Friends, this was a close race. Just as I have a long list of adored tropes, the ones I don’t like are myriad.

I don’t read Dubcon and I hate Born Sexy Yesterday.

But the most commonly recurring trope that has the power to ruin a book or series for me until the end of time? Resurrection.

I’m fine with deaths that seem to happen but the character in question is faking their demise. This is a common trope in spy stories, which I love (and write). I don’t have a problem with necromancy or when characters come back from deaths that occur off the page/are implied. I can deal with ghosts or any variety of undead, too.

But if they died on the page, everybody mourned, and a bright light brings them back? You’ve lost me.

Here’s why I despise this trope.

Sacrifice? What Sacrifice?

Non-permanent death isn’t a stepping stone—the death of a character can never be a random event in a story. If someone dies between the pages of a book (or in any story, for that matter) there has to be a specific reason for the event.

What’s the point if they’re just going to be brought back to life five seconds later? People faint for longer than that.

Now, I see all you fellow romantics out there. “But he loves her so much, he’s willing to die for her!”

We get it. Really. But isn’t there a better way to SHOW us how much he loves her without having him devote three pages to his final words, make a tragically beautiful corpse, and then take his second first breath moments later?

Worse yet when our hero has fought the Big Bad for three books and finally—finally—sends that villain to the nether, only for the same villain to be back (with new hellish cronies and or powers) in Book 5. I can’t even.

Every sacrifice the person who died/the heroes who defeated the Big Bad made is diminished if they’re resurrected later.

Doctor Who Spoilers Incoming. 🙂

Let’s take Clara, for example. Her death scene was pretty moving, fans and non-fans of the character can agree. She was reckless and took on a death sentence that couldn’t be revoked, and she paid for her recklessness with her life. In fact, she was pretty noble about the whole thing, and her final moments caused many fans who hadn’t liked her (myself included) to review their opinions of her.

Her sacrifice moved the Doctor in ways he’d never imagined he could be moved and gave us two of the best ever episodes of the series, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent (which also showcased Capaldi’s brilliance as an actor, IMO). It was great.

By softly resurrecting Clara, handing her a TARDIS and a companion of her own, then sending her off into the galaxy, everything she had learned, and the Doctor’s resulting deeds and immense growth are diminished. Fans were disgruntled, and the forums flooded with angry essays.

Spoilers Complete. 😉

All the Emotions

I get attached to characters. Fast. It’s one of my quirks. I love falling so deeply into a book that I feel a tad hungover at the end. That’s why we read, right? For the shared experiences and endorphins. To explore other worlds and cultures and make new bookish friends. So, if that character dies, you can bet I’ve cried all the tears and ripped out the pages.

Resurrection lands like a betrayal. It’s like the author says, “Tadaa! Fooled ya!”

The death of a character shouldn’t be a tool exclusively used to elicit emotional responses from readers. There has to be a deeper reason, or it loses impact.

Once an emotional response has been cheated out of me, I won’t submerge in the book or care as deeply about the characters. My defences will be up. Sure, she’s dead, but who cares? She’ll be back. (And that’s if I continue reading the book/series.)

If they’re just going to be hauled out of the grave without any clear purpose, maybe they shouldn’t have died in the first place.

What’s your least favourite trope? Let’s chat in the comments.

Until next time.

Yolandie.