WHAT IS YA FICTION?
I've written four books so far. (Well, five if you count my
very first one—which I promptly threw away and am embarrassed beyond belief
about. Yes, it was that bad.) All of my books have been young adult novels, so
I consider myself a young adult author. There's been a lot of talk about young
adult books lately, spurred on mostly by the wild success of several YA series,
including Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. I like to follow these
discussions, mostly to see how other people view the world of YA literature.
There seems to be three different types of people: 1) those who love YA lit, 2)
those who hate YA lit, and 3) those who just don't get it.
No matter what naysayers may naysay, it's my genre of choice
to read, and here's why:
ñ Awkward
teenagers. As an adult I have my share of awkward moments as well, and it's
nice to see imperfect characters.
ñ Teenage
love. I'm not talking about the love-at-first-sight that's so prevalent
(and mostly unbelievable) in so many YA books. I'm talking about first loves.
The first blush and first kiss that sends your heart pattering.
ñ The
conflicts. Sure you may not have to fight to the death at the whim of a
corrupt government, but breaking it down to a more realistic level, isn't high
school social structure cutthroat? And most likely you won't have to duel with
the most demonic wizard of all time, but don't we all have our own very real
demons to face?
Those are just three of the things I love about YA lit. And
here's what good YA lit does:
ñ Doesn't
dumb it down. Good YA authors respect their characters. Teenagers are real
people, and I think those who hate YA lit forget that. We were all teenagers
once. We've been there and experienced all the angst that goes along with it.
There needs to be a place for that in books.
ñ Is
believable. Even fantasy can be believable as long as the characters are
true to themselves and the problems facing them are real and meaningful to
them. If the reader doesn't care about the characters or the problems facing
them, the author hasn't done justice to their characters.
ñ Doesn't
talk down to their target audience: teenagers. Teens are smart. One of the
things that drives me nuts when reading a story is being told the consequence
or the meaning of every detail. And teens can figure it out too. Don't tell me
every nuance. Let me figure it out as I go.
YA lit done well is masterful. I wonder if the YA lit haters
would say that The Chronicles of Narnia, Treasure Island, and David
Copperfield were drivel? After all, these books are YA lit too.
Violent nomads. The coming winter. Jack's unspoken feelings. Leaving the relative peace of the settlement is more difficult than Terra ever imagined. But what she should fear most is the government that professes to protect its citizens. Imprisoned in a labor camp, Terra learns just how much the corrupt regime wants absolute control. Never has she felt more powerless to act. But there's always the call of the ocean, and her captors just might underestimate how powerful that call can be.
I really enjoyed the first book. So it was really great to get a chance to be a part of the review tour for this book! And it, too, was so fantastic, with a lot going on, a continuation of what The Burn was, dealing with the unsolved plot threads, and it was just so great to read those!
When The Burn ended, it was in a place of transition, that things were changing, whether to go back to the ocean where she'd be safe, and stay on land. And the choice is made, and while it's a hard one, she sticks to it, and that was really great to read!
And yeah, it was just so awesome to see these characters again, because boy, did they get into a lot of trouble in this book! And in the labour camp, things are pretty dire, and it was not pleasant to read, but I'm not the one that was going through it, which made it only slightly better!
Then there was that ending! Such a great one, and since from the beginning, this series has felt like a non-mermaid retelling of The Little Mermaid, in a dystopian world, well, yeah, that ending was just so fantastic! Loved it!
Such a great book, and I really can't wait to see how things are going to go from here!
Author: Annie Oldham
Series: The Burn #2
Read: November 14th, 2012
Source: Reading Addiction Blog Tour Review Copy
Reason Why: Loved the first book, and it's a 2012 Dystopain book!
Published: November 1st 2012
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
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| 3.5/5 Stars |
Annie Oldham adores writing and reading YA novels. She grew up in a house full of books and developed an insatiable desire to read, which led to the insatiable desire to write. Away from her writing, she's the mother of the three most adorable girls in the world, has the best husband in the world, and lives in the hottest place in the world (not really, but Phoenix sure feels like it). She loves to cook, sing, and play the piano. She is the author of Infraction, The Burn, Bound, and Dragon Sister.
Contact and Buy AKA Links:
Website/Blog
Website/Blog
Stops on the Tour:
November 4 - Reading Addiction Blog Tours - Meet and Greet
November 5 - Book Haven Extraordinaire - Guest Post/PROMO
November 6 - YA Novel Reader - Interview/PROMO
November 7 - Books, Books, The Magical Fruit - PROMO
November 8 - LovLivLife Reviews- Guest Post/PROMO
November 9 - The Story Factory Zone - Review/Guest Post
November 10 - Shakira's Book Blog - Review/Guest Post
November 12 - Cozie Corner - Review
November 12 - What's Beyond Forks? - Review/Interview
November 13 - Mom With a Kindle - Review/Interview
November 14 - Jessabella Reads - Guest Post/PROMO
November 15 - Words I Write Crazy - Review/Guest Post
November 15- Solitary Bookworm - Interview/PROMO
November 16 - The Story Factory - Review/Guest Post
November 17 - Book an Appointment With Wisdom Books - Review/Guest Post
November 19 - I'm a Reader, Not a Writer - Interview/PROMO
November 20 - Getting Your Read On - Review
November 21 - In Wonderland - Review
November 22- Wonderland Reviews - Review/Interview
November 23 - All the Days of - Guest Post/PROMO
November 26 - My Reading Addiction - Review
November 27 - The Bookshelf - Guest Post/PROMO
November 28 - Bunny's reviews - Guest Post/PROMO
November 29- Rolling With the Moments - Interview/PROMO
November 30 - A Soul Unsung - Guest Post/PROMO
Thanks so much for featuring Infraction!
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