So anyone who loves YA books like me knows that "young adult" is a broad and slightly ineffective umbrella term. Because it encompasses everything from Twilight to The Fault in Our Stars, young adult can literally mean anything. If someone was to give me a book with a blank cover and tell me nothing but "it's young adult," I'd have no idea what I was about to read.
Fortunately, more discerning young adult readers have learned to separate "young adult" into separate piles: Dystopian. Romance. Paranormal. Contemporary. And with these piles come different styles, different techniques, and different tastes. In this post (or, heck, in the next sentence), I'll describe what I think of each of them.
Any subcategories I forgot? Do you have any romance novels you think I'd like? Comment below!
T
Fortunately, more discerning young adult readers have learned to separate "young adult" into separate piles: Dystopian. Romance. Paranormal. Contemporary. And with these piles come different styles, different techniques, and different tastes. In this post (or, heck, in the next sentence), I'll describe what I think of each of them.
- Dystopian. This is one of the most popular types of YA book, but I'm actually not too crazy about it. I've enjoyed the most popular dystopians, like Divergent by Veronica Roth and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, but a lot of the others I just can't get into-partially because they feel derivative and partially because I can't wrap my mind around the rules of these societies.
- Contemporary. I feel right at home with contemporary novels. Contemporary can be anything, as long as it's realistic (though I've read a few that are better fantasies than Twilight), and often deal with real life issues. I love them because they can be funny, they can be cute, they can be serious, or they can be downright depressing. Either way, I love the variety I can find in the contemporary section. I'm not saying that all of the contemporary books are great, or even good, but I've had better success with contemporary than any other genre.
- Romance. I'm sorry, but I can't do romance. I think I've touched on this in an earlier post, but most (not all, but most) romances drive me insane. Not only do I get annoyed with/jealous of the characters who claim to have no boy experience yet seem to win them all over with one bat of the eye, they seem like reruns of each other. How many times have I read "Mary Sue had a perfect life, but then she met the bad boy Gary Stu" on the back of a book cover? Or "Troubled Tammy just wanted escape, and with Dangerous David, she finally got one?" Or "In this modern remake of Romeo and Juliet" (when in actuality, the plot has no basis in Romeo and Juliet other than their parents and friends don't like each other)? If someone can find me a romance novel that's realistic, or even just original, I'd gladly read it, but until then, romances are at the bottom of my to-read list.
- Paranormal. Paranormal has a heavy implication of "romance," and though that's not necessarily the case, I kind of throw them in the same barrel and ignore them. I know that's not fair, but when I see blatant Twilight ripoffs staring me in the face in the paranormal section at the bookstore, I can't help but to generalize. Because of this, I haven't really tried many paranormal novels, but I have enjoyed most of the ones I've read.
- Multicultural. Multicultural novels are like contemporary novels, but include the aspects of cultures other than American culture. These novels, often written by immigrants or people who have lived in these countries, are compelling when written well, and really teach you about another culture that's actually really cool, once you get to know about it. I like this genre because it's unique and interesting.
- Historical fiction. Remember those books you used to have to read for book reports set during the American Revolution ? Maybe you could get extra credit for coming to school dressed up as one of the characters. Sound familiar? Well, these types of books can also be found in Young Adult, and though they're underrepresented, they're usually really good when I get my hands on one.
- Mystery. This popular adult genre has been making a rise in young adult, too, but unfortunately, most of these mysteries are serials about rich, white girls going missing or being brutally murdered in the safety of their plush suburban homes. I used to enjoy those types of books, but they're so overdone now that all I can say is BO-RING. I'd take a John Grisham over a "Pretty Little Liars" ripoff any day, and, fortunately, there are some young adult books like his out there, if you're willing to do some digging first.
Any subcategories I forgot? Do you have any romance novels you think I'd like? Comment below!
T