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Fiction Filters

Trope tagging and searching for books

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Character Traits/Types

This is the preferred term. Synonyms are included. You can turn off synonyms.

Narrower terms: Morally grey main character, Femme fatale, Black widow, Loner, Explorer, Diva, Butch lesbian, Final girl, Ice queen, Manic pixie dream girl, Socialite, Southern belle, Token character, Camp gay, Matriarch, Patriarch, Prince charming, Damsel in distress, Anti-hero, Loser, Con-man, Intrepid reporter, Grumpy old man, Sweet old lady, Scrooge, Scatterbrain, Chosen one, Reluctant hero, Byronic hero, Trickster, Secret princess, Evil overlord, Reluctant monster, Wicked witch, Character with substance abuse issues, Stubborn main character, Oblivious hero

A Hero Born

by Anna Holmwood (Translator), Jin Yong

Series:

Legends of the Condor Heroes, The Condor Trilogy

Genres:

Family saga, Wuxia

Tropes:

Arranged marriage, Band of misfits, Coming of age, Dysfunctional family, Fish out of water, Playing the long game, Shoot first ask questions later, Time skip

Characters:

Adult characters, Child characters, Daoist priest, East Asian main character(s), Martial artist, Oblivious hero, Teen main character(s)

Time Periods:

Jin Dynasty, Southern Song Dynasty

Places:

China, Mongolia

Check, Please!, Book 2: Sticks & Scones

Cover art for Check, Please!, Book 2: Sticks & Scones
by Ngozi Okazu

Series:

Check, Please!

Genres:

Contemporary romance, Hockey romance, New adult fiction, Sports romance

Tropes:

Celebrity relationships, Coming out, Ensemble cast, Found family, Grumpy/sunshine, Men loving men, Secret relationship, Sports teams, Stress baking

Characters:

Baker, Character with substance abuse issues, Character(s) with anxiety, Character(s) with PTSD, Closeted main character(s), Hockey player, Queer main character(s), Queer side character(s), Student athlete

Time Periods:

2010-2020

Places:

College, Massachusetts

Arsenic and Adobo

Cover art for Arsenic and Adobo
by Mia P. Manansala

Series:

Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery Series

Genres:

Cozy mystery

Tropes:

Amateur detective, Back home from the big city, Best friend's brother, Family first, Framed for a crime, Love triangle, Shitty exes

Characters:

Baker, Characters in their 20s, Cisgender woman main character(s), East Asian diasporic side character(s), Lesbian side character(s), South Asian diasporic side character(s), Southeast Asian diasporic main character(s), Southeast Asian diasporic side character(s), Stubborn main character

Time Periods:

2010-2020

Places:

Illinois, Restaurant, Small town

Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey

Cover art for Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey
by Ngozi Okazu

Series:

Check, Please!

Genres:

Contemporary fiction, Contemporary romance, Hockey fiction, Hockey romance, New adult fiction, Realistic fiction, Sports fiction, Sports romance

Tropes:

Character blog, Ensemble cast, Found family, Grumpy/sunshine, Men loving men, Pining, Sports teams, Stress baking

Characters:

American main character, Baker, Bisexual main character(s), Canadian main character, Character with substance abuse issues, Character(s) with anxiety, Character(s) with depression, Character(s) with PTSD, Characters in their 20s, Characters in their late teens, Cisgender man main character(s), Closeted main character(s), College student, Figure skater, Gay main character(s), Hockey player, New adult main characters, Queer main character(s), Queer side character(s), Student, Student athlete, White/European diasporic main character(s), White/European main character(s)

Time Periods:

2010-2020, Information Age

Places:

Arena, College, Massachusetts, New England

The Monster Baru Cormorant

by Seth Dickinson

Series:

The Masquerade

Genres:

Fantasy

Tropes:

Deadly game, Fish out of water, Road trip, Unreliable narrator

Characters:

Femme fatale, Lesbian main character(s), Morally grey main character, Nonbinary main character(s)

Time Periods:

Places:

The Traitor Baru Cormorant

by Seth Dickinson

Series:

The Masquerade

Genres:

Fantasy, Historical fantasy, Speculative fiction

Tropes:

Feelings denial, Feelings realization, Rivals to lovers, Unreliable narrator, Women loving women

Characters:

Character with substance abuse issues, Character(s) with TBI, Lesbian main character(s), Morally grey main character

Time Periods:

Places:

Final Girls

by Riley Sager

Series:

Genres:

Serial killer mystery, Thriller

Tropes:

Betrayal, Camping murder spree, Final girl, Killer in plain sight, Killing the Survivors, Manipulative bastard, Murdered in the forest, Spree Killer, Tragic backstory

Characters:

Character(s) with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Characters in their 20s, Cisgender woman main character(s), Detective, Final girl

Time Periods:

Information Age

Places:

City, Forest, Northeastern United States

Any Way the Wind Blows

Cover art for Any Way the Wind Blows
by Rainbow Rowell

Series:

Genres:

Coming-of-age fiction, New adult fiction, Relationship/marriage fiction, Urban fantasy, Vampire fiction

Tropes:

Enemies to lovers, Found family, Gay for you, I'm not into labels, Men loving men, Miscommunication, Prince(ss) and pauper, Unreliable narrator

Characters:

Biracial main character, Black/African diasporic main character(s), Character(s) with depression, Character(s) with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Characters in their late teens, English main character, Gay main character(s), Morally grey main character, New adult main characters, Orphan, White/European diasporic main character

Time Periods:

Information Age

Places:

London

Gideon the Ninth

Cover art for Gideon the Ninth
by Tamsyn Muir

Series:

The Locked Tomb

Genres:

Occult mystery, Science fiction, Speculative fiction, Sword and sorcery

Tropes:

Anyone can die, Dysfunctional family, Everyone is gay, Tragic backstory, Unreliable narrator, Women loving women

Characters:

Characters in their late teens, Cisgender woman main character(s), Lesbian main character(s), Loner, Necromancer, Orphan, Queer side character(s), Warrior

Time Periods:

Long-Term Future

Places:

Castle, Fictional planet, Outer space

Cackle

Cover art for Cackle
by Rachel Harrison

Series:

Genres:

Contemporary fiction, Urban fantasy, Witchcraft fiction

Tropes:

Fish out of water, Found family, Frumpy to fabulous, Hot witch, I don't need no man, The power was inside you all along, The real monsters are the humans, Unreliable narrator

Characters:

Ageless or immortal characters, Character(s) with anxiety, Character(s) with depression, Characters in their 30s, High school teacher, Morally grey main character, Teacher, White/European diasporic main character

Time Periods:

Information Age

Places:

Upstate New York

Search books…

Include:

Genres

Tropes

Character Traits

Setting: Time Period

Setting: Location

Sex Ratings

Language Ratings

Violence Ratings

Ending Type

Content Notes or Warnings

Appeal

Publication Date

Note that we don't have dates for all the books in our database.

Exclude:

Genres

Tropes

Character Traits

Setting: Time Period

Setting: Location

Sex Ratings

Language Ratings

Violence Ratings

Ending Type

Content Notes or Warnings

Appeal

Authors

Publishers

Publication Date

Note that we don't have dates for all the books in our database.

Search Tips

  • use “quotation marks around a phrase” to search for an exact phrase
  • use – in front of a word or quoted phrase to exclude it from the search results, e.g. -“enemies to lovers”
  • right now, the checkbox options aren’t narrowed down as you search, but stay tuned! We’re working on it.

This is an academic research project on crowdsourced tagging and building a vocabulary for fiction.

How does this work?

  1. Add books to our database, if the book you want to tag isn’t already there. You can import your books from StoryGraph or Goodreads if you want to save time.
  2. Add tags to the books. Your tag set is your own, and you’ll be able to come back and edit it if you want. Other taggers can’t view your tag set or overwrite your tags.
  3. View the book, and use the tags to see what other books share your favorite tropes and characters!
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