Readers are probably familiar with the 'coming of age' themes that tend to come up in YA contemporary novels. But the ideas around growing up and all the changes and challenges with come with it are also explored in other genres. To discuss more about how it comes up in the realm of fantasy I've brought in an expert! Author Helen Scheuerer has stopped by on the blog today to talk about how this idea features in her series The Oremere Chronicles...

On the ‘Coming of Age’ Narrative In YA Fantasy 

When Eugenia and I first discussed the concept of this guest post, I was eager to write about ‘coming of age’ as a theme in fantasy novels. I felt that my trilogy The Oremere Chronicles explored this idea in depth. However, as I sat down to draft this post, I realised just how difficult it is to sum up the importance of such a theme.

Exploring this type of narrative got me thinking of numerous ‘coming of age’ classics in fantasy, as well as my own books. Why do these novels matter to us? How can we relate to the journeys of characters in non-existent, magical lands? Below is my attempt at delving into those questions...

Despite the fact that YA fantasy narratives take place in fantastical, magic-oriented worlds, now more than ever, they reflect the experiences of our young people today. The genre lends itself well to ‘coming of age’ theme, because just like in contemporary times, characters in these books challenge political systems, power hierarchies and social constructs, as well as the more ordinary aspects of life: navigating relationships, families and changing friendship dynamics.

The most powerful of these novels always depict the inner journey of a character, rife with turmoil, as he or she grows up, which is why ‘coming of age’ is such a prominent theme throughout the fantasy genre.

In fact, the fantasy genre as a whole suits the ‘coming of age’ narrative; with characters often embarking on a large-scale physical adventures that trigger their inner journey (think: Frodo from Lord of the Rings, Celaena from Throne of Glass and Lira from To Kill A Kingdom). As a young adult author myself, it’s a theme that has certainly woven its way into my books. I find it’s something that’s come quite naturally rather than as a result of a conscious decision on my part as creator.

For example, the 19-year-old protagonist in my series, The Oremere Chronicles, Bleak, is a great example of this… In her hometown, Angove, she’s in a bit of a rut. Self-medicating with alcohol to overcome grief, she rarely thinks of anyone but herself. However, a journey is forced upon her and it’s over the course of this quest that she’s made to look inward at who she is, and define her place in the world. It’s a classic ‘coming of age’ scenario.

Most YA fantasy books focus on a character similar age to their target reader (17-19 usually) and there’s a good reason for this. It’s the age where we tend to question ourselves and our surroundings the most, which leads to numerous types of inner conflict.

But being a young adult is also a test of how you interact with the broader world around you. Often it’s these external things that can trigger a ‘coming of age’ journey. Tragedy, loss, meeting new people, experiencing a new place and perhaps generally learning about the cruelty of the world, can all lead to the inner growth of a person/character.

The fantasy genre offers up these instances by the truckload. In my books in particular (Heart of Mist, Reign of Mist and the upcoming War of Mist), we journey with Bleak as she learns how to deal with figures of authority and systems of power, questions her heritage, as well as the difference between right and wrong. All notions that further the development of any character. It just so happens, she’s growing up at the same time.

I also made sure not to limit my characters to a certain age bracket, because as we know, the world isn’t made up of just young adults. But it’s how our young adult characters interact with those older and younger around them that provide our protagonists with room to grow, as well as offer our readers a reflection of their own real life experiences.

Regardless of the target readers or the theme itself, coming of age stories aren’t just for young adults. This is shown in the wide-reach of YA books - they transcend our years, with adult readers ranging from mid-twenties right up into their eighties. In fact, I’ve had an email from a 76 year old saying how much she related to my books.

Perhaps we ‘come of age’ numerous times in our lives, which is another reason why the theme is so popular across all genres of literature.

I’d love to know what your favourite fantasy ‘coming of age’ stories are. Feel free to share them in the comments below!

WAR OF MIST, the epic conclusion to Helen Scheuerer’s The Oremere Chronicles is slated for release July 25. You can add it on Goodreads here 

The Oremere Chronicles

Buy Heart of Mist | Reign of Mist

Goodreads Heart of Mist | Reign of Mist

About the author

You can learn more about Helen on her website

Helen Scheuerer is a YA fantasy author from Sydney, Australia. Her debut novel, Heart of Mist, was the bestselling first instalment in her trilogy, The Oremere Chronicles.

After writing literary fiction for a number of years, she was inspired to return to her childhood love of fantasy by reading the work of Sabaa Tahir, V.E. Schwab and Sarah J. Maas.

Helen holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts, majoring in Creative Writing, and a Master of Publishing. She is also the Founding Editor of Writer’s Edit (www.writersedit.com), one of the world’s largest online learning platforms for emerging writers.

She is now a full-time author living amidst the mountains in New Zealand.

Genie's Weekly News (58) - May Events Recap ft. Sarah Crossan, Jennifer Niven and Roxane Gay

1) Bloomsbury Institute Event

Wednesday saw the first of Australia's 'Bloomsbury Institute' events; small sessions with authors designed so that readers really get a sense of meeting some of their favourite writers. In conversation with Mia Freedman, Sarah Crossan provided such inspiring insight into her process and how it differs when writing in verse as opposed to prose. It was interesting to hear how she collaborated with Brian Conaghan on their latest work We Come Apart - which featured lots of conversations over Whatsapp and many frenzied emails. 

Following your passion and using the inherent creativity within us were other ideas which she spoke about, as well as tackling real issues in her books that can be appreciated at different levels by both adults and those on the cusp of being teens. What I love about her books that I've read so far (One and Apple and Rain) is that they prove books in YA don't have to have a romance to be meaningful or compelling. Friendship comes through as a strong theme, which form some of the strongest relationships of all. I'm definitely looking forward to her latest book Moonrise coming in September, and seeing who Bloomsbury will feature next!

2) Lunch with Jennifer Niven

There's no denying that Jennifer Niven is one of the biggest YA authors right now, especially with her heartbreaking (but amazing) novel All the Bright Places currently being made into a film. Thanks to the team at Penguin Teen Australia I was lucky enough to be invited to a lunch with her and other bloggers Alison and Rebecca from the YA Chronicles, The Bookish Manicurist and Joy Lawn who also writes reviews for the Weekend Australian. As well as talking about how she writes with playlists for each of her characters in her work and what she'd been up to in Australia, Jennifer Niven also shared her experience writing the screenplay for the movie. She is genuinely lovely in person, and I'm so excited to see what other books she'll be hopefully bringing out in future. 

3) Roxane Gay at the Sydney Writer's Festival

Difficult Women is one of my top reads of this year as a brilliantly raw and unflinching portrayal of women in a variety of complex situations. Roxane Gay did not disappoint in her last appearance at the Sydney Writer's Festival, speaking frankly about how she brings feminism into her work, women being perceived as being 'too much', the obsession with 'dead girls' and how she can watch crime series on TV while writing. She definitely kept the conversation real, making the audience laugh with a few jokes on how men can be 'delicate flowers', while retaining an emphasis on gender equality. Since reading this fictional work with stories that are all so different and hard-hitting in their own right, I just know I'm going to have to pick up Bad Feminist to see what her essays are like. 

What bookish events have you been to lately?

Review & Author Interview: Arrival by Alex Slade

Arrival by Alex Slade

Released: 22nd October 2016

Genre: Science Fiction

Source: Author

Pages: 247

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads | Amazon

Thirty-three missing in the past two months, all without a trace.

Detective Jake Westbrook is overburdened with cases that seem impossible to solve, despite his almost perfect clearance rate. More and more people are disappearing every week, and this phenomenon brings together five characters with no relation to one another as they try to figure out how to prevent themselves from being taken next. As their search for answers continues, they start to wonder if something more sinister is at hand...

Mysterious, eerie, but also exciting, Arrival is a gripping mystery thriller debut that will definitely keep you up all night.

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Arrival is a suspenseful debut novel which takes the best elements of a thriller and sci-fi novel to create a riveting read. With multiple perspectives which offer you tantalising glimpses at the mystery behind the phenomena of these missing people, there is always an element of intrigue to keep your interest. But aside from the tension generated by the two detectives on a mission to solve this case, comes a dimension where science fiction becomes reality for the characters. Though sci-fi is generally a genre I don't explore much of, I'm glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone to be swept up in this exhilarating story.

Divided into chapters which alternate between 'The Detective', 'The Pilot', 'The Dreamer', 'The Teacher' and 'The Thief', Slade has shown skill in ensuring that each of these characters were unique. The details of their lifestyles and flaws are given enough attention, and we are drawn to asking the question of why they, or someone they know, have simply vanished. The detectives Jake and Chris who first set the tone of the story are well-rounded characters who the reader hopes will be able to uncover where these missing people have disappeared to. While at times the purpose of some of the chapters seemed unclear, the haze eventually lifts towards the second half of the novel where more twists occur and the stakes for these fated individuals are higher than ever.

I really liked how once you become almost 'settled' into the mystery element of the book, the sci-fi suddenly comes into play which offers a welcome and fascinating change of pace. The world-building, though not complete, is enough to envision what Slade's imagined society is like. I look forward to seeing how this is further explored in the next installments of the series.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I can definitely see that Alex Slade has the potential to be a hit with sci-fi and thriller readers. Steeped in suspense from beginning to end, I'll definitely be looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Author Interview with Alex Slade

When did you first decide that you wanted to be an author and publish a novel?

Growing up, I'd always wanted to be a filmmaker. I still do, but I've discovered it was mainly because I wanted to express my ideas and share my stories, and writing a novel was a way to do just that. I love writing and coming up with stories, so the idea behind Arrival was such a blast to devise. We all hear about a good book that is hard to put down and keeps people talking about it long after they finish reading it, and I hope to do that with my releases too.

What authors have influenced or inspired you when writing Arrival? 

Drew Karpyshyn has been a significant influence. I'm a huge fan of Star Wars and Mass Effect, so his novels were right up my alley. Arrival draws a lot of inspiration from the worlds found in those stories. J.R.R. Tolkien and George R.R. Marin have also been big influences, in that they can create such layered characters and detailed worlds. The plan for Arrival and the following books in the series is to incorporate a grand adventure found in fantasy books and bring them into a sci-fi setting.

One facet of the story which brings the suspense is the multiple perspectives. Was there a character which came to you before the others?

Initially, I'd written the story as a screenplay. I'd come up with the idea before any of the characters, so there really wasn't one that'd come to me first. A lot of the characters had originated in some of my other stories. I'd brought them into this one, knowing that they'd each have a different outlook on the situation, and that none of them would feel the same.

What were the best/most challenging aspects of writing your debut?

Mainly, managing the book post-release. As it's self-published, I'm doing all of the promotion and working on making sure it's accessible for as many people as possible. That includes working on getting it printed and also making it available as an audiobook. Additionally, before I started writing it, I struggled with working out the tense and whether or not it should be in first or third-person. 

When you're not writing, what are some of your favourite books you've been reading lately?

Lately, I've been finding an interest in graphic novels, which I'd never really read before. Currently, I'm reading Locke and Key, which is a fantastic dark supernatural series. I'm also reading Fables which offers a refreshing and mature take on the fairy tale genre. Vagrant is another novel I’ve started, which is so far fantastic.

If there's one piece of advice you'd give to other aspiring authors out there, what would it be?

Make sure you're prepared. Writing is the fun part, but that's just the beginning. Be prepared to spend more time editing your book than you did writing it. Also, listen to all feedback. It'll help a lot, and you will become a better writer for it.

You have mentioned that Arrival will be in a series. Can you give us a hint at what to expect next?

So far, there's a plan to release four books in the series. The next entry will have the characters adjusting to the new predicaments they're in, while simultaneously trying to find a way out of them. They'll be truly tested and will have to adapt if they want to make it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I REALLY Want To Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish. This week I've  picked the top ten authors I would love to meet one day.

1. Rachael Craw





Rachael is so lovely on Twitter and really connects with her readers, plus Spark (as I've said before) is AMAZING. Hopefully she'll come to Australia one day!

2. Jessica L. Brooks





Jessica is one of THE nicest authors I know, and was the first one I really 'met' through goodreads. I've had the privilege of beta-reading some of her novels, and my name is even in the acknowledgements section! She's all the way from the US, but if I ever go over there I'd love to meet her.

3. Lara Morgan





Lara Morgan is the first Australian YA author I read books from, and her Rosie Black Chronicles still remains as my all-time favourite sci-fi series. I hope she writes more books like them one day!

4. Rebecca James

Rebecca is the queen of Aussie YA psychological thriller in my opinion, and I'd love the chance to see her and get my books signed!

5. Ginger Scott

Ginger Scott's NA contemporary novels have always wowed me with their very real characters and fantastic storylines. I'd love to meet her!

6. Markus Zusak

Simply because The Book Thief is heartbreaking, and still one of my absolute top favourite YA historical fiction pieces.

7. Marie Rutkoski

I have all the praise for The Winner's Curse series so far and can't wait to see where it goes from here - I'd love the opportunity to meet Marie Rutkoski since I'm a big fan!

8. Philippa Gregory

Amazing author and historian. Plus she wrote The White Queen which then became one of my favourite period dramas.

9. Megan Abbott

I really admire Abbott's work - her captivating writing style, and even more addictive plots. You can't deny her talent as a writer. 

10. Marisha Pessl



Marisha Pessl is quite new to my 'authors who have written mind-blowing books' list, but after reading Night Film now I'd really love to meet her and talk about the book!

What do you think of my choices? Who would you love to meet?