Random Post #8: My Thoughts on the Dystopian Genre
Hey Everyone!!
So this is one of those random posts I was talking about, where it may not be a book review, but just a discussion on something book related!
So while back in 2008-2010 the vampire craze was all the rage, in the last couple of years the Dystopian genre has taken over!
While I'll be honest, I don't necessarily get into all the crazes, I like a book not because of how popular it is, but because I truly enjoyed reading it. It was like that with Twilight. I didn't like all vampire books because I liked Twilight! In fact, I could name at least one vampire book that I read that I could not stand one bit (*cough* The Vampire Diaries *cough*).
Anyway, the Dystopian genre...it's huge right now! We've got big blockbusters being made like The Hunger Games and the upcoming much anticipated by many Divergent.
Now what do I think of the genre?
Well, personally I will admit it isn't my favorite.
I have probably mentioned this quite a few times on The Romance Bookie, but I'm going to say it again...
I read to escape reality!
I read to go into my happy place.
I read to be happy.
And to be honest, Dystopians don't make me happy. In fact, they sort of depress me!
Now that being said, that doesn't mean I haven't read any Dystopians that I DID enjoy. In fact, while I've read quite a few, (Delirium Series, Uglies Series, Hunger Games Series, Matched just to name a few) there have been some I enjoyed. For instance, the Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver!
Lauren Oliver created a world where LOVE was a disease! I found that to be such a creative idea, and so awesome! I truly enjoyed reading those, and finding out just what could happen in a world that didn't have LOVE anymore!
Then Matched by Ally Condie! While I've yet to read the remaining two or three books in the series (I believe it was a trilogy?), I remember really finding this one unique! Ally created a world where every decision was made for each and every person, including what they did when they grew up, who they married, and even when they died! It was such an interesting concept, I remember devouring that book!
And then of course there is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins! While I will admit I wasn't a huge fan of the last book in the trilogy, what I find awesome about this series, is how strong Katniss is! Goodness, that girl can kick some serious butt!
That being said, that is something that dystopian young adult seem to have in common, at least a lot of the recent bestsellers...the strong main female characters! We've got Katniss (The Hunger Games), Lena (Delirium), Cassia (Matched), Beatrice (Divergent, which I still plan on reading before I see the movie!), Tally (Uglies)! Those are just the ones I know of, so I imagine there are many more!
It's awesome that young women are kicking some serious butt, even if it's only the YA world! :)
Yet, at the same time I must say I still wouldn't call any Dystopian my favorite book. I find it sad to think about our world, as we know it anyway, coming to an end! I don't even want to think about it!
So anyway, there's my spiel on why I'm not a huge fan of the Dystopian genre.
However, please don't anyone think I don't respect their opinions on the Dystopian genre! If you love it, good for you! I'm sure I love series that you don't like! That's just life. This is strictly my own personal opinion, and I 100% love hearing about your love for certain books, so if one happens to be a dystopian don't hesitate to comment and tell me all about it! :)
So this is one of those random posts I was talking about, where it may not be a book review, but just a discussion on something book related!
So while back in 2008-2010 the vampire craze was all the rage, in the last couple of years the Dystopian genre has taken over!
While I'll be honest, I don't necessarily get into all the crazes, I like a book not because of how popular it is, but because I truly enjoyed reading it. It was like that with Twilight. I didn't like all vampire books because I liked Twilight! In fact, I could name at least one vampire book that I read that I could not stand one bit (*cough* The Vampire Diaries *cough*).
Anyway, the Dystopian genre...it's huge right now! We've got big blockbusters being made like The Hunger Games and the upcoming much anticipated by many Divergent.
Now what do I think of the genre?
Well, personally I will admit it isn't my favorite.
I have probably mentioned this quite a few times on The Romance Bookie, but I'm going to say it again...
I read to escape reality!
I read to go into my happy place.
I read to be happy.
And to be honest, Dystopians don't make me happy. In fact, they sort of depress me!
Now that being said, that doesn't mean I haven't read any Dystopians that I DID enjoy. In fact, while I've read quite a few, (Delirium Series, Uglies Series, Hunger Games Series, Matched just to name a few) there have been some I enjoyed. For instance, the Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver!
Lauren Oliver created a world where LOVE was a disease! I found that to be such a creative idea, and so awesome! I truly enjoyed reading those, and finding out just what could happen in a world that didn't have LOVE anymore!
Then Matched by Ally Condie! While I've yet to read the remaining two or three books in the series (I believe it was a trilogy?), I remember really finding this one unique! Ally created a world where every decision was made for each and every person, including what they did when they grew up, who they married, and even when they died! It was such an interesting concept, I remember devouring that book!
And then of course there is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins! While I will admit I wasn't a huge fan of the last book in the trilogy, what I find awesome about this series, is how strong Katniss is! Goodness, that girl can kick some serious butt!
That being said, that is something that dystopian young adult seem to have in common, at least a lot of the recent bestsellers...the strong main female characters! We've got Katniss (The Hunger Games), Lena (Delirium), Cassia (Matched), Beatrice (Divergent, which I still plan on reading before I see the movie!), Tally (Uglies)! Those are just the ones I know of, so I imagine there are many more!
It's awesome that young women are kicking some serious butt, even if it's only the YA world! :)
Yet, at the same time I must say I still wouldn't call any Dystopian my favorite book. I find it sad to think about our world, as we know it anyway, coming to an end! I don't even want to think about it!
So anyway, there's my spiel on why I'm not a huge fan of the Dystopian genre.
However, please don't anyone think I don't respect their opinions on the Dystopian genre! If you love it, good for you! I'm sure I love series that you don't like! That's just life. This is strictly my own personal opinion, and I 100% love hearing about your love for certain books, so if one happens to be a dystopian don't hesitate to comment and tell me all about it! :)
The Romance Bookie :)
I've read a lot more dystopian recently. I'm not sure if I love it or not though. I enjoy a lot of dystopians it seems, but I don't consider myself to be a lover of all things dystopian. I love dystopians with a lot of action like Divergent and THG, but I also like slow dystopians like Matched and Under the Never Sky.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Delirium. It looks really good! Have you seen the clip of the pilot for the TV show? It was HORRIBLE!
So I had no idea that some of the Pilot episode of Delirium ever got out...but yeah unfortunately (I just watched it) it was pretty bad. But to be fair a lot of pilot episodes have low budgets so a lot of them look kind of funny. I wish there was a way to see the entire episode instead of just random clips. However, the filming technique was annoying. That cloudy feel as if you're the characters are constantly dreaming, is not my first choice.
DeleteI love the dystopian genre, as you know - books don't necessarily have to be happy for me to like them. I only read the first divergent book so I need to read the other two at some point, I loved the hunger games and Lauren Oliver's books though.
ReplyDeleteI've read quite a few! Delirium trilogy, HG, Matched, the Uglies, and I'm sure a few others but I just can't call any of them to be anywhere near my favorites.
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