Romantasy and dark college: young readers drive new literary trends

Frankfurt, Germany: From romantasy to dark college, legions of young readers are diving into eclectic new literary subgenres in a trend turbo charged...

Frankfurt, Germany: From romantasy to dark college, legions of young readers are diving into eclectic new literary subgenres in a trend turbo-charged by social media.

At the Frankfurt Book Fair this week, fans flocked to colourful stands showcasing "new adult" literature that filled an 8,000-square-metre (86,000 square feet) hall.

The trend has been fuelled by authors and publishers posting on social media, and readers giving feedback, particularly under the hashtag BookTok on TikTok.

"New adult brought me back to reading," Julia Kendall, a 30-year-old teacher, told AFP at the book fair, the world's largest.

"I didn't read at all for a while, then I held my first book by Mona Kasten in my hand and loved it," she said, referring to a popular German author of romantasy -- a neologism of romance and fantasy.