Then again, I also do that when a book is too fun. Like I am shaking with having such a good time and I need to stop for a sec.

What you don’t consider is that this is Goodreads being paid to SELL to you. Nobody actually really cares what we think. Big publishers pay, websites advertise. Same with the articles Goodreads has that’s all just “books we were paid to sell to you right now”. Sure, sometimes they cover it in whatever feel good cause (disabilities visibility month or Native American heritage week or whatever) and maaaaybe they sprinkle in some author we are supposed to think of as an underdog.

But it’s really just an ad.

That’s such a ridiculous idea, you are literally just trying to be offended.
It’s not female main character, it’s the fact that they are completely different subgenres, with completely different audiences. Stop pretending HEAVILY romantic fantasy books are not a huge market. Like the whole point of books like Sarah J. Maas’s stuff is the romance itself. It’s not a forced romance, the romance is the freaking point.

Yet they STILL left the new Cassandra Clare in general fantasy. Like… was someone drunk? They specifically made YA fantasy and romantasy for the likes of what she writes, yet she stays in general? WHYYY?

Well, first of all, I think it’s criminal that they don’t have any category for books under the YA age group now.
Obviously it wasn’t 8-year-olds voting, but the fact that there is NO place for middle grade or lower in a SUPPOSEDLY all-encompassing award is just sad.

Then also, no room for anything other than novels now? No comic/graphic novel, no poetry? I would also have a short story collection category.

Then… now this is more tricky, but I would definitely divide the non-fiction/memoir/biogrpahy/history categories. I would have one award for more hard science topics, then a separate for more social stuff. Then a separate one that is biography and autobiography together.

Also, a lot of my issue is that I feel books are in the wrong category.
Cassandra Clare’s new YA romantic fantasy is in general fantasy, along with rewritten mythology? When we have whole separate categories for YA fantasy and romantasy? Why is she MORE fantasy than the others in those categories?

Talking about those mythology ones, I would possibly introduce a whole new thing for rewritten stuff. You know, fairytale and mythology and whatever retellings?

The groupings often feel so stupidly organised. Like a political fantasy, going against a YA romance, going against a middle grade, going against a feminsit retelling of ancient Greek stuff? With 15 awards already going out??? What’s the point??

Also, and this will not be popular. If we have multiple awards going for what is essentially paranormal romance and such, why can’t we actually have a specific one that is ALL hardcore, not romantic, not teenage girl targeted fantasy?

It’s obvious that this whole award thing targets almost exclusively younger women who are really into the currently social media popular books.
We have categories for romance, YA fiction, YA fantasy, fantasy and romantasy. They are all either exclusive to or heavily dominated by… essentially, books popular with Tiktok/Instagram/bookstube using women.

The changes in categories are obviously made so they can give an award (and nomination) to multiple books that are essentially the same. Like… Let’s be real, Leigh Bardugo, Rebecca Yarros, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Cassandra Clare, the 3 “mythology updated for 2013 sensibilities” nominated in fantasy, etc. are read by the same demographic. If they were all in the same category, only one would get an award and only a few would be nominated.

This way they can multiply that number.

There is no issue with creating an award for a certain demographic. Go ahead. But stop pretending that it’s a legit, all-encompassing award when it is obvious they are edging out everyone else.