There is something a lot (okay, most) readers hate. When this main character dies. Unexpectedly. Think about it. You've invested all this time into a characters, rooting for them and cheering them on, and sometimes hating them for the foolish decisions they make. At the end of the day, you care about them (or at least you should). Then, at the end of the book, the character dies. Now why I say "unexpectedly" is because I can handle when there is foreshadowing, like prophecy saying that the character will die. But still, I've grown to like this character.
A lot of times, authors kill their MC to get an emotional reaction out of readers and nothing more. I have a big problem with that. When your main character dies, it should bring about a major plot point. Not just so your characters can mourn. It especially irritates me when the character dies and the story is in first person. That's a real issue.
Some authors can pull of killing their MCs. Shakespeare did it, but to teach lessons. Otherwise, avoid this. No one wants to see Johnny Howard shanked in the head to get a emotional reaction.
Update
13 years ago
