Reincarnation in YA Fiction
I look at the 2000s trend of Reincarnation in YA Fiction. Why was this such a popular trope in Y2K YA Books? Let’s discuss!
Reincarnation was a HUGE trend in YA paranormal fiction in the 2010s!
What is Reincarnation?
Reincarnation is the belief that the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, returns to live in a new body.
Fallen by Lauren Kate (2009)
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (2010)
The Eternal Ones (2010) and All You Desire (2011) by Kirsten Miller
Mercy by Rececca Lim (2010)
Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey
The Next Together by Lauren James (2015)
What does reincarnation add to a YA paranormal story?
Amps up the Angst!
The concept of reincarnation can help heighten suspense and/or add plot complications to a book. Lovers might be separated, often for decades, then reunited.
Explains Instalove!
The fact that a character has been reincarnated can help explain love at first sight, as characters who seem to be meeting for the first time may actually have a long and tangled romantic past.
Love between reincarnated characters also deemphasizes the importance of physical appearance, because their attachment to one another transcends the physical.
What’s your take on reincarnation in YA? Do you have any books to add to my list?
Scratch that reincarnation quiz. I designed my own. Take the YA Reincarnation Quiz.
I will come back as a Bear…I am still not really sure what that means?
Reincarnation in YA is interesting, but it is getting to feel a little over done, although it is a slightly better reason for insta-love than just hormones. It feels like it could be more permanent.
LOL — I need someone else to take the quiz and see if they are human or animal…
I get all wistful when lovers are separated for decades, then reunited. I'm a romantic at heart!
That's an interesting quiz! I will come back as a horse! It said only 20% of people will come back higher than me…okay…I want to know what the hierarchy of animals is!
LOL. I am not sure about the hierarchy of animals.
Neither am I..I just want to know what this quiz thinks is higher than a horse and what is below a horse? Anyway! Took your quiz! I am a YA heroine! I don't know how I got that!
Yes, I didn't realize that we all came back as animals. And I had no idea how a giraffe ranks compared to a bear or a horse. Or maybe it is all just random.
So I made my own quiz. Link in the post. Thanks for taking it, Shanan, Ebaker and Cristina!!!!
I really enjoyed Angelfire when I read it!
I like your quiz ;D I'm a YA Heroine then!
And then for fun, I had to take the reincarnation one and I was an octopus XDD
Hi Kara — you must be looking forward to Wings of the Wicked in February!
Octopus — LOL! I'm glad I left the old quiz up!
Your Result: YA Heroine
You're loyal, brave and smart to a fault. You pick the right guy in the love triangle and let the wrong one down easily. You'll spend eternity standing on a cliff, wearing a beautiful dress that blows in the wind.
Yay! 🙂 Anyway, fun post! I have Eternal Ones, and I don't think I've read many reincarnation books, so I should get started on that. Oh, and I love Freaky Friday too. 🙂
Also, I'm gonna be a horsey in my next life! 🙂
Lol loved your quiz questions! I got…YA Hero (even though I'm a girl oh well). I'm supposed to be "sexy, brooding, and cool. You seem aloof, but within, you're smoldering with barely contained passion. You have a dark secret of your own, one that you'll do anything to hide." Hmmmmmmmm haha anyway, awesome post!
I am SO happy that someone didn't get heroine. I took the quiz and got Heroine's BFF. Yes, that's me, the one on the sidelines, watching the action.
I wanted to be the villain, but I'm clearly not evil enough…