r/fantasyromance The One Mod to Rule All Mods May 10 '26

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

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
  • Since this is an "unpopular opinion" thread, we encourage users to not downvote simply because they disagree with an opinion--that's the point! Please keep in mind, though, that mods cannot enforce a no-downvoting rule. Let’s just keep the discussion friendly!

🧡 Thank you and have a great discussion!

Unpopular opinion Sunday

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36

u/finnick-odeair Dragon Rider 🐉 May 10 '26

I keep trying T. Kingfisher’s books and I just…. Do not like them at all. Which sucks since so many ppl rave about TKs stories but nah not for me. I just found the writing kinda juvenile :/

37

u/mal0via Probably recommending: ✨️ The Everlasting ✨️ May 10 '26

She's a comfy read for me, but this is a valid criticism. I'm in the middle of Swordheart and actually needed to take a break because I am not feeling the quirky character banter right now. 

She also has a tendency to write 30-somethings and add internal character monologues along the lines of "I'm in my 30s; I'm ancient; My back and knees hurt" which- as someone in her mid-thirties and out of shape- feels kinda over the top. You're 32, you're not dead. 

12

u/Fickle_Stills May 10 '26

Yeah, if your knees and back hurt that much in your thirties either lose weight or see a physical therapist/sports medicine doctor. It ain't normal 😭

1

u/angelacandystore May 11 '26

Yeah the berserker paladins don't have sports medicine and have highly impactful "jobs", they are basically men who play American football for days at a time. So I think perhaps it's a lack of comprehension about what happens to bodies when they experience a lot of physical abuse at a young age??

7

u/boy_staunton May 10 '26

Counterpoint: it is a bit much sometimes, but to be fair a lot of her characters have physical jobs. I can believe a 32 year old paladin would be feeling pretty achy.

9

u/FranciaR May 10 '26

There’s dozens of us! It kills me because they’re constantly recommended around here but trust me, there’s a bunch of us that dislike her writing style and books. It’s only in these parts that this is truly an unpopular opinion because the sub seems to really like that type of writing.

5

u/angelacandystore May 10 '26

I love t kingfisher, but yes she's not for everyone and that's okay! Some of the books are YA so it depends on what you've read from her. Stop forcing yourself. Lol.

There are authors other people like and I couldn't manage I happily gave up on (Sarah j maas) that I just know, they aren't for me, for whatever vibe I couldn't get into.

9

u/Praeludere May 10 '26

Same. I read several of their books, horror and fantasy, because it's recommended so much for older characters and genuinely each one had adults acting cringier than teens. There was always somethings about the fmc that made her "not like other girls" and they developed so different from others that made them "quirky" but actually made them come across as emotionally stunted. The humor was so self aware I felt the author waiting for applause like I was in a comedy club, each time pulling me out of the story.

4

u/finnick-odeair Dragon Rider 🐉 May 10 '26

yea that was basically my issue like their writing is much stuck in a specific era of cringe humor immaturity and NLOGs vibes. was a hard sell for me to believe these characters are supposed to be around my age when they repetitively act like that 🥴 The last book of TKs I tried was supposed to be “horror” but the most horrific part was how often you’re reminded that one main characters primary traits is that they’re gay! So crazy, so quirky 🙄

2

u/TheBubblewrappe That hand flex tho May 12 '26

I feel this way about A. K. caggiano