Friday, April 14, 2023

Five angst-riddled, dual-POV YA fantasy novels

M. K. Lobb is a fantasy writer with a love of all things dark— be it literature, humour, or general aesthetic. She grew up in small-town Ontario and studied political science at both the University of Western Ontario and the University of Ottawa. She now lives by the lake with her partner and their cats. When not reading or writing, she can be found at the gym or contemplating the harsh realities of existence.

Her debut novel is Seven Faceless Saints.

At Tor.com Lobb tagged five favorite angst-riddled, dual-POV YA fantasies, including:
The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

Andrew’s eerily beautiful story combines fantasy, romance, and dark academia, but what really makes this a standout debut is the tension between the two POV characters. Delaney “Lane” Meyers-Petrov has always been unusual, even if she doesn’t quite know why. On her first day of classes at Godbole—an equally unusual school—she meets Colton Price, her frustrating and capricious TA. But their paths have crossed before. And although Lane doesn’t remember it, Colton certainly does. It’s hard to forget the girl who called you back from death.

As Lane and Colton work to solve a series of mysteries at Godbole, their relationship becomes increasingly complex. Lane knows Colton is hiding something, and as the reader, so do we. Having access to both perspectives, it’s intriguing to watch the characters form misconceptions about one another as a romance blossoms and the tension builds to a head. Lane immediately assumes Colton hates her, but from Colton’s POV you learn that couldn’t be further from the truth. Meanwhile, they’re both constantly intrigued by one another. It’s a classic example of “Character A is down bad, while Character B has no idea.” Combine that with all the secrets primed to come to light, the reader is steeped in anticipation from the start, which makes the resolution all the more sweet—and painful.
Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue