I am SO EXCITED to be participating in the 2015 Summer Blogger Promo Tour hosted by the amazing Book Bratz (Amber & Jessica!)
Before sharing her post on YA Trends, we did a quick little interview, and it was definitely fun to get to know you Carlisa!
1.) How long have you been blogging?
I've been blogging since middle school but I just started exclusively book blogging this past February.
I've been blogging since middle school but I just started exclusively book blogging this past February.
2.) Why did you start blogging?
I started book blogging because I have always loved books. I'm always reading a book and I like to talk about them! Especially with people who love them as much as I do.
I started book blogging because I have always loved books. I'm always reading a book and I like to talk about them! Especially with people who love them as much as I do.
3.) How old are you? Just turned 20 yesterday!
4.) Favorite Book/Series? What genre do you mostly read?:
Uhhh, such a hard question. Harry Potter will be a life-long favorite series for sure. I read mostly YA fantasy and contemporary. But I also read historical fiction, and adult fiction, and basically anything with a good plot line and good writing!
Uhhh, such a hard question. Harry Potter will be a life-long favorite series for sure. I read mostly YA fantasy and contemporary. But I also read historical fiction, and adult fiction, and basically anything with a good plot line and good writing!
5.) Why do you love to read AND blog?
Like I said, I love to read and my blog gives me an outlet to talk about the books I'm reading. Most of my friends aren't that avid of readers, so I need somewhere where I can discuss (and sometimes rant) about my
feelings for a book.
Like I said, I love to read and my blog gives me an outlet to talk about the books I'm reading. Most of my friends aren't that avid of readers, so I need somewhere where I can discuss (and sometimes rant) about my
feelings for a book.
6.) Fav TV Show + Fav Song? (at the moment): My favorite TV show is Parks and Rec for sure. I love it so so much. And my favorite song changes on a day to day basis, but I love acoustic music and also pop singers like Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles.
YA Trends
YA is a genre that holds many different genres. And there are so. many. different. sub-genres. Which is awesome! It provides variety and a chance for us as readers to experience a plethora of different things all the time. One genre that I’ve seen gaining popularity recently is the Fairytale Retelling. Personally, I love this. But let’s look at the recent big-title names:
- A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas - Sleeping Beauty
- Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge - Red Riding Hood
- Uprooted by Naomi Novik - Beauty and the Beast
- Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - Beauty and the Beast
- Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt - Princess and the Pea
- Winter by Marissa Meyer - Snow White
And those are just in 2015. Why is this trend happening right now? What makes it so relevant to the youth of today? Let’s think about it.
The Twists
I think the main difference in these stories comes in the term “retellings.” These are stories told again but differently. They have new messages and ideas than the old fairy tales we have known and loved. We grow up with Disney as our main source of fairy tales. We know well their “Once upon a time…”’s and their “Happily ever after”’s. But these retellings take the original story and twist them, make them more relevant to today’s time period, to today’s youth…even if they’re not set in the present day. For instance, in Cruel Beauty, Nyx, the main girl, is a kick-butt heroine who stands up for herself and fights for her values and what she believes in. Though Belle in the classic Disney version does stand up for herself, she’s seen more as a young, beauty who the beast falls in love with and then they live happily ever after. There’s no fighting, no real confrontations. And these retellings give us that. They give us “princesses” who are willing to fight, who are equals to those devilishly handsome “princes.” And that equality is something people of today crave.
The Timeless (And Ageless) Beauty
Along with the new twists, there is always that classically beautiful story that comes from these fairy tales. These stories have lasted centuries for a reason. They’re beautiful and timeless and we love to hear them. And I think people are starting to realize that this timeless beauty doesn’t end with your childhood. Fairy tales aren’t just bedtime stories. They’re stories that resonate with us no matter our age…and I think that’s why they’re now popular as Young Adult books. And I think soon enough they’ll be popular in adult fiction as well (Uprooted by Naomi Novik is actually adult fiction).
Fairy tales are wonderful and I love to see new twists and takes on them through retellings. I hope this is a trend that lasts because I want to see all the fairy tales. Not even joking. Let’s bring them out. Just kidding but not really.
Thanks for having me Patrick!
Social Media Links:
Be sure to go to Carlisa's blog and social media and follow her blog! Come back next Sunday and I'll be featuring Brittany from Brittany's Book Rambles!
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