“I was ninty-nine point nine percent sure I was dreaming.”
First line in New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Today I’m dealing with a hot topic: unpopular opinions. I stumbled upon some glorious Buzzfeed articles about unpopular opinions people have about YA books, and there were just too much gold in those to not make a post about them. So this is it. I’ve picked out ten of these opinions and I’m going to tell you whether I agree with them or not. Some of these opinions are about the endings to certain books so please be aware that this post includes SPOILERS for The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Twilight. Also, since the opinions have been taken from different articles (links at the bottom), there’s a difference to how they were formatted and how fleshed out the opinions were. Just thought you should know. Let’s get started.
Unpopular Opinions About The Hunger Games
The first Hunger Games book isn’t good. At all. Catching Fire is way better.
“The first Hunger Games is not a good book. Katniss spends half the book sleeping in a tree. And it is just not good.”
“Catching Fire is better than the original Hunger Games book and Mockingjay — both books and movies. Of course, the original is good, but Catching Fire is A LOT better, in my opinion.”
My opinion: I kind of agree, but only because Catching Fire is perfect in every way possible (that includes the movie), so it’s really not fair to expect other books to live up to that impossibly high standard. So yes, Catching Fire is better than The Hunger Games and Mockingjay, but that doesn’t mean that those are bad. I think ps123hdb gets it.
There’s nothing wrong with the “career” tributes — the ones from districts 1 and 2. It ensures glory and riches for them and their families, so they shouldn’t be shamed for volunteering.
My opinion: Initially, I was willing to agree with this because when you HAVE to send someone, you might as well send someone who wants to go. However, that isn’t actually the problem with career tributes, is it? The problem is privilege because people from districts 1 and 2 have way better lives than people from other districts, especially 12, so of course they have the resources and the time to prepare themselves properly for the Hunger Games. And volunteering for glory makes them seem very oblivious to this privilege. Or they just don’t care, so they should be shamed.
Katniss and Peeta shouldn’t have had kids at the end because Katniss spent the entire series saying she didn’t want them.
My opinion: I hear so many people say this and it’s bothering me so much. Katniss didn’t “spend the entire series saying she didn’t want children”. She said it once in the first book. Then a whole lot of stuff happens and years pass and have you guys ever heard of character development?? It means that a character changes and so it is not that hard to believe that years and years after her initial statement about children, she changed her mind!
Unpopular Opinions About Harry Potter
Percy Jackson is better than Harry Potter
“The Percy Jackson books are waaaaay better than the Harry Potter books. No one can tell me otherwise. There is just a better storyline, better characterization, and more diverse characters. And #Percabeth is the best couple in all books ever. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.”
My opinion: I have read both and can say for certain that that is just not true, Candycat124. I’ll give you the more diverse characters, but with everything else, Harry Potter is far superior, I’m sorry. Not that Percy Jackson isn’t good, but there is so much more depth in Harry Potter and the world-building alone is unreal for a YA series. Also, I just rarely see any adults enjoying Percy Jackson when they haven’t grown up with them while that isn’t the case with Harry Potter which I personally think is a good quality indicator.
Quidditch doesn’t make sense
“Quidditch is a baaad sport. It makes no sense because none of the players matter except the seeker! The snitch is worth 150 points and the quaffel is only 10, so 99% of the time, whoever catches the snitch wins (unless the other team is more than 150 points ahead, which never happens unless J.K. Rowling realizes her point system sucks), so what’s even the point of any of the other balls or players?? Also, it’s a nonstop action game. WHY ARE YOU ALLOWED TO CALL A TIMEOUT?”
My opinion: This is fair. As someone who’s a big sports fan, I agree that the point system in quidditch is ridiculous. Like, thank god our protagonist is good at that one position that matters because just imagine how boring those matches would be to read if Harry was a beater. Being able to call a timeout seems realistic enough, though. I kind of assume there are some rules about when you’re allowed to call it like in any other sport with timeouts.
The movies are better than the books
“I know they removed things that were in the books, changed some plots, blah blah blah. But when you take the books on their own and the movies on their own, the movies are just better.”
My opinion:…I’m sorry, what? Nobody actually believes that, do they? Because even if we ignore all the adaptation flaws (blah blah), the movies heavily depend upon viewers having read the books. Otherwise, they just don’t make sense! I’ll never get over how they just forgot to explain why Harry survived in the last book after meeting Dumbledore. He’s just sent back to the world of the living like it’s the most natural thing to happen. I’m also gonna say that the acting from the child actors wasn’t that great, and there was only so much Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman could do to save those movies, so this opinion is just plain wrong.
Miscellaneous Unpopular Opinions
Bella should have moved on from Edward when he left her, and ended up with Jacob
“Bella should have forgotten Edward and moved on after he left in New Moon. It’s clear that she started developing feelings for Jacob, and he’s so much better on every level. All my girl needed was some therapy to get rid of those weird Edward visions, and she could have lived her best vampire-free life. Think of all the mess and crap she could have avoided! Also, I never would have had to read the name ‘Renesmee’ with my own eyes.”
My opinion: I’m almost willing to agree with this because of that last argument about Renesmee alone. I would love to erase that whole thing from my memory. BUT Jacob was horrible and way too needy. Not that Edward was a perfect choice by any means, but if she had to choose any of them, she made the right call (can you tell I was Team Edward?). I also don’t think picking Jacob would have given Bella a life that was “mess and crap”-free. I’m thinking vampires and werewolves bring an equal amount of “mess and crap”.
Paper Towns is 100% overrated
“Paper Towns was so frustrating and annoying. He didn’t even know the girl, so why was he so obsessed with trying to find her? I only kept reading because I was convinced the ending would make up for the rest of the book, but it was even worse! She was so ungrateful and selfish.”
My opinion: Is that an unpopular opinion? I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen anyone gush about this book. A lot of people were reading it because of John Green’s popularity, and obviously, it isn’t going to work for everyone which is why popular books tend to get the stamp of overrated. I’ve read the book and thought it was fine, but I do see the points deliciousasteroid30 is making.
The Maze Runner movies > the books
“I feel like this might be unpopular: The Maze Runner films were better than the books.”
My opinion: Well, obviously that is true since I get to look at both Dylan O’Brien and Thomas Brodie-Sangster while watching the movie but not while reading the books. Kidding, but I actually still agree. The first movie and the first book are pretty equal in quality, I think, but the next two books are such a mess that I’m really glad the movies changed a lot. They weren’t perfect and I had hoped they had come up with a better ending, but I still think they’re good movies.
The trope where the main character LOVES reading is annoying
“The trope where the main character randomly loves to read books is so annoying to me. It’s such an obvious way to have the reader relate to the protagonist. Like Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass, Kelsea from The Queen of the Tearling, Alaska from Looking for Alaska, Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars…like, it’s just so unnecessary for book characters to have this trait. The only time it seemed to make sense was for Cath in Fangirl, since she was an actual writer.”
My opinion: I get that, but I don’t think I have a strong opinion on the matter. It is the easy solution, but I’ve also read a few books recently where the MC was interested in something I wasn’t interested in, and it almost made me hate them because I had to listen to them go on and on about that one thing in what I felt were too many details. I don’t think I would have minded if they were into reading because fantasy characters are so unlikely to be into any of my other interests (sports, languages). So I guess I can see both sides to this.
Links:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/farrahpenn/here-are-19-wildly-unpopular-opinions-people-have-about
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ehisosifo1/unpopular-hunger-games-opinions
https://www.buzzfeed.com/ehisosifo1/unpopular-harry-potter-book-movie-opinions
I think I shared a few unpopular opinions of my own in this post, so I hope I haven’t offended anyone. But do you agree or disagree with these opinions about popular YA books? Do you have an unpopular opinion of your own? Feel free to share!
First Line Reader 
This was so much fun! Harry Potter is def better than pjo, and yeah quidditch doesn’t make any sense, but I still found it fun to read. And the books are definitely better than the movies! Great post!!
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I’m so glad you had fun with this 😄 And also very relieved that you agree with me. I also didn’t mind that quidditch was a bit ridiculous because, yes, it was still engaging to read about.
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Oooh, this post was so much fun to read!! 😊 Obviously, I have opinions on everything, so I’m just going to have to respond to all of these! (Okay, fine, I also might be procrastinating writing an introduction to my thesis because that’s where you have to explain why your project is relevant and I honestly have no idea what the point of what I did is… 😅😂)
1. I love The Hunger Games and Mockingjay, but even I am not going to argue that Catching Fire isn’t the best book and movie. The only thing wrong with it is its German title.
2. I mean, yes, it makes sense to send people who actually want to fight to the Hunger Games, but honestly, that doesn’t let the career tributes of the hook. If you volunteer to kill people for glory, it’s not going to give me the best impression of your character!
3. Katniss said she didn’t want kids because she was scared of having to watch them starve to death, attend the reapings, or be guaranteed a spot in the Games because of who their mother is! She never said she didn’t want them in general, so that ending is the perfect way of showing hope for a better future with the Capitol out of the way 🥰 I LOVE that ending and how melancholy it is!!!
4. I love Percy Jackson, but it can never, ever, ever compete with Harry Potter. Ever. So I’m totally with you on this one.
5. I mean yeah, kind of… Maybe 150 points for the snitch is a bit much. But then again, the chasers do seem to score all the time, so what do I know? Either way, I always thought Quidditch was super interesting, and I was so mad at Harry for being more interested in following Draco around than playing Quidditch in Half-Blood Prince…
6. NOOOOO! Just, no. (But, yes, Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith were totally one of the very few good things about those movies!)
7. I mean, as douchy as Jacob is, I still think a relationship with him would have been loads healthier than one with overprotective psycho Edward. But I was totally rooting for Edward and Bella as well – after all, that’s clearly what Bella wanted, so why not go with it? (Also, did you know there’s real-life people who’ve named their kids Renesmee, after Twilight? 😳🤮)
8. I’ve only seen the Paper Towns movie, but that wasn’t mindblowing enough to make me want to read the book…
9. I am still bitter about the Death Cure ending and wasn’t a huge fan of the Maze Runner books in general, so yes – the movies are better! I haven’t seen the Death Cure one yet, though.
10. I usually like when protagonists like reading, but when it’s obviously thrown in only to make them likable (cough **Celaena Sardothien**), I find it very annoying. So I agree, this one has its ups and downs.
Anyway, I hope this monster comment makes up for my lack of a post yesterday! 😉 I’m definitely have to scour buzzfeed for more unpopular opinions once I have the time!
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You procrastinated so much you basically wrote a novel in my comments 😂 But I love it! And I hate that problem with an introduction too. Apparently, “because I wanted to write about it” wasn’t a good enough reason to do it.
2. Yeah, I also felt that trying to defend careers was a bit of a stretch. It’s not like it’s a normal competition they’re passionate about winning. They’re killing children!
3. I’m so glad you agree with me on this because I feel like we’re the ones with the unpopular opinion here. I also remember Katniss’ desire to not have children was very much tied to the existence of the Hunger Games and their horrible life situation. She never gave any other reason so with those obstacles gone, it makes so much sense to have children in the epilogue because I agree with you, it’s a great ending!
4. I know you love Percy Jackson more than me so I’m also very glad that we agree here 😄 It really shouldn’t be a discussion.
5. Yes, I also felt that Rowling wrote those scenes in a way that made them very interesting anyway, so it’s didn’t really matter that the rules were a bit out there. You know they play quidditch in real life as well? Apparently, they’ve changed the rules there so the snitch is only worth 30 points (no, I don’t know how a snitch works in real life, but I might go watch some Youtube videos now).
6. Of course I knew your position on this one, but I’m still shocked that some people think those movies aren’t just good but even better than the books 😱 I can’t wrap my head around it.
7. Maybe Jacob would have been a bit healthier for her because he doesn’t check the “psycho”-box, but I still think he would have been overprotective. But yes, I also felt that I should support what Bella herself wanted and that wasn’t Jacob. And I didn’t know about people’s weird fascination with the name Renesmee and now I feel so sorry for those poor children 🙃
8. The Paper Towns movie and book are pretty much the exact same so I’d say you made the right call.
9. Yeah, that ending really ruined the entire series.
10. You know, this one actually made me think of that sarcastic little story you posted last year (I think) with the MC who was a reader but only of classics of course. Then I would also find the trope annoying. When it’s only used to show a character’s “intelligence” (a.k.a snobbery). I don’t know how it’s done in Throne of Glass 😄 I think my favorite example of this trope is either Cath (Fangirl) or Zachery (The Starless Sea) because they both have geeky personalities so it works.
Your very long comment almost made up for your missing post yesterday because I still missed it. My Friday felt all weird because I usually check the title of your post in the morning at work to see what I have to look forward to when I get home. So my Friday was all wrong so I truly appreciate you taking the time to comment on every single one of these unpopular opinions 😁🥰
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Yes, writing “because I wanted to write about it” (or “because my supervisor thought it would be a good idea for me to write about this”) would be so much easier! 😅
Also, I love that you responded to my novel comment with a novel comment of your own 😂 You’re not the only one who felt their Friday was weird – I really missed hearing everyone’s responses to whatever I usually decide to ramble about, so this makes up for it a little, too. And, obviously, I feel really honored that my posts are such a big part of your morning ritual 🥰
Also:
3. I’m so glad you like the ending, too! I really don’t understand why everyone hates it so much 😪
5. One of my friends once tried Quidditch, and I think she said the snitch was a person dressed up in a golden costume who runs around the field? Not sure if I remember that correctly, but somehow, it takes the magic out of Quidditch a little bit 😅 Although my siblings and I did always use to play Quidditch at the pool, too – we used pool noodles as broomsticks and would throw this ball as the snitch, so it probably wasn’t any more sophisticated than official Quidditch 😂
10. That story was a bestseller and by no means sarcastic 😇 But yeah, the snobby “intelligent” reader really gets on my nerves, too. Still, that wasn’t really the issue with Throne of Glass – there, I felt like enjoying reading was just so randomly thrown in there to make the main character relatable that I didn’t buy it all that much. You need to make it an actual part of a character’s personality! But I agree, with Cath and Zachery it was executed perfectly 😊
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5. As far as I can tell, the snitch is a person with a tennis ball attached like a tail and it’s the tennis ball you need to catch (not the person), and it just looks so ridiculous 😂 So I think your pool quidditch was just as sophisticated as official quidditch.
10. I’m sorry, bestseller of course 😆 And I get what you mean about Throne of Glass. Even though I haven’t read it, I still feel I know quite a lot about its MC because people always talk about her but I was so surprised to learn that she reads. It just doesn’t fit with everything else I’ve heard about her.
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I love reading about unpopular opinions, so I loved this post! I haven’t read all the books discussed here, so I will add my thoughts only on the ones I’ve read (aka the Hunger Games only 😂).
I’m with you on the Catching Fire being the best out of the trilogy. It is indeed the best installment, but that doesn’t mean that the other two aren’t good. Though, to be honest, I binged the entire trilogy in three days and the lines between books are blurred in my head.
I also agree with you on the comment about career tributes. Their privilege and their lack of awareness of said privilege differentiate them from the other tributes. They don’t seem to care that they’re sent to slaughter each other for entertainment, so they deserve to be shamed.
I also agree with all you said in the comment about Katniss not wanting children. I’d like to add that Katniss says that she doesn’t want children at the beginning of the story when she lives in a traumatising dystopia and sees people suffer and die daily. At the end, when we see her have kids, the situation has changed, she lives in a better world, so it makes sense for her opinion to have changed too.
Finally, I see where the unpopular opinion on characters who are avid readers comes from and I kind of agree. But also, I don’t really care, I love seeing characters who love to read. It is a very easy way to make them relatable, but I’m not complaining- it doesn’t bother me that much.
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Unpopular opinions are just entertaining! I’m glad you loved it 😁 It’s also comforting that you agree with me on my Hunger Games opinions, especially the one about Katniss and children. You’re so right! Her reasons for not wanting children had a lot to do with her pretty depressing life situation, and I don’t understand why it’s so hard to believe that she changed her mind as her world changed to something better.
And I think we’re pretty much on the same page about characters who read, too. Yes, it’s easy but it also works so why do something else? Sometimes it’s interesting to see characters have another hobby, but I don’t mind them being readers.
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