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YA Dark Fantasy
I couldn’t decide whether to put this here or under “does it have a market” because my question could technically count as both. My current WIP is what I would consider YA Dark Fantasy. It has a definite dark undertone with horror elements in a low Fantasy setting. There is magic, but it is mostly in objects and not individuals and are gifts from the gods (talismans that ward off a specific terrifying creature, the houses are always dimly lit, etc.). The story itself is also very centered on the characters: they only know what they know. This means I’ll be giving readers some misinformation here and there because the narrator (1st person main character) doesn’t know everything and is therefore unreliable. The basic premise is: Giants, known as the “Ancients”, once lived among humans, but they were sacrificed by the gods to protect the humans from these creatures called the Uthmuk. Bone maidens collect pieces of the Ancients’ bones to create talismans that ward off the Uthmuk. At some point, the talismans stopped working and caused the “Ravaging” and many people died from the Uthmuk. The Uthmuk mysteriously disappeared after that and six years later they have returned. The main character’s mother was a high ranked Bone Maiden who died during the Ravaging. The king has now requested all surviving Bone Maidens in the kingdom (including the main character) to come to the capital to investigate and come up with a way to once again protect his people. The main character’s kingdom is somewhat matriarchal (ruled by a king but women often hold high positions and Bone Maidens are highly regarded). The main character is 16 and female, but I hate romance in 90% of novels so romance won’t be a large focus at all. Should I continue with this idea? Is there a market for it? Will downplaying romance alienate the teenage female audience that I’m targeting?
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2 Replies
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Dark YA Fantasy seems to be pretty huge right now. Apart from that, the world seems downright fascinating! I love the worldbuilding and the lore you have and to me, that would make it stand out (And according to ASP Settings : video 1, if you have a good book and a winning world, that’s the key to success).
You may find the lack of romance narrows your market, or widens it. I know there are certainly readers who are vocal about there being too much of it, and looking for books without. I don’t know if there are actual numbers for that audience, though.
If nothing else, I want to read it 😀
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Thank you for your response! The number of readers who don’t want romance is something I’ll have to research for sure.
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