Angels in YA: How the Classic Tropes stay new and Exciting

by Jen Braaksma

I truly believe stories are a collaboration of the imagination. I write and readers read, but there wouldn’t be a story without one or the other. We all come up with our own interpretation of a story based on our own identities and experiences, and it’s those differences that I love.

It’s why I love teaching English. I explain different ways a story can be analysed—ways for students to see a novel like they hadn’t thought of before—but I also get to hear their interpretations and opinions. That’s how stories come alive for me.

One of my favourite lessons I taught my Grade 12 Writer’s Craft students was on fantasy world-building. We’d start by brainstorming a list of mythical and magical creatures. Sirens and mermaids and harpies and leprechauns and elves and sprites and pixies and gryphons and phoenixes and so many more. Then we’d think about cultures and civilizations, societies and families, and customs and traditions. Environment. History. Politics. All up for grabs.

One day, a student asked me what mythical character I’d choose to write about.

“Angels,” I replied immediately.

I’d had a story about angels in the back of my mind for years. Angels have a reputation in our society as good, wholesome beings, messengers of God, light in the world. It’s not that I disagreed with these interpretations, but I was fascinated at how one-dimensional they seemed. Could any being truly be that good?

Of course the answer is no. According to the lore, Lucifer, Satan, the devil himself is a fallen angel. Defied God. Refused to bow before God’s new creatures, humans. Started a battle in Heaven. Lost. Was cast out. So what was it about Lucifer’s message that resonated with his followers? What convinced them to defy God?

These questions about the nature of angels powered my story. I grew up in the United Church, a progessive, Protestant denomination, and I was infinitely curious about the many interpretations of the Bible, God’s word and Christian history I encountered. I began to study angel lore. Read about the different names and roles of angels, their hierarchy and structure, their mission and purpose, their interactions with humans.

I had lots of research notes, but I didn’t know exactly what to do with all my information.

Until that first student asked me about my choice of mythical creature. That’s when I realized I had a lot of ideas for all the questions I posed my students. Now I just needed to carve it all into a story.

But my story is your story—the reader’s story. It’s why I love the idea of fan culture. The idea that a creator can come up with characters and worlds and plotlines that touch audiences in profound ways is humbling. It’s intriguing why fans love what they love—and what they do with the stories they love (fanfiction, fan art, etc.). The meaning of a story doesn’t just belong to the author, filmmaker, songwriter, showrunner, but also to the reader, audience, listener, viewer.

It’s also why I love myths and legends and fairy tales and folktales of all kinds. It’s this concept of retelling and reimagining something familiar that connects us. If I as a reader know a version of the Cinderella story, I already feel connected to your version of it. Just because I’m retelling a story you may (or may not) be familiar with doesn’t negate its impact. Even if you know the elements of a story or how it might end (no spoiler alert needed to know that Lucifer loses the battle and is cast out of Heaven).

The excitement of the story is in how the characters get to the end. The surprises along the way keep our interest. And, it feels like we’re starting off on the story journey together. You may not know what I’m going to say about angels, but you have an idea of how angels are portrayed in our society. I may take you on a different path than you expect, but at least there is a path you may recognize.

But what if readers aren’t familiar with the origins of my story? I grew up in the Christian religion, so the story of Lucifer’s fall was always something I knew. Yet a few of my early readers grew up in different faiths, and they’d never heard of Lucifer’s story. Whereas I imagined myself “retelling” the story of the Battle of Heaven, they were hearing one version (mine) for the first time. I found their perspective not only fascinating, but I also felt honoured that my version was their first version.

In my opinion, the connection between reader and writer levels the playing field. Evangeline is my creation, yes. But I also hope readers will come to see her as their own. I won’t always agree with every reader’s interpretation, of course. And I can’t say I won’t be a tiny bit possessive of characters I love so much, but I’m also aware that, when I put characters out there, they have to fly.

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Jen Braaksma is a writer and book coach with a decade of experience as a journalist and nearly two as a high school English and writing teacher. Her first book, Evangeline’s Heaven, launches August 30, 2022 from SparkPress.