#YA Fantasy

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Writing YA books about Faes/Faeries: Holly Black and Sarah J. Maas

I’ve started to notice this trend and discussions on how some hardcore SJM fans didn't enjoy The Cruel Prince, whereas the Cruel Prince fans tend to be critical of SJM’s work.

Some of it can be blamed on tiktokification of reading, essentially wanting to just read porn, which would be fine, if people would admit to it instead of shitting on good YA books and making them unpopular, which results in publishing of more mediocre smut with problematic undertones with no consistent plot, which in turn dumbs down the audience. There's no need to turn an entire age category of books into Wattpad fanfics.

I’ve seen ACOTAR fans on tiktok (before I deleted tiktok) say they “didn’t get” Cruel Prince or had to DNF because it was “boring” and "too much politics, no smut”. I had heard all of that before I read either Holly Black's or SJM's work so here's an objective take because I'm not a hardcore fan of either of them.

If you think The Cruel Prince has a lot of politics, you have been tiktokified or don't remember a book that wasn't romance or YA to begin with, so please go read one. It's good for you to broaden your horizons. It doesn't have a lot of politics even for YA. But I will say this: the pacing was slow and the romance was practically nonexistent. You'll have to really look into details and speculate. I wasn't digging it at first at all. I had to come back and reread it again after finishing the trilogy. I fell in love with Jude x Cardan only during the second reread. The Cruel Prince trilogy is not for smut seekers.

However, what some fans don't realize is that unlike SJM, Holly Black doesn't excuse Cardan's or Jude's actions to make them look like great people and leaders or forces the narrative and other characters' pov's to do that. Holly actually writes Fae as what they're supposed to be - actual different creatures from humans with different ways of thinking and feeling. I read somewhere that humans have black vs white morality they navigate, while the fair folk have orange vs blue morality. It's not the same for them, and yet, ones who are actually evil are easily distinguishable. Holly manages to pull that off beautifully. The writing in that regard is masterful. I would also say that Jude and Taryn have adapted to and adopted orange vs blue morality in their own ways. Which translates in them seeking security in the world that's not designed for them, as well as their ambitions.

SJM, on the other hand, writes Fae as way too powerful, constantly horny, conventionally hot people. There is no orange vs blue or even grey morality, they're just selfish people with victim complexes. Their backstories serve as an excuse, not as an explanation. Everyone yaps about how powerful they are but always need their asses saved. PTSD is written unrealistically and the author only whips it out when she needs it. Characters' grand gestures of growth feel shallow since they always go back on their words or ignore the actual root of problems. Faerie folklore is not properly explored, random mythology is tossed in, plot bends backwards to make the perfect ending for protagonists...I would call it porn with plot except the smut isn't even good.

SJM also can't write politics, so instead she feeds her readers propaganda so they won't question the rulers' incompetence and incapacity to make a change in centuries. The whole thing feels like a parody of making fun of filthy rich people. It would be at least somewhat clever if it was.

Lastly, a shout-out to Margaret Rogerson for writing the best and loveliest way I've seen about what it's like to give up humanity to become Fae and grapple with remaining humane in her book An Enchantment of Ravens. Fair warning though, the book is pure fluff, no smut.

[jccatstudios]

vengeance is waiting

[caihosreads]

Six of Crows - finally got all of them together!

Prints available on my etsy.

[sol-niczka]

Haven't drawn Six of Crows fanart in a while so here's the one and only Kazzle Dazzle, also known as my wife <3

[writtenbycassandra]

most female main characters in ya fantasy usually don't have their parents around/are orphans/ran away from home (e.g. the mortal instruments, lockwood & co, a deadly education, ...), which is why there are often no adult figures around to manage the (magical) chaos the teenage characters have to untangle standalone.

but the raven cycle is different — the adults work together with the teen characters, actually listen to them, and try to help them with their quest. blue doesn't have only her friends around to help her out, she also has a giant home with different, female rolemodels. calla, persephone, maura, and all the other aunts and friends — they give blue something most ya characters don't have.

and as the series continues, she also meets the grey man, who becomes a familiar figure for her, too.

instead of having not enough help and support from adults, which is a thing most ya protagonists struggle with, blue has so many people constantly trying to protect, guide, and help her, and i think that's awesome.

she has a family, and they're actually a part of the story.

[ekbelsher]

It took me forever to finally get around to finishing this 😅 It's still my favourite scene though

[popnovelspn]

One thing I love about The Cruel Prince: Jude put her foot down and said ‘I belong here’.

And eventually Elfhame responded and flowers grew where she bled.

Never let anyone tell you, you don’t belong.

[puppiesareperfect]

I understand why people say they forget the crows are teenagers, but I honestly disagree with people who argue they should have been significantly older. Part of the tragedy of the crows for me is that they are so young. They are classic examples of kids who were forced to grow up too fast. I think it’s also worth noting that the crows are still incredibly emotional & many of them struggle with their sense of self. Developmentally, those are traits that show up heavily in teenagers (and young adults). Really I’d argue their maturity is more of a surface level thing—they make themselves appear confident and collected because they have to for survival. But behind closed doors? They’re going through a lot. It’s all weighing down on them. And for many of them a large part of their struggles is the separation from family. (Or, in Jesper’s case, a strained relationship with his father).

I’ve heard before that the crows were supposed to be older originally. I’m not sure how accurate that is (I’ll come back later if I can find a source). Regardless, I can only really imagine them being aged up by a few years. I’m just not sure the story hits the same if the crows are older adults. I absolutely think there should be more fantasy with older characters (highly suggest Leigh Bardugo’s stand-alone “the familiar” for a protagonist who I believe is middle aged) but I’m not sure those characters should be the crows.

[prokopetz]

Principal villain of a best-selling YA fantasy novel trilogy: Silver hair cascading down his back like a waterfall, face like rough-hewn granite, eyes like smouldering coals, cheekbones that could cut glass.

The exact same villain in the prestige-format streaming television series adaptation:

[fandom-witch]

This commission I got is based off of the Fiona Apple Subway photoshoot where shes wearing armor and the artist captured the idea I had SO well. I love how Bree and Nick look, the demons in the background, their armor, and their expressions!!

The artist @dalooch did an amazing job!!

I love me some breenick!!

This can be find on the artists ig (loochleftovers) and Twitter (dalooch_)

Update: I realized I had the wrong version up like months later LOL (1.19.25)

[licorice-and-rum]

Also, we need to discuss anti-intellectualism as means to justify not engaging critically with a book. You CAN still read smut books and be aware and critical of what you consume.

Turning YA book selection into purely romance and romantasy needs to be studied, as well as tiktokification of reading. Skipping paragraphs without dialogue, finding simple plots too difficult to understand, not even remotely analyzing the text, ignoring inconsistencies and blindly following trends and what author spoon-feeds the readers, etc. It essentially boils down to wanting to read just porn without saying you want to read porn. Nothing wrong with that, except instead of admitting it, people have turned to doubling down that these objectively bad books are the pinnacle of self-care, progress and being a girlboss.

I’ve seen booktokers on tiktok (before I deleted tiktok) say they “didn’t get” older booktok books like Cruel Prince, Six of Crows, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and other good books or had to DNF them because it was too “boring” and "too much politics, no smut”. People have been tiktokified or have never read a book that wasn't romance or YA to begin with, so please go read one. It's good for you to broaden your horizons. Besides, YA never has a lot of politics, it's YA. Not even when YA dystopian books were thriving did it have too much politics.

I'm not shaming anyone for wanting to read smut or smutty books but there is no need to turn YA into just a combination of tropes. YA is an age category, it doesn't need dumbing down or becoming more sexual. There are plenty of smut books in YA, new adult, adult, etc. There is no need to shit on and make good YA books unpopular. Writers are getting hurt because the publishing houses would rather publish same mediocre books over and over with slightly different plot and names than good ones. And teenagers in that age category need to have a variety of books to choose from. Instead, they have the same thing over and over, mediocre smut with problematic undertones. Y'all realize Wattpad exists for that and it's free, right?

[jccatstudios]

Ketterdam Nights

[blessedsweetgirl]

Literally husband and wife

[judgeitbyitscover]

Enchanted Forest Chronicles (1985-1995) by Patricia C. Wrede

Cover Art by Tim Hildebrandt*

Scholastic, Point Fantasy series published in 1995-1998**

Dealing with Dragons (1990)

Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart - and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon - and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for.

Searching for Dragons (1992)

Cimorene, the princess who refuses to be proper, is back--but where is Kazul the dragon? That's what Cimorene is determined to find out.

Luckily--or perhaps not-so-luckily--she's got help: Mendenbar, the not-very-kingly King of the Enchanted Forest, has joined her in her quest. So with the aid of a broken-down magic carpet, a leaky magical sword, and a few buckets of soapy lemon water, they set off across the Enchanted Forest to tackle the dragon-napping and save the King of the Dragons.

Calling All Dragons (1993)

A Princess's work is never done--not even when she becomes a queen!

Princess Cimorene is now Queen Cimorene ... and she's faced with her first queenly crisis -- the Enchanted Forest is threatened with complete destruction!

Those wizards are back -- and they've become very smart. (Sort of.) They've figured out a way to take over the forest once and for all ... and what they have planned isn't pretty.

With a little help from Kazul the dragon king, Morwen the witch, Telemain the magician, two cats, and a blue, flying donkey-rabbit named -- what else? -- Killer, Cimorene might just be able to stop them.

And some people think that being a queen is easy.

Talking to Dragons (1985, revised 1995)

That's what Daystar's mother taught him...and it's a very wise lesson--one that might just help him after his mom hands him a magic sword and kicks him out of the house. Especially because his house sits on the edge of the Enchanted Forest and his mother is Queen Cimorene.

But the tricky part is figuring out what he's supposed to do with the magic sword. Where is he supposed to go? And why does everyone he meets seem to know who he is?

It's going to take a particularly hotheaded fire-witch, a very verbose lizard, and a badly behaved baby dragon to help him figure it all out.

And those good manners certainly won't hurt!

*The art for the Point Fantasy covers of Searching for Dragons, Calling All Dragons, and Talking to Dragons is uncredited; however, the style of the dragon in particular is both unique and consistent between the covers.

**as best as I can figure it.