Re: first-person cupcakes

I'm reading "Cupcakes, Trinkets and Magic", by Meghan Doidge.  It's urban
fantasy -- book one in the inevitable series.  It's about a cupcake baker
who is also half a witch.  So far, there are vampires and werewolves, and
it takes place in the Pacific Northwest.  The vampires haven't started to
sparkle yet, but it's early days.

By the end of the first chapter, I was annoyed with the baker.  The book
is written in first person, and the tone of what the baker is thinking,
some of the things she thinks, the perfection of her cupcakes, the names
of her cupcakes -- it's all adding up to a case of hyperglycemia.  The
book feels like a Mary Sue.

Anyone else read this book?  Does it get better?  Does the baker ever get
better or does it stays as sugary as it starts?  Is it not so much urban
fantasy as a romance slathered with UF elements?  Big Bad Wolf has already
made a play for the baker, and Evil Vampire is undoubtedly going to do the
same by the end of the book.  Still early in the book and it's pretty clear
who the Big Villain is, not to mention other things that are going to come
to light by book's end.


And that leads me to a more general question.  Why are *so* many books these
days written in first person?  There are certainly good 1P books, some of
whose authors I actively follow: Aaronovitch, McCullough, Jemisin, Butcher,
Briggs.  (Others aren't/don't tend to be 1P -- Gaiman, Martinez, Pratchett.)
Good books aside, it seems like there are piles and piles of 1P books that
are less than good.

It seems the majority of books I'm seeing these days are 1P.
It seems that many Urban Fantasy Romances end up being 1P.
It seems that many Urban Fantasy books are thinly disguised Romances.

Why are there so many 1P books these days?  Does it take less effort to
write?  Does it take less effort to read?  Is it a way to connect better
with readers?  Dunno 'bout anyone else, but this writer is getting really
sick of all the first-person books.

                                Wayne

PS. I know that there are going to be good and bad of whatever POV.  Just
'cause it's 3P doesn't mean it's good, as just 'cause it's 1P doesn't mean
it's bad.

PPS. I don't have anything against romances in particular.  I don't like the
deceptive feeling that I get from many of them though.  It feels like many of
them start with the author thinking, "I want to write romances, but that field
is glutted.  Anyone can write a dumb ol' fantasy book, I'll just throw some
vampires and elves at this romance and then I can be sure to sell it.  This
is a whole 'nother discussion.

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