What Makes Good Young Adult Fantasy?

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins

Today, we wanted to explore what makes good Young Adult Fantasy. Sure, we all have our favorite stories, but what is it that hooks us, sucks us in, and pulls us along for the ride? The answer probably is different for everyone. We know we're drawn by strong characters. Characters who make us feel, so we want to root for them. That's what propels the story. For other readers, maybe the plot is more important. Who knows? Tell us in the comments below!
          First, we came across an article called "The 8 Habits of Highly Successful Young-Adult Fiction Authors." Most of the authors mentioned write contemporary fiction, but all of the points apply to fantasy, too. The first habit was, "Think like a Teen." Sound advice. In fact, we mentioned in last week's article, "Young Adult Fantasy vs. Adult Fantasy," that a key sign you're reading YA literature, is if the story is told through the perspective of a teen character. You have to put yourself in an adolescent's shoes.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
by Holly Black

          We won't go into too much detail about the other article, because you can read it for yourselves, but the other seven points are: "Find the 'Emotional Truth' of the Teenage Experience," include "Pop Culture" references, "Get Input from Real Teenagers," be careful of using slang words (since teens' use of language changes about every four years), "Keep it Moving," don't be afraid to touch on dark subjects, and "Find the 'Kernel of Hope.'" This is all great advice to create a specific character, in a specific setting, and not being afraid to address questions that teens face.
          Some may disagree with us on this point, but we believe it is crucial for every YA story to have a hopeful ending. There needs to be a hope, because teens are at a point in their lives where they're preparing to face The Future, and they need a spark to keep them going, even in fantasy settings. The darkest YA stories have hope. The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins, ends with Katniss recovering, ever-so-slowly, from her traumas and beginning a new life. In Holly Black's The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Tana didn't become a vampire, and she managed to lock herself up securely so that she could fight through the illness that leads to vampirism if you don't lock yourself up. She saved her sister, and she can be human again, or at least the hope of being human again. See what we mean?

The Amulet of Samarkand
by Jonathan Stroud

          Now we can address the fantasy aspect. What makes good fantasy? An author who has used world-building tools often creates the best and strongest fantasy worlds. The reader needs to learn about the world, and there are a few ways to do that. In urban fantasy, a common way to learn about the world is through the main character being thrown into a supernatural situation he or she didn't previously know about, and then learning the ropes from others or experience. In a setting where the main character already lives in the fantasy world, the reader has to learn about the world through interactions. In rare cases, like Christopher Paolini's Eragon or The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, some authors use footnotes or glossaries to expand upon the world.
   
      This might seem an odd requirement, but hear us out: your fantasy story needs to be believable. What this means is readers need to think the world is plausible, and can immerse themselves within it because it's relatable, and understandable. Readers need to be able to imagine the world. If your story has magic, there needs to be a system, and if it's a post-apocalyptic world, the event that began it needs to make sense, and humanity's reaction to it needs to make sense.

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland
by Diana Wynne Jones

          The Harry Potter series is a fantastic example of world-building. J. K. Rowling took a setting that everyone could identify with (school, and all the regular problems of meeting new people and making friends), and flipped it into fantasy (a school of magic), and her system has rules, like not being allowed to use magic outside of school until your seventeenth birthday. Another example is Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause, where the main character has to deal with typical teenage issues with family and school, but her family consists of werewolves. The rule? Don't get close to humans.
          Honestly, we could talk forever about world-building. There are so many tips and strategies, but we're here to discuss why it makes good YA. If you really want to go in depth about creating an awesome fantasy world, read The Tough Guide to Fantasyland: The Essential Guide to Fantasy Travel by Diana Wynne Jones. You won't regret it.
          The best, most successful, and enjoyable YA Fantasy has well-rounded characters firmly grounded in the teenage mindset, a fast-paced story, an ending with hope, and a believable fantasy world. If you think we left out anything, comment below with what you think makes spectacular YA Fantasy.

Realms

A Simple Breakdown of the Types of Young Adult Fantasy

Young Adult Fantasy is a broad genre like any other and has multiple subgenres. As a YA Fantasy magazine, we wanted to be able to break it down so that they’re all understood. We may have left out a couple, but we chose some of the most popular ones. Though Sci-Fi and Fantasy are often lumped together, we left out the subgenres of Sci-Fi in this list. If you feel we left out anything important, comment below and we’ll add it to our list of subgenres!

            Before we detail each subgenre, here’s a sneak peek at our list:

·      Dark Fantasy

·      Urban Fantasy

·      High/Epic Fantasy

·      Paranormal Romance

·      Historical Fantasy

·      Retold Fairy Tales

 

Dark Fantasy 

Dark fantasy is the type of story that mixes strange creatures with elements of horror. They’re both disturbing and alluring. You know that some of the characters should be feared, but you feel drawn to them anyway. An example of a dark fantasy story is The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black, which we reviewed in a previous post. In this story, which could also be classified as a dystopian novel, the U.S. has been plagued with a sudden outbreak of dangerous vampires. These aren’t the vampires we’re used to in paranormal romances, but monstrous beasts that are out to kill you.

Urban Fantasy

           

Urban fantasy is a favorite. The goal of fantasy is to make it believable, and what’s more believable than placing unnatural creatures in a setting you already know? Don’t be fooled by the title of “urban.” Urban fantasy can happen just about anywhere in our world, in any recognizable setting, be it city or countryside. The trick, then, to make urban fantasy stories relatable is to weave in supernatural characters and creatures in a way that makes sense. Take Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr for example. The main character goes to Catholic school and lives with her grandmother, but she can see faeries that no other people, except her grandmother, can see. It works because most people can’t see the faeries, and they use that to their advantage to also disguise buildings that they use for themselves in their respective territories.

High/Epic Fantasy

High fantasy, also known as epic fantasy, is a term most people know because the famous The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien. That’s right, high fantasy is the classic other world, and usually medieval-like, setting that is inhabited by men, elves, dwarves, wizards, dragons, and a plethora of other creatures. This subgenre is represented in YA with books like Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Eragon has been out for a long time now, but it’s a perfect example of high fantasy since the main character rides a dragon, teams up with various creatures, and realizes he must save the land from a cruel dictator.

Paranormal Romance

Regarde! Mon amour…. Who doesn’t love a good paranormal romance? It has all the electric feelings of falling in love, but with the dangerous, forbidden edge of being with someone who’s not quite human. And let’s face it, the love interest is usually drop-dead-gorgeous. Realistic? No, but it sells because we want to read about hot, steamy romances! If we wanted realistic love, we’d go to contemporary fiction section of the store. An interesting example of a paranormal romance flipped on its head is Claudia Gray’s Evernight. In this story, the main character attends a private academy and appears to be falling in love with a vampire, but everything turns upside down. We won’t spoil it!

Historical Fantasy 

Historical fantasy is a lot like urban fantasy, but it takes place in the past! A lot of research goes into these stories, which is why they tend to be so good. First the author has to research several aspects about the time period, from social norms to the way people dressed, and it all depends on the region of the world. Then the fantasy bit comes in, and for those who are truly talented, they slip their fantasy characters in there as if they belonged in history all along. Cassandra Clare mastered this subgenre with ClockworkAngel. The main character travels to London to meet her brother, but is captured by two warlocks who torture her into using her hidden powers she never knew about. Then the Shadowhunters, a group of people dedicated to hunting demons, bust her out. The fantasy story and historical setting blend so well that you can’t imagine a London without them!

Retold Fairy Tales

Lastly, we want to talk about fairy tale retellings! There’s a reason fairy tales are told and retold again and again: everyone loves them. The formula is already there, guaranteeing a loveable story, but what’s amazing about retold fairy tales is how they are told. Some of them are spun in such a different light that you might not have guessed it was based off of a fairy tale, like Rosamund Hodge’s Cruel Beauty, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Others are more obvious by their title, like Cinder by Marissa Meyer, but she completely makes the story her own by turning Cinderella into a cyborg and a mechanic in a futuristic world.

So tell us, what's your favorite subgenre of YA Fantasy? It's hard to pick just one!

Realms

Realms Review: "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown"

If you're in love with vampires and novels by Holly Black, you'll love her novel The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Set in the present day U.S., The Coldest Girl in Coldtown explores the reaction of the world to an outbreak of vampires. Vampires are not new, but, for the past ten years, they've been public. Coldtowns are quarantined areas where outbreaks took place. The story follows Tana, a teenage girl who awoke after a massacre, only narrowly escaping the clutches of the vampires who attacked.

Black weaves a chilling tale, bringing us back to the classic horror stories of vampires. They are creatures that are beautiful and abhorrent. The characters are intriguing, well-written, and believable, traits that every reader loves. With witty dialogue and page-turning, edge-of-your-seat action scenes, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a book you just can't put down. In Coldtown, no one is safe, and you, the reader, will feel its power dripping off the pages.

We give this book 5 out of 5 stars for its originality, lovely prose, exquisite setting and characters, and boldness in redefining the modern vampire tale. If you loved this book, check out Black's upcoming novel, The Darkest Part of the Forest, an urban fantasy tale about faeries, releasing Jan. 13, 2015!

Realms Review