Randomosity: Five Things You Wish to See More of in Fiction

This week we're joining in on the Friday Fives hosted by Paper Hangover.  In our case, we're zeroing in on the YA dystopian/supernatural/scifi/fantasy scene since that's what we've been tearing through this year and last.  Below is a sampling of books we've read recently (as well as a few read less recently) and which springboarded these ideas.  Some books contain things we like and want more of, while others have problems/issues we've seen overdone.  Some books contain both.

FIVE things we'd like to see more of in these types of books:

1. Dystopian that's not all about bringing down the regime.   It's cool that dystopian is the name of the game nowadays in YA, but most of the ones we've read lately culminate in rebellion, revolution, and the downfall of the tyrannical government.  It'd be nice to read a story where the world is dystopian but the story doesn't hinge upon destroying the current world order.  The main character does not have to be the Mockingjay.

2. Female characters who are badass without necessarily literally kicking ass. E.g. Claudia in Incarceron, who goes for what she wants head-on by forging her own path through intelligence, political maneuvering, and manipulation.  Or Mae in Demon's Lexicon - normal teenage girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, who maintains badassity without actually busting out secret ninja moves or super powers. She does it all by being true to her character - stubborn, loving, and brave.  Don't just tack on "and she knows Thai kickboxing" as if marital arts are a necessary component of badassity.  (Incidentally, if you check out the top rankings for "badass" on Urban Dictionary, nowhere does it say one must physically kick ass to be badass.)

3. Love triangles where it's not immediately obvious who the heroine/hero is going to end up with.  You can be Team Jacob all you want, but admit it--you always knew Bella was going to end up with Edward.  Even if you hoped otherwise.  The same goes for most YA love triangles, wherein a hero(ine) is presented with two love interests, and you always know which one s/he's going to end up with.

4. More YA main characters who are dudes, and hopefully they actually sound like dudes.  90% of the YA we've read in recent years has featured female protagonists.  Granted, the target market for YA seems to be a mostly female audience, but it'd be nice for there to be some guy protagonists too, who sound like guys.  Not to stereotype what males "ought" to sound like or anything, but sometimes male protagonists written by female authors end up sounding forced, artificial, or (for lack of a better word) girly.

5. More family dynamics. Where are the parents?  Yes, parents can be an inconvenience when you want to go on an adventure or get involved in shady relationships, but part of being a teen is dealing with your parents.  You can love them or hate them, resent them or desire their approval, or all four, but your parents are never a non-issue.  We're not asking for wrenchingly deep emotional exploration of parent-child dynamics; we're just asking that the protagonists deal with and think of their parents in realistic terms, as opposed to not even thinking about them.

So, folks, that's our five!  Do you agree or disagree that there's a lack of the above?  Do you have any book recommendations to fill these empty spaces on our YA shelf?