I just finished reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and it was good but I’m holding off posting my review until closer to it’s May 5 released date as request of the publisher. (If anyone is interested in, you can download the first four chapters on your Nook, Kindle or other devices for free. I would recommend it) However, that hasn’t stopped me from reading what other people are saying about it.  In some of the few reviews I have read, I was surprised to read that many people are calling this book a New Adult title instead of Young Adult.  I mean what’s the difference. According to good old Wikipedia.

New Adult (NA) fiction is a developing genre of fiction with protagonists in the 18–25 age bracket. St. Martin’s Press first coined the term in 2009, when they held a special call for “…fiction similar to YA that can be published and marketed as adult—a sort of an ‘older YA’ or ‘new adult’.” New Adult fiction tends to focus on issues such as leaving home, developing sexuality, and negotiating education and career choices

Well that clears things up.  So, it’s YA but marketing to adults.  As for focus of issues of home, developing sexuality and education seem to be pretty normal topics for YA to me.  I’ll give them career choices though.  So is this a marketing ploy?  Is it an easier way for parents, librarians and booksellers to recommend books that are age appropriate?  For readers to find more books they like? Or just another way to put books into catergory?

As for A Court of Thorns and Roses the only difference between it and other YA fantasy novels is well sex.  This book contained some of the most detailed sex scenes I’ve read for a novel directed for young readers.  That being said, it also leaves a lot to the readers imagination but goes much farther then other authors have.  If I was still a bookseller, I wouldn’t recommend it for tweens or younger teens not because I don’t think they could handle it but I would be afraid of the parents reaction.  As for me, I’m also an adult who is not at least bit embarrassed to read YA or even children’s lit. It doesn’t bother me if people see me browsing the Teen aisle or reading Cassandra Clare on the train.  Let them think of me what they want.  I’ll read what I want, whether I was target audience or not. I guess that not many people feel the same about it as I do as there articles and articles about whether or not it’s ok for Adults to read YA or not.  I guess New Adult, might assuage some of the fears of people looking down on them because while New Adult may have my cover many of the same themes as YA is supposedly more sophisticated then YA.  RIght?

So I guess I go back to my original question, what really is New Adult Literature? Is it just YA for the college years and older? A new way for publishers to make money? A guilt free pass for adults to read YA? A legitimate new genre?  Sound off in the comments and tell me what you think.