We all have those little bits of books that make them more interesting, whether its a character that we fall in love with, a specific scene in a book, or a well known trope that gets added. I don’t know about you guys but I am a SUCKER for a good trope, whether its a good enemies to lovers story line, the famous “Oh, whoops! There’s only one bed,” or the “you’re the only one that can save us.” We all have tropes that we love and hate, and their placement in a book can make the difference between you enjoying or DNF’ing it.

Top Ten Tuesday is run by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl and you should definitely go give her blog some love.

20/8

Enemies to Friends to lovers

God! I love a good enemies-friends-lovers plot line, and the Queen of doing this for me is Sarah J Maas. Between Rhys/Feyre, Aelin/Chaol, Aelin/Rowan, Manon/Dorian she manages to write these soo well. You know they’re going to end up together but boy does she make it a fun ride. I live for the snarky remarks, the tension when they start to realise they like each other, and the inevitable fall into a romantic relationship that you see coming a mile off but still makes you squeak with joy.

Some other series that deserve a mention are Vhalla and Aldrick from Air Awakens, and Iseult and Aeduan from The Witchland series.

Only one bed

I feel like this is a staple trope that most people love, but as I was writing this I had a complete mind blank and could only come up with one book this features in. An uber steamy scene in ACOMAF by Sarah J Maas and its done so well, but I feel my main love for this trope must come from the overwhelming amount of FanFiction I read. I did ask around on twitter and there are some other books out there that feature it such as The Gentleman’s guide to Vice and Virture & We are not ok.

The corner of his/her mouth quirked up

Ok! Now this is a favourite of mine. Especially when its the stoic character that doesn’t really come out of their shell, and then bang! A quirk of the mouth! This is prevalent in way too many books/series to mention, but I love its tension relieving ability.

The chosen one

I mean… Harry Potter! I freaking love that series, and this trope certainly makes it stand out. It has become more and more common over the years, sometimes not the extent of Harry’s arc but still having a character that is the only person for a specific task. It works so well because you form a bond with the character, their issues become your issues and you feel like taking just some of the weight off their shoulders. Some books that have done this well are; The Priory of the Orange Tree, Shadow and Bone, and the Immortals Quartet.

Hidden away royalty

I think one of the first books I found this trope in was The Queen of the Tearling, and I absolutely fell in love with the reluctant ruler who manages to save his/her kingdom after being hidden away for their own safety. Another series this is prevalent in is The Greatcoats, Aline is one of my favourite hidden away royals, only a young girl, and still commands respect from her fathers guards.

Squads/Gangs

Ahhh! There are sooooo many literary squads I want to be a part of; The Dregs, The Greatcoats, The Night Court, The Golden Company just to name a few. A well written squad should manage to make you feel like you are a part of the gang, you love every member and feel as if you’re going along on adventures right beside them.

Comical sidekick

We all need a little comic relief sometimes and this is sometimes done through a comic sidekick. Perfect for snarky comments, making awkward moments more awkward and sometimes even making the main character “Quirk his/her lips.” I live for these characters and some of my all time favourites have to be; Captain Carswell Thorne (The Lunar Chronicles), Cassian (ACOMAF), Brasti (The Greatcoats), Nickolai (Shadow and Bone) and Safi (The Witchlands). All these characters bring a little comic relief to the page, and the series simply would not be the same without them!

Pets/sidekicks of the animal variety

Whether they talk or not, some of my favourite literary sidekicks are that of the animal variety. Whether you’re a fan of the snarky and sometimes humorous Mr Kindly (Nevernight), or the loyal and reliable Hedwig (Harry Potter.) I think we can all say that a good animal sidekick can deflate awkwardess, and help the MC out of some sticky situations.

So there is my list of my all time favourite tropes… can you think of some books that fit/contain these tropes that I haven’t mentioned? Definitely let me know in the comments, I love a good recommendation!