My Hatred of Love Triangles

Oh, love triangles. Oh, how I loathe thee.
No really, I hate love triangles. They are overused immensely. I can think of many different series that use them. In fact, when I find out that a series has one, it upsets me immensely. Yes, they are definitely interesting to have, but how often do they really occur in real life? To have two attractive guys after me? Wow, that would be a dream!

For me, there are several different types of love triangles:

1. Those in which I do not care who the main character ends up with (has never happened)
2. Those in which I like both guys but I still prefer one over the other (has happened once so far)
3. Those in which I like one guy & the other one is just ok (Hunger Games)
4. Those in which I like one guy & hate the other (I don't think this has happened either)
5. Those in which I like the guy who I know the main character won't end up with (Twilight)

Regardless of what type of love triangle it is, I still hate them. It is especially disappointing when I think while reading the first book "Oh, yay! No love triangle" then bam! there's a love triangle in the sequel. So upsetting!


Okay, you are probably wondering why I hate love triangles so much. Well, let me explain.


First of all, they split up fans into 2 groups: those that support one guy & those that support the other. That alone bothers me. Us fans of a particular book/book series shouldn't be annoyed with one another for this purpose. We should all get along and agree that the book/book series is amazing. Nope, that's not the case. Fans fight. They get in arguments about which character is better. They split into teams. (*Cough*Team Edward*Cough*Team Jacob*Cough*) For example, with the Hunger Games, it annoys me when other Hunger Games fans tell me they prefer Gale over Peeta & I'm sure Gale fans get annoyed with Peeta fans for saying the opposite. I know we have our preferences but still, like I said earlier, us fans shouldn't be fighting over something so stupid. We should be happy that we have similar interests and discuss how great the book(s) is/are.


Second of all, there is no way that the main character can end up with both guys. Thus, a lot of fans end up upset with this. (Warning! There is a major  Hunger Games spoiler in this paragraph! Stop reading if you don't want to be spoiled.) I was thrilled when Katniss from the Hunger Games series ended up with Peeta, but of course all of Gale's supporters were probably highly disappointed with that. 


(End of Hunger Games spoilers)


With love triangles, there is no way that all fans of the book(s) will be pleased with the ending.

(Warning! Below are major Delirium/Pandemonium spoilers! Stop reading if you don't want to be spoiled.)

I was recently introduced to the the second type of love triangle in the Delirium trilogy. While reading the first book, I was having one of those "Yes! No love triangle" moments but then at the end of the first book, the guy (Alex) dies. (Or so we think..)  It was heartbreaking. It was the first time I cried after reading a book because of a sad ending. I absoutely loved Alex. Loved! In Pandemonium, the sequel, the main character, Lena, falls in love with another guy, Julian. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about Julian, sometimes I liked him & sometimes I didn't. I ended up liking him in the end. He is a nice, sweet guy.  Then at the end of the book, you find out that Alex is still alive. Bam! Love triangle. UGH!!! In this case, I like both guys, so I will be sad regardless of who Lena ends up with because I have attachments to both characters (okay, maybe not that sad if she picks Alex, but I'll still feel bad for Julian), but I'll be even sadder if she picks Julian over Alex. I love Alex! 


(End of Delirium/Pandemonium spoilers) 


On a side note, expect to hear me discuss Delirium a lot more in the future!


A third problem that I have with love triangles is that they almost always consist of two guys & one girl. It is never two girls & one guy. I'm sure there are some love triangles like this but none of which I have come across. And this annoys me.


A fourth problem that I have with love triangles is that they usually take attention away from the main plot. Take the Hunger Games for instance, most fans that I know of have been talking about the romance aspect of the movie/book. However, in the book, the romance is only a subplot of the book. It isn't the main part of the series. Yes, there are certain books in which love triangles are the main part but that isn't always the case.


Alright, that pretty much sums up why I hate love triangles so much. 
-E