Books that mix contemporary plots/characters with low fantasy worlds?

[Elenma]

Hi everyone!

You know how agents always say you should never claim there was nothing like your book out there? I definitely won't make this claim in a query letter, but I haven't actually found any books who mix genres quite the way I do. So I was wondering if anyone here might know something that comes close.

I write YA novels that have characters that feel pretty much the same as those in contemporary YA (think Sara Zarr, John Green, E. Lockhart, etc.) and the plots are always primarily about character relationships (conflicts between siblings, love stories, etc.) BUT they are set in a fantasy world. This fantasy world does have magic and its own countries, cultures, languages and technologies, but it also has a modern feel (they have buses and high schools and a relatively familiar society) and is not what the main focus of the book is about. I try to make the fantasy elements relevant to the premise/plot but it's never the most important thing.

Does anyone know books out there (YA or otherwise) that do this? I would really love to find something.

OR does anyone know other types books with fantasy worlds that feel familiar and modern/western?

Any ideas are appreciated!

Elenma

[richcapo]

You might want to check out Clive Barker's incredible Abarat series. It's YA, mixes the modern and the mundane with the magical and the otherworldly, and it is fabulously written. (It's also scary as hell, though, so if that's not your bag of balls, you may want to sidestep it all together.)

[Elenma]

Originally Posted by richcapo

(It's also scary as hell, though, so if that's not your bag of balls, you may want to sidestep it all together.)

Uh-oh. Maybe I shouldn't read it... I did read The Thief of Always a long time ago and don't remember it being too scary, but that's my only experience with Clive Barker's writing.

Anyway, thank you so much for the tip. I'll definitely look it up!