Ever since
Twilight grabbed the attention of millions of readers by beginning with the ending, the action prologue has been a staple of young adult literature. It may be overused, but it's a favorite for a reason. When Stephanie Meyer opened with Bella facing certain death at the hands of an unnamed tormenter, she was making a promise to the reader: stick with me through the slow character introductions and world-building, and I'll give you adventure, romance, and death-defying danger.
In a larger sense, the action prologue, and all tweaks to the simple chronological story structure, are about enhancing the impact of plot and character moments. For example, a love story told from the moment a couple meets to the moment they break up might be sad. But if the writer starts in the middle of the relationship and only flashes back to the first meeting after she details about the breakup, the hope and happiness of those early moments acquire a tinge of tragedy because the reader knows what the characters themselves do not: this story ends badly.
The characters in Alaya Dawn Johnson's
The Summer Prince know that their story will end badly. Or at least, they should. June and her best friend Gil are in love with the new Summer King, but in their home city of Palmares Tres in future Brazil, the Summer King is always killed at the end of the year. Johnson uses an unusual narrative structure, mixing voice and time, to both solidify this event's inevitability and call it into question.
***WARNING: I deploy mild spoilers in order to discuss this book's structure in detail***
