Guest Post: Elizabeth's #YApril

Quick introduction time: My name is Elizabeth, and I used to write with Katy on The Bookish Blog! I’m an avid reader and writer. My favorite genres are fantasy and classics, but I also enjoy reading contemporary, memoirs, and some historical fiction.

I have a love-hate relationship with young adult literature. On one hand, it’s fun, easy to read, and, lately, covers a vast array of mental health issues, persons of color, and LGBTQ+ issues. That being said, YA is not without its problems.

I’ve found that when I read multiple YA novels in a row, they all start to sound the same. A lot of the storylines repeat themselves even across genres of YA, like the “chosen one” theme, the “bad guy turns out to be good,” or vice versa plotlines, and they all sort of start to run together. So a month of reading nothing but YA could be very challenging for me, but I’m willing to give it a try.
I don’t know how much I’ll be able to take of constant love triangles that rarely make any sense, girls being told they’re beautiful, as if that’s the most important thing in life (and they’re all beautiful, though most don’t know it), and so help me if I read about one more person who releases a breath they didn’t know they were holding. Despite the clichés, there can be some pretty good literature out there. For instance, anything by Libba Bray, Rainbow Rowell, or Patrick Ness is probably good, but I’ve found I have to search for something really amazing within the YA genre.
This month I’ll be reading a few books I’ve been looking forward to reading, some new and some a bit older. My goal is to read five books this month, but I’m going to give myself six to choose from, just in case.

1. City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson – I’ve heard good things about this book, and as I’ve been trying to read books by POC, this seemed like a good option.

2. Caraval by Stephanie Garber – This book intrigued has me from the second I read the teaser, though I was going to wait until it came out in paperback to buy it. Fortunately for me, it came in my February Owlcrate, so I didn’t have to wait. I’m really looking forward to this one.

3. Heartless by Marissa Meyer – This is another book I got through my Owlcrate, which has gotten a lot of buzz in the bookish community. I love a fairy tale retelling, if it’s done well, so we’ll see what this book has to offer.

4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – I have to admit that I’ve sort of been saving this one, for what exactly, I don’t know. This book has 4.46 stars on Goodreads, which is insanely high for a young adult book, so my expectations are high.

5. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro – I’m a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, so this book jumped out at me right away. Despite the mediocre reviews, I’m hoping I’ll find something to like about this ode to Arthur Conan Doyle.

6. Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – I had to do one sequel in here. I have a bad habit of starting book series/trilogies/duologies and only ever reading the first book, something I’ve done with countless YA novels. YApril is the perfect excuse for me to continue on with some of the series I’ve begun. I should also add Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard, A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, Wandering Star by Romina Russell, etc. Someday!

I can’t wait to get started on this challenge and to knock out some of the ever-growing pile of young adult books on my shelves. You’ll hear from me again at the end of the month when I’m sure I’ll have a severe YhAngover, if you know what I mean. (I even flinched at how bad that one was.)