Book Tropes #1: "The Crew"

Trope (noun): a recurring theme or motif. 

This is the first in a series of posts I'm going to do entitled "Book Tropes" where I discuss my favorite and least favorite tropes from books. I’ll talk about what they are, why I love/hate them, and recommend some books that contain the tropes. Hopefully by the end of this, we’ll have ourselves our own little Book Trope Dictionary!

Today I will be discussing one of my absolute favorite tropes which I’ve coined “The Crew” (you’ll see why later). “The Crew” occurs when a book pulls together a diverse cast of unlikely heroes who (mostly) equally share the weight of “main character”. The best way to identify a crew is to ask yourself “Who is the main character?” If you have more than one answer, most likely, you’ve found yourself a crew. Crew books often have more than one narrator or an omniscient narrator. 

Crew books are some of my favorite books to read. There’s usually multiple ships to get behind (if that’s you’re thing), funny dialogue almost always ensues, and there’s a favorite character for everyone. This trope lends itself well to really interesting relationships that authors can do a lot with. This versatility is what allows books that contain this trope to be so different. The Crew allows for some very interesting group dynamics that vary from book to book. You’ve got everything from the “everyone pairs up nicely” crew to the “strangers turned friends” crew. 

My favorite part of "The Crew” trope is that it allows you to fall in love with more than just one character and their love interest. You really get to know these characters, and if the author really knows what they’re doing, they can make you fall in love with a crew of over 10 characters *cough* Sarah J. Maas *cough*. Crew books are always the ones that I end up treasuring the most because all of those characters mean so much to me. 

This trope was initially called the "The Squad” (because I’m hip and young), but instead I chose to name it after my absolute favorite group of all time, the group that started it all for me…of course, it’s the Argo II Crew. The Heroes of Olympus series has one of the most interesting and hilarious group dynamics I’ve ever read. Each of the characters really carves out their own individuality within the group as well as a relationship with every other character by the end of the series. 

My other favorite crew book (that is actually a "crew") is The Lunar Chronicles. Though I read these books later in life, the Rampion Crew is just as lovable as the Argo II Crew. The characters are dystopian takes on fairy tales which makes it so interesting to see their relationship’s play out, and they’re really cute too! Throw in the absolutely hilarious dialogue, and you’ve got yourself the triple threat of crews! 

Finally, I’d like to mention the most recent crew book I’ve added to my favorites: Six of Crows. This crew is just so unique in the way that the plot is really driven by them. Each character has there backstory explored and you really get to see them grow, even in only two books. Leigh Bardugo is so talented to have crafted this incredible world and action story that’s so dependent on the amazing characters she’s created. 

Now for some honorable mentions before I sign off: The Mortal Instruments (even if some crew members piss me off at times), Throne of Glass (originally a Golden Trio book but evolved into a Crew book), and A Court of Thrones and Roses. 

And finally, our Book Trope Dictionary entry: