Top 5 Wednesday: Character Tropes

This weeks Top 5 Wednesday is all about character tropes, which are overused themes in books you can’t help but still love. Here we go!

1. Female protagonists.

You have to admit, there are a lot of books, especially YA books, with female leads. And that’s great — I love them (hence why they are on this list) — but I understand how readers can get a little sick of reading about the dorky girl who got the guy. Books included in this: “Anna and the French Kiss”, “Divergent”, and anything by Sarah Dessen.

2. The human best friend to the superhuman/something other than human best friend.

This is pretty typical is science fiction books because what vampire/werewolf/demon/fairy doesn’t need a best friend. Usually paired with the, “I’m a what” trope (the protagonist just found out they were a vampire/werewolf/demon/fairy), this is one that I never get sick of, because I usually prefer the best friend. I noticed this mostly in shows like “Teen Wolf” but some books included in this category are: The Mortal Instrument series, “Beautiful Creatures”, and “I am Number Four”.

3. Love triangles.

Who doesn’t love a good love triangle? It pulls at your heartstrings and gives you something to root for! Books included in this category are: “Twilight” and “The Vampire Diaries” (yes, it was a book first).

4. Rebelling against the government.

One of the more popular tropes in the most recent past, rebelling against the government never gets old. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a huge fan of dystopian novels. And nothing completes a dystopian world without someone rebelling against the government. Books included in this category are: “Divergent”, “The Hunger Games”, and “Uglies”.

5. Best friends falling in love.

This is the best one out there! It gives you hope that the guy/girl you’ve been best friends with for years will finally realize that you’re the one for him/her. It’s a classic that, for my generation, began with Cory and Topanga (Boy Meets World) and has continued on in books for years to come. I always see this one coming, and I’m never sick of it. Books included in this category are: the Harry Potter series and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”.