by Heather Fawcett
Source: Suite 101
The teen fantasy genre of 2010 and beyond isn’t about escapism; as The Globe and Mail‘s Kelly McManus writes in her article “Changeling So Fast,” it’s about “strong characters grounded in the here and now.” Teens are discerning readers, and books have to be believable and relevant to their lives to be successful, even those with supernatural storylines.
So what are some of the trends in the YA fantasy genre? And what currently popular books exemplify these trends?
Fantasy with a Reality Check: What’s Hot in YA Fiction
In an interview with About.com, Paula Brehm-Heeger, former President of the Young Adult division of the American Library Association, notes that the popularity of fantasy novels among teens is only continuing to rise. Books that combine fantasy with other elements teens find relevant to their lives, says Brehm-Heeger, are proving to be particularly successful. Think Twilight rather than Tolkien.
So what are some examples of this type of novel? There’s the recent trend towards zombie high school stories, for one (for a list of some of the most popular YA zombie books, click here). The high school experience itself (perhaps unsurprisingly) is a common feature of the YA fantasy genre today; popular series like Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr and The Immortals by Alyson Noel are about magical teens who still have to deal with homework, peer pressure, and other high school woes. Much contemporary teen fantasy is not so much an “escape from reality” as it is a portrayal of reality with the added burden of a supernatural threat.
Supernatural Characters: A YA Fantasy Genre Trend That’s Here to Stay
If there’s one trend in the young adult fantasy genre that won’t be disappearing anytime soon, it’s supernatural protagonists. The Boston Globe‘s Liz Rosenberg writes in her article “Where the Coolest Kids are, Like, Undead” that supernatural characters are so appealing to teens partly because they work as metaphors for the teen experience. Rosenberg writes that not only do vampires (to choose one example) sleep all day, but they demonstrate an impressive ability to brood, often yearning for what they can’t have. I would argue that the supernatural character also embodies the outsider persona with which all teens, given the stress they undergo to “fit in,” can identify.
For proof of the popularity of books with supernatural protagonists, look no further than a recent New York Times Children’s Bestseller List (paperbacks), where six of the top ten novels star magically “gifted” main characters (Lauren Kate’s Fallen; James Patterson’s Witch and Wizard; Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book; Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush; Ingrid Law’s Savvy; Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver).
What supernatural figure is gaining popularity with writers and teens? It seems that vampires have had their time in the sun, and angels are stepping in to take their place. Two of the books listed above (Fallen and Hush, Hush) explore the theme of the fallen angel while adding a healthy dose of teenage romance. Whether this trend will last is another question. If the reviews of Fallen on such websites as Goodreads.ca are any indication, many young adult readers are tiring of the Twilight-esque girl-meets-superhero romance plotline that typifies many of the new teen fantasy novels.
My prediction? Romantic relationships will never disappear from teen novels, but they may take a backseat to stronger plotlines, while the relationships themselves will become more complex and less idealized (A Curse Dark as Gold is a great example of this phenomenon; you can read my review here). At the same time, expect teen fantasy as a genre to continue to embrace the issues that today’s teens – even the ones with supernatural powers – deal with on a daily basis.
