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!

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Realms Review: "Cruel Beauty"

Cruel Beauty cover

In a retelling of the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast, set in a world based on Greek mythology, what isn’t there to love about Rosamund Hodge’s debut novel, Cruel Beauty? Nyx, the protagonist, is being forced to marry the cruel ruler of their land, Ignifex. Even though she’s been forced to marry him, Nyx has also been training to kill him and unravel the spell that has separated their kingdom from the real world.

            Without giving anything else away, we would like to rate this tale with four stars. For a debut novel, it’s absolutely mesmerizing. The writing is beautiful, the world-building in incredible, and for a tale that’s been retold in so many ways, Hodge still makes it original and spins it on its head. Nyx is our strong female protagonist who represents the dark side within all of us. We’re all bound by responsibility, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hate those responsibilities. And, sometimes, what we want the most is what everyone else disapproves of.

            Rarely have I seen such a well-developed character with a strong voice. Even when she’s “helpless,” she’s independent and strong. Whether dealing with her father, her sister, or Ignifex, she bends the rules to achieve her goals. Ignifex is a great foil to her character. He represents pure evil, but, ultimately, reveals that no one can be categorized in such a black-and-white fashion. The well-rounded characters have you constantly guessing who the real villain is, and in the end, you have decide for yourself.
          Cruel Beauty is a magnificent tale that will have you dying to know what happens next. We couldn’t put the book down. You can buy the book here on Amazon! And, if you like this book, you need to check out Hodge’s new novel, Crimson Bound, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and The Girl with No Hands, set to release May 5, 2015.

Crimson Bound cover

Realms Review

Author Interview: Mary B. Sellers on Shoulder Bones and Magic

Shoulder Bones cover

Realms YA Fantasy Literary Magazine: Will you give us a brief background about who you are and where you’re from?

Mary B. Sellers: I was born and raised in Mississippi, and have spent my entire life in the Deep South. I graduated from The University of Mississippi’s Honors College program in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Religious Studies. I now work as one of the associate publishers at Blooming Twig Books, and freelance for a couple of online and print publications, including Click Magazine, where I write a monthly cocktail article, Real Talk Mag, and Thought Catalog.

Realms: Would you say that some of your stories in Shoulder Bones are influenced by your childhood and adolescence?

Mary: Definitely. While I wouldn’t describe any of my stories as autobiographical, I did pull from certain events and feelings that I experienced over the years. I was surprised by how much my southern upbringing influenced those stories.

Realms: Not all of your stories in this collection feature young adult characters, but for the ones that do, what appealed to you about using YA characters?

Mary: I’ve always found myself drawn to writing about young girls, because I think that’s the most important time in a woman’s life. It’s also the most challenging for a variety of reasons. They are old enough to grasp a good many “adult” feelings, and yet they’re still classified as a child.

Realms: Do you think adults have something to gain by reading YA stories?

Mary: Certainly. I’m still a huge fan of reading some YA literature. One of my favorite YA collections is Kelly Link’s Pretty Monsters. It’s absolutely fantastic.

Realms: One of our favorite stories in your collection is “Playtime,” when the dolls and toys come to life. What is the inspiration behind that particularly story?

Mary: I loosely based that story on the Pinocchio and Geppetto. That tale always disturbed me as a child, and I wanted to explore the darker themes and reinvent a scenario that wasn’t “Disney-fied.”

Realms: In your introduction, “Little Ghosts,” you speak about seeing things that cannot be explained. Do you believe that children and adolescents are more receptive to these little ghosts?

Mary: Yes. As children, we’re much more in touch with the supernatural and magical. Our imaginations are at their most powerful, and we haven’t yet been “grounded” by science and reason.

Realms: Do you believe there is magic in the world? What kind?

Author Mary B. Sellers

Mary: I would like to think there is. It may not be as grand as flying broomsticks and fairies, but I think we can make our own magic, as well as find it, if we look in the right places. I think magic is intrinsically tied to emotion, if that makes sense.

Realms: What is it about fantasy and the supernatural that draws you?

Mary: I’ve always loved a good ghost story. I’m attracted to darker themes, and stories that have a point or lesson to them. A lot of the time, I find that fantasy and the supernatural are really great at providing this.

Realms: Which author(s) influence you the most?

Mary: Kelly Link, Kevin Brockmeier, Karen Russell, Flannery O’Connor, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Judy Budnitz, and Helen Oyeyemi.

Realms: What is your favorite YA fantasy story?

Mary: I mean, I’ve gotta say Harry Potter. There’s nothing like it, and I grew up with that book, those characters, and went into three-day-long depression when I finished the seventh book.

Realms: If there was the kind of magic in this world that is in storybooks, what would you want to be or be able to do?

I’ve always wanted to be able to fly. I know that sounds cheesy, but I’ve had countless dreams about it. However, it’s ironic to me, because I’m also deathly afraid of heights. It’s probably for the best that I’ll only be flying in my dreams, honestly….

Shoulder Bones is an eerily beautiful collection of short stories that feature feminism, the South, and the supernatural. It contains some of the best, most original work we've read, and the stories will send shivers down your spine. If you're a fan of horror, fantasy, and strong female characters, this is the collection for you! You can buy the book here on Amazon. 

To read more work by Mary B. Sellers, you can view her portfolio on her website. 

Why Do You Love YA?

As many of you know from our previous article early on this week, we decided to ask people why they love YA fantasy in response to an unnamed speaker who essentially said fantasy is for bums. Yesterday, we were tabling in Champlain College's student center, and many students asked about the magazine and took some of the wonderful bookmarks that were made for us. We asked those who weren't in a hurry to get to class, why the love YA fantasy, and here is what they said:

"YA has first loves, not love affairs!"

"Because YA is cool."

"It has all the teen angst, but with magic, instead of trips to Hot Topic."

"'Cause adult life is all about taxes and mortgages and mean bosses. YA has DRAGONS!"

"Because the adventures have the possibilities of being interesting, and adult fiction is boring."

All of these students bring up some valid points, and we'd like to throw in our two cents, "We love YA fantasy because it sparks imagination and leads people to do brilliant and crazy things. YA fantasy gives us the hope that if there's greatness and beauty in this fictitious world, then there must be some in ours, too."

As we've heard before, but not quite in these words, YA fantasy isn't just about dragons, it's about being able to tame or slay the dragon. If your favorite character can tame the dragon, you can succeed in the projects you work on.

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Image from: http://bit.ly/15FmM7G

Reacting to People who Dis YA Fantasy

Art from coolwallpapers.com. 

Travelers of the Realms,

At some point in your lives, you've probably come across that person, or maybe even multiple people, who disrespect YA fantasy, or YA as a whole, and sometimes, even the entire fantasy genre. Yesterday, we overheard a certain unnamed adult say to a group of writers (half of whom are fantasy writers) that when we interview professionals, we want to appear professional, and not some unshaven fantasy writer with a hoodie and stained jeans. This person basically insinuated that we lovers of fantasy (writers and readers alike) are nothing but bums. WHAT?!

We were shocked this person even dared to make that comparison. Half the room glared daggers at the speaker and, quite frankly, we were surprised the speaker wasn't incinerated on the spot from dirty looks alone. The other half of the room laughed nervously on our behalf, clearly as incredulous as we were.

So let's examine this bizarre perspective, shall we? After all, we know tons of YA fantasy readers and writers who carry themselves professionally on a day-to-day basis. And this speaker was stabbing more than just the appearance of fantasy writers, but also the genre itself. More often than not, people who dis fantasy just don't "get it." This is our nice way of putting it. Generally, these fantasy haters believe the genre is silly and does not present important lessons, information, or stories. They think it's all fun and pointless. They think, in much the same way that some people call anime "cartoons," that fantasy stories are for children.

News Flash: they aren't. But you, travelers, already knew that. Some of the greatest writers of our time are fantasy writers, like George R. R. Martin, J. K. Rowling, Tamora Pierce, Anne Rice, and stretching a bit further back, J. R. R. Tolkien, just to name a mere few. Fantasy often teaches endurance, loyalty, giving everything your best shot, knowing your friends from your enemies, and above all, hope that anything is possible with the right amount of effort and enthusiasm. Though it may not necessarily teach us real-life topics, fantasy examines the human condition and reflects it in an entirely unique way. Fantasy inspires readers to be creative and shapes us into the people we become.

This article is more like a preface to a new post we'll have up this weekend, which will be called, "Why Do You Love YA?" That article will, hopefully, supply you with articulate comebacks to the next person in your path who disses YA fantasy.

As Albert Einstein once said, "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."

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