To ask if you would view this as suitable/buy for a teen?

An editor will also help with the plotting, if it’s too convoluted but you need to get your manuscript as good as you can get it before approaching an agent.
If you’re serious, I would pay for a copy edit yourself once you have finished and edited yourself.

Depends on the level of violence and how graphic it is - look atbThe Hunger Games. If you described that plot to someone it would seem horrifically violent.

My advice would be - write it. If your writing and story are good enough and you get an agent and/or editor then they will guide you to making it appropriate to YA level.

You will get away more with violence that swearing or sex ( even consensual sex) which I think is a bit rubbish but that’s the way it is.

With the alternate UK - it's mainly done so she can have some form of link to what teens are seeing now with Reform UK and all that.

Essentially what happens when you vote in the wrong person.

I might modify her age - however a 12 or 11 year old in a paramilitary group (since a large amount of things happened over 4 years) would be a bit strange to say the least - and this being an army boot camp which she uses to get close to P - it would be a bit strange for a teen to work in one.

If the character was younger -say 15/16 it would probably appeal more as a YA novel. The character being an adult would seem odd.
The books Naughts and Crosses - while not overly violent - deals with terrorism and (the readers) being on the side of the terrorists.
Naughts and Crosses is studied in schools at the age of around 14.

Gosh more plot confusion!

She isn't trying to kill them - she's trying to get close to them so she can work out how to target P.

However, bigger problems emerge and she finds herself realising that if she wants to eliminate P and his little group of bombers, she'll need to protect the camp with her life from things much bigger then she can reasonably handle.

P is also trying to bomb the boot camp - in which his nephew is.

Protagonist is not trying to kill anyone innocent.

I was worried the plot was going to be overcomplicated -

Prime Minister is a Kim-Jong-Un style dictator who only cares about himself and has caused massive amounts of distress to the country.

Teenager is part of a socialist paramilitary group who orchestrated the prime minister's assassination.

When he dies - they take over the country.

Fascist is not powerful - he is a supporter of now-dead PM, who killed I, another part of the paramilitary.

I unfortunately think so far it a bit glamorises K - I'm doing my best to portray her as a fallible human being but my mind is far too obsessed with K to massacre her personality.

Work on that, otherwise it sounds good. Lisbet Salander for teens.

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch ,,@aspiringyetshite was what popped into my head this morning. I was trying to remember what book reminded me if your query and it's this one.

Both me and my 16 year old son liked it. It isn't the same genre. There is a YA version but mine just read the adult version. In my opinion it has echos of where you want your book. Not sure if you are familiar.

I read a lot of fantasy/zombies/UF/space opera so I would say my reading tastes are not very “grown up”. However anything with religious or political themes is a massive turn-off for me and may be a hard sell for many teens. UF is a great genre for kick-ass female characters by the way. Elise Kavanagh as written by SM Reine (in the first few books of The Descent series) was particularly great, and a character like that written for teens would be great. The books did eventually go down an overly religious/mythological rabbit hole unfortunately. I know you said it’s an alternate UK but the violence can sit easier in a completely alternate location/reality, in my opinion…like an off-world colony.

Plus, at this age whether the adults would buy it is less relevant than whether the teens want it - the relevant adults you need to worry about are agents, editors and reviewers, if you’re aiming for traditional publication. And from your current description you’ve got work to do to make the plot (and how you pitch it) acceptable - as others said, having your protagonist K fully focused on the death of someone else is problematic but if she changes her mind during the book might be OK. But then is that a satisfying conclusion? All depends on the writing.

I read the Handmaid's Tale when I was 12 and loved it, so I don't think this is too much or too complex for a teen at all.

I remember reading Jean Ure's Come Lucky April at primary school age and that was fascinating to me then.

Lots of revolutionary movements have involved teenagers in the past so it's not unrelatable imo.

Good luck op sounds like it'll be an interesting read!

If you wouldn’t read it now as an adult, and enjoy it, then you shouldn’t be writing for a YA audience. What would stop you enjoying it now? That’s more than likely going to be what your potential readers feel too - don’t make the mistake of underestimating younger readers.

It definitely sounds YA not teen, btw (‘teen’ in publishing usually means mature 11+ to 13/14, and YA mature 13+ to adult).

I think you should just write it as you feel it without worrying about the eventual readership.
Your agent can advise you on marketability.

This is a very niche market (& I would have fallen in it), but still....
I would say the main issue is fascist/socialist doesn't seem very current. Thrillers are good, but the causes aren't generally that important and this one seems a bit of a barrier to interest.

Militant environmentalist/malignant capitalist might resonate more with current politics, but even that is probably more than many teens would want.

Also, the plot does sound very convoluted. I loved reading, still do, but despite really enjoying things like 1984, We, spy thrillers etc, I'm not sure most plotlines are that complex and would grab someone's attention in the quick flick through/reading the blurb that you do in your buying decisions.

So a powerful facist who killed the prime minister decides to get at a teenager by killing her mate?

Honestly no I wouldn't. I lost interest in the idea whilst reading the first post. As others have said it sounds way too overcomplicated and a character of 19-21 is simply too old for most teens to relate to. I'd be very surprised if it was picked up by a publisher.

It's not something I would have been interested in at that age nor would the teens I know who, like me, are big readers.

No, sorry. It sounds violent.

Sorry, but it sounds crap. I wouldn't buy it for anyone. I'd be very surprised if such a novel was ever even published (traditionally, at least).

I think the two plots of targeting the friends and family are sadistic and psychological torture is unsuitable for young teens. The idea of killing an innocent person to get revenge on someone else is awful, and if your heroine champions that its irresponsible.

My kids wouldn't have liked it and nor would I have enjoyed it as a teen, because none of us liked violence. I can see that some teens would like it.

It seems to me that the challenge would lie in the marketing. On the face of it, it might not seem like a YA book. With an older protagonist, teens (and people who are recommending books to teens) might assume the content would be inappropriate or that teens wouldn't have enough life experience to relate.

Some teens would happily engage with it - but they would be the sort of teens who like adult books, not the sort who seek out Young Adult fiction.

I'm not saying that people would dislike the book if they read it. I'm saying I doubt they would pick it up in the first place and give it a chance.

Apologies, I thought you were buying for your child! Am a bit distracted. As I said, I think it's a bit convoluted, but it's up to you. We don't know the audience.

Boys also like badass female characters btw and it sounds like something I'd have enjoyed at that age.

The plot is too convoluted and the age of your character will be an issue. 21 to your intended audience is ‘ancient’.

If you are writing violence and anarchy write detail. The audience will want authenticity's.

But the context of the above may alienate your wider audience. Most want some element of relationship they are beyond the age of consent.

At that age I read Stephen King alongside Mills and boon so eclectic readers are there.