Monday, September 23, 2025
Lynsey Taylor
Hey everyone and welcome to our weekly feature, FOR BOOK'S SAKE!
We review a wide variety of books here at The Demon Librarian, but we're readers first and foremost, and like any reader, we have our favorite genres and types of characters or romances. But why do we love one genre more than another? What is it about a certain type of character or romance that makes us swoon or leaves us with a "meh" feeling? We'll be chatting about these and other compelling readerly questions over the next few months, and we hope you'll join us in the discussion!
This week's topic is...MARY SUE/TSTL HEROINES!
Discussion:
L: This week, we will mostly be discussing (read: verbally smacking with a big stick) Mary Sue heroines*. So first of all, Janice, what is a Mary Sue character? You hear the term bandied about and get the feeling it doesn't mean anything good, but what what does it actually mean?
J: Mary Sues (and their counterparts, Marty Stu's) are those annoyingly perfect characters who can do no wrong and whom everything comes easy for. Have a big test coming up at school? No problem, Mary Sue knows all the answers without cracking the book a single time. Looking for a character everyone trusts, likes, and is mysteriously drawn to, for reasons no one can explain? Mary Sue is your girl! And how about those pesky magical powers, huh? Training, what training? Mary Sue don't need no stinkin' training! She just has to click her little heels together and POOF! She is an overnight magical sensation, better and stronger than everyone else!
Blech. Cue vomit.
Mary Sues are THE WORST. They totally destroy the credibility (and enjoyability) of any book they appear in.
I know you've come across a few Mary Sues in books you've read, Lynsey. Any horror stories you want to share with the class? ;)
L: Oh, yes. I think anyone who reads will have come across at least one or two since, sadly, they are not that uncommon. I can think of a brilliant example, but I'm not sure if I want to go so far as to name and shame them. Let's just say this person took Mary Sueisms to a whole new and terrifying level. It was a YA Paranormal book series - not a terrible one, in some ways, which explains why I read about 7 of 'em before I couldn't take any more - and she was the typical new girl in school that everyone's staring at. She totally doesn't understand why, though, because she doesn't think she's attractive, like, at all, yet for some reason, everyone else does. Her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. Like, ALL. The yard is full. Except for that one dude who eats his own hair. She's also completely new to this whole "world" she's been introduced to, but that doesn't mean she's not the most talented super special snowflake anyone has ever seen - the one they've all been waiting for. Oh no. And so she merrily flits around from boy to boy, kissing each one and being totally befuddled when they get all jealous over little old her? Madness.
And speaking of jealous... all the girls are jealous. And mean. And total bitches. Except her, of course. She's not interesting enough to be a bitch. In fact, she's surprised people can even see her at all or that they don't try and walk right through her like a door. So, what's the poor, misunderstood girl to do except get her head down and study hard, right? Except...Pfft! Whoopsie! Don't need to study hard! Or, you know, at all! Because the thing that all these other people have been training towards for years before she came along, just fell into her lap with no effort whatsoever, making her the queen, or perhaps a goddess *cough*clue*cough*. Isn't that just a piece of darn luck? And for someone so unassuming too... what are the chances?
*sigh* They seriously suck don't they? They're like the antithesis of everything we want - i.e. flawed and sympathetic characters who grow and evolve naturally. I hates them!
Die, Mary Sues, die!
J: Haha! Yes, I share your hatred, my friend! And while we are talking about heroines we detest, how about those Too Stupid To Live gals? The ones that are so completely moronic and oblivious, it's a wonder they've survived as long as they have. Seriously, TSTL's wouldn't know the sharp end of the stick if it...well, if it stuck them. And yet they make regular appearances in books as well. What is up with that?!
L: I have no idea, I only know I find it slightly easier to forgive a TSTL girl than a Mary Sue - because that shit's permanent, whereas a dumb move? Well, it might just be a one off event. Hopefully. If you're lucky. See, my theory is that occasionally authors need to have their heroines make these silly facepalm decisions because they need to put them in peril somehow. Otherwise where's the fun? I'm not making excuses for them, though, and repeat offenders are totally on their own. But a couple of ill-judged decisions I will let slide. In an ideal world, however, an author would find a better avenue to advance the plot other than having the heroine blithely wander off alone and be all, "Oh dear. I seem to have got myself kidnapped again. Whoopsie daisy!"
What's your take?
J: I agree, the occasional facepalm moment is forgivable, because let's face it, we can't all be brilliant all of the time, but when it's one silly or stupid decision after another, it pretty much kills the book for me. I read to enjoy myself, not to spend most of my time rolling my eyes and/or shaking my head, ya know? When that happens, it's time to call it quits.
We've focused mostly on Mary Sues and TSTL heroines in this post, but we could say all the same things about Marty Stu's and TSTL heroes - and believe me, they exist too!
Bottom line, nobody wants disgustingly perfect characters (or at least we don't!), and please, for the love of all that is holy, give us intelligent people to root for!
*Disclaimer: The word "heroine" is used in this post in the loosest possible sense
We hope you enjoyed our discussion this week! If you have any other suggestions for discussion topics, or anything else to say at all, drop us a comment below!
Bye for now :)
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1 comments:
Mostly I agree. I've never been a fan of perfect chicks (or guys) and I want them even less in my books. I'm trying so hard to figure out the book you were talking about Lynsey because I haven't read it, but it sounds familiar and I want to make sure it's not on my TBR. No need to waste my time! I'm a bit more forgiving of TSTL characters though. I mean they frustrate me, but if done right they can actually be pretty funny. But they better grow beyond it eventually - there's a limit to how much stupidity I can take! LOL Great post ladies :-)
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