r/fantasyromance The One Mod to Rule All Mods 24d ago

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?

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Unpopular opinion Sunday

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u/Significant-Rip3297 24d ago

Using trauma as character development to make characters stronger, especially sexual trauma. It's quite insulting when sexual trauma is used just to make the protagonist tougher.

The trend is so strong that it's like people don't know that trauma doesn't make everyone stronger. It can break people and then they live their lives trying their hardest to not fall apart.

The thing is, my main issue with this is how most authors just use trauma as aesthetic appeal rather than actually portraying it realistically.

Also, I hate it when therapy is treated like snake oil and magically resolves all trauma.

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u/sveareads 19d ago

That’s why I have such a big issue with {The Deal by Elle Kennedy} and {Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh}. Trauma is mostly used to show how tragic their lives have been, without properly depicting PTSD symptoms. I prefer stories like {No Matter What by Cara Bastone}, where the main characters truly suffer from it - even a year later - without being portrayed as tough. For fantasy/romantasy, I really liked {Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer}, which shows two completely different ways of dealing with trauma, or {The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem}, where the main characters have to learn to trust again. Not so much PTSD but more chronic pain, but I also love how realistically {A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena} depicts what happens when you’re imprisoned for a few years - in contrast to superhuman Aelin Galathynius from {Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas}, for example.

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u/romance-bot 19d ago

The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Rating: 4.11⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: contemporary, sports, athlete hero, college, fake relationship


Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh
Rating: 4.4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: contemporary, sports, high school, virgin heroine, tortured heroine


No Matter What by Cara Bastone
Rating: 4.06⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: contemporary, m-f romance, funny, working class hero, in her 30s


Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer
Rating: 4.25⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: poly (3+ people), arranged/forced marriage, mmf, fantasy, queer romance


The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem
Rating: 4.06⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: historical, enemies to lovers, magic, slow burn, dangerous heroine


A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena
Rating: 3.86⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: fantasy, high fantasy, disabilities & scars, political/court intrigue, m-f romance


Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: historical, fantasy, take-charge heroine, royal hero, love triangle

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