I've been wondering lately what exactly it is that makes a story excellent. Is it the plot? The world? The characters? Finally, I settled on two elements:
COMPLEX CHARACTERS
Cookie-cutter characters are quite dull, and they show up all over the place. You know them when you see them. They have one or two relatable aspects to their characters, but they have no distinct qualities to make them memorable or interesting.
Instead of cookie-cutter characters, I look for people. I look for the type of characters who have multiple defining qualities, who are not purely good or bad, but are a mixture. Real. Authentic. I look for a character I haven't read before. A voice that is distinct, honest, and opinionated. A voice that is or is not like my own.
Examples:
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (review): Celaena grows and changes throughout this book – she’s fierce, but still girly. An assassin who is still vulnerable. Brave but sometimes afraid. She’s not either / or, she’s a complicated, multifaceted person.
Vicious by V.E. Schwab (review): I don’t think there’s a single 100% good character in this novel, and I adore it for that reason. The bad guys have a good side, the good guys have a bad side, and it’s easy to find yourself rooting for the supposed villain.
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson (review): Narrated by Tinker Bell, Tink makes this story feel like a 3rd person narrative due to her focus on Tiger Lily. Yet, both Tiger Lily and Tink end up being developed as fascinating girls with messy personalities.
The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson: I kind of hated Elisa in the first novel. She was always whining, a bit dull, and difficult to like. But in the second novel? I adored her. Third novel? Loved her even more. If you want to see a character develop and change, Elisa is a good example.
A UNIQUE HOOK
By hook, I merely mean something that makes this book stand out from all the others. If it’s contemporary, what makes it unique from all the other contemporary stories? If it’s fantasy, what makes the world different?
It does not necessarily have to be never-been-done-before. It does not have to be entirely unique, even a slightly different hook will suffice. It just needs to have an element of interest and intrigue to the story or character. I need something to grasp, something different, something to make me eager to read, and curious to know more. A story with a unique hook is a story that makes readers pay attention by taking the familiar and giving it a twist.
Examples:
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han (review): A contemporary novel where the main characters’ love letters are accidentally mailed to the guys. It’s a simple, cute, awkward concept, and Han pulls it off wonderfully.
Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard (review): Traveling to Central America, plus the author’s artwork is included. Both act as excellent hooks, and they are the reason I picked this book up (and so glad I did because the words, the art, and the descriptions are wonderful).
The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson (review): While the princess / chosen one concept is popular, Elisa has something different about her that I hadn’t read before – Godstone. Very strange and peculiar, but it was enough to intrigue me.
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King (review): Lucky Linderman and his dreams - I'm not going to say anything more, but the magical realism of this story is well done.
What do you think are the elements of a good story? What elements make you love your favorite stories? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Characters definitely make or break a story for me. In books like Fangirl or A Darker Shade of Magic, the plot takes a back seat to the amazing, imperfect, believable characters, and I love them for it.
ReplyDeleteI also really need to FEEL something to love a book. I don't necessarily mean swoons, although those are great, too. If I finish a book without wanting to hug it at some point, then it's probably not going stick with me or become a favorite. I'm not sure if I explained that well...
I think you explained it perfectly, Maraia. A connection to story or characters is so important! I've read plenty of good books, but without that emotional connection, they end up being forgettable.
DeleteAhh, yess. <3 Gorgeous post Lea :D I love good books so much. Sniffs. And yess. I need there to be amazing and different and great characters in my books. I do not like boring people to read about :p Your examples are gorgeous. <3 Thank you so much for sharing sweetie :) Sigh. Vicious. I'm planning on reading it very soon :D I'm excited.
ReplyDeleteInteresting characters are always fun to read about!
DeleteHope you get to read VICIOUS soon (and that you enjoy it), it's excellent!
I like good character development and I definitely agree with your inclusion of The Girl of Fire and Thorns series and To All the Boys I've Loved Before on your list though I admit that I liked Elisa from the beginning. I found I could relate to her because of her self image struggles. I think one of the things I enjoyed so much about the Harry Potter series was the complex characters, especially someone like Snape. A Game of Thrones is the same way. You have people who are neither good nor bad with interesting motivations. That is definitely a character driven novel.
ReplyDeleteI also need to like the protagonist. If the protagonist behaves in a despicable way or their personality grates on my nerves then I won't like the book. For that reason I haven't bothered to read Gone Girl (aside from reading the end to find out what the "shocking twists" were) because I knew I'd hate the book because the main characters are so unpleasant.
Setting is also pretty important for me depending on the type of book. In fantasy and historical fiction novels, those details and "world building" can make or break a reading experience. I also look at pacing. If a book is too slow and I'm not caught up by the characters or the "hook" enough to keep going then I may give up on the book.
Excellent and well thought out post! I will have to check out some of the other books on your list that I haven't read yet.
I liked Elisa more in the first book once I reread - I found her to be so frustrating the first time around, though.
DeleteOh, yes to HP and complex characters! Snape is an excellent example, he will always be fascinating to me.
Agreed about setting - I want to experience the story's world in detail. Pacing is also an issue (although good writing can sometimes make up for pacing issues).
Wonderful points, Christina!
most of these books are on my to read list!! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to read them soon - they're fantastic!
DeleteThank you for stopping by.
YES definitely yes. More and more, the elements that draw me in are originality and genuine characters. The best stand-out reads are the ones that have both. Quality of writing is also very important to me.
ReplyDeleteGenuine characters are so vital. And writing is always important - bad writing can kill even the most creative story!
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Aylee! :D
I wanted to drop kick Celaena in the second book after what happened with Chaol (like you can't give me that magic and then....! UGH CURSE YOU SARAH J MAAS WITH YOUR WONDERFULLY COMPLEX CHARACTERS).
ReplyDeleteAnyway.
I agree--I need characters that have depth and aren't static caricatures. It doesn't even matter if they're not that likeable; as long as they make me feel SOMETHING towards them, then the author's done a great job. Because a story can be formulaic but if I adore the characters? I'm sold.
Celaena! AHH. I didn't care much for the first book, but by the second novel, I was 100% invested in those characters (which made everything all the more heartbreaking / frustrating).
Delete"UGH CURSE YOU SARAH J MAAS WITH YOUR WONDERFULLY COMPLEX CHARACTERS" - AGREED.
I don't need to like a character, but I need to believe they're realistic. And realistic means flawed, unique.
"Because a story can be formulaic but if I adore the characters? I'm sold." - I'm with you on this. As much as I love unique stories / worlds, I always come back to characters as being the one aspect I love the most in books. Good characters can make any story interesting, but a unique story can't make characters fascinating.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
World building is also really important to me. I need to understand how they live and what the world around them is like, the structure
ReplyDeleteMissie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Definitely! Understanding the character's world is important (especially in fantasy or paranormal stories - I'm always confused when the world isn't developed)!
DeleteWow hard question!! When I read a book and I love it, sometimes I don't even know what went into making me love it. Like when things are done right, they just feel so effortless you can't even point them out. I totally agree about having a cute/unique hook to draw you in... but then it has to be backed up by characters too. It's one of those things that I don't know how to describe it, but I know it when I see it :)
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to describe, right? I still can't quite wrap my mind around what really makes me love a book.
DeleteYes, development over the course of a series is something I LIVE for! It's easy to right off a character as one stereotype, but I love when the author acknowledges the stereotype and totally turns it on its head. IE Elisa. Truth be told, I haven't read the second novel, but I LOVED how far she came in the first novel alone!
ReplyDeleteDevelopment is a huge point for me. Characters who grow seem more real and relatable - if they never change, even a little, I get bored with them.
DeleteOOOH, you need to read the sequel! It's incredible!