I Want More Male POVs

In the last 10 years or so of my reading career, you can say that I’ve noticed many similarities and trends in YA (you can find my 2018 YA Trend Report HERE), and sadly, something that started to annoy me a little was that I felt as if YA books were seriously dominated by women. By that, I mean female protagonists. While that’s, of course, a great thing for women, it can be a little tiring to always be reading the point of view of a girl, most likely between the ages of 14 to 19. Sometimes I want to read what the boys and the men are feeling and doing once in a while, and be able to learn something new about their life experiences and sympathise with another gender.

Especially in the type of YA Fantasy books I mainly read, the main book series that I can list off the top of my head with a male point of views are obviously Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Eragon…and…and…- see what I mean? These books are highly popular and very well known but what about some standalones or other series with a male protagonist that we don’t talk about as much? Looking at my bookshelf when I was asking myself this, I saw how the majority of my books were female fronted fantasies like Throne of Glass, The Mortal Instruments, and Nevernight. Even looking at my contemporaries, sci-fi and dystopian books, and again, so many of them have a female point of view.

Gosh darn it, I’m in the mood for guys that are more than just a love interest or battle sidekick lately. So after having a little convo with some cute peeps over at twitter and some good old google research, I found some books with male POVs! Some of these I have seen around, some I have not, some are well loved, some are truly nearly unknown or not talked about enough for me to even know about them. I hope to get around reading these ones soon (except the one book out of all them I have read) because I’m just craving male POV lately and if I read another “I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding” I might just cry.

So here are some Male POV books from each sub-genre within YA and their respective blurbs from Goodreads:

Fantasy: The Chaos Walking Series

 

Prentisstown isn’t like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee — whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not — stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden — a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

 

Historical: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

 

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and travelling companion, Percy.

Still, it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

 

Sci-Fi: Invictus

 

Time flies when you’re plundering history.

Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-travelling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far’s birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he’s ever wanted, and after failing his final time-travelling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.

But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with the knowledge that will bring Far’s very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.

 

Contemporary: A List of Cages

 

When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he’s got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn’t easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can’t complain since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is Julian—the foster brother he hasn’t seen in five years.

Adam is ecstatic to be reunited. At first, Julian seems like the boy he once knew. He’s still kindhearted. He still writes stories and loves picture books meant for little kids. But as they spend more time together, Adam realizes that Julian is keeping secrets, like where he hides during the middle of the day, and what’s really going on inside his house. Adam is determined to help him, but his involvement could cost both boys their lives…

 

Paranormal/Horror: The Half Bad Trilogy

 

Wanted by no one.
Hunted by everyone.

Sixteen-year-old Nathan lives in a cage: beaten, shackled, trained to kill. In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world’s most terrifying and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan’s only hope for survival is to escape his captors, track down Marcus, and receive the three gifts that will bring him into his own magical powers—before it’s too late. But how can Nathan find his father when there is no one safe to trust, not even family, not even the girl he loves?

 

And those are some YA books with male POVs 🙂 I’m personally excited to get my hands on and read every book on this list, except one since I’ve already read AGGTVAV. What do you think of these picks? If you have any other book recommendations for, let me know in the comments, I’d love to find new books.

Until next time,

 

xx Tracy

 

Images all sourced from Goodreads.