Annoying plot constructions I see waaaay too often in books

Hey guys! Today I felt like talking about plot constructions! We read a lot, and obviously, sometimes we stumble upon awesome storyline with captivating action. But sometimes, we encounter the opposite. Other times, it’s some kind of mix. I often find myself reading the same things that keep annoying me in a book, over and over. So I decided to share with you those bookish/plotline pet peeves that I sincerely hope will disappear from the books I read as time goes by.

The first “trope” I see way too often is the Tool Sidekick one. I have no idea why, but some authors just love for their main character to be the ABSOLUTE focus of the plot, and it seems like every other character in the book has no other purpose than to be a tool for the main character in the future. How many times did I see a sidekick who only had a use when they had an object to give to the MC, when they have to save them from a dangerous situations, etc. before going back to not having any personnality whatsoever? It’s such a shame. Those sidekicks often have a lot of potential that is not exploited because the author couldn’t bother to…

This kind of goes with the second thing I don’t like to see in a book : That moment when the sidekick rushes in the middle of a dangerous situation for no reason at all. It often causes huge problems, and worsens a situation, which tends to make me roll my eyes A LOT. Like, why did you need to do that? Do you have a brain? It’s so much drama for something that could have been avoided. Seriously, if there’s a shooting going on, collapsing buildings, etc. why do those characters feel like they need to get in the middle, if they have no superpowers, or capacity to be useful? It’s just useless sacrifice/injuries/problems.

Now, on to the more writing style aspect of the books. It sometimes happen that we are thrown in the book in the middle of some action, without knowing who’s who, where we are, when we are, or anything else. This is so confusing! My brain tries to process the action, but also tries to figure out what’s going on. Usually, by the time there’s a hint of an explanation, a lot of pages have flown by, and I feel like I missed out on a part of the plot.

Then, there is the overdescription. I hate it so much when the description drags on for 2-3 pages before there’s any action. As much as I also hate not having enough description, overdescription is what truly makes me DNF a book. I can go on with action and little description, but not the other way around. This is actually why I could never bother with The Lord of the Rings… I know, it’s bad, it’s a classic, but there is just sooooooo much description of nature, appearances, etc that I couldn’t keep focused. It is great to ensure it will translate well into a movie or a series, but for a book, it’s just too much.

Last but not least are the flashbacks. OMG the flashbacks! Some are pretty usefeul, I get that. But 25% of the time, they’re just some minor addition to a backstory, and I always feel like I could have done without it. Also, it really cuts the action, and I’m not a fan of that. This is also why I have trouble with multiple POVs storylines. So, yeah flashbacks tend to annoy me, even when they are somewhat justified. But honestly, they often are not so much.

That’s it for today! Do you also share some of these bookish pet peeves?
Thanks for reading,
See you soon,
Love,
Jade ❤