Raquel R. Incertis Madrid
Madrid
Updated Sunday, January 28, 2024-21:43
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Calling a book by the title of another, previously adding the adjective "new" is very common. Perhaps too much in these times of replication, of rapid manufacturing based on patterns, of viral phenomena, of international
bestsellers
.
Therefore,
Wings of Blood
, the first installment of the
Empyrean
saga , is known as the new
Harry Potter
, the new
Twilight
or the new
The Hunger Games
, or that its author,
Rebecca Yarros
, is compared in popularity with authors of fantasy like
Patrick Rothfuss
or
Sarah J. Maas
, may not say anything to the average reader. Not even the most fanatic. The shelves are full of new old glories, of bestsellers that continue to have a traction, but whose media presence is being replaced by phenomena of questionable quality, but which, however, do not stop being talked about on TikTok.
Meanwhile,
Alas de sangre
(Planeta), which landed in Spain in mid-November, continues to accumulate record numbers. Considered
an instant bestseller on Amazon
, it has topped the list of best-selling fiction books in The
New York Times
for six months, exceeding
two million copies
.
To know more
Literature.
From the internet to the shelves: how Wattpad has revolutionized youth literature
Editor: RAQUEL R. INCERTIS Madrid
From the internet to the shelves: how Wattpad has revolutionized youth literature
Literature.
Booktokers: books by and for young people on mobile
Editor: RAQUEL R. INCERTIS Madrid
Booktokers: books by and for young people on mobile
Its sequel,
Iron Wings
, is published on February 21 in our country. In the United Kingdom it has become the fastest pre-sale in the history of the Waterstones bookstore chain: its first edition sold out in just seven hours. According to data from the
House of the Book
, Yarros' novel is among the favorite and best-selling youth books.
"When I started reading it, I had very high expectations, but I always try not to be influenced by what I've been told. When I get something very popular, the truth is that I lose my desire a little," confesses
booktoker
Carlos Azorín. Indeed, the
Empíreo
saga also triumphs on networks: the
hashtags
of the author and her books exceed
1,000 million views on TikTok
. And of course, such a degree of dissemination and visibility also multiplies the detractors or, at least, the readers who are critical of this phenomenon. Some question
the solidity of the story and the low originality of the plot
, although they recognize that it is a book that is very engaging - and very entertaining - and that it is most entertaining.
"It is a book that has
the perfect ingredients to succeed
as it is doing all over the world because it has a protagonist who grows during the plot and completes the stages of the hero's journey," says Azorín. "The male character is also quite 'saleable',
quite erotic
, let's say." "It didn't convince me much, but I think it's a matter of taste, more than generational," says Raquel Brune, a young writer and content creator.
To all this... what exactly is
Blood Wings
about ? The Short Version:
Rivalry and Romance at a Dragon Rider Academy
. The long version is somewhat more complex: at Basgiath War College everyone has a hidden plan and knows that, once inside, there are only two possibilities:
graduate or die
. The protagonist, a twenty-something named Violet Sorrengail, dreams of joining the Scribe Quadrant to lead a quiet life, studying the fascinating stories treasured in ancient books. However, the plans of her mother, the feared commander general, are very different. To honor her family, Violet must join the thousands of candidates fighting to become part of Navarre's elite: the dragon riders.
Mother of six children and author of 15 novels, Rebecca Yarros has been acclaimed by both American readers and critics. Her fascination with war and combat has some justification: her family has served in the army for two generations and she herself
is a self-confessed admirer of military heroes
. Her husband is one of them, and together with him she founded, in 2019, the non-profit organization One October, aimed at helping boys and girls in the US foster care and family adoption system.
There is something in the
Empíreo
saga that breaks with the canons and stereotypes of the genre: its protagonist suffers from
a chronic illness, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
, which the author also suffers from. "Violet Sorrengail is based on me. She goes overboard, takes too long to recover, breaks her bones too easily, and has a tendency to dislocate her joints; traits that are not exactly attractive in a warrior," Yarros says in a letter. addressed to his followers. "What helps Violet stand out in the Rider Quadrant is her resourcefulness and courage, something that allows her to discover ways to survive—and even thrive—in
an unyielding environment
. I'm not Violet, but she is the hero who needed at her age, at all ages, and I sincerely hope that other people with chronic illnesses also identify with her.
Does Yarros' work promise to become a long-lasting and transgenerational success like
JK Rowling's
, or will interest deflate as the months go by? "I think it is extremely difficult to achieve that with new generations of readers. There are many very popular fantasy sagas currently, such as
A Court of Thorns and Roses
or the
Crave
series . In addition, there is still no audiovisual adaptation that gains loyalty. If they make one , and they do it well, I think it can have the impact of
Game of Thrones
," says Azorín. We won't have to wait too long: Amazon MGM Studios has already confirmed
the production of a great series for Prime Video
with Rebecca Yarros as executive producer.
The positive part, Brune highlights, is that the success of Rebecca Yarros "can serve to attract many readers who have never dared with fantasy," which she hopes will translate into
greater focus on authors and titles in this genre
. relegated to the dark confines of what is labeled "literature for young people", with the prejudices that this entails: "In Spain, without going any further, we have a wonderful pool of young authors, such as
Iria G. Parente and Selene M. Pascual, Victoria Álvarez
, Belén Martínez, Paula Gallego or Patricia García Ferrer, so hopefully it will be like that and we will experience a
fantasy
boom
." For Azorín, everything depends on how they carry out the promotion: "Nowadays it is very easy to go up and very easy to go down.
Harry Potter
and
The Hunger Games
laid the foundations that made there a demand for books like that."