Across a Broken Shore by Amy Trueblood Published by Flux on January 5, 2019 Genres: young adult historical fiction Format: e-ARC
Rating: ★★★
I’ve said before that, despite being a history major, I don’t often read historical fiction. Maybe it’s because my nose is stuck in three different history textbooks at any given time, maybe it’s because I feel the need to distance myself from school during my leisure time. I think it runs deeper than that, though. Despite the books I’ve read that would prove otherwise–Front Lines, The Passion of Dolssa, and my favorite book of all time, The Book Thief–I have this preconceived notion in my head that historical fiction is dense, and historical fiction is boring.
When I saw Flux put out the call for a early reviewers for Across a Broken Shore, the history major in me rejoiced at the prospect of hyping up a YA historical title. But there was that other part of my mind eating at me and asking, “But what if you don’t like it? What if it’s boring?”
Across a Broken Shore defies the stereotypes I’ve created around YA historical fiction in my head. I was worried this book would be bogged down with period details, its historical atmosphere over-saturating the book in a heavy-handed, factual tone. Frankly, my concerns were unfounded. I would give this novel to anyone as a prime case where historical YA is not only readable, it is enjoyable.
I resonated with Willa. Her passion for medicine is evident from the beginning of the book, and the guilt she feels for deceiving her family is authentic and hits home for me. I’ve been in similar situations. I’ve felt trapped by life-altering obligations. (And when I finally discovered why this guilt hung so heavily over her, my heart hurt.) Family is a strong aspect of this book, and I appreciated the attention Trueblood gave it because I think loving families are such an important thing to see more of in YA lit.
Yet that dynamic adds extra tension to the plot; over the course of this novel, you see Willa wrestle with her obligations and her dreams, her love for her family and her love for medicine. She struggles to define what she wants and advocate for herself against authority figures who have always directed her life, and, as someone learning how to do both in this stage of my life, I resonated with this struggle strongly.
As a character, I appreciated Willa’s wit, her compassion, and her defiance. Initially, it is a quiet defiance, but over the course of the novel, Willa’s sense of self percolates until she is able to proclaim clearly and firmly what she wants–without undermining the love her parents and family have for her. She navigates that dynamic gracefully, and while negotiation isn’t always a possibility in all families, I think Willa is a great example for teen girls of someone who pursues self-discovery in a way that helps her enrich not only herself, but others around her. And within this process, she doesn’t allow others to define or compartmentalize her; she’s even firm with Sam, the love interests, about who she is and what she wants, and he respects the boundaries she sets. I appreciated both sides of this dynamic immensely. Too often in real life, it doesn’t play out that way.
On to the historical details: This book felt historically atmospheric without the details being heavy-handed. Willa’s narration never wandered into over-explanation about San Francisco, the Irish community there, or the construction of the bridge. In this regard, I felt the balance between telling and showing was executed beautifully. Reading it felt like an escape for me, not a secondary source review. 😉
There were a few things in the story I felt could be improved, the greatest issue I took being with the dialogue. I didn’t take issue with any historical phrases/Depression-era figures of speech; while we don’t use some of those phrases now, they felt natural within the context of the story. For me, the dialogue often read too on-the-nose, too telling of character’s intentions. I didn’t feel it was realistic; in my (albeit limited) experience, people don’t explain or tell you nearly as much as they’re thinking. This dialogue told me way too much that should have been shown in characters’ actions, and I found myself cringing a few times because what was being communicated felt heavy-handed. It detracted from my overall perception of the story and my experience of Depression-era San Francisco. I also felt the ending resolves a little too neatly. If you’re going to tie bows neatly, I felt there should have been more page time devoted to it.
Despite any quibbles I might have with the story, however, Across a Broken Shore is an engaging atmospheric read that doesn’t ask you to put on your academic glasses when you crack open the book. Much like Dr. Katherine, it educates you as you read, pulling you into a story about family, duty, and dreams in an era where, for many the American Dream felt dashed. I’ll be checking out this author’s other works, for sure, and I hope she writes more historicals in the future. I’ll definitely be reading them!
Much thanks to FLUX for sending me an e-ARC to review in exchange for an honest opinion. I appreciate the opportunity, and I appreciate your support of historical fiction in YA. That support is a very important thing!
Hey, all! July is over, and this queen has slayed the Camp NaNoWriMo dragon!
Before we go into that, though, here’s a brief follow-up to my last post: I read every book on my Medieval-a-thon TBR except for one (which will be in my N.E.W.T.S. Magical Readathon TBR for this month, on Twitter here). I’m aiming to read nine books this month. Add in prep for school, and…we’ll see.
But let’s talk. Let’s talk about Camp NaNoWriMo 2019.
The first time I registered to do Camp NaNoWriMo was in 2018 to try and finish my NaNoWriMo 2018 project. That particular month (I can’t remember which one) ended up being too busy for me, and I never actually updated my word count. I ended up quitting halfway through.
But I knew that I wanted to work on EAST HARLEM during Camp this year. April was very chaotic, so I figured July would have to do.
Here were my two goals for Camp NaNoWriMo 2019:
Get EAST HARLEM to 85,000 words.
Finish the first draft of the book.
To me, those goals were one and the same. I assumed EAST HARLEM would be finished by the time I reached 85k, because surely this contemporary novel couldn’t be that long, right?
Eheheheh.
Out of my two goals for July, I only accomplished one: EAST HARLEM made it to 85k, and I won my first Camp because of it. But this story, I’m learning is far from over. I’m approaching 90k, with an estimate of at least 20,000 more words before the first draft is done.
So what now?
I kind of wish August was a Camp month. I could use the extra motivation to maybe finish this book, if it were. As it is, I’m staring down a looming school start date with a nine-book TBR, a reluctance to say goodbye to summer, and an unease to tell the rest of this story. This is the part where it gets painful and a little too close to home.
But I suppose that just shows how much this particular WIP means to me.
So, I’ll finish the first draft of this. I’m not quite sure when, exactly, but it’ll happen. For now, I subsist on Discord word sprints at 2:00 a.m., all the book daydreaming, and music playlists. I’ll probably read when I want to write and sleep when I finally have the time to write. Whenever I arrive at the finish line–which I’m hoping will be before November, for the sake of my muse’s sanity–I hope I can feel proud of myself for what I’ve accomplished.
Silver Stars (Front Lines, #2) by Michael Grant Published byKatherine Tegen Books on January 31, 2017 Genres: young adult (alternate) historical fiction Pages: 548 | Format: Hardcover
Rating: ★★★
It’s been a long time since I’ve read this book, so there’s not too much I can say about it. But here’s something I can say:
This book is shorter than the first one, yet it felt so much longer to me.
Some books in a series aren’t particularly gripping. They’re just necessary. Silver Stars is one of these books.
Frangie, Rainy, and Rio further embrace their identities as soldiers in this book, providing some essential character development. I didn’t always like the characters’ decisions, but that’s another story. Additionally, this story shows both the continuation of the war and the heightening stakes–the weariness the soldiers feel at the ceaseless fighting, the growing ferocity of the fighting, and the rampant hopelessness on the front. You need to see the rising action before the climax. You need the character development to root for the characters. You need to see the journey so you can appreciate arriving at the destination.
You need to see the ugliness of war to appreciate the sacrifices so many made for peace. This book does not shy away from that. There is gore and heavy language in this book, just like there was in the first book.
However, while this book is needed, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one. I felt like a soldier myself, trudging through the mire of this many-paged time and hoping my reading would go by quickly. For a book full of action, this book felt very slow.
I also didn’t feel much toward Rio’s relationship with her boyfriend (for the life of me, I can’t remember his name)–and I honestly felt bad for her, because it’s very clear they’re not a good match. There’s a certain scene (not sure if it’s a spoiler, so I won’t state it outright) that left me feeling discouraged, because I felt Rio was getting the short end of the stick just to keep her boyfriend around when it’s clear there are other–better–boys she knows, boys she’s actually around regularly. But I digress.
Ultimately, I will be reading the third book at some point (it’s giving me the stink-eye from my library TBR stack), but I’ll do it when I’m ready to stomach another 500 pages of WWII. I’ve heard this last book is about D-Day, and while I’ve never seen Saving Private Ryan, I know some terrible things happened to the soldiers involved in that battle. And I don’t think I’m ready to read about that quite yet.
Hello! Popping back onto the blogging scene the day Camp NaNoWriMo starts with a TBR for an upcoming read-a-thon and some updates.
The goal for Camp NaNo is to finish my current WIP (my NaNo 2018 project). When not busy pretending to write and outline for that (eheheh), I’ve been watching tons of BookTube videos. And one of the channels I follow (Thoughts on Tomes) introduced me to Medieval-A-Thon, and I thought, Why not? In a little more than a week, I’ll be traveling for a work-related conference, which will mean plenty of reading time when I’m not writing.
What’s Medieval-A-Thon?
Medieval-A-Thon is a month-long read-a-thon hosted by Holly Hearts Books. In this read-a-thon, you have thirty-one days to read as many books as you can. The number of books you read determines your “nobility rank” at the end of the month, and there are fun challenges you can complete to earn different accessories throughout the read-a-thon. (See her announcement videoherefor more details.)
Here are Holly’s graphics, which help explain the read-a-thon and the challenge prompts:
Some of the books I’d planned on bringing with me to the conference before I heard about this read-a-thon already fit into the read-a-thon categories, which is a huge plus! I’ve done my best not to double-up, but I have several options for some of these prompts, so I’ll list all applicable ones in the book description. I’ll be bringing six books with me, anyway, so it should be one to a prompt!
But, to be clear, not all the books on my read-a-thon TBR will come with me on the plane, but they WILL be in my monthly TBR.
Another disclaimer: In addition to this read-a-thon, I’m participating in Beat the Backlist’s mini reading challenge this year (go, Gryffindor!), so there will be some crossover there.
All right! Let’s get down to business.
Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1) by Emily A. Duncan Genres: young adult fantasy Challenge(s): crown, cloak
No, it’s not Game of Thrones, but this book contains an assassination plot, so in my mind, it’s a fight for the throne! I’ve heard this book is very atmospheric, and, as a very religious person, I’m excited about the idea of religion being a central part of YA fantasy! Not to mention the Russian and Polish influence of this world. I have heard mixed reviews about this, but I’m too curious not to try reading it. I’m hoping for a guilty pleasure read, at the very least.
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Genres: adult fantasy Challenge(s): helmet, (maybe) daggers
What can I say? I wanted to complete this challenge, but this book is 800 pages, and it’s the only one on my TBR with a dragon on the cover. So when I saw this was available at my library, I thought maybe it was a sign.
Yeah. Not taking this with me on the plane (too heavy!), but I plan to read it when I get home.
History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera Genres: young adult contemporary Challenge(s): breastplate, Beat the Backlist
I got the UK copy of this book at a secondhand bookstore, and the waves on that cover are shiny! Because this is a book I own (and I tend to put books I own lower on my TBR priority-wise), this is also counting toward my Beat the Backlist challenge.
My first Adam Silvera book was What If It’s Us, and, while I liked it, I didn’t love it. I’m hoping this one is a better experience for me!
Let Us Attend: A Journey through the Orthodox Divine Liturgy by Father Lawrence Farley Genres: religion/theology Challenge(s): cloak, Beat the Backlist
Initially, I was planning on using Children of Blood and Bone, but I’m already taking this book with me, and it fits the cloak challenge, so I figured I’d use this to save space and weight. I received this from my church choir director. It’s surprisingly rare for me to read religious/theological books on my own time, so I’m excited for this.
The Cuckoo’s Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1) by Robert Galbraith Genres: adult mystery Challenge(s): knee-guards, Beat the Backlist
I loved Harry Potter, and I’m interested in seeing what else JKR has written. I’m not a mystery reader, so I’m hoping this’ll be a nice change of pace for me.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith Genres: young adult contemporary Challenge(s): boots, Beat the Backlist
I’ve had this book on my shelf for YEARS, and so I thought I’d read it on my flight, as an airport plays a key role in this story. Additionally, my library copy has yellowing pages, so it works for the read-a-thon!
The Book of Knights by Yves Meynard Genres: young adult fantasy Challenge(s): sword, cloak, Beat the Backlist
I got this as a birthday present from a friend. It doesn’t seem to be that well-known, but it comes highly recommended from him, so I’m looking forward to it!
Well, that’s it, folks! Tell me: Are you participating in any read-a-thons this month? What are you reading?
I can’t say I’ll be posting here regularly again; if I post something here, I want it to be meaningful, not obligatory.
May is/was Mental Health Awareness Month. As a teenager, this month means a lot to me. As a human being, this month means a lot to me. But this month also holds significance for me as a writer because my own mental health has played a major role in shaping my work.
In looking back, I first started manifesting symptoms of anxiety and depression around twelve years old at summer camp I’d spent a decade at. (Long story. Just trust my math is right.) Two of my counselors were psych majors, and they couldn’t figure out why one of the children in their charge had a breakdown the first night there. I myself didn’t connect the dots until last year.
Fast forward two years from that camp experience. The first time I recognized I was having a panic attack, I was fourteen years old. I’d been having problems singing, I’d been struggling with mood swings–now I was struggling to breathe. As a child who enjoyed singing, this was bad enough, but being a soprano in church choir compounded the problem. A diagnosis with vocal nodules led to a choir hiatus and served as the catalyst for a reconstruction of myself. I’d always been a singer. Now that I couldn’t be that anymore, who was I?
Well, I’d started writing around ten years old. (No, despite what my mother says, my first stories were not good.) I’d continued writing sporadically through junior high in the creative writing courses I took. My first year in high school, I no longer had creative writing built into my English curriculum, but I did have free time.
So, on the school evenings of my freshman year, I occupied myself with telling the story of a vampire haunted by his past. It was a story inspired by a friendship that had been a godsend during some turbulent junior-high years. In writing a story about how community saves, I could pay homage to the people who had helped me while also creating a community for myself. Writing became more than a hobby–it was my safety net. I used it to weather my issues with depression and anxiety. Words were a welcoming comfort when I suddenly found my mind to be a terrifying and hostile place.
(I’ll add the disclaimer here, I suppose: I’m not diagnosed with anything. So, to make sure I’m not speaking for a group I may or may not represent, I’ll admit I have issues with anxiety and depression, but I’m still not sure if the phrase, “I struggle with anxiety and depression” is the right phrase for me. I’m trying to get better at using what’s accurate, and I don’t want to appropriate a diagnosis that hasn’t been officially given to me. I am a human who suffers from panic attacks on a regular basis. I have triggers. And I do get depressed. But, as of now, I’m not sure if I have an anxiety disorder, nor am I sure that I’m clinically depressed. I just wanted to make that distinction, because it’s an important one. Back to the story.)
Several years after I finished the first draft of that manuscript, I came across a Pinterest post that mentioned lip-biting as a symptom of an anxiety disorder. Now, I’m not sure how credible that post actually was, but it got me thinking. My main character, Zeke, bites his lip constantly in the first draft. He’s a vampire, and so when his fangs elongate, it made sense to me that he’d develop lip-biting as a habit. It’s not one of my habits, but it’s one of his.
But when I read back and noticed he used it as a calming tactic, I rushed to look up symptoms of anxiety disorders. Zeke has a lot of them.
When I wrote my first draft of that novel, I wrote it to combat my panic attacks and depressing thoughts. In the process, I’d created a character with the same struggles I had, completely unintentionally.
There was one scene in particular where Zeke gets angry. While the outcome of that scene makes sense, the emotional volatility Zeke expresses had no context in the first draft. So, while revising, I decided to explore his emotions a little bit. I rewrote the scene into one where, while everything else is going on, Zeke has a panic attack. Then I left the draft alone for a little bit and returned to reread that chapter.
Reading the scene triggered a panic attack of my own. (Oops.) But Zeke’s panic attack made perfect sense within the context of his character, which only further confirmed that I might be writing a story featuring a character with anxiety.
In my experience, panic and depression are major inconveniences. I know what you’re thinking–doesn’t an understatement like that trivialize the struggles of those who suffer from poor mental health? What I’m getting at is this: Since the very first panic attack I had, I’ve had to deal with crappy mental health in tandem with the rest of my life. I’ve had panic attacks while trying to give a presentation or take a test. I’ve been depressed at parties or in class. Mental health can nosedive during school, church, or right before bed–any time, any place. I think “inconvenient” covers it. Mental health, while it can be influenced by external factors, does fluctuate, and it doesn’t wait for your permission to do so.
I’ve had to learn coping mechanisms for poor mental health, because I still have other things to do, panic attack or not. I’ve read many books that discuss mental health and mental illnesses in YA. There’s been an increase in such books, and we need that increase. Yet, most of the books I’ve read have focused entirely on the manifestation of mental illnesses and coming to terms with that initial manifestation. Books about schizophrenia, depression, or anxiety. Again, we need these books. But what about books featuring characters with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc.?
Do you see the difference?
For the past six years, my life has featured panic attacks/anxiety and depression. Yes, I’ve had to learn how to cope, and yes, those things have permanently changed me. But, in addition to coping with poor mental health, I’ve also started college. I drive myself places, I sing in church choir (and even direct it now!), I read regularly, and I write. I have issues with anxiety and depression, and while those issues are huge hurdles in my life, that’s not my whole life. That’s not my whole story.
I want more fantasy adventures featuring protagonists with mental illnesses. I want more sci-fi where characters struggle to manage their mental illness symptoms in fight/battle scenes. (How did no one in The Illuminae Files have a complete mental breakdown? I would have been so, so stressed.) I want contemporary novels where characters have panic attacks, and it’s a part of their lives that they’ve already learned to accept (albeit a very very very very inconvenient one).
These characters need to be present in books where mental illness isn’t the main plot because people with poor mental health or with mental illnesses deserve to see characters like them in books. We deserve to see characters who struggle, but who struggle within the context of other life developments, because that’s what we real people do every day.
Paige, a reviewer from Goodreads, said it better than I’m saying it here in one of her reviews:
We can all agree on one thing: teens with mental illness deserve to see themselves in YA without the focus being entirely on their mental illness. Those books can help them understand their condition, but they deserve to be the heroes too. They should be able to see themselves as the gumshoe in a mystery novel, the tech genius and ringleader of a scheme in a sci-fi space opera, and the teenage spy in a thriller.
There’s a need here. And in light of that need, I’ve made a decision.
In all of the books I write from now on, at least one of my characters will suffer from poor mental health or have a mental illness. Not as a checklist item, but as proof to everyone reading–as proof to myself–that we’re worthy of being the protagonist, too. I wrote Zeke with anxiety, and one of the characters in my current project has anxiety, too. When you get a panic attack, sometimes it feels like you’re incapable of doing anything except wallowing in the anxious thoughts while you wait for the suffocating sensations to pass. Let this be proof that we can do more. We’re more than just our mental health–in real life, and in fiction.
I have a few books on my TBR list that feature characters like this, mentally ill characters involved in plots that aren’t mental illness-related. But why not write a few more? That’s my story, and it’s the story of so many others.
In the beginning, all of this started as a way for me to cope. But maybe, if my writing ever goes somewhere, it can reach farther. In the end, maybe it could be something that helps others. That helps you.
Who knows? I don’t. But for those out there struggling with mental illnesses or poor mental health: I see you. This month, and every month. And you are worth as many words as there are stars in the sky. You are story-worthy.
My hope isn’t just to tell you that, though. It’s to show you.
Hello, everyone! Long time, no see. It’s been a while.
Since the last time I posted a legitimate update on here, I’ve graduated high school, completed a semester of college, won NaNoWriMo with a new project, and started drinking (decaf) coffee. They warned me college life would be exhausting. I had no idea.
But I’m here now with some time to kill, and I’m gonna talk about something I’ve been wanting to discuss for a while. It all starts with my latest NaNoWriMo project, my current work in progress.
This time around the drafting block, I was flying by the seat of my pants–much more so than usual. When I started writing EAST HARLEM (working title), I had no idea where the story was going. Fifty thousand words later, it’s found its way, but literally zero prior planning on my end meant this novel has really surprised me–in more ways than one.
Here’s the most noticeable one: Both of my main characters in EAST HARLEM are my age, eighteen/nineteen. They’re college-aged.
If you’re unfamiliar with the way age categories work in the book industry, you’re probably wondering what exactly about this detail makes this manuscript different from other things I’ve written?
Here’s the answer. Read this description of Young Adult, as taken from Goodreads (emphasis mine):
Young-adult fiction (often abbreviated as YA) is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 13 to 18.
Young-adult fiction, whether in the form of novels or short stories, has distinct attributes that distinguish it from the other age categories of fiction. The vast majority of YA stories portray an adolescent as the protagonist, rather than an adult or a child. The subject matter and story lines are typically consistent with the age and experience of the main character, but beyond that YA stories span the entire spectrum of fiction genres. The settings of YA stories are limited only by the imagination and skill of the author.
Themes in YA stories often focus on the challenges of youth, so much so that the entire age category is sometimes referred to as problem novels or coming of age novel.
A couple years ago, I was working on a manuscript which (at the time) featured a character in his twenties. I took to the Internet to see what age bracket I would classify the novel under, and I’ll leave what more I learned about how YA is classified here to paint a clearer picture. Typically, YA novels deal with teenage characters experiencing firsts: first loves, first kisses–the problems teenagers begin to deal with as they enter adolescence. YA is about growing pains: teenage self-discovery, and coming into your own.
My characters in EAST HARLEM are teenagers. But they’re outside the typical YA bracket of middle school and high school. And while they might be experiencing things like love and independence for the first time, it’s in a different context. It’s in an older world with bigger, longer-lasting questions. In YA, protagonists begin questioning who they are and where they fit in the world. In college you start answering that question and taking initiative to make a place for yourself in the world. You start truly becoming an adult.
While there’s significant overlap–college is the “overlap” between grade school and the “real world,” after all (assuming you enroll in higher education immediately after graduating high school/earning your GED)–generally, the themes you’re dealing with are different because your life priorities start shifting.
So what exactly am I saying? For as long as I’ve been involved in the YA book community, I’ve written YA. Sometimes my characters have been on the lower end of YA (like DECEPTION, my first NaNo novel), but they’ve always been YA. I’ve been reading YA for over a decade. For that same amount of time, I’ve been writing it.
And here’s what makes EAST HARLEM different: In writing EAST HARLEM, I decided my main characters would be high school graduates. Just like that, I’m not writing YA. I’m writing something else, something different and kind of nebulous.
It’s called New Adult.
Maybe you haven’t heard this term before. Maybe you have. Either way, I’m here to explain. Because, if EAST HARLEM has taught me anything, we need more New Adult stories, and I’m here to tell you why.
WHAT IS NEW ADULT (NA)?
New Adult is yet another age bracket for books. (It’s important to note–just like with YA, NA is not a genre.) Once again, I’m going to defer to Goodreads for a clearer description (again, emphasis mine):
New Adult fiction bridges the gap between Young Adult and Adult genres. It typically features protagonists between the ages of 18 and 25 with the cap at 30ish.
The genre tends to focus on issues prevalent in the young adult genre as well as focusing on issues experienced by individuals between the area of childhood and adulthood, such as leaving home for university and getting a job.
So, in other words, the themes discussed in New Adult better mirror the issues faced in your college years. According to Wikipedia, these include “leaving home, college, developing sexuality, and negotiating education and career choices.”
That also means the content in these novels will be more mature, because you’re dealing with older characters. Characters who cuss. Characters who drink. Characters who smoke. Characters who have sex. It’s usually more prominent and often more graphically-described (though I don’t think it has to be; I’ll get to that point soon).
(It’s important to note: Though NA deals with college characters, that doesn’t mean a book has to be set in college to be considered NA. I’m writing this post from the perspective of a college student. I’m saying we need NA as a college student. However, that doesn’t mean NA isn’t written for young adults not attending college. Those people need their stories told and represented as much as anyone else. But this post is focused more on NA from a college viewpoint, because of my own experiences. Just thought I’d put that disclaimer there.)
WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
Supposedly, this term was first coined by St. Martin’s in 2009. When I first saw the term, it was in the context of books like Beautiful Disaster, Easy, and Slammed. These books started showing up in my Goodreads feed around 2012 when the reviewers I follow(ed) started reading. People had…strong opinions on them (Beautiful Disaster, in particular), and, after reading the reviews I saw others posting, I did some research of my own on those particular titles. I’ve read a lot about these particular examples. But I haven’t read the novels themselves.
WHAT NA HAS BECOME
New Adult seems, at the very least, like a fantastic marketing strategy, right? The perfect in-between for people who like the type of high-concept stories YA provides, but want more mature characters and scenarios.
That’s what it could have been. Unfortunately, NA became something else instead: another sub-genre of adult romance. Most of these stories center almost completely around a romantic relationship. Allow me to demonstrate…
Beautiful Disaster is about a young college student (Abby) who finds herself attracted to a mysterious, troubled bad boy (Travis), whom she soon then starts an intense, all-consuming relationship with.
Wattpad sensation After is about a young college student (Tessa) who finds herself attracted to a mysterious, troubled bad boy (Hardin, never mind that this was initially a Harry Styles fanfic), whom she soon then starts an intense, all-consuming relationship with.
An adult novel also sometimes classified as new adult due to its college-aged protagonist, Fifty Shades of Grey is about a young college student (Anastasia) who finds herself attracted to a mysterious, troubled bad boy (Christian Grey), whom she soon then starts an intense, all-consuming relationship with.
Notice a pattern?
Granted, not every New Adult novel follows this exact formula. But many of them contain very similar elements: bad boy/player types, intense and troubling relationship dynamics, and lots of steamy sex; all you have to do is look at the Goodreads page to see what I mean.
I’ll save you the trouble; here are some screenshots from my computer:
See what I mean?
On another note, I tried a little experiment: I asked for Goodreads recommendations for NA reads–“some fun NA books, but not ones that glorify unhealthy romantic relationships,” to be exact. I didn’t want to say “NA without romance,” because I was worried I wouldn’t get any recommendations.
Here are the recommendations I received:
Note: There were two other non-romance recommendations I was interested in, and I couldn’t fit all of the titles in one screenshot, so I hit “ignore” on those. Romances didn’t make up the entirety of these recommendations. But they did make up a majority.
Please understand what I’m trying to say, because I’m trying to be diplomatic here: I’m not saying that these novels “don’t belong” in NA on the basis of my own moral superiority, because I feel that could be implied here. I’ve never read these books, so I can’t confirm anything. I’m sure they have their audiences within the NA age bracket.
However, I am not that audience, and, from the conversations I’ve seen on Twitter and BookTube, I’m not the only young adult who wants more NA stories that vary from this tried-and-true pattern. Where are the NA fantasy novels? Where are the NA science fiction novels? Where are the NA novels that focus on college without focusing on sex? Yes, it’s a part of “the college experience,” I suppose, but it’s not part of everyone’s college experience. This phase is about so much more than that. It’s about further self-discovery and decision-making. It’s about growing up. Where are the NA novels that reflect that?
Many of the most well-known, “pioneering” NA titles use college as a trope rather than an atmosphere. As a way to stereotype characters (good girl, bad boy, sassy roommate, etc.) rather than to provide those characters an environment wherein they can grow. Here’s my concern about the prominence of those types of NA novels: If publishers see so many books like these publish and sell successfully, those same publishers don’t see the need to reinstate or “revamp” New Adult to be more inclusive of different experiences because they believe this bracket has already found its niche. They see this trend, and they see a phase reminiscent of the early-2000s post-Twlight paranormal craze.
But, regardless of publishers’ sentiments, we need an NA comeback, now more than ever.
WHY WE NEED NA
Why do we need NA? Let’s start with the fact that there is an audience for it. Remember that book I mentioned called After? It’s being turned into a film that comes out this year; search for the trailer on YouTube if you don’t believe me. Additionally, The teens who were avid readers of books like Twilight and Harry Potter have grown up now, and as we’ve matured, so have our reading tastes. It’s not that we don’t like YA anymore. It’s that, as we grow older and come to certain crossroads in our lives, it’d be nice to have the fiction we read reflect the phase of life we’re in.
But instead of this demand creating a new age bracket on bookshelves, YA has instead stretched its content limits to accommodate. The A Court of Thorns and Roses series is New Adult fantasy. But in bookstores and libraries, it’s placed with young adult books. Same thing with the contemporary novel Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, or the upcoming Again, But Better by Christine Riccio. I’ve even seen Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight –a series the author has confirmed as adult fantasy with crossover appeal–marketed as a mature YA fantasy.
It’s not that teenagers “shouldn’t” or “can’t” read these books. It’s that the increasing influx of these books is disrupting a balance. And it’s a disruption that discards books written for teens about teen experiences in favor of novels for adults.
Think about it: Most well-known BookTubers–Sam from Thoughts on Tomes, Christine from polandbananasBOOKS, Sasha Alsberg from abookutopia, and Ariel Bisset, to name a few–aren’t high school teenagers. They’re adults. Those of us who subscribe to their channels likely share their reading tastes. As we share and discuss and read together, we’re still consuming YA books, but we’re creating something new. As a community, it seems we’re leaning toward more “mature” YA. Francina Simone has two fantastic videos about this here and here, and she says it better than I’m saying it right now. (Language warning if that’s something that bothers you.)
Search the Twitter tag #newadultrevolution, and you’ll find explanations that are much more articulate and thought-provoking than the one I’m trying to provide here. The main point is this: By pushing for more mature YA literature, we deprive teens of books written for them by dismissing those books as “too immature.” Thus, YA itself is maturing to keep up with our reading tastes. And we need to give that genre back to the teens, because, while anyone can read YA, that genre belongs to them. Let them have their stories back by giving us a place to share our own.
There’s another reason I think we need NA, and it’s more personal.
Since November of 2017, I’d been in a massive reading slump, cured only by graphic novels and poetry books. I’d put books down almost as fast as I picked them up. All the books I was reading–YA books–weren’t holding my attention, so I turned to classics. But then I found those dry; I can read them one by one, but I can’t read five in a row. (It was a failed experiment, though it was fun while it lasted.)
For months, I wondered what this meant about my reading tastes and what I’d be reading from here on out. I knew I was depressed and that was probably part of it, but the depression had never killed my desire to read so effectively.
But then, a year later, I started EAST HARLEM. A couple weeks ago, I found Francina’s videos. And these things confirmed it for me: I’m outgrowing the YA genre. I don’t relate to the characters or the situations as well as I used to. And that doesn’t diminish the quality of YA novels–it just diminishes my ability to connect with them.
That’s why we need New Adult.
We need New Adult because I’m a young college student swamped with history classes and the fear of back-breaking student loan debt hanging over my head. I’m new to this whole shindig, and I won’t lie: at times, it feels really scary and overwhelming, and I don’t know what I’m doing.
We need New Adult because I’m a young college student, and I read. And I’d love to read about characters who stress over their schoolwork. Who pull all-nighters to balance work and school. Who get frustrated reading textbooks. Who get overwhelmed by the more individualistic aspect of college and all the self-advocating that’s suddenly involved. Who get scared to visit their professors during office hours and are addicted to caffeine, but who can still enjoy the experience, because that’s what college is. And all these issues are real ones college students face. Ask me. Ask my classmates.
We need New Adult because people like me should feel empowered where we’re at. We should have characters and scenarios we can relate to. We should have company.
It’s not like people aren’t writing NA. The bigger issue is that publishing companies aren’t publishing NA. Which means agents don’t pick NA stories up, because, unlike YA, NA’s reputation makes it less likely to sell. And look, I understand there are marketing complications and that it’s a gamble; I don’t want to villainize the publishing industry here. The sole point I’m making is that this is not happening the way we need it to.
We need to say something. So I will.
My name is Anastasia Nichole, and I’m a writer of New Adult fiction. And I’d like my story to be told, because, when you get down to it, this isn’t just fiction. It’s real. It’s mine.
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak Published by Knopf Books for Readers on February 8, 2005 Genres: young adult contemporary Pages: 357 | Format: Hardcover
Rating: ★★★★★
This book was the best surprise, y’all. The best.
Based off what I’ve read of his work so far, I find Markus Zusak’s books to be like good friends. The friend who maybe isn’t around constantly, but who’s there exactly when you need them–the friend who knows exactly what to say and how to say it. The friend who’s there to pick you up and support you, and to make you laugh when you need it.
You know those friends? The ones that, when you think about just how awesome they are, you get really happy and feel really grateful?
That’s this book.
Plot-wise, this book doesn’t seem like anything special. It’s about Ed, an underage cab driver who doesn’t feel like his life is going anywhere. He has friends, but no direction. He’s in love, but not with someone who loves him back. At the end of the day, Ed comes home to a big, smelly dog with a strange affinity for coffee.
Until the day he inadvertently stops a bank robbery, after which Ed is suddenly caught up in a mystery. But in order to solve it, Ed will not only need to help fix the lives of strangers, but the lives of his friends as well–and even his own.
There are no high stakes or sweeping romantic relationships. The writing here isn’t dramatic and breathtaking like The Book Thief‘s. But it doesn’t have to be. This book stuns in its simplicity of heart. I Am the Messenger is about being kind to others–and to yourself. It’s about how the way we heal affects the people around us, and how much power we as people have to impact the world around us, both for good and for evil.
And Ed isn’t anyone brilliant. He’s far from perfect. But, at the end of the day, he’s a good person with an endearing and genuine voice. The first scene of this book is the funniest opening scene I’ve ever read.
If you’re looking for a heartwarming contemporary, pick this up. If you’re looking for a book that’ll make you laugh so much your parents will wonder what in the world you’re reading, pick this up.
If you’re looking for a book that will continue to resonate with you months and years down the line and restore your faith in humanity, pick this up. It’s one of my favorites.
A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3) by Sarah J. Maas Published byBloomsbury USA Childrens on May 2, 2017 Genres: young adult/new adult, romance, fantasy, retellings Pages: 699 | Format: Hardcover
Rating:★★
It’s just a trilogy thing, unfortunately. (Or maybe not, since this series is being expanded. But I’m sure you know what I mean.)
When I finished ACOWAR, I knew it felt like a disappointment, and not just because ACOMAF was so amazing. As the end to Feyre’s story arc, as the end of a series from her point of view, as the final installment in a saga describing the growing conflict between Prythian and Hybern, A Court of Wings and Ruin was a disappointment.
This review will be pretty brief and to-the-point about why, because I think ACOWAR’s pitfalls can be boiled down to several points.
Feyre’s (and SJM’s) worship of Rhysand. Look, I love Rhysand. He’s not my favorite book character ever (I’ll save that award for the Dregs in Six of Crows), but, like I said in my review of ACOMAF, I liked the way he helped show Feyre just how powerful and independent she could be once she harnessed the tools to obtain that independence. But in this book, Feyre is constantly describing just how awesome and perfect her “mate” (eww) is. All the time. And it was just too much. I enjoy Feyre’s ruthlessness and Rhys’s compassion, too, Sarah J. Maas. But there’s no need to lionize your own characters in the narration and put them on pedestals in your prose just because so many readers love them, too
The sacrifices are not high enough for the stakes the rest of the series has set up. (FYI, there are spoilers in this section.) For two (very long) books, we’ve heard talks of war and this terrible tyrant who’s set on obliterating everything Feyre and her family loves. The king of Hybern and his allies have tortured Feyre’s friends and her mate, have transformed her sisters into Fae (which both sisters are traumatized by), and have been threatening to disturb the precarious peace the courts of Prythian enjoy. This whole book supposedly revolves around the Night Court training an outmanned army, trying to form alliances with the other Courts against a threat that could obliterate them all.
So, when we finally get to the war, you’d expect it to be this huge thing, right? You expect this war to be devastating.
Heh.
SPOILERS:((Well, there’s a lot of grandstanding and a total of one surprise beheading, one other actual death, and two fake deaths. The only person who dies on the “good” side is Feyre’s father–someone of little consequence to the story at this point.
In other words, the “high-stakes” war this whole series has built up to is very anticlimactic because the payoff isn’t sufficient enough. The character’s don’t have to sacrifice anything in the midst of such high stakes. I don’t like characters deaths (just ask Crooked Kingdom), but there should have been more, and they should have been deaths of more prominent characters. People die in war. People sacrifice in war. And because I didn’t see any of our main characters sacrifice much, what was supposed to be the biggest source of conflict just turned out to be a letdown.))
There were probably other issues I’m forgetting, but those are the main issues I had with this book.
It’s a shame, too. I was hoping this would be one of those series I fell in love with. One of those series I could love unconditionally. But alas, this installment proves it’s not meant to be. I’ll be reading future installments of this series (I’m really excited to see this world through Cassian and Nesta’s eyes!), but unfortunately, based on these three books, this isn’t a series I’ll be devoting much shelf space to.
Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick Published by Roaring Brook Press on April 25, 2017 Genres: contemporary Pages: 240 Format: Hardback Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Audible
Rating:★★★★
I read this book twice before finally getting around to writing a review for it. It’ll be a short review, granted, partially because I’m dipping my feet slowly back into this after quite a while. But also because I’m worried I won’t be able to give this book full justice.
In the time between my two read-throughs of this book, the issues Saint Death discusses have only become more prominent–and more important. Immigration. Outsourcing of labor. Mexican drug lords. Crime. Poverty. Desperation.
Luck.
Or is it luck? Arturo enters a risky situation–a literal bet on his friend’s life–that quickly becomes a fight for his own life, and he’s gonna need all the help he can get. This book follows the twenty-four hours (or so) surrounding a card game where Arturo must win enough money to pay for his friend Fausto’s debts to the latter’s gang leader, or Fausto will be murdered. Yet, this book discusses so much more. It’s a musing on how America views Mexico, and just how desperate life in Mexico is for the people there. It’s a story involving faith (“Saint Death,” known as Santa Muerte colloquially, is a religious entity prayed to by many Mexicans and is featured as a character in the book throughout the story) and luck and where they intersect.
I know I’m being nebulous, but it’s a short book, and I’m worried if I go into too much detail I’ll accidentally spoil something. I’ll say this, though: This book depicts life in Mexico as it is, not as we want it to be. It made my heart hurt and gave me a perspective on the border control situation I really didn’t have before. Saint Death has hauntingly majestic writing and a format that will keep you on your toes. It’s unique, it’s engaging, and it’s short. But it’s also a book that’ll make you think. And it’s worth a read, if only for that.
Dawn of Eden (Blood of Eden, #0.5) by Julie Kagawa Published by MIRA on July 1, 2013 Genres: new adult fantasy, vampire fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, romance Pages: 122 Format: ebook Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Audible
Rating:★★★★
If there are short stories in a series I’ve read, I’m always gonna check them out. Most of them are quick reads and another easy way to add more books to my annual Goodreads Book Challenge. (Whoops, did I just say that out loud?) So of course I read this. And I actually enjoyed it more than the last two books of the original trilogy.
Dawn of Eden reminded me of The Immortal Rules not only because the former is a prequel, but because, like Immortal Rules, Dawn of Eden showcases what Kagawa does best: tense action scenes, gore, banter, all set against an apocalyptic backdrop.
It’s been a while since I finished this ebook, but from what I can remember, it was engrossing and worth the read. Seeing the origin of the Red Lung virus and the havoc it wreaked in its early years was fascinating…and chill-inducing. Stories involving mass contagion always freak me out just a little, but I love it. Kanin’s back, folks, and he’s just as enigmatic and endearing as he was the first time around. Kylie’s different from Allison, but, here, that might just be good thing–she’s determined, outspoken, and compassionate, but not nearly as whiny as Allie eventually becomes. I enjoyed her chemistry with Ben much more than Allie’s chemistry with Zeke; there’s drama with Kylie and Ben, sure, but overall, their relationship seems a lot more stable and mature than Allie and Zeke’s, even though the time-frame of the former couple’s relationship is shorter.
The ending of the short story was just as satisfying as I’d hoped it be; the climax stressed me out a lot, but by the end, I was breathing normally again, haha. Overall, a short and satisfying read that bridges the gap well between the first days of Red Lung and the first book of the original trilogy. If you’ve read and enjoyed the first three books of the series, this short story is definitely worth it.
Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick
Books, Tea, Insanity 