Tag: Discussion

Contemporary Conversations

ContempConvos: Why is the YA Thriller/Spy genre underrated and underdeveloped?

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Disclaimer: So this past weekend was my birthday and I may have taken a day or two off. Sorry guys! But here is a discussion post that will make up for my silence this weekend! And yes, I am now 25. SAY WHAT?!

It is time I talk about a very important topic… and that important topic is Why is the YA Thriller/Spy genre underrated and underdeveloped? In other words, Why is it not as BIG as other YA sub-genres?

Think about this. You walk into a bookstore and beeline directly to the YA section. You see YA fantasy, YA paranormal, YA contemporary, YA dystopian, etc., but you don’t see a special section dedicated to the YA thriller/spy novels. Why is that?

First, we all know that there aren’t many YA spy/thriller novels out there to begin with. If we think long and hard about YA authors writing books for this specific sub-genre, there aren’t many. We have Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Ally Carter, Abby McDonald, and Lauren Oliver. But if you try to think even harder, you may come up empty-handed like I do.

I’m a big fan of the spy/thriller genre. I love me a good spy/con-man story that has you constantly at the edge of your seat. And the thing is those novels are not badly written, they are good, but why are they not as big as others from other sub-genres?

It just makes me sad that not many authors explore this sub-genre as much and that might be part of the problem. There are only a few household names when we think of the Thriller/Spy sub-genre.

I personally think it is because not many people want to take the risk of writing a thriller/spy/con man novel without the paranormal or fantasy element. It is much easier to go down the route many have gone than one that many have not passed through.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with me? Are there more YA thriller/spy novels out there that I haven’t discovered yet?

Talk to me! I want to know what you guys think!

Other

Alternate Reality Giveaway: The Post Apocalyptic World

Veronica Porras (TTB)

Alternate Reality Giveaway

 

When I was in middle school, there were two types of books I loved to read and one of them was the “Post Apocalyptic World” type. The Post Apocalyptic sub-genre exists within the dystopian genre. Today, I am going to talk about why I love this sub genre the most, and why it attracts so many of us.

First, I want to start of by giving you a definition of the word apocalyptic. We all have some idea of what is it, but I wanted to find a universal definition. What does apocalyptic mean then? It means “Describing or prophesying the complete destruction of the world” or something “Momentous or catastrophic” (Source: Oxford Dictionary). Now, a post apocalyptic book would be a book after a war that destroys the world. There are several series today that can fit in some way or form in this sub genre. Those are The Divergent Trilogy, The 5th Wave Trilogy, The Testing Trilogy, and a couple more. A lot of the series I’ve mentioned have been in the New York Times Best Seller List, have been made into movies, or a film company has bought the movie rights. This sub genre is very big in our day in age and I think I know why.

The Post Apocalyptic stories give us survival stories. We like to believe that even if the world would come to an end, some of us would survive. The stories within this genre are inspiring. They give us hope. They empower us, making us feel like we too can do brave, life-altering things. These stories give us hope in humanity, that even though some destroyed it, there are a few who can restore once again. This sub genre brings out the best and worst in human nature, and for some reason, we love to see that.

I myself love these type of stories because they empower me to be stronger. There are so many horrible things happening around the world today, that sometimes it feels like some of the stories I read will become reality. The stories in this sub genre give me hope for the future. They provide not only prove me with entertainment, but a view into what might happen if that event or war occurred. I know some of you may say “Veronica, this is fiction we are taking about,” and I totally agree with you, but a “human being” is writing the fiction. I think that says a lot more than we sometimes want to think it says.

I initially thought I was going to write a fun post about the Post Apocalyptic sub-genre, but this is what came out instead. Oops.

 

So tell me, why do you love to read stories in the Post-Apocalyptic World sub-genre? or the Dystopian genre in general?

 

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Discussion: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (GG #2) by Ally Carter

Veronica Porras (TTB)

For the rest of the Gallagher Girls Read-A-Thon I will be doing a discussion of each book instead of a book review. These discussions will contain spoilers so if you haven’t read the book and don’t want to be spoiled, please stop reading. 🙂
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My Thoughts:

I just finished reading Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy and…. OooohhhWeeeeee… I am so excited! Zach finally arrived, and it broke my heart every time Cammie saw Josh. I do feel bad for the both of them, but Thank you Ally Carter for not making a love triangle. THANK YOU!

I liked I’d Tell You I Love You, But Them I’d Have to Kill You, but I forgot how good the series was. This book gave me a glimpse as to why this is one of my favorite series of all time.

I loved that Zach was able to make Cammie a better spy by challenging her. And I loved how clueless Cammie was about Zach’s feelings towards her. Oh Cammie. Macey can only do so much, you need to start learning this boy stuff too.

Can I say that I just LOVE Macey. I love the original trio too, but the quartet kicks butt more! 😀

I’ll end this post with Cammie’s last words…

“The whole summer lay ahead of us-time to rest, time to wait. And when the future comes-no matter what comes with it-I’ll be smarter. I’ll be stronger. I’ll be ready.”