feel awful for missing out on her stories. But I am glad that you can enjoy them so much 😊
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I listened to Raven Boys and I just get tripped up on some stuff that was British/European but somehow was happening in… Virginia? Am I confusing it with another book? Anyway it had some stuff I liked but by the time I finished it I just didn’t have enough curiosity to keep going.
Tag me! And in the meantime I’m going to check out The Nine Lives of Chloe King and see what it’s about, because I’m curious. Okay, truth. It’s the green eyes. I love green eyes. I have green eyes. And those green eyes make me want to find out what it’s about.
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Back to say, no. Not my thing.
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I have to be honest. I’ve read The Raven Boys a couple of years ago and I remember almost nothing from this book. Nothing except how hard it was for me to finish it. And I can enjoy a slower book (even though I prefer fast-paced stories), but I just couldn’t connect with this one.
And yeah. Sadly, it’s not my thing either. But it’s one of the first books I have ever bought with my own money and I kind of don’t want to get rid of it. But I also don’t want to read it. Do you see my problem, haha?
And of course you are tagged! I would LOVE to see your answers!
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I agree! I am a reader and I will not ever read those books. I go by the cover and what the back cover says and those are just not my type. Follow me!
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I totally agree with the Captive Prince!! And I did suffer through The Raven Cycle. I’m glad I’m not the only unpopular opinion about those books haha. They were fine, just weren’t for me!
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I am so glad that we agree about The Captive Prince! For some reason it’s not the most popular opinion.
Have you finished the entire Raven Cycle? Are you planning on reading this new book about Ronan?
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Definitely!
And yes I did finish the series, but no I don’t plan to read the next one. 🤷🏻♀️ I like her book The Scorpio Races but that’s been the only one by her. I haven’t tried shiver yet and it’s just sitting on my shelf because I haven’t had a desire to.
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Shiver is basically Twilight, but with werewolves. I only got through it because I bought all three audiobooks on sale 😂 it’s definitely her least unique story. It kind of feels like every other YA paranormal romance out there. I am glad you enjoyed The Scorpio Races. It was definitely a very original story 😊
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Oh God… Captive Prince sounds terrible! I’ve heard of the title before but never actually knew what it is about–ew.
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Ugh biographies. I hear you.
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Captive Prince was fine when it was a kinky free story on LiveJournal. Like, you can get away with pretty much anything, and lots of people will read and enjoy it. Once you publish it, your wacky kinky romance carries more weight, and more people start scrutinizing “problematic elements” on a deeper level. I also think that C.S. Pacat lost interest in the story but was forced to publish because of its popularity, which explains why the last novel in the trilogy was so bad. The sex scene involving the child watching nearby could have been entirely removed and it would not have impacted the story. I think you can do a masterXslave thing in a way that’s not awful (if it’s fantasy and not in real life–NEVER touch real life historical events, dear Lord), but it wasn’t masterfully done in C.S. Pacat’s book, because it was a book meant to titillate, not meant to challenge our ideas of power dynamics or push boundaries. The master character doesn’t really question slavery and rolls with it. That in itself is… not great. The only time it really works as a plot element is when the slave is kind of foisted upon the master against his will, in that he doesn’t actually want to participate in this practice but got the slave through a will or something. But again, that’s not titillating, and therefore not interesting to the audience who often enjoys these dynamics.
Plus there was a racial element to Captive Prince, which is just… no. Please refrain from white characters owning people of color, kthnx.
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Have you read a book where the master/slave relationship was done properly? The only one I can think of is The Winner’s Curse, but even that one had its faults. It’s a very delicate subject and it needs to be handled with care.
And your comment has been incredibly insightful. I actually had no idea that Captive Prince had a racial element to it and that’s just… a big yikes from me. I can’t imagine ever reading this book. But it’s just like you said – I expect much more from a published book. I have read some stories on the internet that were kind of “problematic” and I feel like it was easier for me to overlook certain things. Meanwhile I would never accept something like that in a novel. And now that I think about it, it may not be the best mindset. I will have to work on that.
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There was a story I read once on LiveJournal that did it right, but I can’t remember the name of it now. The master had been bequeathed this slave but couldn’t free him, and there was a lot of hurt/comfort in dealing with the slave’s trauma, and all the sex was what I’d call extremely consensual, with lots of checking in and insistence that a no would be respected. I’ll admit I’ve also tried this one out in my own writing, with similar goals and methods. Unfortunately, most people into reading slavefics are there for the kink element, and the kink element automatically makes it super gross to me. I’ve read a few stories where it was a kink thing and it was… disturbing, to say the least. Captive Prince avoided most of that, but the power dynamics weren’t… great.
I think reading and enjoying problematic stuff is fine as long as you call it out as you see it. I liked the first Captive Prince book, but I’m not going to defend its questionable plot decisions, the racial dynamics, or any of its ethics. C.S. Pacat is a really good writer in a technical sense, so I can’t blame myself for enjoying the prose.
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Captive Prince is not for me either, and same on biographies.
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