Three things I want in a novel:

• A good voice /prose (i.e. I want to enjoy the reading experience)
• Characters that are compelling (i.e. I want to care about them. Whether I love them, hate them, am creeped out or sad, I want to care, please)
• A plot that I get pulled into (i.e. Do interesting things happen? Am I surprised or engaged? Or do I feel like my time is being wasted?)

Apart from these three things, I’m open to different genres, styles, even works that feel a bit experimental. There are many ways to form a narrative, but the books I love have all three of these things.