Urban Fantasy Series Fail
So, there's this urban fantasy series by Rachel Vincent (pretty sure the series is called Werecats, but I didn't see a series title on the book). It's basically about this college graduate student, Fayth, who is one of the few breeding female werecats (called Tabbies) and supposedly on the side of good, and the evil werecats who want to use her because she is a breeder. Every book is pretty much this idea, except college is focused on less and less as the series progresses.
Before I even bought the first book, I read some reviews about it. They were overwhelmingly negative: "You're going to hate the main character, she's so whiny." and "The worldbuilding is good, but that's it." and "The second book is better, but not by much." At that point, there were only two books in the series, and I thought "Well, the idea sounds promising and I usually like the books better than the reviewers anyway." So I buy the first book.
Big mistake. The main character, Fayth, who is also the narrator, is blah. She's basically "I'm a college grad student and I'm ridiculously intelligent and I'm an independent woman and I don't need my family telling me what to do and I don't care my life's in danger I do what I want." I understood her being frustrated with her family, who she broke contact with when she started college, but she was so nasty about them: "My mom is a submissive housewife and my dad is too controlling. I'm a grown woman I should do what I want." If she's so intelligent, it doesn't show. For example, she has a good sense of who the villains are, and she walks right into their trap. Yet we still have to believe she's intelligent.
The second and third books are no better. She softens up on her family (okay, her mother): "My mom may be a housewife, but oh my god she killed this man and she is so strong!", so I'd have to give her credit for that. She's still the same "I do what I want!"
I didn't even bother with getting the fourth book.
I don't get it. Rachel Vincent, the author, seems intelligent enough (I've heard a few interviews with her, and she makes some good points about the art of writing). It's just that she mistakes "Intelligent, independent woman" with "I have a bad attitude and I do what I want" and her character suffers.
Before I even bought the first book, I read some reviews about it. They were overwhelmingly negative: "You're going to hate the main character, she's so whiny." and "The worldbuilding is good, but that's it." and "The second book is better, but not by much." At that point, there were only two books in the series, and I thought "Well, the idea sounds promising and I usually like the books better than the reviewers anyway." So I buy the first book.
Big mistake. The main character, Fayth, who is also the narrator, is blah. She's basically "I'm a college grad student and I'm ridiculously intelligent and I'm an independent woman and I don't need my family telling me what to do and I don't care my life's in danger I do what I want." I understood her being frustrated with her family, who she broke contact with when she started college, but she was so nasty about them: "My mom is a submissive housewife and my dad is too controlling. I'm a grown woman I should do what I want." If she's so intelligent, it doesn't show. For example, she has a good sense of who the villains are, and she walks right into their trap. Yet we still have to believe she's intelligent.
The second and third books are no better. She softens up on her family (okay, her mother): "My mom may be a housewife, but oh my god she killed this man and she is so strong!", so I'd have to give her credit for that. She's still the same "I do what I want!"
I didn't even bother with getting the fourth book.
I don't get it. Rachel Vincent, the author, seems intelligent enough (I've heard a few interviews with her, and she makes some good points about the art of writing). It's just that she mistakes "Intelligent, independent woman" with "I have a bad attitude and I do what I want" and her character suffers.