Urban Paranormal romance is a subgenre of paranormal fiction that centers around the romantic relationship between two people. It may include elements from other genres, such as contemporary and historical suspense novels, but it always includes an emphatic emotional or physical connection. Paranormal urban romances often explore themes like addiction, self-discovery, and spirituality to better illustrate how society can affect one’s mental wellbeing. They also often contain more supernatural creatures than traditional Urban Fantasy stories because they are usually horror focused instead of fantasy based on mythology for example; vampires rather than faeries for example due to their inclusion in Horror Fiction instead of Fairy Tales typically found in Fantasy Literature for instance.
Urban Paranormals tend to have darker plots with realistic depictions of life that don’t always end up happily ever after. There are many urban paranormal romances and novels, but the genre is not as popular in mainstream publishing as it once was because of a focus on more contemporary erotic romance by some authors which often has explicit sex scenes to appeal to readers who don’t want their reading experience limited by being labeled “Young Adult” for instance if they’re over 18 (although there are plenty of YA Urban Paranormal Romances).
Urban Paranormal Romance has seen some criticism as to whether it should even count as a subgenre since the romance is not always seen as the focus, but there are those who claim urban paranormals can be compelling due in part to their grittier feel and inclusion of horror elements that other types of urban fantasy might not particularly include. These stories often have an emphasis on how one’s life or society affects them mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically with dark realism rather than fantastical treatments such as gods from mythology playing larger roles in plotlines. They may also center around more supernatural beings like vampires or ghosts which are most often found in Horror fiction instead of Faeries or Angels typically found in Fantasy novels for example.
What are the main elements of Urban Paranormal Romance?
- urban setting with dark, gritty feel;
- inclusion of paranormal elements and beings that are most often from horror fiction like vampires or ghosts but can also be otherworldly creatures like faeries or angels.
- characters often deal with the supernatural either by knowingly embracing it or fighting against it
- has a lot of overlap with horror fiction
- main characters are usually anti-heroes or urban fantasy heroes
- young adults, urban setting.
How does it differ from other genres like Fantasy or Romance?
Urban paranormal romance is a genre that usually includes the urban setting, supernatural elements and characters who are often anti-heroes or urban fantasy heroes. Urban Paranormal Romance differs from other genres like Fantasy which is set in another world (i.e., medieval times) with magic being elemental to its plot, while Romance may be set in an urban setting but does not have any of these elements.
Who is the audience for urban paranormal romance?
Urban Paranormal Romance is a genre that appeals to readers who enjoy being immersed in the urban setting with an element of magic. Urban Paranormal Romance often includes characters who are anti-heroes and even villains, which may be more relatable for some readers.
The audience for this genre can vary based on what type of book or story it is – whether it’s part of a series (e.g., “A Series Of Unfortunate Events”) and has recurring characters; if there have been books written before by another author about the same world or set of characters (i.e., The Mortal Instruments); or if they’re just standalone novels where you need to know people from that specific universe (i.E., Game Of Thrones, Twilight, Vaemar).
What makes it so popular?
Urban Paranormal Romance has been popularized by the Twilight series, with its popularity rising in recent years due to their instalment of best-selling books. In addition, there are many other urban paranormal romance novels that help to keep this genre alive and well such as The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare which publishes new books almost every year since 2007 or even the Vampire Academy trilogy written by Richelle Mead who releases a book about two years apart after her own experience writing New York Times Best Sellers.
What’s so appealing about Urban Paranormal Romance?
The magic element combined with everyday reality is what keeps readers captivated when reading Urban Paranormal Romances; often times these stories are set in cities where people can relate to real life happenings within the universe that these stories are set in.
Clearly, urban paranormal romance has a following and it’s one that will last for many more years to come because of the creativity at hand with the inclusion of common day occurrences such as magic or everyday life within these universes.
What are some good Urban Paranormal books?
- Richelle Mead’s “Bloodlines” series
- Alyson Noel’s “Immortals After Dark” books
- Kresley Cole’s “Immortals After Dark” books
- Anything by Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris or Kelley Armstrong is an example of urban paranormal romance novels.