The Girl King by Mimi Yu

It seems like a good idea to read new books. New fantasy books, the kinds of books I might like to write and get published someday. What is being published right now? Like always, there is a pull toward the socially relavant in new media. People want to give visibility to characters that are not white guys, and I respect that. "Not About a White Guy" is a fine selling point, so long as it's not the only selling point. The Girl King is set in a fantasy world that is more like ancient Korea and less like Middle Earth. All the characters are markedly not white. Aside from these distinctions, The Girl King is just another coming-of-age medieval fantasy adventure. I wonder if most new fantasy is written for younger audiences and I just don't notice with the older stuff because I relate more to teenagers from the 70s than I relate to teenagers today. Teens of yore do have more visibility in literature. I guess that's something to chew on. The Girl King was okay. I won't think about it much in the future.