Check out these new releases that delve into the theme of revolution in YA fantasy. From shifting worldviews to flat out war, these books hold powerful messages.

When I think of revolution in YA fantasy, I immediately think of The Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen, the districts divided by class, and the battle royale the characters were forced to go through is a household staple at this point. There isn’t anyone I know that hasn’t heard of it, even if they haven’t read the series or seen the movies, you know about it and the powerful message of revolution it brings. 

Revolution in YA fantasy is important, especially because it shows teens standing up against the corrupt, no matter the consequences, when in the real world outside of fantasy, we as readers can feel helpless at the state of the world when all we can do is vote, if we’re able. Teens can’t vote, but they can see what’s happening and they can read about teens like them taking matters into their own hands and that in itself is powerful, even if it’s in a fantasy world. 

In Harry Potter , the war against the Death Eaters and Voldemort is an instance of powerful imagery that is mirrored in reality, which makes the plot and arc of Harry Potter even darker than it was when it was first published. The rise of Voldemort after being dormant for so long, now holds a heavier weight when I look at the world around me.

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace, which came out earlier this month, is more about revelations than revolutions in YA fantasy. Discord throughout Visidia has revolution on the horizon, but Amora Montara is heir to the throne and believes her father to be a good king, until her worldview crumbles beneath her and her eyes open to what’s been kept from her. 

A shifting worldview is powerful in itself. Amora grew up believing that her family was the only masters of souls, that only her bloodline could control them. Not only that, but she’d believed that her family was well liked in the kingdom, but seeing the world from a place of privilege is different then seeing what’s actually happening. 

This theme, of course, mirrors reality as well, though in fantasy it is easier to wave away our own rose colored glasses. Tilting her worldview completely has Amora finding herself on the opposite side of her family, exposing the lies that the written history of Visidia covered. 

Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller is a standalone book about revolution in YA fantasy that mirrors the French Revolution in its setting, though it adds magic into the explosive mix. Not only is there a war where the heroines play a major part, but it starts pre-war, when their actions taken steer them towards harsh decisions that neither of the girls balk at. 

It’s fantasy, of course, but reading about the bravery that both Annette and Emilie both have to not only stand up for what they believe, but to flat out commit treason by helping conspire against the king separately, as well as helping known traitors without blinking, is powerful to behold. 

From showing humanity to a dying man to attempting to change the future in order to save another, Annette and Emilie’s dangerous journeys in Belle Révolte is about more than just war and revolution, but about how our everyday decisions can change the course of our lives.

Ink in the Blood, a dark YA fantasy debut by Kim Smejkal, is similar to All the Stars and Teeth in that, underneath the plot of theatre and awesome tattoos that can appear on other people’s bodies, it’s about revelations and revolution in YA fantasy. 

Celia and Anya are part of a religious sect called Profeta, using their inherent powers to be able to tattoo people via their magic, pushing the religion’s agenda by making its followers believe the tattoos are the will of the Divine. 

To be indoctrinated so young into what is essentially a cult and that they are 10 years into serving the Divine, their journey in escaping and unearthing the lies that Profeta is based on all the while being followed by a very real and very spiteful deity, Celia and Anya’s perseverance against zealots and their propaganda showcase how courageous teenagers can be in the face of power. 

Especially when that power is corrupt to its core. 

Speaking of corrupt power: Suzanne Collins’ prequel to The Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which is slated for release this May, is about 18 year old Coriolanus Snow, otherwise known as President Snow.

I’m surprised that of all of the topics that could be done within the world of The Hunger Games , she chose to show President Snow before he became the antagonist Katniss fights against. Not only that, but to showcase him as a mentor, and to seemingly slate his love interest as someone chosen for the Games from district 12.

The Hunger Games, a series steeped in vile decisions by those in power and the rise against them, is a staple of revolution in YA fantasy that suddenly will have the spotlight cast to its main villain’s youth and stairway to becoming the antagonist that reminds me a little too much of stories where a prisoner falls for the enemy soldier. 

That being said, one would hope that within The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , there lies dormant a plot line of revolution, that seeds are planted within this prequel that gives reason to casting President Snow in such a light that we won’t know about until we read it. 

In a time where reading about revolution in fantasy, where the persecuted and downtrodden win, where the corrupt get taken down for good, and where the pain is worth the end, we can only hope that we are strong enough to withstand our own daily trials and stand up for what’s right. 

Related: 10 sapphic ya fantasy books coming out in 2020 to add to your TBR