What makes a novel stand out for you?

Like what aspects do you look for in a novel or what aspects have surprised you that make you just fall in love?

Me personally City Of Sin honestly has me in love lol the Mc is talked about a lot in a 3rd person way which makes him seem so badass
(I love an mc flexing their power)

 

I am not sure

 

Usually what stands out for me is world building. Even if it's set in a modern day setting, if the info I'm reading seem bogus, I'm getting out of there. For example, books where characters are in the medical field. Author should at least write it in a way that I believe they're doctors. A bad example I came across was when a doctor was taken hostage and was led to the roof of the hospital. Somehow, the MC helped and knocked out said bad guy. When asked what to do with the unconscious bad guy, they refused to call the police for fear of mass panic. THAT got me irritated. Hospitals have emergency protocols. They should have their own security detail in case of emergencies like this or at least a hotline to take care of details like this. So, the fact that they refuse to call any form of security in a supposedly top hospital...well, it just irritated me to no end.

 

Well developed side characters.

 

I like witty and sensible characters who think about the consequence of their actions. It especially amaze me when they take a real life approach to problems and solve it realistically. I also look for characters who could charm me with their charisma but that's too hard to explain in detail so whatever

 

There's no useless informations given... Also all characters have enough personality to not be just a cardboard crowd

 

My standards are pretty low in that regard. As long as there's a scene where the female lead is in a helpless condition, but the male lead doesn't take advantage of her, I'm sold on the novel.

 

no repetition

 

A good story, my standards for which have admittedly evolved over the course of my life.

 

Novels that have even the readers guessing a mystery. I love novels, no matter what genre, that have an underlying mystery that keeps me guessing, but not for too long. For example, im reading a novel right now where two men have to find out who the killer was. They eventually come to the conclusion that it was committed by either two people, a celebrity or a suspected body double. One has a motive to kill, but has not moved from her location during the murder, while the other is currently unknown, but the men are positive that it is one of those two.

Novels shouldn't feel like a chore to read, so there should be something that keeps people on their toes.

 

Dialogue. Words that you can believe coming out of a given character; quirks making them unique and tell story and solidifying the character's impression. Whether they be a genius or plain illiterate, it's a big deal to me that their code of conduct or conversation fits them. They can break outside of their character just fine(misunderstanding troupe, lying, change of perspective), but I need to believe them: they are who the novel describes.

Tl;dr: works where you will not find some 10,000 yo sage that curse like some 8th-grade syndrome-r. The ineloquent, cringy, try-to-hard-to-be-original kind.

 

This is exactly where I am. More and more I want true characters; characters that feel like real people and that have the kind of depth to be worth investing into. And dialogue is the best way to express this kind of depth. Unfortunately, really good dialogue isn't easy to write so only good writers can do a proper job at it. So far I've had a really hard time finding the like in Japanese webnovels so I've cut down on them.

 

Everything that doesn't start with an info dump, or a long winding description of x and y. Other than that, Interesting story, good characters, and good dialogue.

 

World building and character depth whether its the main or secondary characters.

 

out off expectation on good way
from genre, theme, country of origin this cat can expect few thing
example ze tian ji, sevens, lazy king, the king's avatar
at time they pop up this cat expect usual thing typical cliche on bad way turn out huehehe

 

An interesting plot I haven't seen before.
Plot twists done well.
Old themes/tropes with the author's unique stamp.
Characters I can identify with even if it's only a little bit.
When it's obvious the author has a complete and functioning world in their head even if they keep the descriptions light and simple.

 

Good storytelling

 

Multiple characters smarter than the protagonist
Eg Reverend Insanity with all the Wisdom Path Grandmasters

 

No plotholes or dropped plot lines. I like it when it seems like the author has edited their novel/chapters a few times, giving consideration to whatever they have mentioned before in previous chapters, and hasn't just published a chapter just to get the numbers rolling.
Well-written dialogue. Charismatic characters, the type that are so charismatic that you'd think they could persuade even you, the reader, if you were in the shoes of the other character they were taking to. Actually funny characters who make jokes based on what has happened or is happening in the story, and don't exploit some kind of breaking the fourth wall knowledge they shouldn't have.
An intelligent main character with at least a bit of ambition to improve themselves. Sorry, but if you are from modern Earth and don't try to learn freaking magic after being reincarnated in a fantasy world, but laze around or start a farming business, I'll start thinking there is something wrong with your head.
I appreciate a MC with an ironclad will just as much as the next person, but not a MC that thinks they are the center of the universe and everyone and Heaven is their enemy. I want the main character to be strong, but not perfect to the point of self-sufficiency. They should at least try once to persuade (not coerce if possible) someone who they need to their side/cause and be adaptable with their plans.
A good cast of support characters that don't get forgotten after they have outlived their usefulness and that strive to improve themselves in some manner according to their personal goals/ambitions just like the MC.
Characters intelligent enough to invest in the MC's future.
Likable antagonists that have an understandable reason for opposing the MC and aren't just opposing the MC for the hell of it/greed/pride.
Multiple POVs that give depth to the support characters/antagonists.
Time-skips and an ever changing world.
Reasonable info dumps. Unless the MC sits down and reads the entire world's history book for a week, I'd rather not be given a summary of everything after the MC flips open the first page and reads for half an hour. I'm perfectly satisfied knowing as much as the MC should know or reasonably understand.