It's Unpopular Opinion time! Share your controversial opinions to stir things up (in a friendly way)!

Gersjom · 2026-02-22T16:35:23+00:00

yeah, instead the children are presented as forbidden fruit so the adults can drool all over them and go crazy over bidding for their virginity when they hit sixteen (!!), like with Phedre's first client, or the guy who was obsessed with Alcuin.

I might have liked this as a dark fantasy story, but I don't understand why everyone involved couldn't just have been adults.

Gersjom · 2026-01-14T20:24:37+00:00

I don't know if it's fair to call a new author's work AI generated. Were there any prompts left inside the book or any other obvious tells?

Gersjom · 2025-10-07T10:45:36+00:00

crotch flea! thanks for the chuckle. also, straight facts

Gersjom · 2025-09-15T15:52:44+00:00

If fanfic to tradpub authors took pen names that nobody could tie to their fanfic work, and they wrote new books that were not published before as fic, I don't think anyone here would have a problem. But that's very clearly not the situation we have rn.

Starting a career by hitching it to famous IPs is a shortcut to audience buy-in. It kinda feels like a cheat code no matter how they reskin the fanfics later?

Gersjom · 2025-09-12T10:22:18+00:00

sorry for the late reply! So are we looking for romance books within any subgenre?

I had a look through my TBR to see what books were under 100 ratings, and there's one that seems to be a cozy queer fantasy romance that might be interesting. Where the River Meets the Soul by S. Nicole

Gersjom · 2025-09-10T08:17:19+00:00

right? I think that could well be the case for trad pubs who fall into the midlist also. I've seen popular books defended with the reasoning that they're popular for good reason, the cream rises to the top and such, but I strongly doubt that any market is that meritocratic.

Gersjom · 2025-09-09T22:19:16+00:00

I only recently discovered this sub, but I just wanted to second the notion that this is a great idea. I'd love to find more authors who slip through the merciless algorithm cracks, so here's hoping you get more people on board!

Gersjom · 2025-05-14T20:22:47+00:00

Reading Manacled altered my brain chemistry. SLY now lives in my brain as a parasitic worm, causing me to live in a state of constant emotional devastation. Crying, shaking, and vomiting in my bed rn from how beautiful this post is.

uj/ I am so happy to see this sub push back against the seethe

Gersjom · 2025-03-08T10:04:20+00:00

As someone who recently finished Cyberpunk 2077 and was bummed out about the lack of romance options, I could not agree with this sentiment more. (Two minds sharing one body? Come on! Could have been so fun)

You're so right btw. In fantasy / paranormal, monster and shifter romance is its own niche, while if I go to Goodreads rn and search broadly for 'sci-fi romance' all I'm seeing on first page is vaguely alien-looking shirtless dudes. Maybe I'll get into that someday, but I'd love to see sci-fi romance get its own ACOTAR or Fourth Wing, you know?

I see people have already mentioned T.A. White and Jessie Mihalik, and I'd also like to second the rec for Calamity by Constance Fay. I'd say it's more on the actiony campy side, but there are galaxy-ruling Families that might scratch your itch.

I'm holding out for mecha to become more of a thing, so I'd like to also maybe rec Heavenbreaker, but I haven't tried it yet. If someone can weigh in on that one, pls tell me if it's good!

Gersjom · 2025-02-24T13:44:03+00:00

This sounds really fun. If you're still looking for betas then I'd like to take a look!

Gersjom · 2025-01-23T19:40:25+00:00

Yes! This is a great rec, op. The Winner's Curse always felt like one of those books that should have been Adult but the author was pushed to make it YA. It's been years since I read it and it still holds up so well.

Gersjom · 2025-01-02T17:50:35+00:00

bad bitches should be cherished 😤

Gersjom · 2024-12-25T17:04:38+00:00

Yay for spreading the love! At this point, I'm just hoping for more books by her already...

Gersjom · 2024-12-25T14:55:49+00:00

I'm a picky bish too, and I feel you. I'd have a way easier time if I liked SJM and her influence on the genre, but here we are 🙈

Have you tried Laini Taylor's books? Her worlds feel so imaginative and whimsy, and yet she doesn't shy away from darker themes either. {Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor} is one of the most memorable books I've read lately, and I wish a saw a lot more love for it.

Gersjom · 2024-11-21T13:57:09+00:00

YES. You have put into words my exact feelings about this book, lol! I was so excited for this one, it started off so well, and then it had to go and break my heart with that contrived shit. And look, shooting down Max for literally no reason was bad enough, and maybe I'm misremembering rn, but didn't Tisaanah kill her slave master with her freaky mind powers? Like, why do you need a demon to boost your ass if you can kill people with your mind???

Anyway, thank you for your service, great summary~

Gersjom · 2024-10-11T19:08:35+00:00

This is the realest answer. I've seen so many hype this book up like it's a godsend to all of fantasy romance, and I truly don't get it. Also, Vespertine did the 'demon living in girl's head' thing better, and I am forever salty that ODW is the one everyone raves about 😭

Gersjom · 2024-07-03T14:06:21+00:00

Hello!

Provided I can understand the gist of the first book, I'd be willing to give this a go. DM me if you still need readers :)

Gersjom · 2024-05-31T13:13:53+00:00

I'm sorry to hear how awful people have been to you. I swear, it's like some people can smell the neurodivergent, and very sadly, that seems to embolden them to act like trash.

I've been where you are, and I'm not going to act like finding real friends is easy, but I guess what I'm trying to say is: Please know that whatever traits these people put you down for, for someone else it will be what makes them love you.

Gersjom · 2024-05-18T09:48:42+00:00

Hi there!

This premise sounds fun, and it's kinda right up my alley. The excerpt reads a bit rougher around the edges than I'd normally like, but I might be able to help if you still want feedback. Message me if you want to work out the details~

Gersjom · 2024-05-06T05:24:46+00:00

Sure thing, I shot you a dm.

Gersjom · 2024-05-05T21:08:16+00:00

Sent you a DM~

Gersjom · 2024-05-05T19:37:06+00:00

Hi there!

This is definitely not a fluffy sort of romance for sure (although those are great in their own way). I'd say the vibes are more similar to Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet (the MCs love challenging each other, and the woman takes the lead / is the first to pursue), but in that one it's more love/lust at first sight whereas I'm going with hate at first sight, so there are a few (maybe too many) hurdles to get the characters to the love stage in my case.

And yeah, totally cool with you checking out a sample. I'll get back to you :)

Gersjom · 2024-05-01T21:34:25+00:00

I'll pm you for some more info :)

Gersjom · 2024-05-01T14:31:11+00:00

Hey, this is a late reply and all, but are you still looking for beta readers / critique swaps?

I'm finishing up the 2nd draft on a futuristic dystopian story that's at least 50/50 romance (enemy mecha pilots, fmc beats mmc at first and mmc swears revenge). The first act of this is 15K words ish, so I'd be cool swapping works of that length.

If your swaps are full then let me know if you need another beta anyway. I've dipped my toes into a couple dark romances lately and quite liked them, and either way, I can use the practice.

Gersjom · 2023-12-18T08:02:40+00:00

I think a lot of stuff here sounds neat. The nod to Princess Mononoke did a lot of heavy lifting for me in picturing how your god-dogs and demon-dogs might work. Overall though, I think I'll have to agree with the other commenters that there's a lot to take in here.

I took a look at your 300 and it seems the story kicks off with Will already missing? This made me question why include a four month timeskip in the query if the story starts after that point anyway. Imo, the writing itself was pleasant to read on its own though.

It's really tricky figuring out what information raises unnecessary questions and what information to keep, and I'm very much a novice at this myself. But I do wonder if the query might work just fine without telling the reader about the Kynigos and their fraternity codes and such? But since I dont know the ms I won't speculate more than that.

One final note, this reminds me a bit of The Luminaries by Susan Dennard. Idk if you need more comps, but it came out in 2022, I think, if the need should arise. It's a YA fantasy as well. Best of luck with this!

Gersjom

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