With young adult literature just beginning to take hold within the 1970’s-1980’s, there was little room for widespread fantasy works next to romantic and realistic fiction. Young adults were finding their agency and learning about themselves, and wanted to read books that reflected the wants and desires they could now openly admit to wanting. The late 1980’s and 1990’s integrated fantastical elements into their romances, but it was not until the popularity of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that young adults were able to explore their imaginative side without being looked at as children. While reasons for the rise in popularity can be attributed to Harry Potter, the fantasy/science fiction genre has held steadfast at the top of many reader’s lists because it challenges readers to see beyond their universe and envision other ways of living, allowing young adults to confront major dilemmas they may face such as the concept of good and bad (Beers & Lesene, 1996, pp. 96). Romance plays a major role within many current young adult fantasy and science fiction novels, perhaps contributing to it's continuous popularity with readers as demonstrated by the warm reception of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight (2006) saga. While these young adults may not be in the same situation as a character within a fantasy or science fiction book, as it is often impossible to be, novels within this genre can help them critically think, imagine, and learn how to make important choices using their best judgement.

The best authors within young adult fantasy and science fiction literature are those who are create worlds that are vivid and feel authentic, whether or not the reader wishes to live within the pages, while also creating characters that feel relatable despite the differences between their world and ours. Although this may seem a difficult task, it can be a rewarding one, because fantasy allows authors to directly confront serious issues within fantasy worlds (Beers & Lesene, 1996, pp. 96). One young adult author with the ability to do so is Marissa Meyer, author of the Lunar Chronicles. Meyer is able to create lush, complete fantastical worlds and, “characters easy to get invested in,” as mentioned in a starred Publisher’s Weekly review of her debut novel Cinder (Cinder, 2011, November 11). Novels that spark a personal connection with the reader provide the link necessary to bridge the gap between the real world and the one imagined within fantasy and science fiction novels; therefore, it is important that young adult authors of this genre maintain a level of authenticity. Young adults want and deserve to be treated as the intelligent and compassionate people they are, and if an author does so they will go far.

Characters within young adult fantasy and science fiction have evolved throughout the decades to reflect the times they were written in. Many fantasy and science fiction main characters were male, such as Bilbo Baggins and many of the main characters in The Hobbit. Females were represented within these stories as naïve, often serving as someone to be protected or rescued. With many more women becoming outspoken about important topics such as equal rights and gender stereotypes, a palpable switch has overtaken the genre with many of the protagonists, hereos, and warriors being women. For example, Emika Chan in Marie Lu’s Warcross is a talented bounty hunter and hacker with the ability to intercept the mainframe of a tech company; Isabelle in Jennifer Donnelly’s Stepsister is an unattractive yet fierce heroine who wishes atone for her wrongdoing no matter the cost; Gemma Doyle in Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty uses her magic and strength to save her friends despite the danger in entails. All of these female characters have strong wants and desires that are their own, yet form romantic relationships that do not define them. Many main characters within modern young adult fantasy and science fiction are complex characters with flaws, who develop throughout the novel and/or series, and who demonstrate bravery to fulfill their end goal.

Like their adult and juvenile counterparts, young adult fantasy and science fiction typically take place in a world different than our own where fantastical creatures exist and/or impossible things are made possible. The worlds within fantasy novels tend to have specific and consistent rules that are grounded in reality, and almost always contain a quest and a hero who must complete tests despite the dangers they face (Chance, 2014, pp. 84). To relieve tension or despair in the fight against, “good,” and “evil,” creatures or humorous characters are often featured (Chance, 2014, pp. 84). While similar in the sense of action and adventure, science fiction works are based on science or involve science in some way, shape, or form (Chance, 2014, pp. 91-92). Within science fiction there are many different sub-genres: robots/androids, space/aliens, time travel, vampires, zombies, and dystopian to name a few of the most prevalent (Chance, 2014, pp. 92-104). Novels such as Twilight rejuvenated the popularity of vampires by showing them in a different light, while Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games resonated with readers by showing a darker side to civilization. Although the worlds built within these novels are exaggerated and/or extravagant, they inspire young adult readers to think critically about their world by reflecting it within fiction.