Question about the YA-ness of my YA Fantasy

It's more than age. You have to consider voice and tone. Do these ancient "teens" have the sort of restrictions on them normal teens face, or do they live as free as adults? Is a multi-millenial really capable of sounding like a regular teen?

Honestly, I'd say you've got a better shot at "new adult" than YA.

Do restrictions matter a lot?
I mean, remembering just a few recent titles: in LEGEND, she is fifteen and agent of the military, he is also fifteen and a world class criminal who does whatever he wants. In UNDER THE NEVER SKY, three teen characters travel through the wilderness alone for the biggest part of the book. In SISTERS RED, there are two sisters and one guy hunting werewolves, the girls are 16 and he is about 19 or so, the sisters live alone at first, and then the three of them live together.
Obviously it's not the norm, but does such a thing really hurt the chances of a book?

If it's set in the real world, then the teens as well as characters appearing to be teens should be treated like teens. Teens are supposed to be in school. They have to have permission to do things and go certain places, etc.

Right. And it boils down to how well readers can relate to the characters too. In Legend, yeah, the MCs were usually doing whatever they wanted, but in context that teens can relate to. June's freedom was due to being a prodigy...but her relationship with her brother was a very large part of the book thematically, and something most teens can relate to. There's a reason Twilight was from Bella's POV and not Edward's (the never released Midnight Son not withstanding) - being fascinated by the mysterious immortal? Easy to relate to as a teen. Being a mysterious immortal fascinated with a teenager? Not so easy to relate to as a teen.

The reason YAs almost never have adult viewpoints isn't because there's never in the history of YA been a storytelling reason for including an adult POV....but because adult perspectives aren't what teens turn to YA to read. Most teen readers don't want to immerse themselves in mature perspectives that rationalize why they shouldn't involve themselves in the mysterious but dangerous situation and should instead stay home where its safe. They want to read about characters who would react the way they would (or wish they could), who would make the choices they would (or that they wish they could), that know the mysterious stranger is likely going to break their heart, but fall for them anyway, just like they would.

The problem with treating young looking immortals as MCs is that you don't get to be 2000 years old without gaining the wisdom of the ages in the process. Realistically, no matter what they look like, anyone that old should be so far from being able to relate to a teen that they make a reader's 80 year old grandmother seem like a more plausible BFF. That said, its not impossible to make a character that old work. You just have to focus on the areas they CAN relate to teens in, and make sure those shine through. For instance, what makes these characters immortal? Are they just long-lived, or impossible or extremely hard to kill as well? If its the latter, I can see a case being made for them never really having to grow up - to be able to always make the reckless, adventurous choices rather than the mature, responsible ones, and that's something teen readers can relate to. Of course, then that begs the question, what are the stakes when you're that formidable that you can get away with never having to grow up (emotionally, even if aging physically isn't an option)....

Cyia said:

If it's set in the real world, then the teens as well as characters appearing to be teens should be treated like teens. Teens are supposed to be in school. They have to have permission to do things and go certain places, etc.

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Do you mean contemporary YA as a subgenre (with realistic characters and events) or the contemporary world setting?
I mean, for example, take a Nikita-like plot: a teen girl is kidnapped and forced to work for the government as a spy. Obviously she'll be controlled and might go to some school on an assignment, but it wouldn't be like a normal teen's life, in some ways it would be a less restricted life.

As for Bella, I think it also might be related to the Fish Out of Water type of MC. Teens must be wanting to read about such characters even more than adult readers. If Edward were the main character, then he'd be an insider, no new world for him to discover.

Anything anchored in the real world. Even with Nikita, you're in a situation where those around her will make assumptions based on her age. She could get stopped for truancy by a cop. If she's carrying a lot of cash on her, she'd be more likely to be assumed a thief. Older characters would expect her to defer to them, not realizing she's got information they don't. In an emergency, an adult is more likely to be believed than a kid. An adult can walk into a rental place and rent a car if she needs one, a teenage girl can't.

I recall reading the samples you posted and this definitely read as YA to me. Regardless of the character's ages. But the sample was also from the younger POVs.

The thing is that if you made the first books from the young POVs for the most part, you'd be free to do whatever for the subsequent books once the first book sold. I know that would be quite a re-write. But in hindsight I wonder if Greta as the MC wouldn't make the novel more marketable.

You should post some of Jack's POV in SYW and get some feedback on voice. You style seemed, to me, a pretty good fit for YA. For it's possible that despite their age, it would still resonate.

Cyia said:

If it's set in the real world, then the teens as well as characters appearing to be teens should be treated like teens. Teens are supposed to be in school. They have to have permission to do things and go certain places, etc.

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I agree with this. However, there are books currently out where teens seem to be running things and the parents are either absent or clueless. This holds true for other adults in those same novels. So, I agree that they should be treated as teens and have the requirements that teens have, authors can and do get away with eschewing said treatments and requirements.

Absentee parents/uncaring or disappearing guardians is an old tradition, not really a current trend. It goes back to like the 19th century literature. The point is to give the kid/teen MCs a bit more freedom to act out the plot (especially true for adventure type plots,) and to up the suspense by making them to be unable to rely on adults.

Windcutter said:

Absentee parents/uncaring or disappearing guardians is an old tradition, not really a current trend. It goes back to like the 19th century literature. The point is to give the kid/teen MCs a bit more freedom to act out the plot (especially true for adventure type plots,) and to up the suspense by making them to be unable to rely on adults.

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It also helps the writer -- no parents, or just one parent, means fewer characters to keep track of and craft into fully believable people. If your character has two parents who basically exhibit the same personalities and the same relationship to the MC, you might as well merge them into one parent to cut down on characters.

Also, death of one or both parents gives your MC a ready-made tragic backstory

I also have a tendency to give the MC some kind of guardian/uncle/aunt as their only living relative, and then turn them into secondary villains. So melodramatic. xd