Disclaimer: I don't read YA. I'm not the biggest fan of it. So take this impression with a grain of salt.
One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to YA is a teenager being put into a position of power over adults (monarchies notwithstanding). It reads more like wish fulfillment than logical story telling. So when I read "seventeen year old captain" I was already dubious. But I decided to go on and read a bit anyway.
One of my more general pet peeves (which does happen in adult books as well) is when there's blatantly rushed pathos that lets you know the character is going to die. Based on the romance and the plans to escape to a better life, I knew Call was dead the moment Poe went below deck. While this wouldn't put me off a story on its own, the fact it happened within the first handful of pages, combined with a premise I'm already not a fan of, makes me certain this book's not for me.
But, like I said, this isn't a genre I regularly read anyway.
One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to YA is a teenager being put into a position of power over adults (monarchies notwithstanding). It reads more like wish fulfillment than logical story telling. So when I read "seventeen year old captain" I was already dubious. But I decided to go on and read a bit anyway.
One of my more general pet peeves (which does happen in adult books as well) is when there's blatantly rushed pathos that lets you know the character is going to die. Based on the romance and the plans to escape to a better life, I knew Call was dead the moment Poe went below deck. While this wouldn't put me off a story on its own, the fact it happened within the first handful of pages, combined with a premise I'm already not a fan of, makes me certain this book's not for me.
But, like I said, this isn't a genre I regularly read anyway.