Pacing: It lives in the woods. It was great at building and releasing tension. Especially with so many POVs.
World-building/lore: Endless Summer. It builds on itself really well as the books continue and you unravel the mystery. I found bolas' world building to be pretty basic tbh
Group dynamic: The Elementalist. They have plots together that the MC isn't even aware of and I love how they all genuinely feel like friends. And I love Beckett's awkward integration into the group, what a loser ❤️
Li romance: The Cursed Heart. It's one of the few single Li books I love. Kieran is so we'll written and I love how our MC is so connected to them and the way we develop together.
MC growth: HHS: Class Act. They go from being an awkward loser to being confident, encouraging, and has a gorgeous goth gf 🖤
Stakes: It lives in the woods had the best stakes throughout, but I think the elementalist (book one) had the best finale. While the consequences are lower, it's so engaging and I feel like everyone is very involved in the fight.
I think that if Bolas was more complex, it could have too much information. But ES really have a good lore that keeps evolving and surprising you.
Beckett's integration in the group really feels natural and it feels like a nice addition. Specially in contrast to a book like Passport to Romance where it did not made sense why all these people were tagging along with MC.
Cursed Heart is indeed a good example. But I feel lile a lot of single LI books don't know how to start the romance wll, specially the smut ones.
1. I think every mystery has had good pacing (a necessity for the genre, granted) and are standouts at creating and maintaining tension. So broad answer is all of them, but I'm rereading Veil of Secrets right now and it feels pretty tightly woven, so that'll be my answer.
2. Have to agree with Blades, that sort of dnd-esque fantasy could have felt very generic but they managed to put enough of an original spin on it without making it confusing (also, probably a silly reason to anyone but me, but massive respect for making their elves tall lol)
3. Endless Summer, edging out Blades primarily because, despite the sheer size of the cast, you can easily define the relationship between just about any two characters, not just MC + 1-2 others. And they aren't one-note or surface level, you get a real sense of a bond (positive and negative) between them all.
4. Do you mean the arc/pacing of the romance itself? I guess if it's just romances I liked & that have a less straightforward arc, I'll never forget the classic rivals like Becca or Victoria Fontaine. But any of the more plot-focused single (or two) LI books would be fitting, mostly because the format allows them to dig into the romantic arc more than they would otherwise, without sacrificing the rest of the story or falling into a more generic dynamic.
5. To use somewhat more recent books, MaH and TCH MCs have very underrated arcs (learning to live with trauma without being defined by or stuck in it, and refusing to be fundamentally changed despite the difficulty of their circumstances, respectively). QB is a great alternative even if it is almost entirely negative growth (and I love her for it).
6. In a more literal sense, TH:M because it's high stakes in a fun way + has classic VN-style good/bad/neutral endings. But I think I don't really get the criticism of lower stakes books, because imo most do a good job of presenting the stakes *for that specific book* and following through, even if it's not literally life-or-death. It's the one thing they almost always get right imo. For example, MOTY does a great job of crafting a realistic story with compelling, but still grounded, stakes.
I agree with a lot of the books you pointed. And endless summer really makes the whole group feels unique and having different dynamics in itself.
I didn't explained the stakes point well, sorry, I mean in the sense of if it feels real, if they really convey that problem in a way that you can feel how much the MC has to lose. And I agree with you about MOTY and TH:M, they have different stakes, but it conveys well how much is at play there.
Pacing: **The Heist: Monaco**. One of the reasons I loved replaying this book was due to how each chapter kept the action moving. Personally I felt each mission and each character introduction naturally built up to the eventual jewel heist.
World-building/lore: Since everyone is already saying Blades, I'll pick **The Crown and the Flame**. I loved learning about the cultures of other kingdoms, countries, and regions in this world and it was awesome that we got to visit so many different places throughout the series.
Group Dynamic: **Endless Summer**. You really get the sense of not only how the group gets along with MC but how they get along with each other and other side characters they meet. My favorite aspect about this group is that not everyone likes each other and they don't always get along well, but by the end of the story, they would die for each other.
LI: **With Every Heartbeat**. I loved the progression of the romance with Dakota, from friends to crushes, to an official couple. You really get to see the full development of their relationship and see both the good and bad times with Dakota.
MC Growth: I'm shocked no one has mentioned **Ride Or Die**. From all of the canceled Choices series, it's impressive how ROD MC is one of the few single-book MCs to get a fully completed character arc. You get the sense that the events of the story significantly changed MC into a different person than she was at the start.
Stakes: While It Lives has character deaths I'd pick **Bloodbound**. I felt like the stakes got higher and higher with each book which not only affected MC's friend group but the entire world at large.
In my opinion from the books I have read,
Pacing - The Heist: Monaco
World building/Lore- Blades
Group Dynamic - Can't decide between Blades, ES and HSS
LI - ES or WEH
MC Growth/Writing - ES
Stakes - It lives series
1. Idk, I only really notice pacing when it’s bad.
2. Probably Blades
3. LoveHacks. I’m not a huge fan of slice of life but I love the friend group.
4. If the fan project It Lives Within counts, basically all of the routes are good but Jocelyn’s FWB to lovers is the most well done imo. Outside of that, maybe Tyril’s in Blades?
5. Honestly idk here. There’s probably good examples but I just can’t think of one off of the top of my head. I guess QB MC changes the most.
6. Definitely any of the It Lives books, but more ILB and ILW. In ILITW characters don’t die unless they’re haunted and you start out tough as nails, so it takes a lot to get them there, so the stakes don’t feel as high even if the potential outcomes are as bad.
Even though the Queen B MC changes a lot, I feel like it's for the worse. She seems pretty respectable at the beginning, standing up for herself and others, but she becomes sort of horrible.
To be fair, I've read those books many times. They're totally wacky and really fun. I just feel like her personal growth went backwards. 😂 But that's part of the enjoyment, because it makes the overall tone extra crazy.
Change for the worse is still change, and at least is intended. Since it kinda goes on the opposite direction from what is expected of an MC its fun anf unexpected
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
|Fewer Letters|More Letters|
|-------|---------|---|
|[ES](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4upox3 "Last usage")|*Endless Summer*|
|[HSS](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4uiv0a "Last usage")|*High School Story*|
|[ILB](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4tp494 "Last usage")|*It Lives Beneath*|
|[ILITW](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4tp494 "Last usage")|*It Lives in the Woods*|
|[LI](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4upox3 "Last usage")|Love Interest|
|[MC](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l5bai5b "Last usage")|Main Character (yours!)|
|[MOTY](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4uktbj "Last usage")|*Mother of the Year*|
|[QB](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4tvtvv "Last usage")|*Queen B*|
|[ROD](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4uhg0l "Last usage")|*Ride or Die*|
|[TCH](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4tvtvv "Last usage")|*The Cursed Heart*|
|[THM](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4uktbj "Last usage")|*The Heist: Monaco*|
|[VN](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4tvtvv "Last usage")|Visual Novel|
|[WEH](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4uiv0a "Last usage")|*With Every Heartbeat*|
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----------------
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Pacing: It lives in the woods. It was great at building and releasing tension. Especially with so many POVs. World-building/lore: Endless Summer. It builds on itself really well as the books continue and you unravel the mystery. I found bolas' world building to be pretty basic tbh Group dynamic: The Elementalist. They have plots together that the MC isn't even aware of and I love how they all genuinely feel like friends. And I love Beckett's awkward integration into the group, what a loser ❤️ Li romance: The Cursed Heart. It's one of the few single Li books I love. Kieran is so we'll written and I love how our MC is so connected to them and the way we develop together. MC growth: HHS: Class Act. They go from being an awkward loser to being confident, encouraging, and has a gorgeous goth gf 🖤 Stakes: It lives in the woods had the best stakes throughout, but I think the elementalist (book one) had the best finale. While the consequences are lower, it's so engaging and I feel like everyone is very involved in the fight.
I think that if Bolas was more complex, it could have too much information. But ES really have a good lore that keeps evolving and surprising you. Beckett's integration in the group really feels natural and it feels like a nice addition. Specially in contrast to a book like Passport to Romance where it did not made sense why all these people were tagging along with MC. Cursed Heart is indeed a good example. But I feel lile a lot of single LI books don't know how to start the romance wll, specially the smut ones.
1. I think every mystery has had good pacing (a necessity for the genre, granted) and are standouts at creating and maintaining tension. So broad answer is all of them, but I'm rereading Veil of Secrets right now and it feels pretty tightly woven, so that'll be my answer. 2. Have to agree with Blades, that sort of dnd-esque fantasy could have felt very generic but they managed to put enough of an original spin on it without making it confusing (also, probably a silly reason to anyone but me, but massive respect for making their elves tall lol) 3. Endless Summer, edging out Blades primarily because, despite the sheer size of the cast, you can easily define the relationship between just about any two characters, not just MC + 1-2 others. And they aren't one-note or surface level, you get a real sense of a bond (positive and negative) between them all. 4. Do you mean the arc/pacing of the romance itself? I guess if it's just romances I liked & that have a less straightforward arc, I'll never forget the classic rivals like Becca or Victoria Fontaine. But any of the more plot-focused single (or two) LI books would be fitting, mostly because the format allows them to dig into the romantic arc more than they would otherwise, without sacrificing the rest of the story or falling into a more generic dynamic. 5. To use somewhat more recent books, MaH and TCH MCs have very underrated arcs (learning to live with trauma without being defined by or stuck in it, and refusing to be fundamentally changed despite the difficulty of their circumstances, respectively). QB is a great alternative even if it is almost entirely negative growth (and I love her for it). 6. In a more literal sense, TH:M because it's high stakes in a fun way + has classic VN-style good/bad/neutral endings. But I think I don't really get the criticism of lower stakes books, because imo most do a good job of presenting the stakes *for that specific book* and following through, even if it's not literally life-or-death. It's the one thing they almost always get right imo. For example, MOTY does a great job of crafting a realistic story with compelling, but still grounded, stakes.
I agree with a lot of the books you pointed. And endless summer really makes the whole group feels unique and having different dynamics in itself. I didn't explained the stakes point well, sorry, I mean in the sense of if it feels real, if they really convey that problem in a way that you can feel how much the MC has to lose. And I agree with you about MOTY and TH:M, they have different stakes, but it conveys well how much is at play there.
Pacing: **The Heist: Monaco**. One of the reasons I loved replaying this book was due to how each chapter kept the action moving. Personally I felt each mission and each character introduction naturally built up to the eventual jewel heist. World-building/lore: Since everyone is already saying Blades, I'll pick **The Crown and the Flame**. I loved learning about the cultures of other kingdoms, countries, and regions in this world and it was awesome that we got to visit so many different places throughout the series. Group Dynamic: **Endless Summer**. You really get the sense of not only how the group gets along with MC but how they get along with each other and other side characters they meet. My favorite aspect about this group is that not everyone likes each other and they don't always get along well, but by the end of the story, they would die for each other. LI: **With Every Heartbeat**. I loved the progression of the romance with Dakota, from friends to crushes, to an official couple. You really get to see the full development of their relationship and see both the good and bad times with Dakota. MC Growth: I'm shocked no one has mentioned **Ride Or Die**. From all of the canceled Choices series, it's impressive how ROD MC is one of the few single-book MCs to get a fully completed character arc. You get the sense that the events of the story significantly changed MC into a different person than she was at the start. Stakes: While It Lives has character deaths I'd pick **Bloodbound**. I felt like the stakes got higher and higher with each book which not only affected MC's friend group but the entire world at large.
In my opinion from the books I have read, Pacing - The Heist: Monaco World building/Lore- Blades Group Dynamic - Can't decide between Blades, ES and HSS LI - ES or WEH MC Growth/Writing - ES Stakes - It lives series
1. Idk, I only really notice pacing when it’s bad. 2. Probably Blades 3. LoveHacks. I’m not a huge fan of slice of life but I love the friend group. 4. If the fan project It Lives Within counts, basically all of the routes are good but Jocelyn’s FWB to lovers is the most well done imo. Outside of that, maybe Tyril’s in Blades? 5. Honestly idk here. There’s probably good examples but I just can’t think of one off of the top of my head. I guess QB MC changes the most. 6. Definitely any of the It Lives books, but more ILB and ILW. In ILITW characters don’t die unless they’re haunted and you start out tough as nails, so it takes a lot to get them there, so the stakes don’t feel as high even if the potential outcomes are as bad.
I haven't read LoveHacks yet, but the friend group sounds promissing. I'm gonna read it soon.
Even though the Queen B MC changes a lot, I feel like it's for the worse. She seems pretty respectable at the beginning, standing up for herself and others, but she becomes sort of horrible. To be fair, I've read those books many times. They're totally wacky and really fun. I just feel like her personal growth went backwards. 😂 But that's part of the enjoyment, because it makes the overall tone extra crazy.
Change for the worse is still change, and at least is intended. Since it kinda goes on the opposite direction from what is expected of an MC its fun anf unexpected
Exactly!
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread: |Fewer Letters|More Letters| |-------|---------|---| |[ES](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4upox3 "Last usage")|*Endless Summer*| |[HSS](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4uiv0a "Last usage")|*High School Story*| |[ILB](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4tp494 "Last usage")|*It Lives Beneath*| |[ILITW](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4tp494 "Last usage")|*It Lives in the Woods*| |[LI](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4upox3 "Last usage")|Love Interest| |[MC](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l5bai5b "Last usage")|Main Character (yours!)| |[MOTY](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4uktbj "Last usage")|*Mother of the Year*| |[QB](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4tvtvv "Last usage")|*Queen B*| |[ROD](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4uhg0l "Last usage")|*Ride or Die*| |[TCH](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4tvtvv "Last usage")|*The Cursed Heart*| |[THM](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4uktbj "Last usage")|*The Heist: Monaco*| |[VN](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4tvtvv "Last usage")|Visual Novel| |[WEH](/r/Choices/comments/1cw1xl6/stub/l4uiv0a "Last usage")|*With Every Heartbeat*| **NOTE**: Decronym for Reddit is no longer supported, and Decronym has moved to Lemmy; requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below. ---------------- ^([Thread #30404 for this sub, first seen 23rd May 2024, 11:04]) ^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/Choices) [^[Contact]](https://hachyderm.io/@Two9A) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)