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satyesu

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I guess I should have posted in this thread and not BWQ. Oops.

I'm writing a maturation novel about a college senior, but I'm guessing the mod thought most of these were YA. What should I read to help me write my book?
 

Sage

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Since "maturation novel" is not an actual term used to describe a category or genre of books, what exactly are you looking for? No matter what, though, YA does not cover books about college seniors.
 

satyesu

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I'm getting help in another thread. Thanks anyway. :)
 

startraveller

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Wondering if anyone can recommend some 90s contemporary supernatural/paranormal/gothic titles? Anything along the lines of:

- Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
- Both Sides of Time by Caroline B. Cooney

Alternatively, anything similar to:
- Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan

The more dated the better.
 

startraveller

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Thanks! I've read a couple of Christopher Pike's short stories but none of his novels.
 

Emissarius

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I'm wondering if anyone can rec a 1st-person novel with a huge cast of characters but a single POV throughout (can be either YA or MG). That's what I'm trying to do with my 1st POV story. The MC is surrounded by lots of characters but the POV never shifts to any of them.
 

MaryLennox

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Wondering if anyone can recommend some 90s contemporary supernatural/paranormal/gothic titles? Anything along the lines of:

- Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
- Both Sides of Time by Caroline B. Cooney

Alternatively, anything similar to:
- Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan

The more dated the better.

I keep track of every book I've read since I was 12 and put it all up on GoodReads...and I was a teen in the 90s, so I took a peek. I know I've read Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde, so I thought I may have a few others. This is what I found. I really don't remember them, so can't really vouch for them being any good...But they might lead to others if you look them up on GoodReads.

Whispers from the Grave by Leslie Rule

Drowning In Secrets by Brenda Bellingham

In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes


 

MaryLennox

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This may be an odd one and why I never come across it...but YA books that are fantasy/scifi but *don't* end in a huge, epic, battle or showdown or some sort of...amazing thing. The main character *does not* save the world, and was never trying to. There's no Big Bad, etc. Basically, contemporary stories about teens that happen to take place in either a scifi, fantasy, or dystopian world. The best I can compare to is The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, but I'm looking for YA. (If you happen to know of any MG or Adult, I'm happy to hear about those, too.)

P.S. I thought of one YA one, if it helps to have something to compare to - How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. It has a bit of a dystopian/war vibe, but the main character does not have an active part in the war.
 
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BryceRChapman

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Hey all, I've been working on a book series in the YA Fantasy world for a couple years now and I've been wanting to find comps for it. So far, I'm not thrilled with what I have been able to find myself. One of my biggest issues is trying to find YA Fantasies that are more plot driven rather than teenage drama driven.

For instance, the Red Queen has a huge focus on the love triangle and the main character's feelings on everything rather than the plot itself.

To be honest, even though I'm writing in YA Fantasy I have a difficult time finding books in the genre that I personally enjoy. The only one I've found recently that I genuinely enjoyed and thought could be a decent comp to my series, is Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. I loved that book, and it feels far different than most of the YA Fantasies I usually come across.

General things I'm looking for in a YA Fantasy:

- Plot Driven

- Less Focus on Teenage drama/romance

- Preferably about a misfit group of friends
 

BlackMoth

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The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker
The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska (There's a romance between the two girls in it but there's only one kiss scene and it's not super romance focused.)
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black (Also has a romance, but focuses a ton on wordbuilding and court politics.)
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
 
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Brightdreamer

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I'm curious for recommendations off this list. I've heard of very few besides Kuang.

Of these, I've read and generally enjoyed Race the Sands (Sarah Beth Durst), The Bone Shard Daughter (Andrea Stewart), The Rage of Dragons (Evan Winter), and Raybearer (Jordan Ifueko). A couple others are in the TBR pile, and a couple were DNFs, but most I haven't heard of or gotten to yet...
 
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Roxxsmom

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I read Race the Sands and enjoyed it.

I read the Gilded Ones too. It had a few things that bumped me out at times, but overall I liked it. There was some romance brewing, possibly, but it's the first book in a series, so it's not yet clear where that would be going.

I read Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor a while back and thought it was pretty good. I haven't gotten around to the sequels yet, but I probably will at some point.

I liked the Scholomance books by Naomi Novik, though that's set in a more "western" environment. Still, the protagonist is biracial, and there are groups of students from different countries and cultures within the school, and this plays a pretty major part in the story..

I liked The Jasmine Throne, though I'm not sure it was strictly YA (the protagonist was over 18, though still a younger adult).

There were romantic elements in some of these stories, but the romance wasn't the focus. And I'd say that the focus was also not on teen angst or drama, even in the Scholomance book. The protagonist was an angsty teenage wizard, but her angst and concern about unpopularity were related to staying alive in a very hostile environment, so it was actually kind of a deconstruction of that trope, imo.
 
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Hummingbird

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I’m no help with the request above, but I’m hoping it’s cool to add my own.

Does anybody know of any magical girl/ -boy/ -person / -warrior type books? I’ve seen lots of anime, manga, etc. But I’m hoping to find something in written format that includes characters transforming and using magic.

I haven’t read a new book in years, just been stuck with what I had on hand. And I’m really hoping to start growing my personal library again. ❤️
 

yayeahyeah

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I'm curious for recommendations off this list. I've heard of very few besides Kuang.

Dread Nation and Deathless Divide are two of my favourite YAs of recent years - Black girls kicking zombie ass. The rivalry turned friendship between Jane (narrator of book 1 and part of book 2) and Katherine (who narrates the rest of book 2) is a particular highlight.

Sia Martinez... is interesting. I don't love it as much as Gilliland's second book, How Moon Fuentez Fell In Love With The Universe, but it's a compelling mixture of immigration, trafficking, and actual (as in UFO) aliens.

I don't love the pacing of Legendborn - first half seemed a little slow to me - but it's definitely one of the better King Arthur retellings/inspired books I've read and the second half is excellent, building to a really stunning climax which has me super-excited for the upcoming Bloodmarked.

These Violent Delights has an absolutely amazing setting - monster-hit 1920s Shanghai - and it's a compelling Romeo and Juliet retelling with a fantastic cast of characters. Haven't read Our Violent Ends yet but it sounds equally superb.
 

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I just finished Legendborn after stalling 25% in for half a year or so, but read the second half in one sitting, so I agree about it completely
 

Sage

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I’m no help with the request above, but I’m hoping it’s cool to add my own.

Does anybody know of any magical girl/ -boy/ -person / -warrior type books? I’ve seen lots of anime, manga, etc. But I’m hoping to find something in written format that includes characters transforming and using magic.

I haven’t read a new book in years, just been stuck with what I had on hand. And I’m really hoping to start growing my personal library again. ❤️
Sarah Raughly (a past AWer) has The Effigies series, which she specifically cites Sailormoon as inspiration for.
 
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