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Greek Mythology related YA stories have always been, but since the rise of Percy Jackson, it feels like we're seeing more and more Mythology make it's way into YA novels. But there's one myth that seems to cropping up more than others: retellings of Persephone and Hades. Maybe because there's an element of star-crossed romance, maybe it lends itself to angsty romantic plots, but whatever it is, Persephone is a popular character right now.
The first Persephone book I really noticed was back in 2009. I remember reading about this one on Betsy Bird's HarperCollins preview and I knew I wanted to read it based on the cover:
But then the Persephone stories kept coming:
Coming out this year is a dystopian take on Persephone:
And Leila at Bookshelves of Doom posted about another Persephone book coming our way from author Bree Despain.So what do you think? Do you like reading about Persephone? Is she the myth worth all this attention or is there another mythological story you'd like to be reading more of?
There have been a lot of circus themed or books with circus elements to them coming out lately in the YA world. I tend to think this trend has something to do with this little title that was published a couple of years ago:
I think The Night Circus made the circus cool and marketable and put it on everyone's publishing radar. Here are some YA circus themed books:
-A traveling wonder show that travels from circus to circus to attract attendees into their human curiosities show.
-A girl joins a circus in search of her mother
-A group of misfits are trapped in a Victorian sideshow
-Features a circus of magic and a character who joins the circus and becomes its rising star.
Have you noticed any other circus themes showing up in books?
So I normally post about trends I see happening in YA, but here's a trend that is happening across the board: bird watching. It took me by surprise-who knew bird watching would become so book trendy? But check it out:
Childrens:
Middle Grade:
(not totally about bird watching, but features bird watching characters)
(This one appears to be self published, which I don't typically include,but I thought it was interesting how it fit the theme)
Young Adult:
Adult:
Have you noticed birds in your books lately?
Trends are a funny thing. Some come all at once and others seem to slowly creep up on you as you read. I feel like in the dystopian genre there more books coming out that take a fairy twist in a dystopian world. Fairy tales are always popular, but the dystopian twist seems to be taking off. Here are a few I've noticed:
-This was the first dystopian fairy tale I noticed. I listened to it on audiobook when it came out in 2011 and really enjoyed it. It's a dystopian/future/scifi take on Sleeping Beauty.
From Goodreads: Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose-- hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire-- is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes-- or be left without any future at all.
Cinder is a cyborg Cinderella tale set in the future. I read it and really enjoyed it and liked the cyborg take on Cinderella. It was unique and fun.
From Goodreads: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future
And Cinder's sequel/companion novel, Scarlet. This time it's a future tale of Little Red Riding Hood.
From Goodreads: Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner
This one comes out in April and is another Sleeping Beauty retelling.
From Goodreads: There is no cure for being stung.
Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.
Any others you have noticed? Do you like fairy tale retellings with a dystopian twist?
As I read a lot this year, I've been posting about the various trends I've seen popping up in YA. Check out the previous trends: Italy is Awesome, Glass Blowing, One Crazy Night, Game of Thrones for Teens, and Gossipy Historical ala Downton Abbey.
I think that because of the rise in dystopian lit, we're also seeing a rise in survival stories. And one of the survival storylines that is making it's way into YA lit is stories based on plane crashes. This isn't new-Hatchet is a plane crash survival story that was first published in 1987. In fact, the first book in this trend has even been compared to Hatchet:
-I've seen the tagline Hatchet meets Lost for this one. A girl is on her way home, and she's actually planning on killing herself, when the plane she's on crashes and she and boy are the only survivors.
Robie decides to unexpectedly take a cargo plane back home to the Midway Atoll after staying with her aunt. No one knows she's coming back early, so when a storm hits and the plane crashes, Robie finds herself in a raft, trying to survive and knows that no one will know where to look for her.
-This one is about the aftermath of a plane crash where Megan was the only survivor. She's struggling with the memories of the crash and how everyone is treating her like some sort of miracle for surviving.
-This one is out next year and is another aftermath of a plane crash book. After a plane crash, a girl is found among the wreckage, alive and with injuries or memories of the crash.
What do you think of this trend? Do you like survival books? Have you seen any other plane crash books this year?
I've mentioned how much I love Game of Thrones here on the blog. Mr. GreenBeanSexyMan had read the whole series and couldn't wait for the TV Show. I was quickly hooked on the TV Show and am now working my way through the books. Of course, the YA world took note and now a big trend of books being marketed as "Game of Thrones for Teens" are coming out. And even those that might not have that tagline are appearing this year and I think they could have the same thing said about them. I'm really hoping this means a rise in epic fantasy in YA!
-This was the first book I heard as described with the Game of Thrones for Teens tagline when it was announced in Publisher's Weekly. It's been on my radar ever since because, that simple sell totally works for me!
-Another one I heard mentioned with the "for Game of Thrones fans" tagline
-I've seen this one with Game of Thrones mentions as well as
Hunger Games mentions (trying to hit all genres I guess!)
-I haven't actually seen this one with the Game of Thrones tag, but it was the first thing I mentioned to Mr. GreenBeanSexyMan as I was reading it.
And it's even heading into next year as well:
-I noticed in the Goodreads says "Tamora Pierce meets George R.R. Martin" Also, while it might have romance in it, there's no mention of romance in the description which certainly makes it stand out!
Now, if you'll let me name drop for a moment, I got to meet Mr. Martin at ALA this year (it was one of the highlights!!). I asked him what he thought of this trend of calling YA books "Game of Thrones for Teens" and he replied, "So what would that be? The story without all the sex?" We shall see, Mr. Martin!
So, any others you've noticed in this trend? Like it or not?
The more you read, the more you notice certain trends in books. With as much reading as I have to do this year, I've noticed A LOT of trends in YA. So far I've pointed out the Glass Blowing Trend and The Hangover for Teens (aka One Crazy Night) Trend.
So where's the popular setting for YA books this year? Italy is the place to be apparently! Just take a look:
-It has one trend already-glass blowing-and where does it take place? Italy!
-Historical secret society-in Italy!
-This novel is out in October and takes place in Italy! Cross My Heart and Venom also have a mini trend of masks on the cover.
-Another historical-with ties to Italy
-It's not just historical fiction that's set in Italy-we've got contemporary fiction there too!
Have you noticed any other books taking place in Italy this year?
When you read a lot of books, you start to notice trends. So I decided I would start posting about the trends I've seen so far this year. Last week, I posted about one trend: "One Crazy Night aka The Hangover for Teens" Now for trend number two: Glass Blowing in YA.
This is an odd trend I think. Who would have thought glass blowing would be making an appearance in a lot of YA lit? I guess I think it's funny because it always makes me think of my childhood vacation days to Silver Dollar City and watching the glass blowers. I never thought it would be a trend in YA! It's showing up in historical and contemporary books.
First up, a book that meets one trend already (The One Crazy Night Trend) and adds the Glass Blowing Trend:
Trend Note: Lucy is a talented glass artist who is studying the art in a studio and making her own pieces.
Trend Note: Ysabel is another talented teen glass artist, this time making glass jewelry.
Trend Note: You just know from the name it matches the trend, don't you? Maria is the youngest daughter of a family of glass blowers and she longs to be a glass artist herself. Not only does this one have the glass trend, but it has another double trender! Any guess to what that trend is?
5 Comments on Trends in YA: Glass Blowing, last added: 7/30/2012
Solstice is being *traditionally* published this year... it was a self-pubbed ebook before that. I bought a copy at least a year ago!
Anyway, I love Persephone stories...you can tweak it in just enough ways to make each a little different, but at its core its' core still have that great love/hate story...
I've read a couple of the Persephone books that you've listed above. It's a good story but like any trend it gets old fast.
You're right, Persephone is definitely a popular character recently. Although I've yet to read a good twist to her story. Having said that, I can't wait for Solstice to come out!
I think there are so many things you can do with Persephone to keep it fresh which makes it an interesting trend.
I hope Solstice is good! I like the dystopian twist to the myth. I've always enjoyed the Persephone story, so I like reading all these different takes on it.
True-trends do tend to get old! The ones I've read have so far all been very different, which is good!
I absolutely adore the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, so I'm really happy about all of the differnt re-tellings of the story. I've read each of the different Peresphone stories you listed above (minus Solstice) and each has a different twist on the original that makes them all interesting.
I haven't heard about Solstice before this post, so thank you for alerting me to a dystopian take on her story.
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