Forget sex. Let's talk romance.

[Patriotic Kaz]

I agree with melbatoast that in #2 she was choosing a life not a man and i had no real problem with the romantic side of book 2 i bought it it was real though i did have problems with book 3 i mean Vin finnally starts to believe she is more than a street urchin who got lucky and they hit a wall the romance doesn't really show untill the end when she makes her power grab and fuses with the mist.

[Eleaneth]

Vin and Elend's romance is actually my favorite out of all the books, because it seems the most realistic. The romance was very important to both of them, but it wasn't their reason for living. It seemed to me that the romance in book 2 was mostly about Vin's discovering who she was and if that was consistent with a relationship with Elend.

I love how they work together, talk often, and so forth... it seemed to me that they were friends first and lovers second. Which, I think, is how it works best.

I also really loved the theme of trust... that they had to make a conscious choice that they'd rather trust the other person when they couldn't know for sure what the other person was thinking or doing.

The one thing I didn't like was how much time it took for Vin to make up her mind. But then again, it is very realistic.

[happyman]

I think a problem here is that far too many people go for the Hollywood romances.

You know the sort.  The kind that you can see coming from a mile away, where the female protagonist and male protagonist can be spotted within thirty seconds of appearing on-screen.  It's the chick-flick template.

And it's unrealistic.  Almost nobody in the real world goes through the chick-flick template.  Everybody I've seen starts off as friends (maybe with active interest in the future, but not right off) and then becomes boyfriend/girlfriend, and then gets serious and marries.  No misunderstandings that drive them apart and sudden epiphanies of love.  Just a gradual folding together into each others lives.

Most people date lots of people.  You can't spot your spouse from a mile away.  It just doesn't happen that way.  I've heard of exceptions (who hasn't?) but the only one I saw was dysfunctional.  Big time.

So what people don't see in Mistborn is the stereotypical romance.  Which is fine.  They won't experience it either, if they're lucky.

[V for Vendetta]

That's true. The way it was portrayed is just how i imagined it would be. After all the obstacles of course.

[Patriotic Kaz]

I really liked the Vin and Elend part for book 1 and 2 but for 3 well lets say the love was no longer developing and left me feeling as if something was lacking though i really liked Suri and Susebron along with Raoden and Whats her face (as you can tell it's been a while) especially when they are in the ruins together...

[Reaves]

I guess I feel like, especially in book three, the Vin/Elend romance was no longer much of a plot point. It was never a major plot point even in book one or two, but even still not a whole lot of time was devoted to it.

[maxonennis]

I just finished Elantris, and I have to say  Raoden/Sarene was sickening. They felt very artificial and it was definitely a “Mary Sue” kind of relationship. Like the overall novel, hated their relationship.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

I suspect you're misusing the term "Mary Sue." There's no author avatar involved in Elantris.

[Renoard]

You know it's not a popular concept but I really think Rigney's stint as Regan Alexander really improved his serious writing.  Maybe SF&F should encourage more authors to do crossover novels on the bodice-ripper racks.

[readerMom]

I've read some romantic fantasy (the best of these that I've and there seems to be a sense of holding back on some elements of regular fantasy to encourage the readers of romance to try and enjoy these books.  For example, making the bad guys evil sorcerers, but not too evil, just sort of nasty and unpleasant.
Then epic fantasy, especially that modeled after LoTR, has little or no romance, with female characters stock figures, if they are there at all.  This is improving however.
Perhaps if this romantic fantasy subgenre develops a bit more it will become a mixing point to enrich both genres and lead the readers of each to widen their vistas.
I say that but I wouldn't open a regular romance books unless offered a lot of money.  And then I might lie about it to anyone who knows me.

[Eleaneth]

I think it's really cool that Brandon Sanderson can write different styles of romances. He has the realism in Vin and Elend, the chick-flick in Raoden and Sarene, a dramatic, classic style in Spook and his girl (forgot the name), and I don't even know how to describe Siri and Susebron. Vin and Elend were my favorite, followed closely by Siri and Susebron.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

I think that's called the "freaking scary arranged marriage that works out" style.

[Shard]

I just wonder how he will handle the WoT romances. Will he maintain their tone? if that makes any sense.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

I'm sure he's doing is darnedest to do just that.

[happyman]

I think that's called the "freaking scary arranged marriage that works out" style.

Yes, yes it is.  I think that when arranged marriages are more common, this kind of romance is more popular.  Hope is important.