I Read Young Adult Books as an Adult, and That’s Okay

Sometimes when people have asked me what kind of books I like to read, I’d get nervous to say young adult fiction because I’m an adult. However, the more I continue to work as a Youth Services Librarian, the more I’m learning that it should not matter what kind of book I am reading as an adult. There are so many wonderful books out there for children and teens, with important stories and diverse characters, that should be read by adults. If the book is about something I like and enjoy, who cares what I’m reading? As long as I’m reading! I don’t think I will stop reading YA as an adult because it has helped me see reading in a different way and enjoy fantasy novels.

The first fantasy book I ever read was Divergent by Veronica Roth. I got to meet her in 2019 and tell her how Divergent was one of my favorite novels. Divergent is what got me on the path to reading other fantasy novels.

I then read The Hunger Games, as an adult. One great thing about reading YA as an adult is seeing the story from a different perspective. Comprehension is something I’ve always struggled with, so you can imagine how difficult it was to read a fantasy novel. I tried The Hunger Games as a teen; but when I finally picked it up as an adult, I suddenly learned why this story was so loved and popular.

After I read The Hunger Games, I discovered YA fantasy author Holly Black. Friends read her work, and she was coming to my local Barnes and Noble. Black wrote The Folk of the Air trilogy, which I enjoyed; but it wasn’t until she had another author event with Brigid Kemmerer that I would fall in love with a series and author from 2019 to now.

Brigid Kemmerer has written many YA books, both contemporary and fantasy novels. Her book that was talked about at the author event with Holly Black was A Curse So Dark and Lonely, the first book to the Cursebreaker series. The Cursebreaker series is described as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and right away I was sold. The series takes place in not just a fantasy world, but also in the real world. The story is narrated in first person by a teenager with cerebral palsy, and I was hooked after the first chapter. After I finished the first book, I read the second book, A Heart So Fierce and Broken, right away. These books weren’t just books for me. They were an escape during a difficult time in my life. They were comfort and entertainment, and most importantly, these books helped me want to read more fantasy. My mind was opened to so many beautiful, exciting worlds.

The third book in the Cursebreaker series, A Vow So Bold and Deadly, came out in January 2021; later that year in September, Kemmerer came out with the first book of a new series, Defy the Night. I was so excited to read something new by her! She went on a book tour for this book, and I drove 45 minutes to see her talk about Defy the Night. Right around that time, I was starting a new job as a library preschool teacher, and wanted to tell her how much her books had helped me. She was appreciative and kind, and asked if I was doing okay, and I was. So much changed since I first read her books, such as meeting my now-husband and starting a new job, so I hope she knew how special it was for me to meet her again.

In 2024, the last Defy the Night series book, Destroy the Day, came out. Kemmerer was coming back to the Barnes and Noble where I first discovered her books, and at that point, a lot had changed: I was working for a doctor’s office, planning a wedding, and going to library school. Just like the other two times I met Kemmerer, she was kind, appreciative, and supportive. She signed my book and wrote “Congratulations on all your happy news. I can’t wait to hear how you change the world!” I’ve met a lot of authors who have been nothing but kind, but this signing was so special to me. I hope what she has done for me in her line of work is something that I can do for others as a Youth Services Librarian. I hope people can look back when they’re older and remember me as their childhood librarian – that maybe they found their favorite book because of me, or maybe they remember a science experiment I taught them, or that I was to them as this author was to me: kind, supportive, and caring.

In the summer of 2022, Kemmerer came out with a new series, Forging Silver into Stars, which enters the world of the Cursebreaker series and includes some of the characters from that series. When I first found out that she was writing a spinoff series of Cursebreakers, I was beyond excited. I finished the first two books of this series during the first months I started working for MCLS. On January 27, the third and final book of this series, Sparking Fire Out of Fate, comes out. I’m sad to say goodbye to this world once again, but I’m looking forward to what new worlds and characters Kemmerer is going to write in the future.

Ever since I’ve become a fantasy fan, I have been opened up to trying many more novels. Currently, I am reading the Crave series by Tracey Wolff, a book that takes in our world but also includes a fantasy element. I recently have finished reading the Powerless series by Lauren Roberts, taking place in a kingdom where being ordinary is a crime, featuring a powerful prince and an ordinary girl. I loved the recent The Hunger Games novel, Sunrise on the Reaping. If you have any suggestions for the next fantasy book I should read, please let me know!

Feel free to check out our collection of YA fantasy books in the Mercer County Library System catalog or the Libby app. If you’re looking for recommendations, try our Personalized Picks service, Fantasy and Science Fiction NextReads newsletter, and the NoveList Plus database of reading recommendations. Remember that you are allowed to read whatever you want, because you never know if that book will become special to you!

-Lauren, Hickory Corner