I Finished a Fantasy Novel Last Week — as a 24-Year-Old Woman
I am proud of getting back to the genres that called out to me in my childhood
Adults should feel embarrassed about reading literature written for children. — Ruth Graham in Slate article
I had never thought about the topic before, but I did after I stumbled across this article by Slate, titled “Against YA.” Even though it got published in 2014, after having numerous conversations with many of my friends recently, I can agree that “adults should not read books meant for teens” opinion still exists in our society.
Many of my friends’ associated fantasy novels with “being in the dreamland.” They felt that we should start focusing on our real life as an adult, instead of “keeping our heads above the clouds.” It shocked and surprised me that, somehow, I also had harbored such feelings.
For a long time, I tried so hard to read the “books for grown-ups.” Books about self-improvement, productivity, and memoirs filled my Kindle and my bookshelf. I felt judged when I read fanfiction or fantasy fiction. Thus, I gradually stopped talking about them to my friends because I was afraid of judgment from my peers.
The whole journey mentioned above did not happen in one day. Nor did I come to this realization in one day. Heck, it took a lot of journaling and introspection to know that I had moved away from my favorite books only because I was conscious of society.
Had I grown up too much?
I have always been a rebel by birth. So, after the conversations with my friends, my next book on my reading list became a fantasy novel. I also wanted to read the book from an adult perspective and see whether my opinion would change about the genre. It had been so long.
Fantasy novels (and all forms of Adult literature) have always allured me from my childhood. I have read all sorts of them, ranging from Harry Potter to all Rick Riordan books to Twilight Saga to Divergent series to Mortal Instruments…the list can go on.
For some reason, stories about werewolves and other mythological creatures intrigued me in my teenage years (**me cringing thinking about all those Wattpad books**). I will not deny that some of the writings were horrible, but I always got immersed in those stories.
Somehow these stories had a beauty, which was beyond reality.
I wanted to get that passion back. I wanted to go so deep and involve myself in another world. I wanted to experience it again. Live the life with the protagonist, empathize with their fears and happiness, and try to juggle with situations that do not happen in our real life. It felt so refreshing!
So I did. I started with the Shadow Beast Shifters series by Jaymin Eve. They had good ratings when I came across them on Goodreads and thus wanted to give them a try.
And boy did I love them!
Jaymin has created a powerful, relatable protagonist. The story was about a werewolf Mera, who had been abused and bullied throughout her childhood. The book progresses with the struggles, friendships, and rollercoaster of moments Mera faces.
Even if the book made me cringe a couple of times, I can’t refuse that it made me revisit why I loved fantasy books. I also realized that my passion for them had not diminished at all.
If anyone is looking for a new fantasy novel, you can definitely check it out.
Rekindling my love for fantasy fiction brought out the child in me. And it made me regret getting into the concept of putting everything in boxes. Defining that a particular type of book is only meant only for a set of people felt wrong.
Reading fantasy novels or any form of fiction, for that matter, has a ton of benefits too. I know many of my friends who have connected with their children through these books. They have also kept their inner child alive through them.
I don’t oppose that while marketing the book, the publishers have to define the target market. But nobody should be judged for reading books of their choice. That is where the problem comes in.
I hope you start rekindling your love for your favorite genre, too — without any fear of judgment, and only for the sake of your passion.
