I realised that I LOVE discussion posts on other blogs, and yet I've never done one myself! So I thought I'd start up a feature doing just that. Will there be a button...maybe, maybe. We'll see how it goes ;)
This time I'm going to discuss what I want to see more of in YA fiction.
1. Crime/thrillers
2. Bad boys
I bet you're all thinking..."WHAT? THERE'S A BAD BOY IN *EVERY* YA NOVEL?!?" But they're all so...cookie-cutter! *stamps feet* I want diverse bad boys! I want genuine, snarky, realistic bad boys. I want Damon Salvatore reincarnated again and again. I want Adrian Ivashkov popping up all over the show. I want Cole St.Clair making guest appearances...okay, I think you get the picture. But I love me a bad boy, I always have and I always will. I'm blaming Spike. Do you agree with me? Or are you sat there screaming at your screen right now? Am I just reading the wrong books?
3. Diversity
4. UK authors/settings.
This is a BIG one for me. Being a UK resident myself I love reading books set here. I seem to find the writing style a bit more grounded too...whether that's just familiarity or that well-renowned British charm *coughs* I don't know, but I just love them and I wish we had more! Recent favourites have been A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton and Hollow Pike by James Dawson...both British writers with British settings and both astoundingly good reads! I also absolutely adored Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon trilogy which is one of the funniest series I've ever read. I'm especially interested to hear from non-UK residents on this one...would you like to read more YA written by UK authors and based here?Other things I'd like to see more of:
Urban Fantasy/I-hated-you-but-now-I-love-you only done really, really well (think Angel by LA Weatherly or The Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost)/First person present tense POV/Standalones/Alternative settings/Animals that can talk (okay, that last one is maybe not entirely serious...)
So there we have it! How was my first ever discussion post? What do you want to see more of? Let me know what you agree and disagree with--this is a discussion afterall--in the comments and definitely leave me some recommendations!
Agreed on all fronts :). You don't see many places set in England... or anywhere else really. I would really love it if an author used another culture not just for setting (like in DIE FOR ME) but made it essential to the plot.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of the 'bad boy' is rather skewed in YA, sadly. But I love Adrian & Damon and wish there were more guys like them for sure :D.
YES! I love the D4M setting. And TDoSaB setting too. The idea of bad boy IS really screwed. I like the old school bad boys best :P
DeleteCouldn't agree with you more! Especially with crime & thrillers . . . want more EPIC ones! :)
ReplyDelete1) On one hand... I am totally pumped for that. YEAH, CRIME STUFF! WOO! At the same time though, I would probably be way too freaked out to read many of these LOL.
ReplyDelete2) HMM. You know, I'm generally not like a huuuge bad boy fan or anything, but you mentioned Adrian and... yeah. If we could have more ADRIAN IVASHKOVS, I certainly wouldn't object ;)
3) Yeahyeahyeahyeaaaaaaah! :D
4) My goodness, can we just have more books not set in the US? :( I mean, America's cool and everything, but I would love to see some less fictionally explored places used as well! Like England! Or Australia! Or Egypt! Or Brazil! I don't know, just somewhere... foreign :P
LOVE this list!
Sonia
LOL I'm so morbid, I love crime novels. I will read them for the both of us Sonia XD There need to be so many more ADRIANS. How excited are we for TGL???
DeleteI AM DYING TO GET MY HANDS ON TGL!!! I love me some Ivashkov. And err.. yes. Those other characters too. What are their names again? :P Kiddddding. I'm such a Richelle Mead fangirl! <3
DeleteI NEED TGL in my life. I'm such a fan of the Sydney/Adrian thing that's going on. You mean there are other people in the book....people that aren't Adrian...? :P
DeleteJust today I was thinking about doing something similar on my blog...posing a discussion topic and then giving my opinion. Then, voila, here you are!
ReplyDeleteWhat do I want to see more of in YA lit?---
1. More adventure books. Boys crave them and it is hard to find good YA adventure stories.
2. I agree with you about the need for more, complex mysteries for the YA audience. Are the writers too lazy to do the work to put together complicated plots with twists and returns?
3. I want more YA books that contain practical, loving, helpful adults. I am sick of YA books where the adults are all absent or awful.
Good luck with your new meme.
I agree with you that there needs to be more diversity in books especially YA. It seems as though most characters are made of the same look mold.
ReplyDeleteI haven't really read too many books that take place in the UK except The Name of the Star. I think it would be nice to have books that take place in other places besides the US. I like reading about new places especially when added to a good story.
Great discussion!
I'm always talking up this series but if you want British authors and setting AND urban fantasy try the urban magic series by Kate Griffin. :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI always had Zach from Gallagher Girls noted down as a-bad-boy-with-secrets, so I quite like that sort-of character. I also enjoy reading the hate-to-love romance in books, sometimes it's comical! Great discussion post, can't wait for the next one! :D
ReplyDeleteA fabulous post and so true. I definitely want to see more YA set in the UK.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great post! Strongly agree with the need for more crime/thrillers in the YA market and books set in the UK! I've been reading some good UK based books lately and have been really enjoying them!
ReplyDeleteOh I definitely can't get enough of bad boys and if there were more Damon Salvatores than I would be a happy reader. He is definitely the best at being cryptic and sarcastic, all the while being totally sexy, even when he has to hurt someone. I know there are bad boys in books but I need more sarcasim and wit like what Damon has. That would be great.
ReplyDeleteI agree on all fronts, but most especially? I would love more diverse bad boys!!i love different cultures, I love bad boys. I think they should've more mixed together! And not in a stereotypical way, which I know can be tough to avoid stereotypes...
ReplyDeleteI haven't read much by UK authors, but I would love to read more. It seems like its hard to find them sometimes,,,
Jac, you have to read Perfect Chemistry (if you haven't already) Bad boy action combined with some Mexican culture...you will <3 it.
DeleteIn terms of UK authors, deffo check out Ruth Warburton and James Dawson...I also recommend Keris Stainton for some awesome contemp stuff. Thanks for stopping by!
"I want Damon Salvatore reincarnated again and again. I want Adrian Ivashkov popping up all over the show. I want Cole St.Clair making guest appearances" - HELL TO THE YES. Adrian should just be the love interest in every single YA novel. I would die happy :D
ReplyDeleteAnd I love reading UK author/settings! Harry Potter definitely made me realise just how awesome you Brits are :D I love A Witch in Winter too, sepecially the rich and vibrant atmosphere Ruth captured. And I really want to read Hollow Pike. Plus, you guys are awesome and use letters like U where they're meant to be used... mum, favourite, colour, etc. OKAY. Majorly small point, but still!
I also want to see more non-contemporary novels set in Australia. There's an abundance of contemps here, but not enough YA paranormal or dystopian or fantasy! And I LOVE AU authors like Rhiannon Hart, Rebecca Lim, Marianne de Pierres, etc.
Love this post, Cait!
Big YES to Aussie authors!! I know what you mean about contemp (I love Melina Marchetta) but I can't think of any paranormals...with all that spare, hot land you guys have I can see some really creepy thrillers/survival novels working too! Adrian SHOULD be the L.I in every other book AT THE VERY LEAST.
DeleteI LOVE that you've called this "Caitlin Considers". Best name ever. Anyway, I agree with so much. Bad boys especially...nowadays, they aren't even bad! They're all sappy secret poets that cry themselves to sleep or whatever. I mean, that's not a bad character to have, I like reading about those as well, but it's also far from the definition of a "bad boy". I want more Damons too! My fave bad boy is probably still Nick from TDL. And I really like love/hate relationships when they're done well too - probably my favourite kind, actually. I'm not too fussed about setting really, but I do like UK ones :). Great, fun post!
ReplyDeleteYes, the name took me FOREVER to think up XD I was gonna mention Nick (mostly for you) but figured most people probably wont know who he is....but yeah, he's still my fave bad boy too. The hate/love relationships are MY favourite kind too. Ahh Liz, you're like a mini-me. Although possibly taller than I am.
DeleteNick! Everyone should know who he is. He is clearly the best YA has to offer :P. And lol! I'm only about half an inch taller...
DeleteGreat post and great name! And Yes to 1 and 4 (I thought I was the only person in the world who didn't rave about The Body finder) Did you read Desert Angel? that's a pretty creepy thriller. I LOVE books set in the UK too. more of those please.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't love TBF...when I posted my review I thought I was going to get flamed. Just looked up Desert Angel and it sounds SO good. Thanks for the recommendation and I'm gad you enjoyed the post =]
DeleteThis is actually going to be my next discussion post! :)
ReplyDeleteMmmmm A TRUE bad boy?! YES PLEASE. There is nothing more swoon-worthy than a male character who isn't really all that good. Who's got some danger to him. I love me some bad boys and not the "slightly cutely bad" ones you see pretty often.
Foreign settings, yes! Everything is set too often in the good ol' USA and while I love my country, I also enjoy books that have a different setting - England, Ireland, etc - just because that's nice, to get to "go" somewhere else when I'm reading. : )
Molli | Once Upon a Prologue
I'm looking forward to your discussion on it Molli, be sure to tweet me a link!! I'm always up for more true bad boys, I live for them ;) I agree it's nice to 'go' somewhere in books...that's why I DO like books set in the US...but I now feel like I've been EVERYWHERE in America yet I've never set foot there!! Time for a change.
DeleteThe Cait Files
Love your new discussions feature!
ReplyDeleteI think horror and crime/thriller/drama books are not nearly as represented in YA. but I am not sure the target audience is that interested, which makes it tough. But the reality these days is that more YA readers aren't so much the Y part of the A. And investigating real-to-life crimes isn't always something teens can do with any sense of realism. They can help, but murder investigations are typically done by experts, etc.
But I would so love to see more of those.
And I may be US, but I love UK writing and books. I've been a huge fan for ages. There is something amazing about the style and flow. I mean, Alexander Gordon Smith's series has just such beautiful flow and it's a horror series. He makes horror gorgeous.
And don't get me started on the amazingness that is Sarah Rees Brennan. Love her books. Love UK settings. Not sure why more aren't set in the UK unless they feel teens and YA won't make the same connection? Not sure.
Great topic! I'll stop rambling now. :)
Awesome comment Rachel, and I TOTALLY agree with you on the first point. It's just NOT organic to have teens investigated murders! But I think it COULD work..I mean look at The Body Finder. I didn't enjoy it, but I think it's a good idea. Sorta mixing the paranormal with the crime element, so that teens CAN solve crimes because they have something the adults don't...plus that way we can incorporate adults (which is something most YA readers seem to want!).
DeleteI've been told quite a few times by publishers over here that British YA just doesn't sell very well in America, yet American YA sells well over here, which I think is why we have this lack of UK settings! It's a shame though.
The Cait Files
great post! I feel like im reading a lot more UK based books at the minute, dont know whether its an acident or not but Im loving it!
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of suggestions for you! For your thriller hit have you read Choker by Elizabeth Woods, its coming out over here this year sometime but it came out last year in the US and its great!
Also diversity... try Pink by Lili Wilkinson. that really shines a light on the real LGBT feelings and stuff. I loved it but dont let the cover put you off ;)
Yes! I'm looking forward to Choker. It's S&S right? They're one of the few publishers that actually seem to do YA thrillers (Sophie McKenzie, Sarah Alderson etc) so I will definitely be checking that out. I would've mentioned them in my post but I'm still bitter they rejected me for a job haha :P
DeleteI will definitely look up Pink! I remember you talking a while back about LGBT books! There have been some AMAZING ones (Pretty Things, Boy Meets Boy and The Bermudez Triangle amongst them) but I would LOVE more.