• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
FanFiAddict

FanFiAddict

A gaggle of nerds talking about Fantasy, Science Fiction, and everything in-between. They also occasionally write reviews about said books. 2x Stabby Award-Nominated and home to the Stabby Award-Winning TBRCon.

  • Home
  • About
    • Reviewers
    • Review Policy
    • Stance on AI
    • Contact
    • Friends of FFA
  • Blog
    • Reviews
      • Children’s / Middle Grade Books
      • Comics / Graphic Novels
      • Fantasy
        • Alt History
        • Epic Fantasy
        • Fairy Tales
        • Grimdark
        • Heroic Fantasy
        • LitRPG
        • Paranormal Fantasy
        • Romantic Fantasy
        • Steampunk
        • Superheroes
        • Sword and Sorcery
        • Urban Fantasy
      • Fear For All
        • Demons
        • Ghosts
        • Gothic
        • Lovecraftian
        • Monsters
        • Occult
        • Psychological
        • Slasher
        • Vampires
        • Werewolves
        • Witches
        • Zombies
      • Fiction
      • Science Fiction
        • Aliens
        • Artificial Intelligence
        • Alt History
        • Cyberpunk
        • Dystopian
        • Hard SciFi
        • Mechs/Robots
        • Military SF
        • Space Opera
        • Steampunk
        • Time Travel
      • Thriller
    • Neurodivergence in Fiction
    • Interviews
      • Book Tube
      • Authorly Writing Advice
  • SFF Addicts
    • SFF Addicts Clips
    • SFF Addicts (Episode Archive)
  • TBRCon
    • TBRCon2025
    • TBRCon2024
    • TBRCon2023
    • TBRCon2022
  • FFA Book Club
  • FFA TBR Toppers
    • Advertise Your Book on FFA!
  • Writer Resources
    • Artists
    • Cartographers
    • Editing/Formatting/Proofing

Blog Challenge: I’m a Sucker For…

April 11, 2021 by Eleni A.E. Leave a Comment

Riyria Graphic Novel Art by Max Raynor (Peskykid) on DeviantArt

I was tagged by Cassidee to take part in this fun challenge originally created by Alex from spellsandspaceships.com . To take part, you have to write a short blog post about an element, trope, or device that you are most drawn to while reading. Tag five people and hope that they participate to keep the fun going without any pressure!

Ugh I am never good at picking just one thing but here’s mine:

I’m a Sucker for…

A solid Bromance/Sisterhood

Although it is usually in the form of a duo, my love for this trope encompasses even trios or quartets, I’m not picky in that regard. I think most of us love a good platonic relationship among characters and, when done well, they can move us even way more than any standard romance would. Then again, my disinterest for most romantic plots/subplots is notorious among those who know me, so this shouldn’t be a surprise.

There is just something that feels so much deeper to a connection among people that choose each other again and again over anything/anyone else, but without the added dimension of a sexual relationship. Maybe I’m making this more convoluted that it needs to be, but my point is that in most mainstream romances out there, if you take away the sexual element, the relationship turns stale and shallow. Whereas with well written platonic bonds this is not a thing that risks happening. There is chemistry, and the ease of just being able to be true to themselves around the other, and you feel like an onlooker into something safe and secure in its strength. You get to revel in the characters raising each other up, knowing the other’s moves/thoughts before they make them and put themselves in danger on their own, and regardless of the dynamic among them – two separate halves of one whole idiot/ one cinnamon roll and one looks like they would kill you at any moment/ naïve vs world weary, etc. – it just works so well, and they are in sync. Plus, if the bond started off rocky it is just like the cherry on top really, it makes the whole deal feel genuine and adds to the authenticity, it is also just that much more satisfying to me seeing characters that initially resent/misunderstand each other but through plot or what not have to resolve their differences and learn that actually this person is perhaps the closest there is to a soulmate. Please just give me more platonic soulmates, I don’t ask for much…

While I definitely *love* seeing such bonds being newly made over the course of a story, such as in Sullivan’s Riyria Chronicles (Hadrian & Royce), Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive (Kaladin & Adolin), or Islington’s Licanius Trilogy (Wirr, Davian & Caeden), I do enjoy long established bonds even more! Seeing these characters interact like a well-oiled machine and anticipating each other’s comments or quips especially, amuses me to no end, and when it comes to action sequences, it makes for some truly epic scenes! Notable examples would be De Castell’s Greatcoats trio of Falcio, Kest, and Brasti, Sullivan’s Royce and Hadrian duo in Riyria Revelations, and Lynch’s The Gentlemen Bastards. Sullivan’s books honestly feel like such a special treat in that I get to revel in both version of this trope, so I couldn’t not mention it twice heh. And this is only to name a few because really all of my favorite series have such releationships at their core!

What about you dear reader? Do you enjoy a good bromance like me? Do you hate it? If the answer to the second is yes, are you ok?  I jest of course, we all love different things! So as always, drop me a line here or over on twitter to say whether there are any other bromances/sisterhoods I should be aware of, for I am always in search for more, and thank you for coming along to this fun little challenge!

Until next time,

Eleni A.E.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: blog challenge, Bromance, James Islington, Michael J Sullivan, Scott Lynch, Sebastien De Castell, The Gentlemen Bastards, The Greatcoats, The Licanius Trilogy, The Riyria Chronicles, The Riyria Revelations, The Stormlight Archive

About Eleni A.E.

Eleni loves all things literature related (she's got an MRes in SFF to prove it) and she spends hours contorting her spine in the worst positions possible to read, write, or just binge watch movies and series. Loves a good trope done well but the list of her favorites is far too long. Always happy, and more importantly curious, to learn/try new stuff so there are very few things she dislikes.

Other Reviews You Might Like

Review: The Devil All The Time by Donald Ray Pollock

Review: Afterburn by D. Andrews

World of Warcraft: The Voices Within Short Story Collection Cover

Review: World of Warcraft: The Voices Within Short Story Collection

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Sponsored By

Use Discount Code FANFI For 5% Off!

FFA Newsletter!

Sign up for updates and get FREE stories from Michael R. Fletcher and Richard Ford!

What Would You Like To See?(Required)
Please select the type of content you want to receive from FanFi Addict. You can even mix and match if you want!

FFA Author Hub

Read A.J. Calvin
Read Andy Peloquin
Read C.J. Daily
Read C.M. Caplan
Read D.A. Smith
Read DB Rook
Read Francisca Liliana
Read Frasier Armitage
Read Josh Hanson
Read Krystle Matar
Read M.J. Kuhn

Recent Reviews

World of Warcraft: The Voices Within Short Story Collection Cover
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

Recent Comments

  1. Mark Matthews on COVER REVEAL: To Those Willing to Drown by Mark MatthewsJanuary 7, 2025
  2. Basra Myeba on Worth reading Jack Reacher books by Lee Child?January 5, 2025
  3. Ali on Review: Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory by Yaroslav BarsukovJanuary 5, 2025
  4. Carter on So you want to start reading Warhammer 40,000? Here’s where to start!January 4, 2025
  5. M. Zaugg on Bender’s Best LitRPG reads of 2024January 3, 2025

Archive

Copyright © 2025 · Powered by ModFarm Sites · Log In