Nimue
Auror
My issue with first person is similar to the issue I have with present tense or constant asides to the reader in narration (often with snark or humor). They close narrative distance, absolutely--but they are so often used as a simple shortcut to do so, particularly in bad writing. So it's become associated with mediocre story in my head. It also somehow gives me less of a sense of the POV character as a person--if in the haste to ingratiate them, the author neglects to establish them as a living, breathing being in their own world, rather than a mere narrative voice.
I like Chester's metaphor. No, I don't want to be immediately in this snarky protagonist's head--I want to choose to come along with him.
That's not to say first person never works for me, far from it. A couple of my favorite books/series are in first person, though far, far more are in third. These books would be compelling from page one no matter what POV they were in, but first undoubtedly works best for them in specific ways.
I like Chester's metaphor. No, I don't want to be immediately in this snarky protagonist's head--I want to choose to come along with him.
That's not to say first person never works for me, far from it. A couple of my favorite books/series are in first person, though far, far more are in third. These books would be compelling from page one no matter what POV they were in, but first undoubtedly works best for them in specific ways.