What Is It About…

Still taken from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

When I was a teenager (many, many, many years ago) it was difficult to find books written for my age group; there was a huge gap between children’s and adult literature. And so, I quickly fell into adult literature: the serious, high brow texts, raunchy and debauched novels borrowed from my mum’s friends (think Harold Robbins and Jackie Collins) with a promise not to tell, and the fun stuff like Stephen King and Douglas Adams. I stumbled almost by accident into romance which was pretty limited to either Mills & Boon (they never used to be so saucy) or Barbara Cartland.

After a buffet of Disney movies which perpetuated the gender social construct of helpless, domesticated heroines relying on the kindness of strangers and dashing Princes, Mills and Boon seemed a natural sort of progression, with more of the same. But I wanted more for the characters, more hope, more intelligence, more autonomy… I wanted them to want more for themselves, and I wanted the men they chose to share their lives with to build them up. I wanted the women to be rich and intelligent and influential and save the day. I wanted them to proactively be the resourceful masters of their own fruitful destinies.

It was refreshing to finally see Disney bring out Beauty and the Beast in 2002 – an intelligent heroine who isn’t taken in by the bad guy, actively tries to solve her problems, and the heroine saves herself and the man (sort of… okay, I accept it still had a long way to go).

And then, teen fiction came into its own.

There is nothing sexier than intelligence and purpose. My current favourite go-to reads are full of intelligent women with partners who give them the space/help to help themselves, enable them to learn the skills to survive in a world that constantly tries to push them back and down, and adore them (obviously). Leave the cotton-wool cocooners to baby someone else.

Teen/YA/NA fiction has become my favourite genre and here are some of my favourites. I initially thought of listing the books, but have decided to just name the fabulous authors who’ve satisfied my craving (in no particular order). Enjoy.

Penny Reid

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Melissa Haag (also writing as M.J. Haag)

Susan Ee (the Angelfall series)

Montana Ash (Paladin series)

Tijan (especially the Insiders series)

Rebecca Yarros (Empyrean series)

Bonnie Garmus (Lessons in Chemistry)

Erin Watt

Josephine Angelini

Suzanne Collins

Neal Shusterman

Scott Speer (Immortal Angel)

Ally Carter

Joss Stirling

…more to come as I remember them…