MY FAVOURITE (GUILTY PLEASURE) TROPES IN YA

Last week I wrote about my least favourite tropes in YA, which you can read here. I thought it was only right that I told you my favourites too! Here’s a fair warning, most of these tropes relate to love and relationships because I’m a bit of a sap like that.

1. Hate to love relationships

When that snarkiness turns to flirting and tense conversations, man I live for this shit! It doesn’t only work for couples, I love when two people who despise each other become best friends too and join forces to kick arse, especially in fantasy.

2. Forbidden love

I just can’t help myself. There’s just something so satisfying about a forbidden love. The whole secrecy/keeping it quiet thing that more often than not results in a huge reveal where the characters put everyone else’s thoughts and opinions to one side and just love each other. Brb, crying.

3. Training and learning

I love seeing our MC work to improve either their fighting skills or their knowledge. I appreciate this much more than those characters who are automatically “the best”. The situations a character in training goes through can help them become a more developed character, so a good training montage/story line is one of my faves. Also it’s super satisfying when a character is underestimated, they train and become really frickin’ cool and then surprise everyone by kicking the shit out of those who disregarded them. YAS!

4. Fake marriage or relationship

Here we go again. I did warn you. Basically, point number four is dedicated to Lorcan and Elide in Empire of Storms. God I loved their story line. You know how it goes, two characters need to go somewhere or get something whilst remaining undetected, and the safest way to do this is to pretend to be a couple. AND if we’re lucky, it eventually turns into to the real thing *smirking emoji*.

5. The bad guy who is actually a really, really good guy

When a character is introduced and you’re all like “ugh no go away who even wants you here?” and by the end of the story you’re crying “PLEASE FORGIVE ME, I DIDN’T KNOW THE TRUTH!” because they swoop in, deliver some brilliant lines and save the day. Rhysand, I’m looking at you (I love you).

So there are my top YA tropes! As you can probably tell from this, my favourite stories are typically fantasy with a good romance. Can you blame me? What are your fave tropes, I’d love to know!