Paranormal romance books as a genre

Paranormal romance novels are currently one of the most popular genres among young adult fiction books. This is not a big surprise since romance novels are the most popular sellers. This stylish sub-genre adheres to the classic elements of romance books, yet is distinguished through the use of a twist of speculative fiction. This usually takes the form of supernatural or scientifically unexplainable characters, settings and plots.

Paranormal romance books typically inject themes of sci-fi, horror, mystery or fantasy, with some reference to the genre’s gothic roots. By bringing together characters ranging from ghosts, werewolves, vampires, demons, zombies and witches with humans, paranormal romance novels blend the real world with a fantastical one. As with young adult fiction novels like Twilight, the author can infuse a romance between a character from an otherworldly place with a human character, creating a multitude of opportunities for conflict and growth, while providing the book with mainstream appeal.

For a while, it seemed like the romances in young adult fantasy novels were always between vampires and humans, though now, authors have taken this theme a step further by injecting love affairs between humans and ghosts, aliens, shape shifters, devils, angels and the like. These supernatural entities still have relatable characteristics which make them appeal to both the human characters and readers.

Beyond the romantic aspect, paranormal romance books are defined by their extraordinary elements. Readers want the surprise element that this form of fiction can provide, whether it comes from wizardry and magic, the occult or outer space. The world the characters live in may be sci-fi, futuristic or fantasy, they may use time travel or space ships, or exist via reincarnation—the point is, there are components that make the story completely different from their world, and hopefully, other books. These types of characteristics are extremely popular among young adult fantasy novels, which is the reason why many authors seek to fuse the two genres—recent successes indicate that this is a formula for success.

When readers open paranormal romance novels, they expect to be transported to another world, where they may be able to relate to the protagonist’s emotional plight and circumstances, but maybe not the world they live in. If an author can provide the reader entry into this other place, then they’re moving down the right path.