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thedrunkenreadersreviews · 10 months

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A reaction to the Goodreads Choice Awards of 2023

Oh, the weather outside is frightful! At least where I live. No snow, but, man, is it cold. So, I am staying toasty with a little rose chocolate tea spiked with some nice peppermint schnapps to get into the holiday spirit because Lord knows I need to get jolly after this shit show.

*Sip, sip*

Anywho, the Goodreads Choice Awards winners have been announced for this year, and while I won't comment on every category because some I simply do not read, I will put in my two cents for any who care to know it about particular categories. I'll go through them one by one in the order in which they appear on Goodreads.

So, grab some nice tea and schnapps, put on those fuzzy socks, and let's get to it.

*Sip, sip*

Best Fiction - Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

In my humble opinion---as I assume that is what you are here for---the Goodreads Choice Awards has become a popularity contest. Now, I do not often read contemporary fiction so I cannot speak fully on this, but I will make one comment; I did not know or have heard of any of the other authors in this category. Just looking at the nominees, I knew without even having read the thing, "Pffft, Yellowface is going to win." Lo and behold.

*Sip, sip*

Now, it is very possible that Yellowface deserved to win. I know of R. F. Kuang's writing through the Poppy War trilogy, which is well crafted, to say the least. Having not read any of these books, I cannot be too harsh. It does twist my lips a bit, however, that this one was predictable without even having to read any of the books in that category, so that's how this "voting" process, I thought, was going to go.

And sometimes ... damn ... sometimes I hate being right.

*Sip, sip*

Romantsy - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

*Sip, sip, sip, sip, sip, sip*

Oh, a full review of this book will be coming after the holiday season. As with all the others I mention. But this one winning compared to the others in the lineup ...?

We have Foxglove King, The Hurricane Wars, The Jasad Heir, and Assistant to the Villain!

I am in no way suggesting that if you enjoyed Fourth Wing that you are wrong. Having it win in this category with the other nominees feels almost like a worm burrowing beneath my blood if I think on it for too long. The book, I am sorry to say, is just not that great. The romance does not at all feel like romance, it feels like lust. If Goodreads really wants to put books that have "romance" in them that is not legitimate romance, they should create a "Spicy" category or something like that. I did not feel the devotion between the two leads in this book. I did not get the sense that they would do anything for each other, make tremendous sacrifices, or perform grand gestures. I fully believed they wanted to bone each other since they met, but that is all. Yarros, known for her romance books and not her fantasy ones until now since this is her first fantasy book, fails to capture this sense of not needing each other physically, but in all the other ways. I would not be upset if these two end up not being endgame by the conclusion of the series, that is how little I feel for them as a couple.

*Sip, sip*

Yes, I know it is the first book and that the relationship between the two can develop in future books. In that case, let that book, which presents their devotion, be nominated in this category. Not the starting point book.

Fantasy - Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

I will confess that I did not read Hell Bent and so I cannot speak to the winner. I did, however, read most of the nominees. Tress of the Emerald Sea is not Brandon Sanderson's best work, but it is not a bad book at all! A Day of Fallen Night ... well, I wasn't that big a fan of Priory either, so I guess it is understandable that I wasn't too entertained with this one.

V. E. Schwab is one of my all-time favorites as that woman has the ability to rip out my heart, stomp it into hardening cement, and shove it back into my chest just for me to come limping back, hands outstretched, begging for more. I still do not forgive some of her past cruelties and yet, I am not complaining. However, I understand why The Fragile Threads of Power did not win this round. Again, not a bad book by any means! I just get why it wasn't the winner. I am currently reading The Witch King, and I am devouring it!

But the one I was rooting for, the one I was hoping would win, even though I knew in my heart that it wouldn't was Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries. A review of that book will be posted shortly and perhaps then it will become clear why I was hoping it would win.

As for Leigh Bardugo, great job! Fantasy is the one category I feel might still maintain some creative integrity. But not always.

*Sip, sip*

Also, did anyone else notice that The Unmaking of June Farrow has an eerily similar title and font to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, so much so that I thought it was a spinoff series to the latter until I saw the author's name?

*Suspicious sip, sip*

Science Fiction - The Lives of Puppets by T. J. Klune

NO! NO!!! THE FERRYMAN HAS FAILED ME!!! Oh, I was so sure it had a chance! I believed in it ... until I saw the cartoonish cover that brought my thoughts immediately to The House in the Cerulean Sea and then I knew The Ferryman was doomed.

Of course, T. J. Klune would win. I knew it because, no, they are not a bad writer, but they are a resoundingly popular one. The House in the Cerulean Sea was everywhere, that cover art has become synonymous with T.J. Klune. Even if you don't read the synopsis or were aware that a new T.J. Klune book was coming out, you see that cover and you suddenly know without looking for the name, "Oh, a new T.J. Klune book is out." I am almost convinced that a nice chunk of the people who voted for this one didn't even read it. They saw the cover art, heard of House, and clicked "vote."

*Somber sip, sip*

Horror - Holly by Stephen King

I think it should be a rule that Stephen King's works can no longer be nominated (I'm joking). But the same issue still applies; you know the author, you vote for the author, and the lesser-known authors who may have written a horrific masterpiece do not stand a chance against the King.

*Shivering sip, sip*

Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

*Sip, sip, sip, sip*

Don't talk to me. Do NOT talk to me! I will not yield on this one! A Curse for True Love (it has its flaws, see my review of it, but still), Foxglove (fucking FOXGLOVE), THE STOLEN HEIR!

Let me say, even though ACfTL was not the masterpiece it could have been, my goodness, the magic in it, especially that finale! But I can excuse Curse not winning. Truly, I'm not that mad about it.

Foxglove?! FOXGLOVE?! Adalyn Grace has grown so much as an author! And Foxglove totally displays that. I was convinced about the whole main plot point until we got to that realization and it's like, I want Wisteria now! I hated and loved Fate the whole way through that damn book. But even that one, I can forgive.

*Sip, sip*

*Peeks from the rim of my cup, eyes caught in the glow of the flames from my hearth*

But ...

you have come after my child.

You have crawled from the depths of a black abyss and come to steal away my precious.

My love for the kingdom of Elfhame cannot be burned away by the fires of Mount Doom.

The dementors cannot steal it from my soul.

The White Walkers cannot freeze me enough to abandon it for the promise of warmth.

And even if I were to be turned to stone by Medusa's gaze my heart would continue to beat with devotion for the High King & Queen of Elfhame as well as all of the inhabitants of Elfhame!

*Sip, sip*

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black, in case you haven't figured it out, is who I was rooting for (review for that one to come around Christmas).

*Calming sip, sip*

Memoir & Autobiography - Woman in Me by Britney Spears

*Raises mug* Go off, Queen!

*Sip, sip*

History & Biography - The Wager (extended title) by David Grann

Surprisingly, I have no qualms with this category. This book was a banger! So was Killing the Witches and Pathogenesis (extended title). I recommend all three of these and was simply wishing one of them would win.

Victory screech!

*Sip, sip*

Now ... my biggest gripe with these choice awards ... where is the Middle Age & Children category? Where is the Graphic Novels, Comics, & Manga category? Where is Poetry?

I don't even read that much poetry, but I appreciate it as an art and believe it should be represented.

Graphic Novels, Comics, & Mangas ... like so many of those have genius writing and storytelling within them. The worlds are incredible and the art sometimes so amazingly compliments it! One of my favorite comic book writers is Al Ewing and one of my favorite artists is Lee Garbet, and when the two of them worked together, it was outstanding! The art and the story went hand in hand so well, it was as if it all came from one mind. They deserve to be acknowledged, even if it is one person doing both.

And manga ... some of the most intricate universes, complex worlds, and ingenious magic systems are created in mangas. One of my all-time favorite stories ever told is Fullmetal Alchemist. Every single detail matters in that story, and it was heartbreaking, and hysterical, and action-packed, and touching all at once!

But to strip away Middle Grade and Children? You might as well discourage kids from reading. It was when I saw that these categories were removed to make room for "romantsy" that I knew this is a popularity contest. It has been for a while. But those in middle school and younger, they probably don't have a Goodreads account, they probably aren't voting.

But they might be looking.

And teachers, and parents. They're still here. And some of them want kids to read.

*Sip, sip*

In conclusion, I don't really believe the choice awards hold that much merit anymore. I couldn't care less if a book was a nominee or a winner when deciding if I should read it. To be fair, I never really did. But I would encourage others who are wandering into the culture of Goodreads and documenting their reading that just because the book is a trend and popular and is a Goodreads choice award "winner" or "nominee" does not mean that the book is good.

It might be mediocre.

*Sip, sip*

Well, I won't take up any more of your time. Reviews for the books I mentioned will be posted in time. If you would like a review for a book in particular, do not hesitate to tell me what it is.

Stay warm, keep calm, and always have a good evening.

Cheers.

*Festive sip, sip*

#books #goodreads #goodreads choice awards #the stolen heir #a curse for true love #foxglove #fourth wing #hell bent #fullmetal alchemist #manga #comics #graphic novel #poetry

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