A Cup of Coffee with Reggie (5) - Thriller and Horror in YA
A Cup of Coffee with Reggie is going to be a discussion post feature in which I discuss anything book-related. They're just normal (sometimes random) discussion posts that are named A Cup of Coffee with Reggie because it's like having a cup of coffee with me and listening (or in this case reading) about my bookish opinions. It will be a random feature here at TUBL that can pop up anywhere from twice a day to twice a year. Most likely, it will be a tri-weekly post feature on my blog.Today's Topic:
Is there really a YA novel that is truly a horror or thriller? What makes a good horror or thriller novel?
Personally, I don't think I've read a real young adult horror or thriller that truly 'horrified' me. According to Wikipedia, horror fiction '...is a genre of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to scare its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural.'
I think that the definition of horror fiction is kind of hard to live up to. Because horror is more subdued and subtle in reading, while it can be downright scary when it comes to being portrayed in movies. I've seen lots of horror movies and a lot of them scared me. But I have yet to read a horror YA novel that gives me nightmares. It's not that I have high standards for horror, it's just that I think that in movies, people are more easily frightened because it plays with a lot of your senses like seeing and hearing the actual events and scenes. In books, you don't even see the scene happen; it's kind of just described I guess.
Now on to thrillers. According to Wikipedia, thriller fiction '...is a broad genre of literature, film and television that includes numerous and often overlapping sub-genres. Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains.'
I've read a few good psychological thrillers like The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride, and compared to movies, it's actually not that bad. In thriller novels, I can often feel the pace getting quicker and quicker, just like the movies. I love psychological thrillers...both in movie form and book form =)
What's your opinion? What do you guys like in a YA thriller or horror? Have you guys read anything truly 'horrible' or 'thrillable'? If you have, I'd love to get some suggestions as to what I should read next!
About the Author
Reggie is the (not so genius) mind behind The Undercover Book Lover. She's currently a sarcastic college student trying to juggle school, blogging, and her (non-existent) social life. In her spare time, she enjoys writing her not-closed-to-finished novel, photography, reading, and blogging. She can't get enough of oreos (especially the golden ones!) and caramel macchiatos and she loves everything vanilla or cookies and cream.
Follow Her on Twitter at @ReggieWrites
Follow Her on Twitter at @ReggieWrites
8 comments:
Have you read the Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancy? I don't really like horror in general (I do like thrillers) but this series came highly recommended by a friend. The first book was pretty horrifying, but the second 'The Curse of the Wendigo' was seriously worse (as far as horror goes).
I remember being creeped out by Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan.
I love horror/thriller movies, but there's seems to be a lack of them in books. The only book that really frightened me was The Amityville Horror, but I was only like 11 or 12 at the time. I think now I wouldn't not be as scared. But I'm sure some of Stephen King's work is pretty freaky, I just haven't read any yet.
The scairest thing I've ever read was The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. The reason it scared me so much wasn't even due to the zombies so much as the sense that at any moment their group could be torn apart--literally. The zombies were just a vehicle for this must-stay-together thing. They were promonent, but they weren't as scary as the prospect of being separated. It was just my flavor of horror, I guess.
Thrillers and Horrors are my favourite but hard to find.
I loved the YA I am not a Serial Killer and I am reading Mr. Monster the sequal now.
I don't read lots of YA so can't help really but those are YA horrors.
Scariest YA book that I've read is The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith. Another one that isn't as scary but similar in the mood: Rotters by Daniel Kraus. I don't really read much horror and thriller in YA but there has to be a lot more books than what's known....
I agree that the "Monstrumologist" series by Rick Yancey is definitely in the Horror genre. For a good serial killer thriller, you should check out "The Strawberry Picker." It's like watching an episode of Criminal Minds.
Here's an offbeat suggestion that I hope you'll consider with an open mind. Dean Koontz is really well known as a thriller writer, but most people probably wouldn't consider him a YA author by any stretch of the imagination. And some of his books are really creepy/scary. However, several of his books feature YA type characters and situations, and I think you might enjoy them. Specifically I'm thinking of One Door Away From Heaven, which totally fits the definition of a thriller, above, and is a great read with an engaging MC and a story that keeps you tense (in a good way) and anxious to keep reading.
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