How old is too old for YA?

Posted on by

In the last few years, I’ve found myself more and more drawn into Young Adult (YA) novels. I got started because I was buying books for The Daughter, and wanted to read them to make sure they were appropriate. That led to me wanting to read them because…well, because I wanted to read them.

I think it started with Rachel Vincent and her Before I Wake Series. There was also Gena Showalter’s Intertwined, Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey, Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments, Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games (of course), and my latest find, Maureen McGowan’s The Dust Chronicles.

Maureen McGowan's Deviants
Quick note here, I thought Deviants (#1 in The Dust Chronicles) was amazing. So much so, that although I promised myself no more books until some of the existing supply was read, I had to buy Compliance (#2) this week when it came out. (I might have mentioned this in a previous post, but willpower is NOT one of my strongest characteristics.)

Why YA? I’m not sure.

Maybe because I turn 48 this week, and when I look in the mirror I see my grandma’s arms and some old woman’s knees. (Surely, they aren’t mine.) Maybe because I’m tired of what other authors tell me my sex-life is supposed to be like. (No, I have not read Fifty Shades.) Maybe because when I hear my fifteen year old daughter complain about school and boys, I would openly welcome a life where those were my biggest issues.

Or…maybe it’s just because there are some pretty awesome writers out there who write YA, and I enjoy a good book!

4 thoughts on “How old is too old for YA?”

  1. I thought I’d never want to read a YA novel. I wanted the sex, the violence, the darker themes, and I sure as hell didn’t want to return to the hell of my teen years. Never say never! Color me surprised to find out that not only do they contain all the sex and violence, but they often play with much darker themes than adult novels because–and we forget this as adults–teens are waking up to all the “adult” feelings but operating without fully-formed adult brains. It’s scary and fascinating at the same time. Haven’t read Deviants. Will have to check it out. Great post. 🙂

    Like

Comments are closed.