I am working on the fourth (hopefully last) draft of my novel, but I am having difficulty finding comp titles from within the past 5-6 years. I am trying to expand my own horizons, so if anything comes up from these themes/concepts, please recommend them! Even if they are completely different genres or seem like weird comparisons. YA is fine, but I would prefer books that are geared towards an older audience.
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Swan maiden lore/monstrous transformations/creatures/body horror (not "gore" but the idea of horrific transformation)
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Sea travel/discovering new lands/exploring new places
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Major themes of balance/life vs death/light vs dark
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Grand, tragic, sweeping romances (this is difficult for me to find newer than the 2000s without it feeling very YA or not quite "sweeping")
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Biological technology/magical science fiction/worldbuilding that uses animals to fuel technology (I think BioShock is the closest I can think of as a comparison, but my novel is more fantasy/historic versus futuristic)
It's mostly fantasy because it takes place in a different world with strange creatures, but it has more of a sci-fi and horror feel, as the "magic" is more of a technology inspired by the use of whales for oil lanterns. I would love to find things that are more horror adjacent.
Tonally, it feels similar to things like classic gothic literature and 20K Leagues, but I don't have the ego to compare myself to authors like Jules Verne, and I need things more recent than 200 years, lol.
by itsanoformethanks