Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but what is this new trend in YA fantasy books to make them over 500 pages?

For example, I love Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles. Dark Artifices is the trilogy where she really amps the page length into the 800s. Queen of Air and Darkness was nearly a 1,000 if you include the bonus story in the end. But I understood it since it was a big game changer with consequences in the universe. But now her Last Hours trilogy is also in the 700 length?

Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse started off with the standard 400 pages then 500 in Six of Crows but her latest duology goes to almost 700. See this steady progression of adding more and more.

Honestly, I understand why writers may do this. They feel that it needs to be longer to fit everything, it helps set up the greater tone, include a large cast of characters.

But to me, it’s just overwhelming to see this 700 page mammoth. 400 is enough for me, 500 if we’re stretching it.

I also feel that they did such a sufficient job introducing the world in those 350-400 page novel, why can’t they do that here?

I mean with that page count, you could just split it into two and make your trilogy a quartet and rake in the dough. I feel that sometimes the longer it is, it drags on. So much description, so much internal monologue, so much romantic angst often gets repetitive even if it’s shown with varied view points. It could be squashed in a succinct few paragraphs rather than pages.

Also I’m just generally suspicious of 700 page novels. It may be a creative free for all but I also suspect the author is getting paid by word or something. I mean Queen of Air and Darkness is longer than Anna Karenina, think about it.

So what do you think of the progressive longer page lengths in YA? Big fan or no? Write down your comments