[ SECRET POST #2086 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2086 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 060 secrets from Secret Submission Post #298.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - posted twice ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

13. http://i.imgur.com/HviAd.png

[(Anonymous)]

why not try reading non-YA fantasy

[(Anonymous)]

So you'd read bad plots if the main character wasn't white?

The race of the main character doesn't change whether it's a good book or not. I could write a book about an angsty Mexican teenage boy who goes on ~wild adventures~, or a book about a ~sexy~ purple elf woman who falls in love with a (whatever). The plot would still suck.

[mekkio]

So, get off your kiester and write something you like. Because I am sure you are not the only who feels this way. At least the people who read your stories will be entertained.

[(Anonymous)]

Have you ever read 'The Kingkiller Chronicles'

should be right up your alley.

[becka]

Sorry, OP, but are there really YA fantasy books featuring girl/unicorn love??? Because I would read the shit out of that.

[(Anonymous)]

Can I rec the Darkness Rising trilogy? The main protag is Native American. There is romance in the story, but it's very minor.

[(Anonymous)]

Have you read anything by Tamora Pierce? If not, try the Circle of Magic books and their sequels.

Especially the sequels.

Go beyond fantasy to science fiction, and try authors writing for adults. If you still want some romance in the mix try Mercedes Lackey, but while there's one vampire romance in there, it predates the current crop by so much it's practically a different planet. Read the classic works of the genre, like "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula LeGuin.

[(Anonymous)]

Check out the Nightrunner and Tamir series by Lynn Flewelling. They all have white protagonists, but they soar through the Bechdel tests and both series deal with gay relationships and have great female characters. The Tamir Trilogy also features a lot of gender issues and has what could be considered a trans main character, although to say any more would give away the plot ;)

[(Anonymous)]

Hm. Well it does fall kind of into the second category, and the pacing is a bit atrocious, but you might like Graceling by Kristin Cashore if you haven't already read it?

Oh, also, you should read the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. TBH, it does usually go in the general fantasy section rather than the YA fiction section, but I have seen it in both places, so there's some crossover appeal I think (the main character is a white dude, but he's an adult, and there are some excellent non-white characters and non-male characters in the series).

[(Anonymous)]

You might want to look into older books; so much of what's out now is derivative of Twilight.

[(Anonymous)]

Wow. You seem to completely fail at searching out books. About 75% of what I read is YA fantasy stories and nearly none of them have the "young girl sole purpose to fall in love" plots. Yeah, there's a lot of "young man heading out for adventure" but there's a lot of ladies leading adventures that have nothing to do with werewolves and stuff. Sadly there is usually at least a hint of romance, but there are a bunch where that's not the main plot.

Random list of YA authors with female protagonists off the top of my head:
Tamora Peirce, Patricia Wrede, Garth Nix, Neil Gaimen, Jeanne DuPrau, Mercedes Lackey, Robin McKinley,

List/discussion I found after googling "YA books with female protagonist": http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/14862-fantasy-recommendations

Another list:
http://www.tamora-pierce.com/recbooks/sf4fem.htm

[tamabonotchi]

Whoa whoa whoa is there actually anything with unicorn guys? That actually piqued my interests.
I'd read something with unicorn guys.

[forgottenjester]

Since everyone here is recing you the good stuff you somehow missed I'm just gonna say:

I wanna date a unicorn now.

Think of all the horn/penis jokes you could make. Or the virginity jokes! Shit, the relationship could survive on that alone.

What do you like?

[unicornherds]

So what kind of fantasy are you looking for? Fantasy covers a pretty broad genre. Maybe if you gave some specifics for what you're looking for we could give some recs.

Pretty much all I read these days is fantasy. I'd say a large percentage of that is YA fantasy, but I honestly have trouble separating it because in my brain all of those books are just shoved under Fantasy without separating between YA and A.

I really don't care for romance in my books and will not read books where True Love is the main objective. I prefer high adventure and if there's a side of romance that's okay. I don't read werewolves or vampires because I find them uninteresting and prefer female protagonists, and I still have a large selection to choose from.

[(Anonymous)]

this thread is another example of how nice everyone on FS is...they are all recc'ing you books to read :)

...all i got out of your secret was racist "i hate white people"

[(Anonymous)]

i hear you! i really love girl-centric fantasy ya, but a whole lot of it is "girl has to choose between sweet fantasy dude and mysterious/bad boy fantasy dude" or the like.

some recent reads i liked:

- the princess series by jim c. hines. very minimal hetero romance (some lesbian romance), and one of the main characters is a gay princess of color.

- the killer unicorn series by diana peterfruend. there is a romance subplot that kinda annoyed me at times, but it's not the major plot. main character is white, but ensemble case is very diverse. also, gay girls.

- vN: the first machine dynasty by madeline ashby (this is more futuristic/sci-fi). main female character is white, but main male character is latino (and kinda bisexual), minimal romance.

- i'm sure you've also heard of malinda lo's ash and huntress. i've only read parts of those personally, though.

[(Anonymous)]

The only rec I can think of that hasn't yet been mentioned is The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. If you like Tamora Pierce, you'll like this.

Also, I disagree with whoever called Mercedes Lackey YA, but I definitely would recommend her Valdemar series. Don't be afraid to venture through the adult fantasy/sci-fi section!

[miarrow]

Even when they're not white, they're white on the cover.

[(Anonymous)]

I saw what you did there, OP! And I heartily approve - good YA fantasy rec threads are my favourite thing.

Hmmm... Clovermead by David Randall does feature a white protagonist, but she's really awesome and there is basically no romance in the book.

Have you ever tried KA Applegate's Everworld series? There are about 4 main characters, one of whom is POC, and it's rally fucked up and interesting.

... I wish I could remember some more, but those are the two that are leaping out in my mind right now...

[bur]

Because no one's recced her yet, FRANCES HARDINGE. Yeah, two out of three female leads are white, and we've got one guy, but the guy's kind of bookish and it's a fantasy-horror that he'd rather not be involved with thankyouverymuch. And none of her books have romance.

Her latest book has dairymancy. COME ON. DAIRYMANCY.

[(Anonymous)]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Tanith Lee. I guess the Crown Princess of Fantasy has lost her crown?

At any rate, she writes vampires, she writes werewolves, she writes gods, she writes crazy people, she writes het, she writes gay, she writes SF, she writes Fantasy, she writes Heroines, she writes Heroes, she writes goofy comedy, she writes tragedy, she writes ghosts, she writes fairy tales, she writes YA, she writes erotica, she writes everything, and it always shocks me how little she's known.

[(Anonymous)]

LOLOL

I love how many of the 'young adult' recommendations aren't young adult at all.

some people have no fucking clue about catagories and the genre divisions. if it's something they enjoy, they have to label it 'young adult' or they're not edgy and unique.

bunch of fat ass losers who don't have the backbone to own up that they read genre and have to slap a 'young adult' label on it.

[threeonetwo]

ABHORSEN SERIES. I was going to say trilogy, but, I think Across the Wall counts as the fourth book? Or is it like a companion/ofshoot of the Sabriel-Lirael-Abhorsen set, since it's a collection of stories? Ugh I need to go re-read the first three and actually get to AtW :(

But yes, Garth Nix. His stories are awesome. Especially the Abhorsen books. It's got classy, badass ladies who fight magical zombies with bells. Yes, there's some romance in there, but it's there in a "yup this is part of life, people like each other sometimes, ok now back to plot-relevant stuff" way.

[potted_music]

Have you tried Sarah Rees Brennan's YA urban fantasy novels? "Team Human"'s protag is a female American-born Chinese girl, "Unspoken"'s protag is a half-Japanese girl. Both are absolutely wonderful.
Her post about Unspoken: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/09/12/the-big-idea-sarah-rees-brennan-2/

Her earlier Demon's [Noun] trilogy also featured a biracial girl in the main cast of characters.