There are many forms of fantasy out there, with there existing multiple subgenres available to read for all sorts of wants and likes. Fantasy has bridged reality with imagination, offering readers a portal into the unknown enchanted worlds authors curate. Within fantasy, there are two major umbrella subgenres that have been popularized over the last couple years: Young Adult Fantasy (YA Fantasy) and Adult Fantasy. These groups of books cater to distinct audiences and delve into different thematic territories. But, which one is the best one for you to write? Why should you choose to write YA Fantasy or Adult Fantasy and what makes these two genres quite different? YA fantasy vs adult fantasy is a lot more deep than you may have thought:
What Are the Major Differences?
1. Target Audience
Young Adult Fantasy, or YA Fantasy, tends to target adolescents aged 12 to 18. Although plenty of adults above 18 frequently read YA Fantasy, YA Fantasy is catered more towards younger, developing audiences. This is why these stories tend to go less in-depth on things like epic worlds and violence or sexual content. Adult Fantasy caters to a mature audience and can be a bit more open and loose with what content is included. When picking adult vs YA fantasy, think about your target audience first.
2. Themes
YA Fantasy often works with themes revolving around identity, friendship, and romance/first-loves. They tend to be coming-of-age stories or focus in on self-discovery. YA Fantasy thematically appeals to younger people, and teenagers are often associated with these sorts of themes. Adult Fantasy tends to go much more in-depth on overall ideas and concepts rather than inward concepts. Adult Fantasy delves into complex moral dilemmas, political conflicts, and heavier themes. Adult Fantasy will typically steer towards less individual characters and more full worlds, hence why most Epic Fantasy is Adult Fantasy.
3. Character Development
YA Fantasy relies heavily on character growth and the exploration of this growth. Characters evolve as they encounter challenges, go through and learn from experiences, and work towards finding their destiny in life. Character development has a strong spot in YA fantasy because a lot of younger people are also facing similar internal struggles, so it allows for the younger reader to connect with the characters portrayed in the story.
Adult fantasy doesn’t really look too deep into character development because adult fantasy tends to revolve more around already-developed, fully-fledged adults. It focuses more on morality and the grey areas around morality. Additionally, it offers more depth into the human psyche and the stakes tend to be global or on a much wider scale than YA fantasy.
4. World-Building
As you may know if you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, world-building is pretty much the thing I talk about constantly because of how essential it is for story-telling. YA fantasy and adult fantasy both work with world-building, but their style of world-building and the approaches to it are a bit different. for one, YA fantasy tries to make worlds that are less in-depth and easier to understand for younger audiences. They integrate the fantasy elements without overwhelming the readers. The world is also some sort of reflection of the challenges faced by the younger readers.
Adult fantasy is much more intensive on this point and isn’t afraid to delve into extremely complex world-building. Intense magic systems, deep political systems, a lot of lore and history, and many, many cultures all play a role in the world-building in adult fantasy. Adult fantasy can be a bit confusing for younger readers because of how intensive its world-building can be.
5. Narrative Structure and Story Pacing
YA fantasy and adult fantasy also differ in how the narrative is structured, as well as how it is paced. YA fantasy is usually more fast and dynamic, engaging readers with a lot of action and emotional arcs throughout the story. This also works well since younger readers tend to have a lower attention span and need to be kept interested in the story. Adult fantasy embraces a more slow, methodical and deliberate pace. It allows for a much deeper exploration of the characters, intricate plot development, and a lot of introspective discussions. That’s why you’ll see adult fantasy easily hit word counts above 100,000.
Which is Right For You? YA or Adult Fantasy?
If you know you want to write fantasy, but you aren’t sure which category makes the most sense for you, here’s a few ways you can figure it out:
1. Identify the Core Themes of Your Story
If you want to select YA or adult fantasy, you’ll need to consider which age group will connect with the themes of your story the most. If your story revolves mostly around the ideas of self-discovery, friendship, and the difficulties of growing up, YA fantasy is probably the best option. However, if your story delves more into complex topics like morality, religion, politics, the consequences of war, and more, adult fantasy is probably the better option.
If you’re not sure, try to think of your plot and then identify what stands out the most from it. If you’re still confused, you might want to keep reading to see if anything else can help you select which one is right for you.
2. Protagonist Age
This is a bit of a toss-up, in my opinion. You see, the age of the protagonist is important in some way to selecting with subgenre of fantasy is the best. YA stories tend to talk about teenagers who are coming-of-age into adulthood. Adult fantasy tends to tell stories about adults who are navigating a complex and dangerous world around them.
However, a lot of adult fantasy also includes younger people who become adults early on in the story. I would say that even if your adult fantasy has a younger character, the themes might play a stronger role in which genre you pick.
3. The Tone and Atmosphere of Your Story
The tone and atmosphere of your story will play a big role in which genre is the best one for you. YA fantasy often includes a lot of dark themes, but there is always a hint of optimism and hope for change. That’s why you see a lot of them include younger protagonists who are successfully fixing problems in the world. Adult fantasy sometimes includes a lot of darker themes, complex motivations, and moral issues. You may find that adult fantasy has more morally gray heroes or really someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish their goal. They also often have a much deeper atmosphere than YA fantasy.
4. World-Building Depth
If your story has a really deep amount of world-building that is intricate, complex, and profuse, then you are probably better off writing an adult fantasy, not YA fantasy. Pick up any adult fantasy book or a YA fantasy book and you will see that YA fantasy does not go in-depth the way YA fantasy does. If you are someone interested in curating an in-depth and complex world full of religions, politics, languages, and cultures, go for adult fantasy.
5. Reader Age and Expectations
Ultimately the age group that you are targeting is what will influence which subgenre you write, but this is a more obvious one. Younger readers will typically seek stories that resonate with their own experiences, so if you are going for something relatable, then it makes sense to go for YA fantasy. Adult fantasy tends to be more expansive and targets age groups that are older, more experienced, and able to connect without needing to relate to a story.
Overall, the subgenre you pick will pretty much depend on these factors. I would always recommend picking a subgenre that you feel comfortable writing and that fits your style the best. Adult fantasy is complicated but very rewarding to write if you enjoy world-building.
Of course, the question “YA fantasy vs adult fantasy?” has a lot of factors to it and one isn’t better than the other. They each simply fulfil their purpose for their respective audience.
Speaking of world-building, if you want some more help with that, check out my beginner’s ultimate guide to world-building. You can also check out my other guides for help with your writing so that you can make the story that you want to write.
Also, check out my series, The Fallen Age Saga!