Good points! I feel like 🌶️spicy🌶️ scenes have found their way throughout modern fiction, and it’s… a choice 😅😅 I feel like people forgot that Erotica exists 🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️ You can have all the spice you want over there. Why bring it into books that don’t need it? 🤔
I agree a lot with this. I read fantasy, but not romantasy, since I prefer not to read books with spice in them. I honestly think spice shouldn't be in YA books. Plus, I feel like a lot of the reason people read these books is for the romance and not the plot itself which could be part of the reason nobody really cares about the repetition in these books. Anyway, I really liked your video and I would enjoy seeing more videos like it!
@@AlyssaDyck-uj9dr I’m glad have similar sentiments! And thank you so much for watching the video. I’ll definitely look into making more commentary-style videos in the future!
man i remember the first time i read "orbs" in reference eyes, it was on an RP server in 2003 and i was so damn confused as to how to respond because i was envisioning the fucking palantír from LoTR
I feel like a lot of same book syndrome can be attributed to the new writing trend of “trope before story”. People used to write stories before labelling it with tropes, now the tropes seem to come first, even on authortube.
oh my god I agree so wholeheartedly. All of these books so painfully lack any PASSION and its impossible to read and care about the story/characters when clearly the author doesn’t either. I miss when stories existed because someone actually wanted to tell it for a reason. It’s been kind of a motivator for my own creative projects, especially in the fantasy genre. The diversity and creativity is lacking so much and it makes me sad, I love writing but I haven’t read fiction in so long either :( Plus, I kinda hate reading romance stories, and it’s impossible to find one without it anymore.
Same here! They say write what you want to read, so that's what I've been doing with my books. I'm glad you're doing something similar. Thank you so much for checking out the video! I really appreciate it :)
I agree with most of what you've said. I would venture to say that these books are Romantasy Erotica, in my opinion, and I do not think they should be marketed for adolescents at all. Its one of my main gripes with it. And many just feel and read the same, unfortunately.
I do agree. I think the main issue is that there's a centre of romance instead of plot. Like the romance comes first in the story instead of following along with the plot if im making sense? Maybe I just like having a central plot that IS the main focus instead of the romance being the focus
@@OvauaKK You’re making perfect sense! I agree wholeheartedly. I think the plot should be the most important thing, and the romance aspect should be in service of the plot.
@@ldjwrites I'm a romance novelist, and even I want an even balance between romance and plot. What I'm finding as I get back into reading is that there is too much standing around and staring, or too much use of the central couple as the main conflict--which makes me end up NOT wanting them to get together. Or just outright smut. Which can destroy tension if its in the middle of a plot where the world is ending, or the author just didn't convince me these two people shoulda wanna be in a room together, let alone in a bed together. I'd rather--in the case of fantasy--see them work together to go on a quest or something with some romantic moments sprinkled in. Eggs with pepper, not pepper with eggs. And with regard to smut in YA? Shouldn't be there. The point of YA is supposed to be a safe reading category for tweens / teens. However, something that does happen on the net is that YA and adult get bridged by a relatively new sub-categorization called New Adult which is generally college aged protagonists with smut. It used to be mostly contemporary, but it was only a matter of time before it started entering other genres, too. (Since categories determine age of readership; not genre.) And that's if a book even NEEDS romance. Not every book does, and not every reader wants it. My preference is a balance, but something I've noticed is that a lot of normal fantasy readers tend to be going "What's this gushy crap doing in fantasy novels?", which shows there is a distinct shift in what's been happening. Fantasy = magic / otherworldly based plots with adventure or political intrigue. Fantasy Romance = Everything in fantasy, with a romance that will pop up at some point in addition to--but not overwhelming--the plot. Romantasy = romance or outright smut wearing fantasy as a skin suit. I read and enjoyed Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, but I'm in no way going to try and hide what the heck it is from an average fantasy writer's POV. That's not fair.
@@KatallinaVT I appreciate this comment a lot. You’ve definitely taught me a few things and given me much to think about. I agree with pretty much everything you said, and I kind of wish I had gotten these points across in my video haha. Maybe I’ll make a part two. Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to give me your perspective on this topic!
@@Sainted153 haha I’m glad this video could help you in some way! Also, congrats on starting your first novel! I’d love to hear about it if you’re open to sharing :)
@@ldjwritesthanks, man. And, yeah, the book is about a royal who rebels against her land because it's corrupt. But, there's one problem, while she hates injustice, she struggles with cowardice. In the course of the novel, she would improve, but she would also gain darker traits as well
I saw a tweet somewhere that said [paraphrasing] "lots of newer readers/writers never went through their fanfiction phase and it shows" and I agree heavily with that statement lol. tropes were popularized by fanfiction, where the original creator has already done all the character work. so tropes served as tags, so readers can have an idea of what kind of sandbox these FAMILIAR characters are playing in. I think a lot of these books are relying on the tropes to serve as "backstory" or "explanation" for the characters somehow...but that was never their purpose.
I was a huge fantasy reader as a kid as well, and while I know I also got more work and harder studies to focus on, honestly the timing of my falling out of love with reading matches the rise of tropified romantasy YA. I wouldn't even mind the tropes in an abstract sense, but it's so clear that they've been written in as trope titles only, never actually explored. Fantasy satire can be healing, and I will always recommend Terry Pratchett to everyone. The popular opinion is to never start with the Colour of Magic, the first novel he wrote to make fun of the 80s fantasy scene (it's mostly a DnD / sword&sorcery parody), but later on the novels become actually clever, exciting social satire. 'The Monstrous Regiment' is a great standalone, 'Going Postal' is another brilliant mini-series starter. And if clever children's/teen novel is something you miss, the Tiffany Aching books were fun - The Free Wee Men takes fairy lore and makes it into an adventure plot with the underworld.
i felt that about falling out of love with reading for a while. I think you'd like "The Samurai's Tale" where it's introspective and without the weird romance elements The Drizzt novels were fun too
Hey bro, i actually really like your presentation of your video ngl. This is the first video I watched from you and I honestly really like the way you present yourself and opinions!❤
@@OvauaKK Wow, that just made my whole day! This was my first time making a commentary style video so I’m glad that I was able to get my points across. Thank you so much for watching and hopefully you enjoy my other videos :)
The importance of reading for a writer isn't necessarily to know what is currently popular. It is important to know the conventions of your genre, how those are being used, and whether you want to follow current trends or subvert them. Reading authors whose writing style and flow you like can help build an internal muscle that can help you write easier. (This can be a lot more valuable if you are still finding your own voice; not sure where you are on your writing journey.) The series you described when talking about the books you like to read are considered, or at least start, as middle grade. Insofar as their sexual content, they stay there. (Speaking moreso about Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. You start adding conventional YA like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner later.) Modern YA is weird in that regard, even in comparison to where it was when I blogged ten to twelve years ago. Lastly, YA has always been very female coded and that's just gone through the roof in the past 10 to 12 years. Both in who reads it and who writes it. You might be better served reading more traditional fantasy like George RR Martin, Terry Goodkind, Brandon Sanderson, or (indie suggestion if you'd like a fun spoof on Dungeons and Dragons) Critical Failures by Robert Bevan.
@@KatallinaVT The thing is, I generally LIKE the premises of a lot of these YA Fantasy books (and I was not aware that some of the books I mentioned were MG but that makes a lot of sense now tbh). It’s just that the content sometimes is lacking and the story suffers as a result. I’m not the biggest fan of romance, but that’s because I think it’s not done well in the things I’ve read? Like you said, it should be a balance and I feel like a lot of these modern YA books are struggling with balancing the romance, plot, and character development.
Asian fantasy The Epic Crush of Genie Lo - F.C. Yee= journey to west mythology Forest of a Thousand Lanterns - Julie C. Dao Spin the Dawn- Elizabeth Lim Spin of fate- A.A. Vora Girls of Storm and Shadow-Natasha Ngan The Library of Fates-Aditi Khorana The Star-Touched Queen-Roshani Chokshi Gorgeous Gruesome Faces - Linda Cheng =horror Black fantasy Beasts of Prey- Ayana Gray The Gilded Ones - Namina Forna A Phoenix First Must Burn -anthology Pet - Akwaeke Emezi Bound by Blood and Sand - Becky Allen Within These Wicked Walls- Lauren Blackwood Wildblood- Lauren Blackwood The Little Mermaid: Against the Tide-J. Elle Almost There- Farrah Rochon The Good Luck Girls-Charlotte Nicole Davis Dread Nation & Deathless Divide - Justina ireland The Taking of Jake Livingston- Ryan Douglass =horror Miles Morales: Spider-Man-Jason Reynolds =scifi&fantasy Star wars high republic : Path of deceit = scifi&fantasy but probably presents more scifi Latino The Lost Dreamer-Lizz Huerta The Sunbearer Trials- Aiden Thomas Miscellaneous Make Me a Liar- Melissa Landers = presents more mystery & contemporary but is about murder mystery and headhopping A big issue is fact that ya doesn't have enough male authors. The fact that ya centers romance could be sending negative message to girls that romance should be center of life.
@@TheMaryweather You made a great point at the end. I do think there is a lack of male YA Fantasy author, which is why certain tropes seem to be more popular. Also, thank you for the recommendations!!!
@ldjwrites no problem! I have just started reading again and navigating through the spicefields has been a nightmare. But, I seemed to have found a pretty good ground for not getting anything spicy. As an aside. If you want to screw with people on book suggestions for spicy books. Suggest Dune to them.
@@MariaFlores-g1u LMAOOOO yeahhhh I can see how that might be a bit hypocritical… Gotta get people to click on the video somehow tho. Thank you for watching!
Good points! I feel like 🌶️spicy🌶️ scenes have found their way throughout modern fiction, and it’s… a choice 😅😅 I feel like people forgot that Erotica exists 🤷🏾♀️🤷🏾♀️ You can have all the spice you want over there. Why bring it into books that don’t need it? 🤔
I agree a lot with this. I read fantasy, but not romantasy, since I prefer not to read books with spice in them. I honestly think spice shouldn't be in YA books. Plus, I feel like a lot of the reason people read these books is for the romance and not the plot itself which could be part of the reason nobody really cares about the repetition in these books. Anyway, I really liked your video and I would enjoy seeing more videos like it!
@@AlyssaDyck-uj9dr I’m glad have similar sentiments! And thank you so much for watching the video. I’ll definitely look into making more commentary-style videos in the future!
man i remember the first time i read "orbs" in reference eyes, it was on an RP server in 2003 and i was so damn confused as to how to respond because i was envisioning the fucking palantír from LoTR
@@ms-abominable orbs is def one of my pet peeves lmaooo
definitely important to branch out read the smaller books, that’s gonna be a major reading goal of mine moving forward…
I feel like a lot of same book syndrome can be attributed to the new writing trend of “trope before story”. People used to write stories before labelling it with tropes, now the tropes seem to come first, even on authortube.
oh my god I agree so wholeheartedly. All of these books so painfully lack any PASSION and its impossible to read and care about the story/characters when clearly the author doesn’t either. I miss when stories existed because someone actually wanted to tell it for a reason. It’s been kind of a motivator for my own creative projects, especially in the fantasy genre. The diversity and creativity is lacking so much and it makes me sad, I love writing but I haven’t read fiction in so long either :( Plus, I kinda hate reading romance stories, and it’s impossible to find one without it anymore.
Same here! They say write what you want to read, so that's what I've been doing with my books. I'm glad you're doing something similar. Thank you so much for checking out the video! I really appreciate it :)
I agree with most of what you've said. I would venture to say that these books are Romantasy Erotica, in my opinion, and I do not think they should be marketed for adolescents at all. Its one of my main gripes with it. And many just feel and read the same, unfortunately.
I do agree. I think the main issue is that there's a centre of romance instead of plot. Like the romance comes first in the story instead of following along with the plot if im making sense? Maybe I just like having a central plot that IS the main focus instead of the romance being the focus
@@OvauaKK You’re making perfect sense! I agree wholeheartedly. I think the plot should be the most important thing, and the romance aspect should be in service of the plot.
@@ldjwrites I'm a romance novelist, and even I want an even balance between romance and plot. What I'm finding as I get back into reading is that there is too much standing around and staring, or too much use of the central couple as the main conflict--which makes me end up NOT wanting them to get together. Or just outright smut. Which can destroy tension if its in the middle of a plot where the world is ending, or the author just didn't convince me these two people shoulda wanna be in a room together, let alone in a bed together. I'd rather--in the case of fantasy--see them work together to go on a quest or something with some romantic moments sprinkled in. Eggs with pepper, not pepper with eggs.
And with regard to smut in YA? Shouldn't be there. The point of YA is supposed to be a safe reading category for tweens / teens. However, something that does happen on the net is that YA and adult get bridged by a relatively new sub-categorization called New Adult which is generally college aged protagonists with smut. It used to be mostly contemporary, but it was only a matter of time before it started entering other genres, too. (Since categories determine age of readership; not genre.)
And that's if a book even NEEDS romance. Not every book does, and not every reader wants it. My preference is a balance, but something I've noticed is that a lot of normal fantasy readers tend to be going "What's this gushy crap doing in fantasy novels?", which shows there is a distinct shift in what's been happening.
Fantasy = magic / otherworldly based plots with adventure or political intrigue.
Fantasy Romance = Everything in fantasy, with a romance that will pop up at some point in addition to--but not overwhelming--the plot.
Romantasy = romance or outright smut wearing fantasy as a skin suit. I read and enjoyed Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, but I'm in no way going to try and hide what the heck it is from an average fantasy writer's POV. That's not fair.
@@KatallinaVT I appreciate this comment a lot. You’ve definitely taught me a few things and given me much to think about.
I agree with pretty much everything you said, and I kind of wish I had gotten these points across in my video haha. Maybe I’ll make a part two.
Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to give me your perspective on this topic!
As one that is writing my first novel, that is YA fantasy I think, *I'm not as bad off as I thought*
But, this was very informative
@@Sainted153 haha I’m glad this video could help you in some way! Also, congrats on starting your first novel! I’d love to hear about it if you’re open to sharing :)
@@ldjwritesthanks, man. And, yeah, the book is about a royal who rebels against her land because it's corrupt. But, there's one problem, while she hates injustice, she struggles with cowardice. In the course of the novel, she would improve, but she would also gain darker traits as well
I saw a tweet somewhere that said [paraphrasing] "lots of newer readers/writers never went through their fanfiction phase and it shows" and I agree heavily with that statement lol.
tropes were popularized by fanfiction, where the original creator has already done all the character work. so tropes served as tags, so readers can have an idea of what kind of sandbox these FAMILIAR characters are playing in. I think a lot of these books are relying on the tropes to serve as "backstory" or "explanation" for the characters somehow...but that was never their purpose.
@@damiwriteshere That actually makes a TON of sense. I agree with all of that.
EXACTLY INDIGENOUS FANTASY! >:D
I was a huge fantasy reader as a kid as well, and while I know I also got more work and harder studies to focus on, honestly the timing of my falling out of love with reading matches the rise of tropified romantasy YA. I wouldn't even mind the tropes in an abstract sense, but it's so clear that they've been written in as trope titles only, never actually explored.
Fantasy satire can be healing, and I will always recommend Terry Pratchett to everyone. The popular opinion is to never start with the Colour of Magic, the first novel he wrote to make fun of the 80s fantasy scene (it's mostly a DnD / sword&sorcery parody), but later on the novels become actually clever, exciting social satire. 'The Monstrous Regiment' is a great standalone, 'Going Postal' is another brilliant mini-series starter. And if clever children's/teen novel is something you miss, the Tiffany Aching books were fun - The Free Wee Men takes fairy lore and makes it into an adventure plot with the underworld.
Everything you said is 💯 spice should never be in the YA genre. I don't care what anyone says.
Thank you!!!! I'm okay with romance but full on spice is just...why????
@@ldjwrites It should be illegal in my humble opinion 🤣
i felt that about falling out of love with reading for a while.
I think you'd like "The Samurai's Tale" where it's introspective and without the weird romance elements
The Drizzt novels were fun too
Hey bro, i actually really like your presentation of your video ngl. This is the first video I watched from you and I honestly really like the way you present yourself and opinions!❤
@@OvauaKK Wow, that just made my whole day! This was my first time making a commentary style video so I’m glad that I was able to get my points across. Thank you so much for watching and hopefully you enjoy my other videos :)
The importance of reading for a writer isn't necessarily to know what is currently popular. It is important to know the conventions of your genre, how those are being used, and whether you want to follow current trends or subvert them.
Reading authors whose writing style and flow you like can help build an internal muscle that can help you write easier. (This can be a lot more valuable if you are still finding your own voice; not sure where you are on your writing journey.)
The series you described when talking about the books you like to read are considered, or at least start, as middle grade. Insofar as their sexual content, they stay there. (Speaking moreso about Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. You start adding conventional YA like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner later.) Modern YA is weird in that regard, even in comparison to where it was when I blogged ten to twelve years ago.
Lastly, YA has always been very female coded and that's just gone through the roof in the past 10 to 12 years. Both in who reads it and who writes it. You might be better served reading more traditional fantasy like George RR Martin, Terry Goodkind, Brandon Sanderson, or (indie suggestion if you'd like a fun spoof on Dungeons and Dragons) Critical Failures by Robert Bevan.
@@KatallinaVT The thing is, I generally LIKE the premises of a lot of these YA Fantasy books (and I was not aware that some of the books I mentioned were MG but that makes a lot of sense now tbh). It’s just that the content sometimes is lacking and the story suffers as a result.
I’m not the biggest fan of romance, but that’s because I think it’s not done well in the things I’ve read? Like you said, it should be a balance and I feel like a lot of these modern YA books are struggling with balancing the romance, plot, and character development.
Lmao the truth is I was writing a long 5 paragraph MLA format hate comment 🤭😭
Why chat different from comments? Oh, premiere. Right. Okay. Great energy in this one. All points very well-made. Great work!
Thank you, thank you!
Asian fantasy
The Epic Crush of Genie Lo - F.C. Yee= journey to west mythology
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns - Julie C. Dao
Spin the Dawn- Elizabeth Lim
Spin of fate- A.A. Vora
Girls of Storm and Shadow-Natasha Ngan
The Library of Fates-Aditi Khorana
The Star-Touched Queen-Roshani Chokshi
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces - Linda Cheng =horror
Black fantasy
Beasts of Prey- Ayana Gray
The Gilded Ones - Namina Forna
A Phoenix First Must Burn -anthology
Pet - Akwaeke Emezi
Bound by Blood and Sand - Becky Allen
Within These Wicked Walls- Lauren Blackwood
Wildblood- Lauren Blackwood
The Little Mermaid: Against the Tide-J. Elle
Almost There- Farrah Rochon
The Good Luck Girls-Charlotte Nicole Davis
Dread Nation & Deathless Divide - Justina ireland
The Taking of Jake Livingston- Ryan Douglass =horror
Miles Morales: Spider-Man-Jason Reynolds =scifi&fantasy
Star wars high republic : Path of deceit = scifi&fantasy but probably presents more scifi
Latino
The Lost Dreamer-Lizz Huerta
The Sunbearer Trials- Aiden Thomas
Miscellaneous
Make Me a Liar- Melissa Landers = presents more mystery & contemporary but is about murder mystery and headhopping
A big issue is fact that ya doesn't have enough male authors.
The fact that ya centers romance could be sending negative message to girls that romance should be center of life.
@@TheMaryweather You made a great point at the end. I do think there is a lack of male YA Fantasy author, which is why certain tropes seem to be more popular.
Also, thank you for the recommendations!!!
A fantastic book series for adult fiction is the first law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, if you want YA his shattered seas series isnt bad.
Thank you for the suggestions!
@ldjwrites no problem! I have just started reading again and navigating through the spicefields has been a nightmare. But, I seemed to have found a pretty good ground for not getting anything spicy. As an aside.
If you want to screw with people on book suggestions for spicy books. Suggest Dune to them.
@@JoShiiKinz LMAO I'll definitely be sure to do that! Dune has a TON of spice
I also don’t read that much…
@@patrick_nilan I’m gonna try and do better. I just say you do a readathon or something like that not too long ago!
@@ldjwrites yeah I read 2 classics! The goal was 5 tho so…
@@patrick_nilan 2 is better than 0
"EXPOSING THE SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT YA FANTASY"
also
"Before u come at me, this is just my opinion" lols
Great vid though👍
@@MariaFlores-g1u LMAOOOO yeahhhh I can see how that might be a bit hypocritical… Gotta get people to click on the video somehow tho.
Thank you for watching!
Great points!
I'm glad you think so! Thank you so much for watching :)
Can't wait!
Julian Freeway