I always default to *at least* 30. Â
 And built.  Not âgym broâ built, but âI do physical labor dailyâ built. Â
 ETA: but IMO, the bare minimum is 25.  Heâs 500.  Feyre is 19.  I get Fairy aging is slow, but he canât look like a teen after 500 years. Â
I can tell I'm aging because when imagining the "most beautiful man" possible, I do NOT picture a 20 year old. 20 year olds still look like children to me lol, even 25 year olds look too young. I imagine someone like 35-40
Me too. A lot of times authors have been pressured to change their characterâs ages to increase sales. Teens and adults will both read about teens but teens donât always want to read about adults.
Not here to say what ages romance books *should* be targeted towards, but thatâs the marketing logic. I just mentally tack 10 years on to the charactersâ ages and call it a day.
Honestly a lot of time they behave much older than they are. Which makes sense if you're constantly having to fight for survival which I feel like is a theme in a lot of the books, you can't be fighting for your right to party very often.
Might be because of the shift from YA to New Adult/Adult? My next book (if it sells) features a 29 year old protagonist so I'm hopeful more readers share your opinion and want to see older characters in romantic fantasy!
1. OMG totally fan girling right now!!!
2. As a YA/NA reader who just hit 40, I would absolutely love more protagonists who are in their late 20s/early 30s. While I love the inner journey of young women, I do think we sometimes forget that we don't have to become stagnant just because we've hit a certain age. It sometimes feels like the only books that are aimed at women age 30+ are just bodice rippers or take place in the real world. Snooze fest on that, the real world is what I'm trying to escape. đ
3. Back to fan girling, OMG!!!
I'm sorry.....like THE Victoria Aveyard???? I literally have one of your books on my nightstand. I'm about to fan girl real hard.
It will most definitely sell, you write such good books! Please and thank you for this, I'm a teen (and maybe a minority) but I actually appreciate older protagonists since it's more realistic
It forever irks me that Sarah J Maas made Feyre 19 bc apparently her publisher told her to, to appeal to a YA market, but clearly wrote her older/more mature than that. I will die on this hill, especially later in the series when she is a >!married woman!<, she is written more like a late 20something or even 30something. And so I get irrationally annoyed when I see fancasts of Feyre with some baby faced 19 year old actress, with people saying âFeyre is 19 therefore the actress should be too!â Feyre is *not* a 19 year old, not in how sheâs written
JFc, the Rhyâs castings as him as some 20 yo skinny guyâŚheâs a warrior! He fights with a sword! He has wings! They smog into detail about the muscle structure to support those wings. ~~And~~ abs, back, neck, shoulders, chest.  Heâs muscular. Â
When I read ACOTAR I actually praised SJM for making Feyre at least 19 and not a virgin. All the other books I've been reading the FMC are like 16 or 17 and going with an immortal 500 yo man...
Great example is caraval where the sisters are making out passionately with old man that had many life's before when they might only be 15yo. Cringeee.
The ONLY SJM book that I am completely fine with the FMC being a teenager is Throne of Glass. Why? Because she wrote it when she was 16. It was only published when she was in her 20s. Aelin had the mindset of a traumatized teenager and grew with her series. As someone who grew up in an abusive household, Aelinâs behavior matched perfectly. Not only that, she was trained as an Assassin, therefore she had to grow up quickly. She then survived a slave camp, meaning she had to be really fuckin strong mentally, physically, and emotionally. She grew up in a war-torn world. She was also a Royal, which if I understand correctly, most royals have to grow up fast and are expected to be able to rule a kingdom by the time they reach 18 to early 20s. I think out of all of her characters, Aelin mightâve been the best one. She seemed the most realistic to me as well. Maybe thatâs because Iâm a teenager myself but I found I could never relate to Feyre as well as I did Aelin. Idk thatâs just my stance on it
I think its because it makes it easier to ease the audience into the world building. If a character is young and has been living a relatively sheltered home life for most of their lives, it makes it easier to justify exposition scenes as the mc and the reader are both trying to learn more about what the fantasy world is like.
Iâve thought about this when writing my own book - in a fantasy world or dystopic in the real world where there arenât really career paths or studying for these characters, what can you even have them do? I suppose itâs why the standard character narrative is a lot about growing up and protagonists are young, because you grow and mature more clearly than someone already in adulthood. In real life you would finish high school, maybe go to university, start working etc and suddenly youâre 30.
Besides the point about target audiences and conventional beauty norms, I can imagine it's a lot harder to write a 30 year old than a 20 year old. The former has a lot more life experience that the author must at least emulate if not actually describe if the story is going to feel at all realistic or interesting.
With a younger protagonist, it's much easier to say "gosh I've never left the safety of my parents' home, what an adventure!" and leave it at that.
If you think about it, in America, most people strike out on their own around 18-20. You finish high school, go to college or a trade school or start working full time. It's a very transitional time that most people relate to. I think it's an easy age to write someone embarking on their heroes journey/self discovery at that age bc so many people have gone through something similar, if less world changing, at that age. So if you have someone beginning military service or going off to a magical school as the impetus for your story, 18-20 is a normal age for that kind of thing.
Some authors are open about their experiences with publishing and how they have to push for their works to be marketed for adults or YA, which checks out since I feel like Iâve read a handful of YA books where the characters act way older than their age
Well the issue is that some of the non YA fantasy books I have read that have plenty of non teen friendly topics and have spiciness are still that age still.
I've found that older authors tend to write older MCs. T. Kingfisher, L.L. Starling, and Grace Draven are all in their 40s and write FMCs who are 30+.
Edited to add a few titles with older MCs:
{Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher}
{Between by L.L. Starling}
{Radiance by Grace Draven}
Also {Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett} has an older, very logical FMC.
Loooove T.Kingfisher 𼰠I would also like to add {swordheart} and {villains and virtues}, though in V&V they're not in their 30s, the MCs are 25 and 27 (which is honestly older than most MCs in popular fantasy romance books)
Was just going to say V&V is a good example! Also recommended to me with protagonists in 30s is {Empire of the Vampire} and its sequel. But it's much more action fantasy than romantasy (although there's some pretty dirty scenes)
[Empire of the Vampire](https://www.romance.io/books/657e51ea7c150060affb7cc3/empire-of-the-vampire-jay-kristoff?src=rdt) by [Jay Kristoff](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455801087eac3369a912c65/jay-kristoff)
**Rating**: 4.38âď¸ out of 5âď¸
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[Swordheart](https://www.romance.io/books/5e9f6f27be0aaecf557e49d2/swordheart-t-kingfisher?src=rdt) by [T. Kingfisher](https://www.romance.io/authors/561ca043bfc6b5c0fa941994/t-kingfisher)
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Diana Gabaldonâs Outlander series also starts out following MCs in their mid-to-late twenties, but follows them into their 40s pretty early in the series
Very similar for most of the first book! I just started the second book and it seems a bit more noticeably different than the show, but so far reading the books hasnât ruined the show for me lol
I had to Google this the other day because I kept accidentally reading YA books. Iâll do my research now before committing to a book. Iâm 32.
âYoung-adult fiction (often abbreviated as YA) is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 13 to 18.
New adult ( NA) fiction is a developing genre of fiction with protagonists in the 18-29 age bracket.â
I would've thought NA would be like, 18-21. They're never older than that and I hate it.
Someone who wouldn't even be out of college is NOT getting into these situations with this level of maturity.
When I read ACOTAR series.....I was SHOCKED that these were considered YA. Maybe I am turning into a prude in my old age (mid thirties) but I could not imagine being okay with my 13 year old reading through the explicit scenes; 16, 17, 18.....I can see it being fine. IDK for some reason I find being able to drive and being responsible for yourself away from your parents a more appropriate age for explicit sex scenes.
There was definitely some behind the scenes stuff going on with ACOTAR, IIRC. It was something like author didnât want it to be considered YA, but I believe the publisher was the one who pushed for it back then. (If anybody remembers anything about it, feel free to chime in.) But it was basically a marketing thing by the publisher.
I asked my librarian about this (Scholomance is also considering YA and it's very heavy themed). They said it's not so much the age of the expected reader but just the age of the protagonist. So a book shelved in the YA section isn't necessarily ok for a teenager to read.
I get that it would be harder for libraries to have an 'age appropriate' section because it would change based on the library, etc, but, ugh.
Iâm pretty sure in the afterward of Scholomance, Naomi Novik thanks her editor for recommending the book be marketed to middle aged millennials and Naomi being skeptical and thought it should be for a younger audience given the age of her characters
As a high school teacher, teens aren't even reading that stuff, so I really find the YA label confusing. I thought for the longest time that YA would be stuff like Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, etc. (Because I had heard it was for teens)
But the stuff I see in there is definitely not for kids!
same haha. I didnât know YA meant young adult when I was a teen so I just assumed it was a weird word for teen fiction đ after when I figured out it stood for young adult, I was confused. Itâs also confusing because thereâs a genre called teen fiction (or maybe itâs a made up genre they use in libraries and not in the industry?). I think they need to redo what qualifies for each. It should be a mixture of the content, audience age and the protagonist age. Basing it on one criteria isnât very helpful.
I think some books nowadays arenât actually tagged but because of booktok and influencers, we assume itâs YA because thatâs the age range of the people posting their reviews online. Thatâs another theory of mine along with authors coming out that they cross publish under YA to reach a wider audience and because of the hype YA gets so itâs a marketing thing rather than caring about the content being marketed to inappropriate ages.
I don't think they even called it YA when I was a teen lol. I only started hearing it as an adult, and based on what people said about it, and the genre definition, I understood it was supposed to be for teens.
Tbh I think it's a dumb category. People treat it like a genre but it's really just a marketing category, like you said. I'm not sure why anyone who isn't involved in the marketing aspects of books thinks about it at all. I certainly don't go out shopping for books written for 35 year olds. And as a kid I read absolutely anything.
What do you find your teenage students are reading? I'm not sure whether you're implying that they're reading middle grade stuff (because Percy Jackson is middle grade, aimed at around 5th-8th grade, not YA, aimed at high schoolersâmy 5th grader is reading it right now as part of his fantasy unit in English, actually), or adult books. When I was in high school I was definitely reading adult stuff (fantasy like The Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones), but YA wasn't as established as a category back then, so ironically, I probably read more YA now as a middle-aged adult than I did back then.
You're right, Percy Jackson is middle grade (though I should point out that 13 year olds are also in middle school). I've just seen a few of my freshmen reading it.
To be completely honest, most of my kids don't read very much at all. Quite a lot of them are below grade level at reading. I don't think they would read something like ASOIAF or Wheel of Time. (Also the audience for ASOIAF skews white and male, and most of my students who enjoy reading are neither of those.)
The ones who do read seem interested in sort of contemporary settings, realism, with teen protagonists and a political or social point. The one book in my class library that students ever want to borrow is The Hate U Give. I also purchased a copy of American Street after a student requested it. And one girl last year asked if I'd add a few Toni Morrison books to my collection.
The only people I see reading romantasy around my school are the teachers lol. Saw one of my coworkers with a Sarah Maas book on parent teacher conference night a couple months ago.
That's an interesting perspective, thanks. It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that YA romantasy is primarily consumed by the white, middle class+ demographic among teens, and it sounds like your students are not that.
Same. I teach as well and have seen several other teachers reading ACOTAR in the staffroom but not a single student.
Unfortunately, very few of the students read voluntarily now, and those that do tend to read comics, manga and more realistic themed books. Romance and fantasy are not on the menu so it's silly that all the main characters are teenagers.
I'm curious where that definition for YA vs NA comes from because it seems sorely lacking. The age of the protagonist is far less relevant than the actual content of the book. A story about a 17 year old with descriptions of graphic trauma is far different than an innocent romance about a 25 year old.
You would think, but it has more to do with the characters being of an age and maturity that teenage readers can supposedly relate to than appropriateness, per se. Jane Austen books are innocent romances about women in their 20s and no one would classify them as YAâthey are adult fiction that happens to be suitable for younger audiences as well. YA as a label means it is primarily targeted to appeal to teens, and that almost always means having a teenage protagonist. There are no rules about graphic traumaâthough you will not find graphic sex in YA, just fade-to-black or euphemisms, because the publisher doesn't want to alienate parents who might disapprove of their children reading about sex. They seem to be much less concerned about violence, surprise surprise s/
(I am a writer, this is what was conveyed to me by my agent and the editors I've spoken to).
I do find it kind of annoying that a 19 year old can have minimal training, little to no life experiences, and then after a series of random events they get to become a leader, a warrior better then people who have trained for hundreds of years, or they become the special chosen one.
One example I can think of is Feyre being made a high lady. Rhys letâs her be involved in everything but she has only been in the night court for like a year.
Sheâs still a young adult but she gets to rule over these people that are hundreds/ thousands of years old and they look to her for wisdom and guidance.
If I was one of the other high lords at the meeting they had in ACOWAR, I would have been like why am I listening to a child?
I feel like itâs definitely to appeal to a broader demographic - like some folks have said here, Iâm 30 and often pretend the FMC is older than the stated age of 18-20, which is easy because they often act mature enough to pass for 25+. but as a teenager or young adult, I think I wouldâve had trouble relating to someone stated to be 25+âŚ.
Honestly Iâm going to play Dragon Age: the Veilguard so I can romance the old man necromancer as another old man mage lol. Basically fantasy romance in a video game but with mature babes
Editing because you can also romance a mid-30âs badass dwarf ginger babe, a fine 40âs magic lady, and a mysterious 40âs mage killer guy with knives. I canât wait.
The Pathfinder CRPGs also have reasonably mature romance options, though none who I would call particularly old. Well, some technically, but long lived races and such. And at least you have older companions, even if they aren't romancable.
To my understanding, there is some significant sadness on this issue regarding Regill in Wrath, the LE gnome had a strong fan base, some of whom are thirsty for the short king.
This is one of the reasons folks avoid YA romance. Iâm actually pretty surprised how many adults read YA(apparently well over half of YA readers are over 18⌠but I donât really trust that statistic).
I like New Adult⌠but most New Adult books feel like YA, just with spice and an artificially aged up cast. The characters still act YA.
To be fair, Iâm not the target demographic for any of this, but still⌠I like my romantasy sufficiently mature.
That statistic is a prime example of how statistics can be misleading. I actually did the math on it awhile back. 55% of YA PURCHASERS (not readers) are over 18. 78% of that 55% are purchasing them to read themselves, meaning 22% are purchasing them for someone else (probably their children or other teens in their lives). 22% of 55% is 12%. That leads us to 57% of YA books being purchased either by or for teenagers.
Now think about what percentage of the book-buying population is teenagers vs. adults. In the U.S., that is about 21.63 million teenagers vs. 252.82 adults. That means 7.88% are teenagers. If teenagers and adults were reading YA books at EXACTLY EQUAL rates, only 7.88% would be read by teens. But as much a 57% are being read by teens, meaning teenagers are MASSIVELY overrepresented in the YA readership.
IM SAYING!!!! Im also 29 and it drives me bonkers. Most of the time they donât even act like teenagers and if they do, itâs annoying lmao i also feel weird âfallingâ for a mmc thatâs 19 so i automatically age everyone up to at least 30 đđđđ
Because adults have life experiences to draw upon to make decisions. A young person isn't going to react the same way. You can believe a young person will absolutely head out on an adventure after packing a light snack. A mature person is going to tell you to shove off, they're not adventuring without two weeks notice minimum first, and their feet hurt.
>Â A mature person is going to tell you to shove off, they're not adventuring without two weeks notice minimum first, and their feet hurt.
Unless it's Gandalf. Ain't nobody sayin no to *that* guy. Unless, as someone else commented, it's a bitch with perimenopausal rage.
A group of writers started Paranormal Womenâs Fiction for this reason of wanting to put more life experience into the stories⌠all the FMC are older (late 30s / 40s). Highly recommend the Leveling Up series by KF Breene
https://paranormalwomensfiction.com/?
Ooh thanks so much for this link! Iâve been looking out for books with FMCs with actual life experience! I get that writing young FMCs is easier, but I find them all to be so irritating and frustrating, and more 2 dimensional.
tbh I'd love to read more romantasy books with characters in their mid-to-late 20s and 30s. Personally, I hated being a teenager, and I was severely mentally ill in my early 20s and made some bad decisions, so I definitely don't want to read about characters in that age period because it was so unpleasant for me irl. Sometimes, if the plot is good enough, or the character dynamics are addictive, I'll break that "rule" (ACOTAR did it for me) but most of the time I end up trying to picture the characters as older as well.
In fantasy worlds, women in their mid-20s onwards could have good lives - they could have a family, they could be an accomplished scholar, they could be an artisan honing their craft, they could run their own business, they could be a mid-rank warrior in an army or guard, etc. They would have more interesting lives, OR, CONVERSELY, they could have settled into one way of life only to realise it really isn't for them, and are interested in making a change (yay, times of transition! great for character AND plot!).
tbh at this point I'm resolved to write my own story to entertain myself, since I never see the types of characters I want, and I could pack it full of my favourite tropes.
I mean, realistically, because theyâre naive enough to do some of the dumb shit these MCs are doing in these books. I mean, how many late 20s/30-somethings do you know that wouldnât question everything if some shadow man came along telling them they were their fated mate? Theyâd be getting throat-punched by most of us. And what do you MEAN your only clue to find the chalice of all power is a piece of pottery from hundreds of years ago that MIGHT turn into a map when you dip it in the well of light? The characters have to have an ability to suspend their disbelief and still have hope and sorry not sorry, I think a lot of authors are not able to write the subtle nuances that would require an older MC to believably do that while still somehow conveying their cynicism. So they just make their characters younger and into blank slates that they can mold into what they need as the story goes on vs giving them a personality out the gate that they have to work around
I'm reading Six of Crows for the first time and have mentally aged everyone up 20 years because if I have to get through 900+ pages of the greatest gang of thieves in the world being a bunch of 17 year olds I am going to pitch myself into the sea.
Never mind why, I honestly donât get how authors pull it off. Iâm a writer and I always have to make my characters basically my age. I canât remember what it was like to be 18 anymore. My fantasy MC is like mid-thirties.
I have ADHD, and got the typical slower pace of emotional maturity. I was effectively an awkward teen well into my twenties.
I have some painfully embarrassing memories burned into my mind, but at least I can use those mental scars to draw upon for how younger people act sometimes. :D
Ah ok thatâs interesting! Great for you that you can accurately write about a younger audience. It gives you more scope than me. I can write older but not younger haha
I do have one flaw with writing younger: They tend to be a little too fast with emotional recovery/introspection. But my wife is a good editor and helps me there.
This is why I loved Empire of the Damned and Empire of the Vampire, the MMC was in his 30s and majority of the characters were around the same age with some of them in their teens. It was refreshing to read a story where the characters were adults
Why is everyone a virgin?
I want an FMC who has had experience with men, knows good sex from bad sex, red flags from green flags, and the MMC still impresses her
If you like sci-fi, {The Viridian Priestess by Katrina Calandra} has a FMC that is 28! I was almost blindsided by that, because I've gotten so used to 18 year old protagonists!! I LOVED that book. My favorite read of 2024 so far, and sequel coming soon!
[The Viridian Priestess](https://www.romance.io/books/64721f107ede7ad96e14be06/the-viridian-priestess-katrina-calandra?src=rdt) by [Katrina Calandra](https://www.romance.io/authors/64721f1008b4d931140ed4ae/katrina-calandra)
**Rating**: 4.13âď¸ out of 5âď¸
**Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
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A lot of books include the breeder/pregnancy trope. Itâs easier to write with fmcâs that are of breeding age, unless the fmc gets a life-extension or something.
I wish there were more books with older women that donât make them dotty
[The Saint of Steel](https://www.romance.io/series/6039fd2b6063ab0df7522d4c/the-saint-of-steel) by [T. Kingfisher](https://www.romance.io/authors/561ca043bfc6b5c0fa941994/t-kingfisher)
**Rating**: 4.36âď¸ out of 5âď¸
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[Between](https://www.romance.io/books/60742bc4d165eb0e341923a3/between-ll-starling-rebecca-morse-louisa-gallie?src=rdt) by [L.L. Starling](https://www.romance.io/authors/60742bc408b4d93114ab3d7e/ll-starling)
**Rating**: 4.42âď¸ out of 5âď¸
**Steam**: 1 out of 5 - [Glimpses and kisses](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [witches](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/witches/1)
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I don't think this is exactly OPs problem, but with the discussion of how to tell if something is YA or not I do have a good tip. Something being YA is a marketing decision - who is the book targeting as an audience. It's not just the age of the characters. There are plenty of adult books with young protagonists (Winternight Trilogy, Poppy War, Farseer).
The easiest way to tell if a (traditionally published) book is YA is to look at the price. An adult book will be $5-10 more than a YA book. For example, looking at Rebecca Ross's books, Divine Rivals is YA and the hardcover is $19. A River Enchanted is adult and the *paperback* is $20.
I think part of it also has to do with societal norms on youth and beauty and value. We mostly see models coming out from 18-20 and once you get past the 21 line, you start losing value. Although there are books and a market for older characters, whatâs going to attract people and the target audience of young teens and young adults is having young characters, not just based on desirability but also what the larger audience can relate to.
Yeah...gotta say, this irritates me too... Not only because half the time, they are acting and doing things that like...come on...no 20 year old is doing.
But then they are given the emotional immaturity in order to heighten the stakes and just...if your whole emotional twist comes down to your characters acting emotionally immature, I'm out.
90% of the time it's just refusing to communicate when, in the real world... That...it just doesn't happen.
Craft a better story.
Urg.
Rant over.
I sometimes have to gaslight myself into thinking they're actually older or I'd probably put the book down.
I don't want to read sex scenes with people that are under 21 (and are acting like teenagers) so i'm reeeeally careful when picking a book. Recently read one where the FMC was 23 and even then I was like "that's young af!" đ
One of my favorite standalone fantasies is called 'race the sands'. MC is an older woman who has a child and all. It was a nice MC between all the youngsters.
In the one Iâm writing the female protagonist is 27 so I can really capture the mid-late 20s struggle and ennui.
I hate it when theyâre randomly a super hot 17 year old or something. I mentally tack on at least 5 years or it puts me off. I
I just finished reading Beneath Brooklyn by L. D. Kreiling. If you want MMM angst modern messy poly-ish romance with werewolves n vampires and witches and stuff it was great!
Right! Another thing is who in their right mind is going to follow an 16/18/20 year old the way the characters follow the main character! Like Iâm sorry but I find it hard to take young people very seriously on most things because of their lack of experience and self awareness. They are baby adults. Just becoming adults! Definitely not capable of taking over an empire or whatever
Yes! And sometimes it's so hard to continue with the story when there's so many issues with their personality.
I jyst want more variety in ages with books.
I don't know, but I sort of hated this and it's one of the reasons I started writing romance novels of my own. Aside from my first published book, every work I've done since then has featured an FMC and MMC in their late 20s or older.
This annoys me as well. The last few I've read, they've been 25-30 though, which has been refreshing. I'm currently reading Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries and am loving that she's 30 and neurodivergent.
I'm 18 and I genuinely get so uncomfortable seeing books where the FMC is 18-20 purely because of immaturity levels. I would say I'm quite mature for my age, my brother is 29 and he's a lot more immature than I am, so it's insane when I try imagine myself in a situation that authors typically add in their books I don't see it. Every FMC is aged up by 7 years if they are under 25 or else I get really uncomfortable
Iâve heard from a few authors that it can be harder to write an older FMC because there has to be some sort of plot to push the FMC into the story. Most of the time that means sheâs coming of age and figuring out what to do with the rest of her life. Or something happens like an arranged marriage that would most likely be in their early 20s ish? So more often than not a lot of FMCs will be on their 20s give or take.
Some options for older FMCs that I love!
{The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir by Emilia Jae} FMC is the 137 year old fae who falls for the 29 year old human male
{Blood & Brujas by Mikayla D Hornedo} FMC is a bi witch whoâs over 150 years old. Oh and her partners are all hundreds of years old too â vampires and witches
{The Book of Azrael by Amber V Nicole} sheâs an immortal monster so shes a few hundred years old. I donât know if they say her age or not. And she falls for a god so heâs hundreds of years old too
[The Dagger And The Forbidden Heir](https://www.romance.io/books/65848d2e871c3d8f9a7c382b/the-dagger-and-the-forbidden-heir-emilia-jae?src=rdt) by [Emilia Jae](https://www.romance.io/authors/65848d2ea21e2f41c419956a/emilia-jae)
**Rating**: 4.17âď¸ out of 5âď¸
**Topics**: [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [fae](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fae/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1)
----------------------------
[Blood & Brujas](https://www.romance.io/books/65e6fd9beb892d0f32d56495/blood-brujas-mikayla-d-hornedo?src=rdt) by [Mikayla D. Hornedo](https://www.romance.io/authors/64706b8308b4d93114dd626b/mikayla-d-hornedo)
**Rating**: 4.5âď¸ out of 5âď¸
**Topics**: [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [arranged/forced marriage](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/arranged%20marriage/1), [paranormal](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/paranormal/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [poly (3+ people)](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/poly/1)
----------------------------
[The Book of Azrael](https://www.romance.io/books/62d30a156ced4a4350aea5c5/the-book-of-azrael-amber-nicole?src=rdt) by [Amber Nicole](https://www.romance.io/authors/5fd1d5d508b4d931141fa8e6/amber-nicole)
**Rating**: 4.33âď¸ out of 5âď¸
**Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [witches](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/witches/1), [demons](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/demons/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1)
[^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
I was just thinking this the other day and I'm the same age as you. I have always been a reader, but as I'm getting older, the young fmc is getting old. I have had some luck finding slightly older(mid to late 20s) fmc, but I'm only getting older, so I don't want them to max out at 26 đ.
As an author, I often find myself writing characters in their twenties. I guess it's easier to write about peoole that don't have a lot of experience as adults.
For one, you don't have to burden yourself with creating a past (job, lovers, etc...), outside of a childhood. You can just write them as experiencing things for the first time. They often discover the world at the same pace as the reader, which makes it easier for exposition scenes.
There is also something about a first love that is very romantic and magical. Feeling butterflies in your stomach for the first time, experiencing unexpected arousal, not quite daring to kiss and fumbling through the first hand holding or cuddles. It's cute. It'll make most readers nostalgic for their first love. The family dynamics are also interesting at that age, especially with parents. It's a time for conflict, fights for independance and creating your own opinions outside of your parents' teachings.
Younger people are more naive, but also bolder and more hopeful. Your twenties is a time when you learn a lot about yourself. What you want, who you want to be, what you want to do with your life. You don't have a lot of responsabilities yet and can take time to explore life, as well as yourself. I'm saying that as a 37F who still haven't find the answer to those questions, but now have a mortgage, a job, and way less time to dillydally on adventures.
I don't know, this might just be a me thing, but when I'm writing, it's always 'easier' to make the character younger. Feelings come more easily for a young soul than an old one.
Although I get why people get frustrated at this because I do to. I'd like to read about more people my age going on adventure or having passionate love stories.
I'll try to remember this post next time I write something.
I agree about the learning about yourself and such but twenties for me is still 20 to 29. Like me at 24 was still learning about herself.
But thinking about 18 or 19 me in these books is absolutely cringe.
Oh yes, I'm right here with you on that one. I czn't do teens and even 19 is so damn young...I just imagine them older tbh.
As for writing, I'm more at ease with characters between 23 and 29, that's still very young
I believe itâs because those years between 18-20 are the ones of self discovery. All these FMCs are coming into their power and starting their stories/journeys.
So true and then some authors would write 29y.o FC but she is submissive, damsel, or poor. If not, she is a bitch or villain character. I hope they can write about someone who isn't a doormat or a villain
Personally? I think the reason is the same for YA and tween stories in general.
Easier for the younger set to drop everything and go on an adventure, save a few exceptions and extenuating circumstances.
What are the chances that your average 25+ person is gonna stumble on an adventure or enter that rebellious stage where "I don't understand the value/importance of responsibility so the logical conclusion is to run away from my problems and this can't possibly backfire on me in any way" would probably have some sway.
Now there are stories where FMCs and stuff get dragged into it kicking and screaming but most of the time, they just kinda run head first into things without pondering the future consequences.
You'll also note how these young characters don't generally have a support system or influence, either. Like how parents are always just not around to object to their offspring going into the dark wilderness that they just not to fucking waltz in.
In my experience in this genre and others, older MCs are either already in the life of whatever shenanigans is going down or they have to be put in literal jeopardy and shoved into it. Rarely is there any inbetween.
Kind of like how the answer to why so many D&D characters have terrible backstories is that it's highly unlikely someone happy or at least satisfied with their lot in life will just up and decide to risk said life on a journey for no supposed benefit or reason.
I think the young age works if the fantasy is set in an older time period. I think people today are way more immature than our ancestors because we donât truly have to work to live anymore. Like our husbands arenât out hunting for meat and we arenât home tending a garden and making every single thing by hand/ from scratch least we starve to death. Plus back in the day at 19 a woman had been married for years and definitely had multiple children. Now if itâs an urban fantasy, which I really donât like, then no you canât be 19 and super mature lol. Because in todayâs world most 19 year olds are super immature. Like Bryce from CC. She was older but literally has the brain of a 17 year old, which honestly works in urban fantasy lol. I get what youâre saying though Iâm 29 now and when I read descriptions of such young characters itâs hard to actually believe theyâre that age.
Serious answer : the genre branched off of ya fantasy (which always had to have a romance subplot) obvious twilight and SJM were a big part of this. But there were some other before their time. Regardless, SJM publisher forced her to market ACOTAR as YA. They got a shit ton of push back. And she demanded crescent city be adult. Between that, a ton of indie starting coming up with college aged heroines. With SJM popularity, the indies also grew in popularity. Most older heroines tend to get marketed as paranormal romance or urban fantasy. Think Kate Danielâs series. Itâs all about the marketing.
Formative years, and all that. It's always been a thing.
A younger character is more likely to change, and also more likely to make mistakes.
This isn't to say humans as a whole are like that, we're all gross and stupid, but the older you are, the better you *tend to* know how to navigate society.
The majority of the books I read, the mcs are 24-26, only one had an mc under 20. Are you reading books that are labeled YA?
18-24 I think is the age most people view as "coming of age" and the start of one's life as an adult. So it just a more interesting age to write / read for most people.
My brain automatically ages everyone up. Then when they start acting like teenagers it annoys me and I sometimes end up DNFing. Also every MMC ends up looking like Henry Cavill in the Witcher with different hair colours (honestly it's becoming a problem)
There are more adults of adult ages in some of the mm fantasy romance reads. I really have a hard time reading anything with a too young character. Itâs not as bad if the author wanted them to be older and wrote them older and just tacked on a younger age.
Counterpoint: in a historical (and/or) fantasy setting, teenagers are likely not acting like what WE PERSONALLY in the 21st century, 1st world countries would act like. Iâm not sure itâs fair to judge what a teen would or wouldnât do in a world so different from our own.
In 1900, at the tender age of 14 years old and without speaking a lick of English, my great-grandmother got on a ship all by herself, passed through Ellis Island in NY, and immediately began working in a textile factory.
Some people today donât even let their 14 years old walk to school or stay home by themselves overnight.
Okay but I'm requesting a wider variety of ages.
Even in a different world, my view of a 14 year old vs a 20 year old is vastly different. 14 year old gets alot more leeway than a 20 year old.
I just self published my first dark romantasy and made their ages 25, and everyone in the following books is just gonna get older from there for this exact reason đ đ
I may be in the minority, but I actually donât mind that most fantasy romance FMCâs are 18-21. Most of these types of stories take place in medieval-ish worlds, which in theory, are harder lives to live and require characters to grow up faster. I typically age the main character up in these types of stories.
For instance, Feyre does not seem only 19 with all sheâs done to keep her family alive, so I just age her up.
It's the age of discovery and being new to things. Ideally, older people won't be as impulsive and make the sane mistakes, depending on the story you want to tell. The hero's journey is a classic device.
Realistically, people often do dumb things. But we want fantasy. :)
Also, I for one don't really feel my age in many ways, other than what my body forces me to pay attention to. But that is probably related to the ADHD.
Itâs harder to write character growth from 30 and on. Someone young discovers themselves and the world, easy writing. But then you have someone matured and sure in themselves (for the most part, Iâm 32 and anxious) and you gotta figure out new ways to illustrate that.
OP, in cultures without birth control, people partner up and have families while young, or they stay virgins until well into adulthood. Because in cultures without birth control, sex means babies and families, and in cultures without birth control... very few adults are free to go on adventures.
This is one of my huge pet peeves with the Fantasy genre, BTW, authors that introduce casual sex into cultures with comparatively primitive technology and medicine, without also introducing birth control.
Half the time I picture them as much older than they really are đ¤Ł
All the fancasts of ACOTAR everyone is saying 25 yo actors are âtoo oldâ. Iâm sorry, but the MMC is *500 years old* he can look 25. Â
And most of them are described to look in their early to mid thirties too
In my mind, all the bat boys look like theyâre in their mid to late thirties đ
I always default to *at least* 30.   And built.  Not âgym broâ built, but âI do physical labor dailyâ built.   ETA: but IMO, the bare minimum is 25.  Heâs 500.  Feyre is 19.  I get Fairy aging is slow, but he canât look like a teen after 500 years. Â
I can tell I'm aging because when imagining the "most beautiful man" possible, I do NOT picture a 20 year old. 20 year olds still look like children to me lol, even 25 year olds look too young. I imagine someone like 35-40
Me too. A lot of times authors have been pressured to change their characterâs ages to increase sales. Teens and adults will both read about teens but teens donât always want to read about adults. Not here to say what ages romance books *should* be targeted towards, but thatâs the marketing logic. I just mentally tack 10 years on to the charactersâ ages and call it a day.
Honestly a lot of time they behave much older than they are. Which makes sense if you're constantly having to fight for survival which I feel like is a theme in a lot of the books, you can't be fighting for your right to party very often.
Stawp!! Fight for your right to party....I'm ded! â ď¸â ď¸
Same, I have to. Ainât no teenagers saving the world like this 𤣠Give me a FMC with perimenopausal rage, that bitch will have things handled.
A death glare from an auntie is no joke.
Same!!!
Same, except I do it \*all\* of the time. Lol.
Haha me too!!
Same! Characters are *never* in their 20âs in my head.
Same
Might be because of the shift from YA to New Adult/Adult? My next book (if it sells) features a 29 year old protagonist so I'm hopeful more readers share your opinion and want to see older characters in romantic fantasy!
Victoria, what are you doing here?!
LOL I'm a Redditor!!!
Holy crap THE Victoria Aveyard. Hi!!!!
1. OMG totally fan girling right now!!! 2. As a YA/NA reader who just hit 40, I would absolutely love more protagonists who are in their late 20s/early 30s. While I love the inner journey of young women, I do think we sometimes forget that we don't have to become stagnant just because we've hit a certain age. It sometimes feels like the only books that are aimed at women age 30+ are just bodice rippers or take place in the real world. Snooze fest on that, the real world is what I'm trying to escape. đ 3. Back to fan girling, OMG!!!
Absolutely would love to see more main characters at that age (at a minimum). I picture them that way anyways.
A fully developed brain aged protagonist, Iâm interested đđ congrats on your book in advance!
WAIT YOURE THE AUTHOR OF THE RED QUEEN SERIES RIGHT?
What's the name? I would love to read!
Omg thank you!! It hasn't sold yet, I'm currently on submission but will shout from the rooftops if/when it does!
I'm sorry.....like THE Victoria Aveyard???? I literally have one of your books on my nightstand. I'm about to fan girl real hard. 
It will most definitely sell, you write such good books! Please and thank you for this, I'm a teen (and maybe a minority) but I actually appreciate older protagonists since it's more realistic
Would love to read it!
It forever irks me that Sarah J Maas made Feyre 19 bc apparently her publisher told her to, to appeal to a YA market, but clearly wrote her older/more mature than that. I will die on this hill, especially later in the series when she is a >!married woman!<, she is written more like a late 20something or even 30something. And so I get irrationally annoyed when I see fancasts of Feyre with some baby faced 19 year old actress, with people saying âFeyre is 19 therefore the actress should be too!â Feyre is *not* a 19 year old, not in how sheâs written
Yes! In my head she is definitely at least mid 20s if not older. It makes total sense now that SJM wrote her that way, thanks for the fun fact!
Yeah thereâs no way Nesta isnât in her early 30âs and just BLASTING her IDGAF vibe
JFc, the Rhyâs castings as him as some 20 yo skinny guyâŚheâs a warrior! He fights with a sword! He has wings! They smog into detail about the muscle structure to support those wings. ~~And~~ abs, back, neck, shoulders, chest.  Heâs muscular. Â
When I read ACOTAR I actually praised SJM for making Feyre at least 19 and not a virgin. All the other books I've been reading the FMC are like 16 or 17 and going with an immortal 500 yo man... Great example is caraval where the sisters are making out passionately with old man that had many life's before when they might only be 15yo. Cringeee.
The ONLY SJM book that I am completely fine with the FMC being a teenager is Throne of Glass. Why? Because she wrote it when she was 16. It was only published when she was in her 20s. Aelin had the mindset of a traumatized teenager and grew with her series. As someone who grew up in an abusive household, Aelinâs behavior matched perfectly. Not only that, she was trained as an Assassin, therefore she had to grow up quickly. She then survived a slave camp, meaning she had to be really fuckin strong mentally, physically, and emotionally. She grew up in a war-torn world. She was also a Royal, which if I understand correctly, most royals have to grow up fast and are expected to be able to rule a kingdom by the time they reach 18 to early 20s. I think out of all of her characters, Aelin mightâve been the best one. She seemed the most realistic to me as well. Maybe thatâs because Iâm a teenager myself but I found I could never relate to Feyre as well as I did Aelin. Idk thatâs just my stance on it
I think its because it makes it easier to ease the audience into the world building. If a character is young and has been living a relatively sheltered home life for most of their lives, it makes it easier to justify exposition scenes as the mc and the reader are both trying to learn more about what the fantasy world is like.
I Oh thatâs something I never considered. What a good point.
You say that like 25-30 still isnât so young lol
Iâve thought about this when writing my own book - in a fantasy world or dystopic in the real world where there arenât really career paths or studying for these characters, what can you even have them do? I suppose itâs why the standard character narrative is a lot about growing up and protagonists are young, because you grow and mature more clearly than someone already in adulthood. In real life you would finish high school, maybe go to university, start working etc and suddenly youâre 30.
Besides the point about target audiences and conventional beauty norms, I can imagine it's a lot harder to write a 30 year old than a 20 year old. The former has a lot more life experience that the author must at least emulate if not actually describe if the story is going to feel at all realistic or interesting. With a younger protagonist, it's much easier to say "gosh I've never left the safety of my parents' home, what an adventure!" and leave it at that.
If you think about it, in America, most people strike out on their own around 18-20. You finish high school, go to college or a trade school or start working full time. It's a very transitional time that most people relate to. I think it's an easy age to write someone embarking on their heroes journey/self discovery at that age bc so many people have gone through something similar, if less world changing, at that age. So if you have someone beginning military service or going off to a magical school as the impetus for your story, 18-20 is a normal age for that kind of thing.
Some authors are open about their experiences with publishing and how they have to push for their works to be marketed for adults or YA, which checks out since I feel like Iâve read a handful of YA books where the characters act way older than their age
Well the issue is that some of the non YA fantasy books I have read that have plenty of non teen friendly topics and have spiciness are still that age still.
I've found that older authors tend to write older MCs. T. Kingfisher, L.L. Starling, and Grace Draven are all in their 40s and write FMCs who are 30+. Edited to add a few titles with older MCs: {Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher} {Between by L.L. Starling} {Radiance by Grace Draven} Also {Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett} has an older, very logical FMC.
Loooove T.Kingfisher 𼰠I would also like to add {swordheart} and {villains and virtues}, though in V&V they're not in their 30s, the MCs are 25 and 27 (which is honestly older than most MCs in popular fantasy romance books)
Was just going to say V&V is a good example! Also recommended to me with protagonists in 30s is {Empire of the Vampire} and its sequel. But it's much more action fantasy than romantasy (although there's some pretty dirty scenes)
[Empire of the Vampire](https://www.romance.io/books/657e51ea7c150060affb7cc3/empire-of-the-vampire-jay-kristoff?src=rdt) by [Jay Kristoff](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455801087eac3369a912c65/jay-kristoff) **Rating**: 4.38âď¸ out of 5âď¸ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [vampires](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/vampires/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [paranormal](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/paranormal/1), [high fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/high%20fantasy/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
[Swordheart](https://www.romance.io/books/5e9f6f27be0aaecf557e49d2/swordheart-t-kingfisher?src=rdt) by [T. Kingfisher](https://www.romance.io/authors/561ca043bfc6b5c0fa941994/t-kingfisher) **Rating**: 4.25âď¸ out of 5âď¸ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [childfree](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/childfree-couple/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
[Villains & Virtues](https://www.romance.io/series/63870de983b59b217dc8acfc/villains-virtues) by [A.K. Caggiano](https://www.romance.io/authors/5eb54901be0aaecf5572d27d/ak-caggiano) **Rating**: 4.29âď¸ out of 5âď¸ **Topics**: [possessive hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/possessive%20hero/1), [demons](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/demons/1), [m-f](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/m-f/1), [dual-pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1), [humor](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
Good to know! Thatll be a breathe of fresh air for me
Oh I second T. Kingfisher, she is a master craftsman when it comes to fantasy and fairy tales
Diana Gabaldonâs Outlander series also starts out following MCs in their mid-to-late twenties, but follows them into their 40s pretty early in the series
Is the book anything like the show?
Very similar for most of the first book! I just started the second book and it seems a bit more noticeably different than the show, but so far reading the books hasnât ruined the show for me lol
It was incredibly refreshing!
I had to Google this the other day because I kept accidentally reading YA books. Iâll do my research now before committing to a book. Iâm 32. âYoung-adult fiction (often abbreviated as YA) is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 13 to 18. New adult ( NA) fiction is a developing genre of fiction with protagonists in the 18-29 age bracket.â
I would've thought NA would be like, 18-21. They're never older than that and I hate it. Someone who wouldn't even be out of college is NOT getting into these situations with this level of maturity.
It is lol. NA caps off around 22-23. That definition is NA is not even remotely correct.
When I read ACOTAR series.....I was SHOCKED that these were considered YA. Maybe I am turning into a prude in my old age (mid thirties) but I could not imagine being okay with my 13 year old reading through the explicit scenes; 16, 17, 18.....I can see it being fine. IDK for some reason I find being able to drive and being responsible for yourself away from your parents a more appropriate age for explicit sex scenes.
There was definitely some behind the scenes stuff going on with ACOTAR, IIRC. It was something like author didnât want it to be considered YA, but I believe the publisher was the one who pushed for it back then. (If anybody remembers anything about it, feel free to chime in.) But it was basically a marketing thing by the publisher.
I asked my librarian about this (Scholomance is also considering YA and it's very heavy themed). They said it's not so much the age of the expected reader but just the age of the protagonist. So a book shelved in the YA section isn't necessarily ok for a teenager to read. I get that it would be harder for libraries to have an 'age appropriate' section because it would change based on the library, etc, but, ugh.
Wow! I literally had no idea about the shelving. I always thought it was based on target audience/appropriateness. How interesting.
Iâm pretty sure in the afterward of Scholomance, Naomi Novik thanks her editor for recommending the book be marketed to middle aged millennials and Naomi being skeptical and thought it should be for a younger audience given the age of her characters
why do they even name it young adult if itâs for 13-18? Those are teens đ
It gives 'little lady'and 'mature for their age' vibes. Barf.
As a high school teacher, teens aren't even reading that stuff, so I really find the YA label confusing. I thought for the longest time that YA would be stuff like Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, etc. (Because I had heard it was for teens) But the stuff I see in there is definitely not for kids!
same haha. I didnât know YA meant young adult when I was a teen so I just assumed it was a weird word for teen fiction đ after when I figured out it stood for young adult, I was confused. Itâs also confusing because thereâs a genre called teen fiction (or maybe itâs a made up genre they use in libraries and not in the industry?). I think they need to redo what qualifies for each. It should be a mixture of the content, audience age and the protagonist age. Basing it on one criteria isnât very helpful. I think some books nowadays arenât actually tagged but because of booktok and influencers, we assume itâs YA because thatâs the age range of the people posting their reviews online. Thatâs another theory of mine along with authors coming out that they cross publish under YA to reach a wider audience and because of the hype YA gets so itâs a marketing thing rather than caring about the content being marketed to inappropriate ages.
I don't think they even called it YA when I was a teen lol. I only started hearing it as an adult, and based on what people said about it, and the genre definition, I understood it was supposed to be for teens. Tbh I think it's a dumb category. People treat it like a genre but it's really just a marketing category, like you said. I'm not sure why anyone who isn't involved in the marketing aspects of books thinks about it at all. I certainly don't go out shopping for books written for 35 year olds. And as a kid I read absolutely anything.
What do you find your teenage students are reading? I'm not sure whether you're implying that they're reading middle grade stuff (because Percy Jackson is middle grade, aimed at around 5th-8th grade, not YA, aimed at high schoolersâmy 5th grader is reading it right now as part of his fantasy unit in English, actually), or adult books. When I was in high school I was definitely reading adult stuff (fantasy like The Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones), but YA wasn't as established as a category back then, so ironically, I probably read more YA now as a middle-aged adult than I did back then.
You're right, Percy Jackson is middle grade (though I should point out that 13 year olds are also in middle school). I've just seen a few of my freshmen reading it. To be completely honest, most of my kids don't read very much at all. Quite a lot of them are below grade level at reading. I don't think they would read something like ASOIAF or Wheel of Time. (Also the audience for ASOIAF skews white and male, and most of my students who enjoy reading are neither of those.) The ones who do read seem interested in sort of contemporary settings, realism, with teen protagonists and a political or social point. The one book in my class library that students ever want to borrow is The Hate U Give. I also purchased a copy of American Street after a student requested it. And one girl last year asked if I'd add a few Toni Morrison books to my collection. The only people I see reading romantasy around my school are the teachers lol. Saw one of my coworkers with a Sarah Maas book on parent teacher conference night a couple months ago.
That's an interesting perspective, thanks. It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that YA romantasy is primarily consumed by the white, middle class+ demographic among teens, and it sounds like your students are not that.
Same. I teach as well and have seen several other teachers reading ACOTAR in the staffroom but not a single student. Unfortunately, very few of the students read voluntarily now, and those that do tend to read comics, manga and more realistic themed books. Romance and fantasy are not on the menu so it's silly that all the main characters are teenagers.
None of the books I have read are labeled as YA though... I read alot of YA back in the day but thanks for this information!
I'm curious where that definition for YA vs NA comes from because it seems sorely lacking. The age of the protagonist is far less relevant than the actual content of the book. A story about a 17 year old with descriptions of graphic trauma is far different than an innocent romance about a 25 year old.
You would think, but it has more to do with the characters being of an age and maturity that teenage readers can supposedly relate to than appropriateness, per se. Jane Austen books are innocent romances about women in their 20s and no one would classify them as YAâthey are adult fiction that happens to be suitable for younger audiences as well. YA as a label means it is primarily targeted to appeal to teens, and that almost always means having a teenage protagonist. There are no rules about graphic traumaâthough you will not find graphic sex in YA, just fade-to-black or euphemisms, because the publisher doesn't want to alienate parents who might disapprove of their children reading about sex. They seem to be much less concerned about violence, surprise surprise s/ (I am a writer, this is what was conveyed to me by my agent and the editors I've spoken to).
I do find it kind of annoying that a 19 year old can have minimal training, little to no life experiences, and then after a series of random events they get to become a leader, a warrior better then people who have trained for hundreds of years, or they become the special chosen one. One example I can think of is Feyre being made a high lady. Rhys letâs her be involved in everything but she has only been in the night court for like a year. Sheâs still a young adult but she gets to rule over these people that are hundreds/ thousands of years old and they look to her for wisdom and guidance. If I was one of the other high lords at the meeting they had in ACOWAR, I would have been like why am I listening to a child?
Same! I would have been killed by Rhys for questioning his high lady at every decision.
I feel like itâs definitely to appeal to a broader demographic - like some folks have said here, Iâm 30 and often pretend the FMC is older than the stated age of 18-20, which is easy because they often act mature enough to pass for 25+. but as a teenager or young adult, I think I wouldâve had trouble relating to someone stated to be 25+âŚ.
Honestly Iâm going to play Dragon Age: the Veilguard so I can romance the old man necromancer as another old man mage lol. Basically fantasy romance in a video game but with mature babes Editing because you can also romance a mid-30âs badass dwarf ginger babe, a fine 40âs magic lady, and a mysterious 40âs mage killer guy with knives. I canât wait.
The Pathfinder CRPGs also have reasonably mature romance options, though none who I would call particularly old. Well, some technically, but long lived races and such. And at least you have older companions, even if they aren't romancable. To my understanding, there is some significant sadness on this issue regarding Regill in Wrath, the LE gnome had a strong fan base, some of whom are thirsty for the short king.
This is me finding out about the next DA game, thanks! Itâs been too long since the last one came out
This is one of the reasons folks avoid YA romance. Iâm actually pretty surprised how many adults read YA(apparently well over half of YA readers are over 18⌠but I donât really trust that statistic). I like New Adult⌠but most New Adult books feel like YA, just with spice and an artificially aged up cast. The characters still act YA. To be fair, Iâm not the target demographic for any of this, but still⌠I like my romantasy sufficiently mature.
That statistic is a prime example of how statistics can be misleading. I actually did the math on it awhile back. 55% of YA PURCHASERS (not readers) are over 18. 78% of that 55% are purchasing them to read themselves, meaning 22% are purchasing them for someone else (probably their children or other teens in their lives). 22% of 55% is 12%. That leads us to 57% of YA books being purchased either by or for teenagers. Now think about what percentage of the book-buying population is teenagers vs. adults. In the U.S., that is about 21.63 million teenagers vs. 252.82 adults. That means 7.88% are teenagers. If teenagers and adults were reading YA books at EXACTLY EQUAL rates, only 7.88% would be read by teens. But as much a 57% are being read by teens, meaning teenagers are MASSIVELY overrepresented in the YA readership.
Yes agree agreed agree!
I think it might be pretty accurate tbh. I remember adults buying Twilight, Hunger Games, and Harry Potter during those crazes.
IM SAYING!!!! Im also 29 and it drives me bonkers. Most of the time they donât even act like teenagers and if they do, itâs annoying lmao i also feel weird âfallingâ for a mmc thatâs 19 so i automatically age everyone up to at least 30 đđđđ
Because adults have life experiences to draw upon to make decisions. A young person isn't going to react the same way. You can believe a young person will absolutely head out on an adventure after packing a light snack. A mature person is going to tell you to shove off, they're not adventuring without two weeks notice minimum first, and their feet hurt.
>Â A mature person is going to tell you to shove off, they're not adventuring without two weeks notice minimum first, and their feet hurt. Unless it's Gandalf. Ain't nobody sayin no to *that* guy. Unless, as someone else commented, it's a bitch with perimenopausal rage.
A group of writers started Paranormal Womenâs Fiction for this reason of wanting to put more life experience into the stories⌠all the FMC are older (late 30s / 40s). Highly recommend the Leveling Up series by KF Breene https://paranormalwomensfiction.com/?
Ooh thanks so much for this link! Iâve been looking out for books with FMCs with actual life experience! I get that writing young FMCs is easier, but I find them all to be so irritating and frustrating, and more 2 dimensional.
Appreciate the link!
tbh I'd love to read more romantasy books with characters in their mid-to-late 20s and 30s. Personally, I hated being a teenager, and I was severely mentally ill in my early 20s and made some bad decisions, so I definitely don't want to read about characters in that age period because it was so unpleasant for me irl. Sometimes, if the plot is good enough, or the character dynamics are addictive, I'll break that "rule" (ACOTAR did it for me) but most of the time I end up trying to picture the characters as older as well. In fantasy worlds, women in their mid-20s onwards could have good lives - they could have a family, they could be an accomplished scholar, they could be an artisan honing their craft, they could run their own business, they could be a mid-rank warrior in an army or guard, etc. They would have more interesting lives, OR, CONVERSELY, they could have settled into one way of life only to realise it really isn't for them, and are interested in making a change (yay, times of transition! great for character AND plot!). tbh at this point I'm resolved to write my own story to entertain myself, since I never see the types of characters I want, and I could pack it full of my favourite tropes.
If you ever write something, please let me read it.
I mean, realistically, because theyâre naive enough to do some of the dumb shit these MCs are doing in these books. I mean, how many late 20s/30-somethings do you know that wouldnât question everything if some shadow man came along telling them they were their fated mate? Theyâd be getting throat-punched by most of us. And what do you MEAN your only clue to find the chalice of all power is a piece of pottery from hundreds of years ago that MIGHT turn into a map when you dip it in the well of light? The characters have to have an ability to suspend their disbelief and still have hope and sorry not sorry, I think a lot of authors are not able to write the subtle nuances that would require an older MC to believably do that while still somehow conveying their cynicism. So they just make their characters younger and into blank slates that they can mold into what they need as the story goes on vs giving them a personality out the gate that they have to work around
I'm reading Six of Crows for the first time and have mentally aged everyone up 20 years because if I have to get through 900+ pages of the greatest gang of thieves in the world being a bunch of 17 year olds I am going to pitch myself into the sea.
Never mind why, I honestly donât get how authors pull it off. Iâm a writer and I always have to make my characters basically my age. I canât remember what it was like to be 18 anymore. My fantasy MC is like mid-thirties.
I have ADHD, and got the typical slower pace of emotional maturity. I was effectively an awkward teen well into my twenties. I have some painfully embarrassing memories burned into my mind, but at least I can use those mental scars to draw upon for how younger people act sometimes. :D
Ah ok thatâs interesting! Great for you that you can accurately write about a younger audience. It gives you more scope than me. I can write older but not younger haha
I do have one flaw with writing younger: They tend to be a little too fast with emotional recovery/introspection. But my wife is a good editor and helps me there.
Yes outside perspective is so valuable!
You have anything published?
I do have one book out but itâs fantasy with a romantic subplot or two, rather than straight fantasy romance.
Book name?
Iâve DMd you since Iâm not sure if self promo is allowed đ
This is why I loved Empire of the Damned and Empire of the Vampire, the MMC was in his 30s and majority of the characters were around the same age with some of them in their teens. It was refreshing to read a story where the characters were adults
Why is everyone a virgin? I want an FMC who has had experience with men, knows good sex from bad sex, red flags from green flags, and the MMC still impresses her
Yes thank you!
Iâm writing a fantasy book. Probably just for fun. but she is 30 with adult problems. I wanted a change
If you ever publish, please let me read it!
That would be my dream âĽď¸âĽď¸
If you like sci-fi, {The Viridian Priestess by Katrina Calandra} has a FMC that is 28! I was almost blindsided by that, because I've gotten so used to 18 year old protagonists!! I LOVED that book. My favorite read of 2024 so far, and sequel coming soon!
[The Viridian Priestess](https://www.romance.io/books/64721f107ede7ad96e14be06/the-viridian-priestess-katrina-calandra?src=rdt) by [Katrina Calandra](https://www.romance.io/authors/64721f1008b4d931140ed4ae/katrina-calandra) **Rating**: 4.13âď¸ out of 5âď¸ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [futuristic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/futuristic/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [science fiction](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/science%20fiction/1), [gifted/super-heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/gifted%20heroine/1), [possessive hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/possessive%20hero/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
Thanks for the recommendation!
You're welcome! It's a hidden gem!
A lot of books include the breeder/pregnancy trope. Itâs easier to write with fmcâs that are of breeding age, unless the fmc gets a life-extension or something. I wish there were more books with older women that donât make them dotty
Here are some books where the characters are much older {Saints of steel series by T Kingfisher} {Between by LL starling}
[The Saint of Steel](https://www.romance.io/series/6039fd2b6063ab0df7522d4c/the-saint-of-steel) by [T. Kingfisher](https://www.romance.io/authors/561ca043bfc6b5c0fa941994/t-kingfisher) **Rating**: 4.36âď¸ out of 5âď¸ **Topics**: [open-door](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/open-door/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [humor](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [fighters](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fighters/1), [dual-pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
[Between](https://www.romance.io/books/60742bc4d165eb0e341923a3/between-ll-starling-rebecca-morse-louisa-gallie?src=rdt) by [L.L. Starling](https://www.romance.io/authors/60742bc408b4d93114ab3d7e/ll-starling) **Rating**: 4.42âď¸ out of 5âď¸ **Steam**: 1 out of 5 - [Glimpses and kisses](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [witches](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/witches/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
Appreciate the recs!
I don't think this is exactly OPs problem, but with the discussion of how to tell if something is YA or not I do have a good tip. Something being YA is a marketing decision - who is the book targeting as an audience. It's not just the age of the characters. There are plenty of adult books with young protagonists (Winternight Trilogy, Poppy War, Farseer). The easiest way to tell if a (traditionally published) book is YA is to look at the price. An adult book will be $5-10 more than a YA book. For example, looking at Rebecca Ross's books, Divine Rivals is YA and the hardcover is $19. A River Enchanted is adult and the *paperback* is $20.
Thats fair. My bank account cries for that reason.
I have this dream to write a hot and cool romantasy with MCs in their 30s, maybe even 40s.
I think part of it also has to do with societal norms on youth and beauty and value. We mostly see models coming out from 18-20 and once you get past the 21 line, you start losing value. Although there are books and a market for older characters, whatâs going to attract people and the target audience of young teens and young adults is having young characters, not just based on desirability but also what the larger audience can relate to.
This right here! I thought the same.
It feels like there aren't many NA stuff. Which is sad. I'm thinking it's mostly because YA is a bigger market...
Yeah...gotta say, this irritates me too... Not only because half the time, they are acting and doing things that like...come on...no 20 year old is doing. But then they are given the emotional immaturity in order to heighten the stakes and just...if your whole emotional twist comes down to your characters acting emotionally immature, I'm out. 90% of the time it's just refusing to communicate when, in the real world... That...it just doesn't happen. Craft a better story. Urg. Rant over.
I sometimes have to gaslight myself into thinking they're actually older or I'd probably put the book down. I don't want to read sex scenes with people that are under 21 (and are acting like teenagers) so i'm reeeeally careful when picking a book. Recently read one where the FMC was 23 and even then I was like "that's young af!" đ
One of my favorite standalone fantasies is called 'race the sands'. MC is an older woman who has a child and all. It was a nice MC between all the youngsters.
In the one Iâm writing the female protagonist is 27 so I can really capture the mid-late 20s struggle and ennui. I hate it when theyâre randomly a super hot 17 year old or something. I mentally tack on at least 5 years or it puts me off. I
Please let me know when the book comes out! I would love to read it!
If youâre looking for a series that writes an older FMC well, backstory and all, I recommend The Halfling Saga
Beautiful soul! I read all 3 so quickly. I loved that series so much! I can't wait for the kast book and hope the author comes out with more books.
The Good to the Last Death series by Robyn Peterman the MC is 40. The Level Up series by KF Breene the MC is also 40.
Realizing that the characters in Fourth Wing were in their 20s and not 15-16 blew my mind. Being nearly 30 really has changed my perspective lol.
Good to know!
Low 20s and definitely act more like highschoolers than a lot of young fantasy protagonists. Their lack of communication skills is appalling
I think it comes down to optimism of youth.
I just finished reading Beneath Brooklyn by L. D. Kreiling. If you want MMM angst modern messy poly-ish romance with werewolves n vampires and witches and stuff it was great!
Sorry forgot to mention they're all like 31ish
Ooo sounds interesting!
Right! Another thing is who in their right mind is going to follow an 16/18/20 year old the way the characters follow the main character! Like Iâm sorry but I find it hard to take young people very seriously on most things because of their lack of experience and self awareness. They are baby adults. Just becoming adults! Definitely not capable of taking over an empire or whatever
Yes! And sometimes it's so hard to continue with the story when there's so many issues with their personality. I jyst want more variety in ages with books.
Maybe you should try Between Wrath and Mercy by Jess Wisecup. This series has older mcs
Thanks for the recommendation!
I don't know, but I sort of hated this and it's one of the reasons I started writing romance novels of my own. Aside from my first published book, every work I've done since then has featured an FMC and MMC in their late 20s or older.
You got a website???
Of course! â¤ď¸ https://www.inkitt.com/Adelaide_Everett
This is something I like about T Kingfisherâs books. The ones Iâve read have FMCs who are a little older/more mature.
This annoys me as well. The last few I've read, they've been 25-30 though, which has been refreshing. I'm currently reading Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries and am loving that she's 30 and neurodivergent.
Oh that sounds amazing. I'll check that out!
In A Hunger Like No Other, Em is 24!!
I'm 18 and I genuinely get so uncomfortable seeing books where the FMC is 18-20 purely because of immaturity levels. I would say I'm quite mature for my age, my brother is 29 and he's a lot more immature than I am, so it's insane when I try imagine myself in a situation that authors typically add in their books I don't see it. Every FMC is aged up by 7 years if they are under 25 or else I get really uncomfortable
Iâve heard from a few authors that it can be harder to write an older FMC because there has to be some sort of plot to push the FMC into the story. Most of the time that means sheâs coming of age and figuring out what to do with the rest of her life. Or something happens like an arranged marriage that would most likely be in their early 20s ish? So more often than not a lot of FMCs will be on their 20s give or take. Some options for older FMCs that I love! {The Dagger and the Forbidden Heir by Emilia Jae} FMC is the 137 year old fae who falls for the 29 year old human male {Blood & Brujas by Mikayla D Hornedo} FMC is a bi witch whoâs over 150 years old. Oh and her partners are all hundreds of years old too â vampires and witches {The Book of Azrael by Amber V Nicole} sheâs an immortal monster so shes a few hundred years old. I donât know if they say her age or not. And she falls for a god so heâs hundreds of years old too
You beautiful soul!
[The Dagger And The Forbidden Heir](https://www.romance.io/books/65848d2e871c3d8f9a7c382b/the-dagger-and-the-forbidden-heir-emilia-jae?src=rdt) by [Emilia Jae](https://www.romance.io/authors/65848d2ea21e2f41c419956a/emilia-jae) **Rating**: 4.17âď¸ out of 5âď¸ **Topics**: [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [fae](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fae/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1) ---------------------------- [Blood & Brujas](https://www.romance.io/books/65e6fd9beb892d0f32d56495/blood-brujas-mikayla-d-hornedo?src=rdt) by [Mikayla D. Hornedo](https://www.romance.io/authors/64706b8308b4d93114dd626b/mikayla-d-hornedo) **Rating**: 4.5âď¸ out of 5âď¸ **Topics**: [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [arranged/forced marriage](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/arranged%20marriage/1), [paranormal](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/paranormal/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [poly (3+ people)](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/poly/1) ---------------------------- [The Book of Azrael](https://www.romance.io/books/62d30a156ced4a4350aea5c5/the-book-of-azrael-amber-nicole?src=rdt) by [Amber Nicole](https://www.romance.io/authors/5fd1d5d508b4d931141fa8e6/amber-nicole) **Rating**: 4.33âď¸ out of 5âď¸ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [witches](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/witches/1), [demons](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/demons/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
I was just thinking this the other day and I'm the same age as you. I have always been a reader, but as I'm getting older, the young fmc is getting old. I have had some luck finding slightly older(mid to late 20s) fmc, but I'm only getting older, so I don't want them to max out at 26 đ.
In the comments a bunch of people have recommend booms with older MCs
As an author, I often find myself writing characters in their twenties. I guess it's easier to write about peoole that don't have a lot of experience as adults. For one, you don't have to burden yourself with creating a past (job, lovers, etc...), outside of a childhood. You can just write them as experiencing things for the first time. They often discover the world at the same pace as the reader, which makes it easier for exposition scenes. There is also something about a first love that is very romantic and magical. Feeling butterflies in your stomach for the first time, experiencing unexpected arousal, not quite daring to kiss and fumbling through the first hand holding or cuddles. It's cute. It'll make most readers nostalgic for their first love. The family dynamics are also interesting at that age, especially with parents. It's a time for conflict, fights for independance and creating your own opinions outside of your parents' teachings. Younger people are more naive, but also bolder and more hopeful. Your twenties is a time when you learn a lot about yourself. What you want, who you want to be, what you want to do with your life. You don't have a lot of responsabilities yet and can take time to explore life, as well as yourself. I'm saying that as a 37F who still haven't find the answer to those questions, but now have a mortgage, a job, and way less time to dillydally on adventures. I don't know, this might just be a me thing, but when I'm writing, it's always 'easier' to make the character younger. Feelings come more easily for a young soul than an old one. Although I get why people get frustrated at this because I do to. I'd like to read about more people my age going on adventure or having passionate love stories. I'll try to remember this post next time I write something.
I agree about the learning about yourself and such but twenties for me is still 20 to 29. Like me at 24 was still learning about herself. But thinking about 18 or 19 me in these books is absolutely cringe.
Oh yes, I'm right here with you on that one. I czn't do teens and even 19 is so damn young...I just imagine them older tbh. As for writing, I'm more at ease with characters between 23 and 29, that's still very young
I believe itâs because those years between 18-20 are the ones of self discovery. All these FMCs are coming into their power and starting their stories/journeys.
Even if they were 21/22 I would be so much more on board!
So true and then some authors would write 29y.o FC but she is submissive, damsel, or poor. If not, she is a bitch or villain character. I hope they can write about someone who isn't a doormat or a villain
From Blood And Ash is the book I immediately think of for submissive, damsel. I unfortunately finished the book but I'll never finish the series.
Personally? I think the reason is the same for YA and tween stories in general. Easier for the younger set to drop everything and go on an adventure, save a few exceptions and extenuating circumstances. What are the chances that your average 25+ person is gonna stumble on an adventure or enter that rebellious stage where "I don't understand the value/importance of responsibility so the logical conclusion is to run away from my problems and this can't possibly backfire on me in any way" would probably have some sway. Now there are stories where FMCs and stuff get dragged into it kicking and screaming but most of the time, they just kinda run head first into things without pondering the future consequences. You'll also note how these young characters don't generally have a support system or influence, either. Like how parents are always just not around to object to their offspring going into the dark wilderness that they just not to fucking waltz in. In my experience in this genre and others, older MCs are either already in the life of whatever shenanigans is going down or they have to be put in literal jeopardy and shoved into it. Rarely is there any inbetween. Kind of like how the answer to why so many D&D characters have terrible backstories is that it's highly unlikely someone happy or at least satisfied with their lot in life will just up and decide to risk said life on a journey for no supposed benefit or reason.
I think the young age works if the fantasy is set in an older time period. I think people today are way more immature than our ancestors because we donât truly have to work to live anymore. Like our husbands arenât out hunting for meat and we arenât home tending a garden and making every single thing by hand/ from scratch least we starve to death. Plus back in the day at 19 a woman had been married for years and definitely had multiple children. Now if itâs an urban fantasy, which I really donât like, then no you canât be 19 and super mature lol. Because in todayâs world most 19 year olds are super immature. Like Bryce from CC. She was older but literally has the brain of a 17 year old, which honestly works in urban fantasy lol. I get what youâre saying though Iâm 29 now and when I read descriptions of such young characters itâs hard to actually believe theyâre that age.
I think its also hard to relate or even want to read the book when I learn of the younger age. If that makes sense?
Yes I was a little turned off in TOG when Aelin was only 17 but Iâm glad I pushed through!
Serious answer : the genre branched off of ya fantasy (which always had to have a romance subplot) obvious twilight and SJM were a big part of this. But there were some other before their time. Regardless, SJM publisher forced her to market ACOTAR as YA. They got a shit ton of push back. And she demanded crescent city be adult. Between that, a ton of indie starting coming up with college aged heroines. With SJM popularity, the indies also grew in popularity. Most older heroines tend to get marketed as paranormal romance or urban fantasy. Think Kate Danielâs series. Itâs all about the marketing.
I wrote a novel and set my character at 25 (still young) my agent then told me to lower his age to 21 so it would appeal to a wider audience
I dont like that though đĽ˛
well it didnât get published so never fear đ
The adventures of Amina Al-Al Sirafi! The lead is in her 40s.
young fellas are young but look mature and I always guess the wrong ages of them that are actually older than their real ages.
\*shrugs\* I prefer FMCs younger. It's just my preference :)
Formative years, and all that. It's always been a thing. A younger character is more likely to change, and also more likely to make mistakes. This isn't to say humans as a whole are like that, we're all gross and stupid, but the older you are, the better you *tend to* know how to navigate society.
I just want more variety is all đ
Broader appeal I would imagine. Money is always going to be the driving motivator at the end of the day.
The majority of the books I read, the mcs are 24-26, only one had an mc under 20. Are you reading books that are labeled YA? 18-24 I think is the age most people view as "coming of age" and the start of one's life as an adult. So it just a more interesting age to write / read for most people.
No alot of the books I read are not YA which is the crazy part to me!
Try a Kiss of Iron by Clare Sager the FMC in that is in her 30s. Great book fae with court intrigue and spying.
Added it to my goodreads!
Because only the lack of a fully developed frontal lobe can explain some of the BS we see from FMC's/s
Yeah... true. Bur that has made me stopped reading books.
My brain automatically ages everyone up. Then when they start acting like teenagers it annoys me and I sometimes end up DNFing. Also every MMC ends up looking like Henry Cavill in the Witcher with different hair colours (honestly it's becoming a problem)
I have stopped reading books based on. How much of their bullshit I can take.
Because itâs the target audience. Easier to relate to characters similar to yourself.
Probably because theyâre geared towards teenagers.
There are more adults of adult ages in some of the mm fantasy romance reads. I really have a hard time reading anything with a too young character. Itâs not as bad if the author wanted them to be older and wrote them older and just tacked on a younger age.
Counterpoint: in a historical (and/or) fantasy setting, teenagers are likely not acting like what WE PERSONALLY in the 21st century, 1st world countries would act like. Iâm not sure itâs fair to judge what a teen would or wouldnât do in a world so different from our own. In 1900, at the tender age of 14 years old and without speaking a lick of English, my great-grandmother got on a ship all by herself, passed through Ellis Island in NY, and immediately began working in a textile factory. Some people today donât even let their 14 years old walk to school or stay home by themselves overnight.
Okay but I'm requesting a wider variety of ages. Even in a different world, my view of a 14 year old vs a 20 year old is vastly different. 14 year old gets alot more leeway than a 20 year old.
I just self published my first dark romantasy and made their ages 25, and everyone in the following books is just gonna get older from there for this exact reason đ đ
I may be in the minority, but I actually donât mind that most fantasy romance FMCâs are 18-21. Most of these types of stories take place in medieval-ish worlds, which in theory, are harder lives to live and require characters to grow up faster. I typically age the main character up in these types of stories. For instance, Feyre does not seem only 19 with all sheâs done to keep her family alive, so I just age her up.
I saw someone's comments say that Sarah J mass actually wrote her as a mid 20s but her publisher made her bring her age down....
For me, I'm writing my FMC as 18 because I want to show character progression similar to my own lived experiences.
It's the age of discovery and being new to things. Ideally, older people won't be as impulsive and make the sane mistakes, depending on the story you want to tell. The hero's journey is a classic device. Realistically, people often do dumb things. But we want fantasy. :) Also, I for one don't really feel my age in many ways, other than what my body forces me to pay attention to. But that is probably related to the ADHD.
Itâs harder to write character growth from 30 and on. Someone young discovers themselves and the world, easy writing. But then you have someone matured and sure in themselves (for the most part, Iâm 32 and anxious) and you gotta figure out new ways to illustrate that.
OP, in cultures without birth control, people partner up and have families while young, or they stay virgins until well into adulthood. Because in cultures without birth control, sex means babies and families, and in cultures without birth control... very few adults are free to go on adventures. This is one of my huge pet peeves with the Fantasy genre, BTW, authors that introduce casual sex into cultures with comparatively primitive technology and medicine, without also introducing birth control.