Defending YA Fantasy

Has fantasy taken a turn for the worse? Is YA fantasy just a dumbed-down version of the great fantasy classics? Are the themes overplayed, the plots generic, or does it lack depth? And don’t get me started on the romance.

Is the entire appeal of YA just that it's so easy to read you can turn your brain off entirely? Is it surface-level reading that might be fun but doesn’t explore deep philosophical ideas and complex social problems?

Let's find out!

--

Hey, I’m Gina 👋 If you like video commentary on books, you're in the right place!

I post videos on the world of books and reading. Including deep dives into reading psychology, and fun facts you probably didn't know.

// JOIN MY BOOK CLUB
I run a book club on Discord. We have monthly readathons, buddy reads, and readalongs. Want to become a member? It's free! I’d love to have you along for the ride!

// LET'S CONNECT

* _This is an affiliate link. If you purchase something here, I get a commission._

[Juneelnoby]

I would love to add that the slight simplicity of the language in ya fantasy is helpful for second language english speakers like me
No matter how fluent i get it will always be more enjoyable to read a book that doesn’t hit me with complicated words every now and then or worse more often

[dukewhisky]

Really good to see another side of fantasy which offers something that is perhaps more approachable for a wider audience. So this was good to see a defence of YA fantasy.

[stschubs]

loving this, I'm such a YA nut, not only all the stories I loved as a child (looking at you Tamora Pierce) but you're totally right, there just wasn't the options! And I feel like YA authors just take all the risks, I tend to let things slide more in YA novels too. Suspending my disbelief is hard sometimes lol....butt look at all the success Leigh Bardugo has seen recently. People want the YA! Now stop judging me ;)

[DustyBookSniffers]

Excellent points made...l agree there are good and bad in all genres. And like you said, sometimes you just need an easy read. I also agree with C.S.Lewis as a 52yr old; l know l appreciate the fantasy world more now than when l was younger. Great video 😊

[jhtinyhudson]

People take these labels too seriously, if you enjoy it that is all that matters, other than Twilight and Harry Potter I hate them ;)