booktok: a discussion
booktok is a wonderful community to connect with others who share your literary (and literary-adjacent) passions. however, there are many controversial topics, opinions, etc. as any other corner of the internet, it can become problematic.
firstly, i believe almost all of booktok is aware of a new young adult fantasy trilogy of “powerless” by lauren roberts. some readers are avid lovers of it, while some are less than impressed (to put it nicely) (and yes i am part of the latter). a short summary of powerless for those who haven’t read it:
via goodreads.com
does it sound familiar or remind you of any other popular young adult novels? in my opinion (and i’ve seen quite a few people who share this thought), it reminds me a little too much of “the hunger games” and “red queen”, that both came out in the 2010s. now, while it’s true that there is no completely original work and that all authors borrow concepts from each other, i believe this is straight up copying. some readers on social media have came after victoria aveyard (author of “red queen”) commenting things along the lines of “so… basically powerless” (when, in fact, its the other way around). additionally, i think that roberts relied too much on including multiple tropes, instead of focusing on the quality of her writing and ensuring its consistent (both aspects i believe were quite lackluster).
now, i’m not judging those who enjoy it. it was action packed, and i can see why some like the characters. i just feel like it was a very cookie-cutter, basic young adult novel. (keep in mind, nothing is wrong with “basic”, but i want more unique concepts instead of the same plots over, and over, and over). throughout these recent days or weeks, i’ve noticed that booktok/bookstagram brushes off blatant plagiarism to fit specific tropes or what would sell on shelves.
this connects to my next point of attacking authors for their work. the prime example of victoria aveyard and her receiving less-than-positive comments about “red queen” and “powerless”. many of them implied accusations of copying lauren roberts’ novel, despite “red queen” being published in 2015. much of this is the opposite of the point of booktok/bookstagram. it should be an uplifting, positive space. i don’t have much more to say on this topic, other than its ridiculous. this goes for unpublished or indie authors, not just new york times bestsellers. some on social media get criticized on social media for explaining “my book won’t have this… because i personally…” which is also so ridiculous. again, i don’t know how to explain this topic in more depth, but its so pointless. don’t attack authors or writers unless they’re genuinely problematic — not if they don’t share an opinion or belief.
well, that’s it for today. thank you for reading and see you next week!
