BTT this week:

What are your literary “pet peeves”?

At first, I didn’t know how to answer, but on more thought: precocious child geniuses. I don’t know why, but the reason I couldn’t stand Artemis Fowl was due to the eponymous character. I know he is an antihero, but the fact he was 12 made it worse. Similarly, I didn’t mind the mystery in The Sweetness at the Bottom of Pie, but the preciousness of Flavia de Luce prevented me from reading more of the series. It’s a bad sign when reading a series of novels when you find the protagonist so annoying. I still read young adult and children’s books and there are lots of characters I still like from that world, but when they get particularly arrogant, it really irks me.

That really specific archetype aside, I usually don’t like fictional books where the characters are motivational less or static. I don’t mind unsavoury characters or those unlike me, but they should be entertaining and interesting. There are a few books where I struggled to feel for any of the characters and this ultimately makes me dislike a book.