Love Triangles

They're such a popular romantic subplot these days. And I can't say I'm particularly fond of them. In fact, there's only one book series that I can think of that I actually like the love triangle it has: the Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. There are so many reasons I dislike love triangles, and here are just a few:

1) Half of the time it's not even a love triangle. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but for books like the Iron Fey series and the Hunger Games, I didn't really feel like it was a love triangle. The MC had already decided on who she wanted to be with; it was simply two guys lusting after a girl. It was just a way for publishers to hype up readers, because love triangles are 'in' right now.

2) The characters are really unbalanced. In many books, the guy who ultimately ends up the MC is way more developed and relatable than the looser. In Tempest Rising, the looser had an iota of time in the book, and I didn't get to know him very well. Although it probably happened unconsciously, the author sends a message right away to the reader.

3) The two guys are enemies/have some sort of horrific past/despise each other. Ash and Puck go way back, and their history isn't good. In Unearthly, Christian and Tuck aren't exactly best buds. This isn't a dislike, per say, but it's one of the reasons I love the Infernal Devices. Will and Jem are practically brothers. They respect each other, and in battle, they don't try to kill one another.

4) What ultimately happens is all the same. Especially if one guy is human and normal, or someone the MC has known all her life. The paranormal guy always wins. Yes, I get that he's way more sexy/hot/mysterious, but it would be nice for a little variation once in a while. 

5) It can make the main character seem really unlikeable. You have to be careful when writing love triangles because you don't want it to seem like the MC is cheating on one guy with the other. A lot of them are sort of done this way.

So it's not that I despise love triangles, it's just that they have to be done really well for me to enjoy them. Most of the ones I've read today aren't all that well done. 

Note: This is extremely picky, but they also bother me because of the name. 'Love triangle.' As I said sort of said yesterday in my post on Fury, I think it's very hard to be in love with two guys at once. But that could just be me. ;)