Lets Talk: Darker Books on the YA Market

Let's Talk is a fun weekly meme hosted by Melissa @ i swim for oceans. It's a great way for all of us to discuss different topics concerning books and it's a great way to share our opinions!

What do you think about darker books on the YA market?

I may not agree that some of the material within darker books are appropriate, yet, I think it's important that we have darker books on the YA market.  Sure there's a lot of topics that might be questionable or too dark for some readers, but I think it can be agreeable that some topics should be discussed to help a reader understand the world better.  It allows the reader to think about the book and ask questions.

I'll admit, there are some books that have been a little dark for me, but I'm a generally happy, bubbly, peppy person, who loves a book is light and happy.  But then, there's that side of me that finds the dark topics intriguing.  I've read my fair share of dark books like Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, and even The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare.  I remember when I was buying Clockwork Princess off my kindle, my dad (because it was his amazon account and I was still 16 back then) asked me what the book was about.  Simply put, I said it concerned shadowhunters, angels, demons, light vs. dark, etc.  He told me, isn't that a pretty dark topic to be reading about?  I agreed with him.  But the thing was, I found something intriguing about that kind of subject (although it may have partly been because I have already read the 2 previous books before that), but the concept was different and there was a deeper meaning to the book than just the plot.

Some of my friends earlier last year were not allowed to read The Hunger Games because the idea of 23 children getting murdered in an arena was not something that seemed appropriate for them.  Eventually, they were allowed to read it, and they loved it.  I always have constant discussions about that series with my friends. The dark subject within the book is something that should be talked about.  

I believe, in all darker books, there is a hidden message, or as I described earlier, a deeper meaning.  As I also said before, these topics really make you think!  Which I love.  I love it when I can read a book and afterwards, I'm filled with questions and I'm striving for answers.

I'll admit, a lot of these books are painful to read, because I feel for the characters and through reading I am able to fully captivate the struggles they face and the emotions that come with it.  Through reading books with darker topics, I am challenging myself.  I'm not always that bubbly, peppy, personality.  I love it when books take me out of my comfort zone and take me to another world where I find myself happily surprised.

This was a great discussion topic!  How about you?  What do you think?