Young Adult Fantasy Novels and Their Popularity

As the popularity of young adult fiction books soared in recent years, the genre has split into a wide range of sub-genres that often get confused. A few of these niches stand apart from the rest, such as young adult fantasy novels, as sales over recent years convey.

Young adult fantasy novels are typically written for readers between the ages of 12 and 18—though we now know that they span the gamut of ages, from tweens to middle-aged. What sets them apart from other young adult novels is that they contain fundamental elements that are unrealistic, such as supernatural powers, magic, talking animals, wizardry and the like. In the best fantasy novels, the focus is on make-believe settings and beings, a departure from the accepted rules of society.

The best fantasy novels tell stories that would not happen in real life. This makes it easy to confuse these stories with science-fiction, which is different from fantasy, though it’s a fine line that defines the two genres. For example, young adult fantasy novels are often set in the not-so-near future, which is typically considered a sci-fi setting. These types of young adult novels are often shelved in the same area, due to the difficulty of categorization.

This explains why fantasy is a genre that transcends age boundaries. Many adults have enjoyed Harry Potter, Twilight and Lord of the Rings—all of which significantly drew interest to the genre, but were considered and marketed as young adult fiction books. This makes sense because legends and myths have been a part of our culture since the beginning of time, with most literature based on such. Fantasy allows us to escape while opening the door to the possibilities of the world around us, and will maintain its popularity indefinitely.