I’ve always loved Harry Potter growing up and 4 or so years ago I picked up reading cause I never was a reader and was curious about reading the HP books. They were awesome and it was like I was a kid again reading them and fell all in love again. I wanted to read more and people recommended Percy Jackson. I was 19 I believe around this time but also loved PJO very much, then I read HOO. It was good but last book was okay. Then I started reading a bunch of other books like sci-fi and contemporaries and classics yeah a bunch of different genres.
Then I read the first 3 The Mortal instruments books. I liked the show when I was a young teen, but the books are very mid.
Now I’m trying to read throne of glass, it’s fun and I like the characters (#TeamChaol) but it feels.. meaningless? I mean it’s a nice escape but I feel like I’m wasting my time. I’m like 71% in to it but idk.. I just picked up almond by Sohn Won-pyung and I’m instantly into it and am very curious about it I think it’s really interesting and intriguing.
Idk I just find it to be a shame cause I got all the TOG books and I rly want to know the story and want to get through the books so they don’t just stand there unread – also I’m scared I will get less and less interested with time and as I’m growing older. – but I’m also a slow reader and don’t want to waste my time. – then I got the Cassandra Clare books too, like damn I wish I could read them but idk anymore do they really get better? Is the infernal devices really better?
Idk is fantasy just not for me anymore? I thought I was a fantasy guy but maybe I’m not. Or maybe it’s cause they have so many books in the series it feels like too much and therefore feel like I’m wasting my time but idk. Anyone relate?
by foxstroll
22 Comments
You’re probably not into young adult anymore.
Not fantasy, YA.
Try some Borges or Gabriel Garcia Marquez, bro.
Maybe you’re just tired of YA fantasy genre. You can try reading adult fantasy (The Priory of the Orange Tree, one of the handful of fantasy books that i’ve liked) or magical realism (Japanese or Latin American authors are the best in the genre)
Try reading fantasy written for adults
Could be that you don’t like fantasy anymore, could be because everything you mentioned is YA, could be that you dislike the specific authors you recently picked up, or you might just need a break from the genre. Everyone has preferences, even within genres they enjoy. If it feels too much like ‘fluff’, it might just mean you’re looking for headier fantasy novels.
There’s better fantasy out there than Cassandra Clare if that’s what you’re asking.
Try reading The Name Of The Wind. If you don’t like that then yeah you’re probably over fantasy.
everything you mentioned was specifically written for children, have you considered not reading books for children?
Try Brandon Sanderson. I was feeling the same as you, but the Stormlight Archive sucked me right in again.
*reads a bunch of trash fantasy*
“I dunno. Is fantasy just not for me?”
No, you just need to read actual decent books.
I tend to get into it after reading something about her really gets me, then get a bit tired and give it a rest. You might need a little time.
Or maybe just something a bit different still in the genre. But I do find the search for those inspiring gems stressful!
No shade to YA books, there are a few that I still love, like Tiffany Aching—but maybe you’re ready for adult fantasy.
As an adult, a lot of kids’ stories can feel pretty meaningless, because the things you thought were important as a kid become trivial in comparison to the more serious challenges of adulthood and responsibility. Kids’ stories aren’t usually equipped to deal with those things. Plus, your adult brain is just quicker to notice the inconsistencies and weak plot points that are riddled through series like HP. YA can be fun, but it’s usually pretty watered-down compared to what Fantasy can really become. Don’t judge the entire genre on a subgenre that you’ve aged out of. There’s much more to explore.
So many acronyms…
Terry Pratchett may be a shout? They are light and can be quite funny! Or Brandon Sanderson? More of a read as they are big books and quite technical but he world builds really well. Hopefully you find something good to read soon!
You could try Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files–he falls into the “pop fantasy for adults” genre.
I think your problem might be that you’re looking into not just YA fantasy, but YA fantasy with strong love triangles.
I’ve really been enjoying the InCryptid and October Daye series by Seanan McGuire. If you want to go back in time a little bit, almost anything by Robert Aspirin is gold. I really enjoyed Gordon R Dickson’s Dragon and the George series as well.
Libraries are a great way to try books without buying the whole series
But as others have said as you’ve aged up maybe you find the YA books a little less compelling
The Dresden files are a good series about a wizard also named Harry but he’s in his early 20s at the start of the series. Fair warning the first two are rough but book 3 is really where it starts and they just get better.
Maas’s other series the crescent City books are less ya than throne of glass. Also following a character in her 20s and other characters who look that are (there are immortal/super long lived characters)
As others have mentioned, fantasy need not be YA. That said, I have found as I’ve gotten older that I leaned more into sci-fi than fantasy. There is plenty of good fantasy out there but sometimes you need a change.
1) too many acronyms
2) they’re all kids books. I doubt it’s fantasy you dislike. It’s kids books.
I read all the fantasy stuff as a teenager, DND, lord of the rings, hobbit, etc. Still enjoy the genre. I couldn’t write it if my life depended on it. I can’t put myself into the characters at my age.
I used to be pretty equally balanced between Fantasy and Sci-Fi, but over the past decade or so I’ve pretty much gone pure Sci-Fi with a few exceptions like Sanderson etc.. Fantasy, unless it fits into my wheel house of interests somehow, just isn’t the draw it used to be.
You’re reading YA books as an adult… it’s not weird that they don’t seem very good to you now
Perhaps you’ve simply outgrown YA? Try reading fantasy geared towards adults.