There was a particularly poetic turn of phrase, and my immediate reaction was annoyance. I actually don't dislike poetry, but when it comes to my prose, flowery overdone language is one of my biggest pet peeves.
This is not a big problem in The Diviners, Libba Bray is an amazing writer and most of her setting and imagery is wonderfully done, without crossing the line in my mind. There was just one sentence that really jumped out at me. Some books, however, fling themselves over that line as if it is a starting mark for the triple jump at the Olympics.
And that is fine, of course. Everyone has different tastes, and to some people a more poetic, lyrical tone is exactly what they want from a book. Some books that had that tone, I felt, were Delirium by Lauren Olivier, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, and The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater. All three got tons of great reviews, but I just can't get into the style. I've liked other books by Olivier and Stiefvater (in fact The Raven Boys is one of my top books of the year) but these titles were not to my personal taste.
But then again, I have often been accused of lacking romance in my soul. My husband and I flirted via kicks in the butt back in college, and flowery declarations of love are never our style. So, as with just about everything, it is a matter of taste!
What is your literary style? Are you a romantic, or a bit more pragmatic? What are some other books that belong on the romantic, poetic list - do you agree with mine?
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