Fae Friday is an awesome new weekly post created by Kristy at Caffeinated Fae. I’m super excited to participate in this (and to have been an avid supporter of it from the beginning)! A topic is provided each week, and Kristy is so welcoming to ideas from others. If you have any ideas for topics, reach out to her through her blog or on Twitter (@caffeinatedfae).

Here’s the rules:

• Link back to this page on Caffeinated Fae.
• If the prompt idea comes from another blog, link to that blog as well.
• Use #FaeFriday when posting to social media so we can all find each other!
• Participate when you can and have fun with the prompt!

This week’s topic was one that I actually created, so I’m even more excited about it than I normally am (which is already pretty darn excited). It’s about iron, which is known to ward off faeries, and in some cases, limit the Fae’s powers.

So this week’s prompt is: What is something that sucks the magic out of a book?

I have a bunch of book-related pet peeves, but for me, nothing sucks the magic out of a book faster than using harmful tropes. I’m sure you know the ones I’m talking about. The ones where characters are stereotyped based on race, religion, sexuality, or other factors. I’m particularly resentful of harmful tropes about people with disabilities — where someone with a physical disability needs to have special powers to compensate, or isn’t whole until they’re cured; or where a person with a mental health disorder is the villain, dangerous, or violent. It makes me so angry and frustrated that I can’t enjoy the book at all.

What is something that sucks the magic out of a book for you?