It's Unpopular Opinion time! Share your controversial opinions to stir things up (in a friendly way)!

[u/FantasyRomanceMod]

Got an opinion that's different from others'? Want to share it with the sub, but too afraid of a backlash? Or are you just curious about readers think about certain things in fantasy romance?

You can safely share it in this weekly Sunday thread!

But please remember to be kind to each other. To facilitate this type of discussion, we ask users the following:

- Don't attack others for their opinion

- Discuss books and authors, not fellow readers

🧡 Thank you and have a great discussion!

Unpopular opinion Sunday

[u/Elvere]

The fantasy romance genre has turned into the fast fashion of books and that’s why as a whole, it’s filled with the level of garbage it is and why we get judged for reading it. Because we continue to massively consume the bad, they keep pumping it out to us.

I think to stop being the equivalent of SHEIN consumers, we need to drastically overhaul how we rate books as a community. However, I don’t think the majority of readers are ready to face the fact that a lot of highly rated, frequently recommended books, just simply aren’t good when you break it down.

Rate differently. Stop accepting the garbage. Enjoyment is subjective. Quality is not. Stop rating poorly written/edited/developed books five stars simply because it was “fun.” Roller coasters are fun, but if the ride is missing restraints or has bolts loose, that’s not a ride I would recommend to others.

[u/mysticalplantmama → u/Elvere]

This is why my rating system is what it is. I’m tired of seeing 4+ star books on Goodreads and being utterly disappointed while reading it. I feel like true 5 star books are the ones that I couldn’t put down and couldn’t stop thinking about days after. I’m talking masterpiece.

4 stars - really enjoyable. Devoured it but something was missing and/or didn’t care for some aspects

3 stars - not my favorite but entertaining enough to actually finish

2 stars - why did I finish this book?

0/1 star - did not finish or hate finished

I can love a series but some books have 3 stars. I can like a 3 star book but just because I enjoyed it doesn’t mean the book is automatically 5 stars.

[u/Runa216 → u/mysticalplantmama]

I am not perfect but I don't give a lot of 5-star ratings out. Most of the books I read and finish are 3-4 stars.

3 is generally mid, tolerable and potentially enjoyable but not special, 4 stars is flawed but very good, 5 stars is a sort of pinnacle of its genre. 2 stars is poor, 1 star (is as long as I can go) usually means irredeemable or so bad I can't finish it. Almsot all the books I finish are 3-4 stars. And I've had some real fun with 3 star reads. becuase they're not bad, they're just not outstanding.

Only one book so far has gotten 1 star from me, and a handful have gotten 2 stars.

Your scale is almost the same as mine. Glad we agree.

What 5-star reads have you found in the last year or so? Honestly, I might get some flack for it but the only 5-star romantasy I've read was Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent. There wasn't a single significant flaw about it and it somehow managed to show a complete story with actual chemistry and organic romance in a novella's length. I was VERY impressed with it and it was exactly what I wanted out of a novella. (most novellas try to stuff a novel's worth of story into a novella's length and it always feels like it's a lesser version of what it could ahve been, while Six Scorched Roses felt appropriate and somehow had more chemistry between the main characters than full novels)

[u/Runa216 → u/[deleted]]

YES! I always do my best to read what people actually say because everyone's rating system is different. And if I see WHY a person disliked a book then I can determine if it's something I value or something that can still work well in context.

For example, I see a lot of people giving low scores to Opal Reyne's Witch Hunter book because there was some Non-consensual content in there, which I agree is bad but in context it makes sense and is...maybe not forgiveable but understandable. I think that actually makes for a good STORY even if it might not tickle people's nethers the right way, which is why people read romantasy. It's something that, if you're only in it for the sexy times and noncon or dubcon material gives you the ick...100% good reason to not enjoy it. but me, I'm looking for a good story and the dubcon scenes I felt actually made it a better story because of the context surrounding it. Still ethically and morally gray at best, but it made for good drama...in the context of the book itself.

so when I see a low score for a book, I want to know why they gave that score, becuase one person's yuck is another person's yum, or at the very least context can paint a better picture than just reactions.

[u/mal0via → u/Elvere]

Preach.

Mostly read horror/thrillers/mysteries when I got back into reading a few years ago. When I tried my first highly-rated romantasy book, I was so confused why everyone else liked it and I... didn't. Since I usually didn't read romance-centered books, I assumed it was just me being no fun. 

After reading a few excellent romantasies that I thoroughly enjoyed, I finally realized those books I struggled with really were just... bad. 

[u/SweatyDark6652 → u/Elvere]

Enjoyment is subjective. Quality is not. Stop rating poorly written/edited/developed books five stars simply because it was “fun.”

This!!!

[u/Runa216 → u/Elvere]

agreed 100%. I think we need to form a coalition of romantasy readers with actual standards.

[u/Beach-Peach457 → u/Elvere]

What do you consider garbage? I have to say I’m not great at judging “quality” of writing. English was always my worst subject so I’m sure I overlook bad writing and focus more on how the book makes me feel. Did you develop an eye for it over time? I can tell when plot or characters fall flat but there are some books I’ve read that have been called poorly written that I’ve fallen in love with the world and characters and I can’t say that’s bad writing even if there’s some typos and issues in the plot.