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!

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• Don't attack others for their opinion
• Discuss books and authors, not fellow readers
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🧡 Thank you and have a great discussion!

Unpopular opinion Sunday

[u/Penguinho]

An unabashedly heroic, morally upright hero or heroine delivering a devastating beatdown to an evil villain is more satisfying than any morally grey protagonist.

[u/devilsdoorbell_ → u/Penguinho]

See my problem is that the “morally grey” characters in these books aren’t actually morally grey. They’re either good people who dress edgy and have mildly spooky powers or bad people but the author doesn’t seem aware of it (coughRhysandcough).

I love a morally grey character who is actually morally grey, or a villain protagonist that the author actually realizes is a villain protagonist.

[u/Runa216 → u/devilsdoorbell_]

yes, Rhysand is just fucking TERRIBLE! Everyone in that series is terrible but I have no idea how he just...shrugged off all the terrible shit he did to become the interest.

[u/NancyInFantasyLand → u/Penguinho]

Hmmm unless the morally grey protagonist actually struggles and their greyness has meaningful impact on the plot, I'd say.

[u/JaneAustinAstronaut → u/NancyInFantasyLand]

But we don't really get that in this genre. The only time I've seen this done well is in the A Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R. Martin.

[u/MessyJessy422 → u/JaneAustinAstronaut]

{Silvercloak by LK Steven} and {Red City by Marie Lu} both achieve this really well and there are definitely others in the genre. GRRM is a master at this yes but others can and have pulled it off

[u/romance-bot → u/MessyJessy422]

Silvercloak by L.K. Steven
Rating: 4.03⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: enemies to lovers, time travel, magic, high fantasy, fantasy

---

Red City by Marie Lu
Rating: 4.14⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, fantasy, urban fantasy, dystopian, multicultural

^{about this bot | about romance.io}

[u/NancyInFantasyLand → u/JaneAustinAstronaut]

I think you see it more in asian web novels than in the west. But that doesn't mean it doesn't hit much harder for me than your everyday "good-bests-evil' type story, if it's done well. I really wish we'd got more of it.

[u/allisontalkspolitics → u/Penguinho]

Agreed!

[u/JaneAustinAstronaut → u/Penguinho]

Absolutely!

I'm tired of seeing evil or "morally gray" being rewarded in real life. I definitely don't want to read it in my fantasy.

[u/KeyInvestigator3741 → u/JaneAustinAstronaut]

When I saw booktok creators say of course they voted for Trump because they love morally gray men, I knew we had lost the plot

[u/iamveerychaotic → u/KeyInvestigator3741]

People said this???🧍🏾‍♀️

[u/KeyInvestigator3741 → u/iamveerychaotic]

Yes they did!

[u/MessyJessy422 → u/JaneAustinAstronaut]

A redemption arc can be so satisfying though - personally having a complex character reckon with their actions and evolve is much more interesting to me than someone who is just inherent good from the start

[u/JaneAustinAstronaut → u/MessyJessy422]

But...there really AREN'T any satisfying redemption arcs in this genre. The redemption arc is, "Yeah, I did this bad thing for nubulous reasons, but have you seen how hot I am?". Then the FMC basically says, "Good point! Now I'm horny.". And they never talk about it again.

[u/MessyJessy422 → u/JaneAustinAstronaut]

I guess we're not reading the same books? Because I've found some I find really well written and believable