26 Best Fantasy YA Books to Read

Are you looking for some of the best fantasy YA books to add to your reading list? Here are 27 amazing YA fantasy novels to get you started!

Young adult fantasy novels have positively exploded in popularity over recent years, and there are some really excellent fantasy YA series to get stuck into.

From YA fantasy classics like His Dark Materials to the books by the reigning queen of YA literature, Sarah J Maas, there’s something for everyone on this list of the best young adult fantasy books to read!

The Very Best Fantasy YA Books

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Sarah J Maas is one of the reigning queens of fantasy books for young adults, and her three series Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses and House of Blood and Earth have all been met with wide acclaim.

However, it is her second series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, that is my absolute favourite and what I consider to be one of the best YA fantasy series of all time. Most SJ Maas fans believe this to be much better than her first series, especially when you get to book two.

This series is all about Feyre, a human girl struggling to keep her family alive. The story begins with her hunting a doe so she can feed her starving family. She notices that a wolf is also stalking her prey, so she flies an arrow at the wolf, not realising that the wolf is actually a Faerie in disguise.

She then becomes embroiled in the world of Faeries across the wall, forced to live with them in punishment for her crime. There’s politics, romance, and intrigue in this series and it’s definitely worth adding to your TBR pile.

p.s. Whilst A Court of Thorns and Roses is good, it’s the second book in the series, A Court of Mist of Fury, that really turns people into Sarah J Maas fans.

If you’re looking for the best YA fantasy romance books, here’s your series!

A Court of Thorns and Rosesis available from: Amazon

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

I quite simply devoured the Once Upon a Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber – I couldn’t stop reading once I got going and finished the whole trilogy in just a few days.

The story begins with Evangeline Fox, a girl desperate to stop the boy she loves from marrying someone else.

She thought they were both madly in love with each other, so she is both confused and devastated when she finds out he has suddenly decided to marry her stepsister. She refuses to believe that he could have betrayed her like this and suspects foul play.

In her desperation, she strikes a bargain with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts – one of the Fates known for his beauty and his ruthlessness.

What follows is an addictive tale of curses, enchanted arches, dangerous bargains, and the blurred line between love and ruin.

Although the series is branded as young adult, the characters never felt juvenile. Their flaws, choices, and desires made the story feel layered and compelling.

And what I loved most was that this is a little different to most other popular young adult fantasy books on the market right now.

Instead of the usual academies, dragons, or deadly contests so commonly found in YA fantasy books (and indeed in many of the other titles on this list!), Garber gives us something fresh:

A genuinely enchanting fantasy built around fates, magic, and curses, with every chapter bringing another plot twist. Oh, and there’s an enemies-to-lovers plot throughout, too.

If you’re searching for a fantasy that feels different from anything else on your shelf, and is equal parts whimsical and sharp, this series is it!

Once Upon a Broken Heartis available from: Amazon

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Holly Black is another longstanding author of ya fantasy fiction and The Cruel Prince series is one of her best.

The story begins when two human girls, Jude and Taryn, are brutally ripped from the mortal world when their mother and stepfather are murdered. They’re sent to live with their mother’s ex-husband (the murderer!) in the world of the faeries.

And turns out, he’s a pretty damn powerful one.

Jude and Taryn try to fit in with the faerie children in their new realm but they simply don’t fit in and are bullied by the other entitled faerie children.

Don’t feel sorry for them just yet, however. Sweet little twins Jude and Taryn are long gone by the end of The Cruel Prince and you’re left with a full cast of pretty despicable human and faerie characters.

There’s plenty of political intrigue, backstabbing and betrayal in this series and it’s perfect for fans of darker YA fantasy books.

The Cruel Prince is similar to A Court of Thorns and Roses above so if you loved that then add this to your list too.

READ MORE: The Cruel Prince Quotes

The Cruel Princeis available from: Amazon

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer and is a Cinderella retelling. It may be more science fiction and dystopia than fantasy but with a kick-ass heroine, princes, balls and royal intrigue, I couldn’t leave it off this list for YA fantasy lovers.

Plus, for once, it’s not set in the West.

Cinder is a sixteen-year-old cyborg living in New Beijing. She’s seen by most as a technological mistake but being a cyborg has also made her the best mechanic in the city.

Talk of her skills draws the attention of none other than Prince Kai, who needs someone to fix his broken android.

However, in Cinder’s attempts to please the young Prince, her younger sister (a human), becomes exposed to a deadly plague that is sweeping the Earth.

Cinder’s mother then “volunteers” Cinder for plague research, something that no human has ever survived.

But in all their prodding and poking, the scientists discover something very special about Cinder. Something people would do absolutely anything for.

The story of an orphaned protagonist with heightened skills for survival who has to evade the corrupt people that run society is not a new one. However, having a main character that is a Cyborg amidst the fictional setting of New Beijing is unique.

Cinder is one of the best fairytale retellings out there and I’d highly recommend it.

Read my full review of Cinder by Marissa Meyer here.

Cinderis available from: Amazon

Harry Potter series - best young adult fantasy series

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling needs little introduction but no list of YA fantasy books would be complete without it. Loved by children, young adults and adults alike, this series completely took the world by storm upon its release and continues to be wildly popular today.

The series is all about Harry Potter, a young orphan with a lightning bolt scar on his head. He lives a pitiful existence in his aunt and uncle’s cupboard under the stairs and they thoroughly resent having to look after Harry.

When Harry turns 11, he receives a letter saying he has been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And his whole life changes.

With floating candles, magical feasts, friends and more, Harry’s life is suddenly full of colour. It turns out he’s one of the most famous people in the wizarding world as he survived an attempt on his life by Lord Voldemort when he was just a baby.

Although Lord Voldemort was vanquished back then, it seems that something dark is brewing and the series centres on this fight between good and evil, Harry and Lord Voldemort.

The Harry Potter books are a cultural phenomenon and if for some reason you are yet to indulge in this series then you absolutely must!

Whilst the first one or two books could be said to be children’s books, the series becomes progressively darker and the latter novels are some of the best fantasy books for young adults.

Harry Potter is available from: Amazon

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

If you want to read about some badass witches then The Witchlands series is for you.

It’s all about best friends Safiya and Iseult, fierce witches who need to save their homeland from destruction.

In this fantasy world, some individuals are gifted with extraordinary capabilities at birth. Iseult is a Threadwitch, which means she can sense the bonds that tie different people together.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, which means she can tell whether someone is lying or telling the truth.

Safiya’s ability is incredibly rare and she desperately tries to keep her magic hidden as it might attract unwanted attention from those who would use it for evil.

Truthwitch is a book that exceeded my expectations by far. There’s magic, politics, war, romance and some amazing female protagonists.

These aren’t the kind of witches that stir cauldrons and chant Latin incantations, these women are fighters, born with powers that could tip the balance between good and evil in the world.

The absolute best thing about the Witchlands series is the sisterly bond between Safiya and Iseult. It’s an epic female friendship – something we need more of in fantasy novels for young adults!

This intense bond between the witches reminded me of the Ironteeth clan in the Throne of Glass books so if you enjoyed those parts of Sarah J Maas’ books, then you’ll love this series too.

Also by Susan Dennard is Something Strange and Deadly, a paranormal romance.

Truthwitchis available from: Amazon

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is about Jacob, a sixteen-year-old boy who grew up thinking his grandfather was mad for ranting and raving about monsters being out to get him.

However, after witnessing his grandfather’s mysterious death in the woods, Jacob begins to think that his grandfather may not have been quite as mad as everyone thought.

Determined to get to the bottom of his grandfather’s death, Jacob embarks on a journey to an orphanage on a remote island off the coast of Wales. His grandfather grew up here and Jacob believes it may hold the clue to his death.

However, what Jacob finds there is not at all what he expected and is very much peculiar.

Miss Peregrine’s Home was an instant hit upon its release and there’s even a film adaptation of this YA fantasy book by Tim Burton. This book is slightly more gothic than supernatural but it’s wonderfully imaginative and unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

There are alternate realities, time travel, supernatural beings, and more. Ransom Riggs blends lots of different genres and styles together to make this perfectly bizarre novel.

What’s more, it’s littered with black and white photographs of all the peculiar children, which are really quite haunting. You will come to love all the children, who all seem so innocent and sweet, but are very, very peculiar.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children gets off to a very slow start and acts as a sort of “introduction” to the world and series, but if you stick with it, it all comes together in a wonderfully bizarre story.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Childrenis available from: Amazon

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is an Arabian Nights retelling with a unique premise. King Khalid has a murderous reputation and is feared by all his subjects. Every day he marries a new and different girl, and by morning she is dead.

The main character, Shahrzad, takes it upon herself to try and take down the king after her best friend falls victim to him as his last bride. She volunteers to be the King’s next bride in order to get close to him and plans to punish the boy-king for inflicting such a horrible fate upon so many women.

On Shahrzad’s first night in the King’s palace, she begins to tell Khalid a story, and her story is so enrapturing that he spares her life and requests to hear more of the story the next night.

This continues night after night and, against the odds, the two begin to develop feelings for each other.

But Shahrzad is conflicted. How could this sensitive and caring man she has been sharing stories with each night be the same King who murdered so many women before her?

It seems that there is more to King Khalid than the rumours suggest and Shahrzad is desperate to get to the bottom of it all, grappling with her growing feelings for Khalid all the while.

This book ticked all the boxes for me: well-developed, lovable characters coupled with a complex and intriguing plot.

The romance is subtle and you find yourself really rooting for Shahrzad and Khalid, who by all accounts and histories should not be together but somehow seem to just… work.

The Wrath and the Dawnis available from: Amazon

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

In Rebel of the Sands, mythical beasts still roam free in the remote areas of the desert nation of Miraji. Rumour has it that djinn perform magic in the shadows too.

It’s a tough place for mere mortals to grow up, especially if you’re poor, orphaned or female, and Amani Al’Hiza is all three.

However, Amani refuses to accept her lot in life and sneaks out of her uncle’s house to attend a gunslinging contest where there are 1000 coins up for grabs. Amani has perfect aim and the prize money could be her ticket out of Dustwalk. There she meets Jin, a foreigner on the run.

Although Amani had often dreamed of leaving the deadbeat town she was brought up in, she never imagined that it would be on the back of a mythical horse with a boy she’s just met.

So begins Amani’s transformation into a truly kick-ass heroine. She’s tenacious and determined to fight against the prejudiced system of her home county.

Women have no rights so Amani disguises herself as a boy in order to escape Dustwalk and her uncle’s control.

Rebel of the Sands is a sort of cross between a Western and Aladdin and Hamilton has written a wonderfully detailed story filled with magic and wonder.

It’s not until the second half of the book that the story that things get really interesting, but stick with it, Rebel of the Sands is an explosive start to a new trilogy.

Read my full review of Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton here.

Rebel of the Sandsis available from: Amazon

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Eragon is a teen fantasy series that I was positively obsessed with as a 15-year-old. What’s quite astonishing too is that Christopher Paolini was only 15 years old when he wrote this popular young adult series. It’s the fantasy book every teenager wants to read!

The story begins when Eragon discovers a blue egg in the forest. He takes it, recognising it is something of value, and hoping he can sell it for enough to feed his family that winter. What he doesn’t appreciate, is that he’s about to unleash a legacy as old as the Empire itself.

The stone hatches a young dragon, and Eragon is thrust into a new world of magic and intrigue. His life is now in danger and he has the weight of the Dragon Riders’ legacy on his shoulders. Guided only by an old storyteller, Eragon must now take on the Empire and its cruel king.

To put it in perspective as to how much I loved this series, it’s probably the first series that managed to really truly capture my attention since Harry Potter. If you love stories like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, then add Eragon to your TBR pile.

Eragonis available from: Amazon

His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman

The His Dark Materials trilogy follows the adventures of Lyra and Will, two ordinary children who embark on a journey to otherworlds. Lyra sets off to the North to save her friend Roger who has been taken by the Gobblers.

It also happens to be where her mysterious uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

As the story progresses, the pair meet armoured bears, fallen angels and even soul-eating creatures. But in the end, the fate of both the living and the dead will come to rely on them.

His Dark Materials is a series that many will first come to at a young age, but it is a story that you can appreciate all the more as an experienced reader. With themes such as love, religion, and authority, it’s a series with a lot of big questions to unpack.

And whilst it may be deemed a young adult fantasy series, it’ll make you question certain concepts about the real world around you too.

His Dark Materialsis available from: Amazon

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes is a story of power battles and political espionage inspired by Ancient Rome. The two main characters are Laia and Elias, one a slave, one a soldier.

Laia’s family are ripped away from her at the beginning of the story and she winds up becoming a spy for a resistance movement. In exchange, the rebels agree to help free her brother, who has been accused of treason.

Laia is sent to the palace to be the Commandant’s servant and she is treated brutally by her mistress.

It turns out that Elias is the Commandant’s birth son, though she shows little care for him. He is forced to compete in a series of trials, the winner of which will be crowned Emperor, though he has no desire to take on this role.

Whilst at the palace, Laia and Elias cross paths and Elias helps Laia get out of trouble on a number of occasions. This complicates things as the pair have conflicting loyalties and as the plot unfolds it turns out not is all as it first seemed.

There are lots of twists and turns as you try to figure out the true intentions of all the different parties and if anyone is in fact “good” and, of course, there’s a smidge of romance thrown in too.

An Ember in the Ashesis available from: Amazon

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

The works of J R R Tolkien need little introduction. How could I write about the best YA fantasy books of all time without mentioning the man who practically invented the fantasy genre himself?

The Hobbit comes before the events in Lord of the Rings and is a great introduction to Tolkien’s work for children and teens.

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, a small creature of the green Shire that lives a quiet existence.

Then, one day, Gandalf the Grey, a wizard, comes knocking, and the course of his life changes forever.

The hobbit that was once a homebody is thrust on an adventure with dwarves, elves, dragons and an ugly creature named Gollum. He traverses mountain ranges, forests, and mines, on a mission to help the dwarves recover their lost home (and gold) from a terrible dragon.

Tolkien’s writing is in itself a form of art, and The Hobbit is a great introduction to the world of Middle Earth.

Fair warning: the Hobbit books and films are very, very different, so you may be for in for a surprise if you’ve seen or read one but not the other!

The Hobbit is available from: Amazon

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

If you love fantasy YA books, and books set in Paris, then The Gilded Wolves is the book for you. Set in the 19th century, we follow treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie on a high-stakes mission.

He has been commissioned by the Order of Babel to hunt down an ancient artefact, in exchange for the truth about his heritage. To help him, he bands together an unlikely crew – an engineer with a debt to pay, a historian banished from his home, a dancer with a sinister past, and a brother in arms.

Together they embark on a journey that could change the entire course of history, but only if they can stay alive.

If you liked Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo then you’ll also like this magical and entertaining adventure. You can think of this as Dan Brown meets young adult fantasy.

Plus, a diverse young adult author with diverse young adult characters? That’s a win for me!

Gilded Wolvesis available from: Amazon

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic is set in London, but not as you know it. Kell is a magician with the ability to travel between parallel Londons: Red, Grey, White, and once upon a time, Black.

He was born in Red London but is an ambassador of these worlds. Unofficially, he’s also a smuggler who is willing to show people things they’ve never encountered in their world before.

An illicit exchange goes awry and Kell runs into trouble. He escapes to Grey London, where he meets Delilah Bard, a thief with lofty aspirations. She robs him, then saves him, and then they both end up in another world.

They need to stay alive, but danger lurks around every corner.

The premise of this young adult book is incredible and it’s a highly readable tale of magic and adventure. As a Londoner myself, I adored the idea of multiple parallel Londons where history is different in each and every one.

If you love dark young adult fantasy books and a London setting, then this is for you.

A Darker Shade of Magicis available from: Amazon

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Touted as being perfect for fans of The Night Circus and Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Caraval was a hugely hyped young adult book that came with high expectations. Thankfully, it did not disappoint.

The story is set on the isle of Trisda. Scarlett is engaged to Count d’Arcy, a man she has never met before, but she is convinced that he is the key to freeing her and her sister from their father’s tyranny. After a failed escape attempt two years earlier, this seems like their only route to freedom.

However, every year, Scarlett has written a letter to Caraval Master Legend, begging him to bring his magical show to Trisda. Her letters have gone unanswered – until now. Scarlet is due to be married in just a few days but she can’t resist the Caraval Master’s long-awaited invitation to his infamous game.

Caraval is a five-day performance that requires audience participation. It’s only a game – or so the players are told. However, it becomes quite obvious as time passes that there’s something darker at work at Caraval.

Things are not at all as they seem but we aren’t really given any clues as to what is really driving the plot and this yearly spectacle. I felt like I was in the dark for a long time but it kept me on my toes and I raced through this book.

There’s so much mystery in this story and I truly had no clue what plot twists were coming my way. There’s a hint of magic, dark magic more specifically, underlying everything here and I loved that as time went on the story became more and more black.

Caraval is a fantastic debut novel from Stephanie Garber and it blew me away. It has elements of magic, mystery and adventure, which will have you turning those pages like crazy! I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fast-paced tale that will take you and your emotions on a roller-coaster ride.

I’ll leave you with this:

Whatever you’ve heard about Caraval, it doesn’t compare to the reality. It’s more than just a game or a performance. It’s the closest you’ll ever find to magic in this world . . .

Check out my full review of Caraval by Stephanie Garber.

Caravalis available from: Amazon

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is another YA fantasy series that dominated the YA book scene upon its release. Similar to Throne of Glass, Red Queen centres around palaces, princesses, magic and political unrest.

Aveyard has created a world divided by blood. Those with red blood are common, whilst those with silver blood are typically born with some sort of magical power.

Mare is an ordinary red blood who begins life as a servant in the Silver Palace. However, it soon becomes apparent that she is no ordinary red blood.

It seems a genetic mutation means that whilst she was born a red blood, she too has powers thought only possible of silver bloods.

Fearing her powers, the palace concocts a story to tell the world that Mare is actually a long-lost Silver princess, thus hiding her true identity.

From the inside, Mare joins a resistance group who are fighting to bring the Silver bloods down.

Read my full review of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard here.

Red Queenis available from: Amazon

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Like Celaena, Graceling’s main character, Katsa, is graced with an unparalleled ability to kill. She’s an expert with every kind of weapon but could even kill a man twice her size with her bare hands.

If you’ve read any kind of fantasy novel you’ll know that that’s exactly the kind of fighter every tyrant King wants under his thumb.

And, unfortunately, Katsa has been forced to be her uncle, King Randa’s, mercenary since she was eight years old.

Prince Po comes to her uncle’s Kingdom and she ends up sparring with him. In doing so, she realises that he must be graced too and is in fact graced with fighting skills. The two strike up a friendship and eventually Po helps Katsa run away from her uncle’s influence.

Katsa is the epitome of a strong, independent woman and makes for a great heroine. She’s clear about the fact that marriage and playing happy families is for her and Po respects that.

The romance here is blended into the action and drama in a way that neither overpowers the other and the balance is just right.

NB. This is one for older teens (wink wink), another reason why this Graceling is a book like Throne of Glass.

Gracelingis available from: Amazon

More YA Fantasy Books

And for some more YA fantasy books, check out the below. These are all on my TBR pile and I’m desperate to read them!

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

In glittering Shanghai, a monster awakens…

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city in chaos. Juliette Cai is the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang – a network of criminals far above the law.

Roma Montagov is the prodigal son of her greatest rivals, the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. He is also Juliette’s first love . . . and first betrayal.

When a deadly madness strikes gangsters on both sides, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, and a monster in the shadows. And as the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns – and grudges – aside and work together.

For if they can’t stop this mayhem, there will be no city left to rule.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Once an enchanted land, Orïsha’s magic vanished without trace, leaving those who wielded it enslaved to a ruthless king. But now magic is returning and one girl has the chance to turn the tide…They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us. Now we rise.

The daughter of a great maji, Zélie Adebola remembers a time when magic flowed through the land and through the bones of the summoners. With her white hair, the mark of the gods, she is marked as one of the ibawi – the divine – those with the potential for power.

When a chance encounter brings her face to face with a rogue princess escaping from the palace with an object of immense significance, Zélie finds herself on a mission to restore what was stolen from her people and claim her birthright.

As Zélie journeys across Orïsha, she discovers a land full of unforeseen dangers: snow leoponaires, avenging spirits and the threat of the crown prince, who will stop at nothing to rid the land of enchantment once and for all.

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

Magic. Revolution. Identity.

The Emperor’s reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire’s many islands.

Lin is the Emperor’s daughter and she spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.

Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright – and save her people.

Jade City by Fonda Lee

Jade is the lifeblood of the city of Janloon – a stone that enhances a warrior’s natural strength and speed. Jade is mined, traded, stolen and killed for, controlled by the ruthless No Peak and Mountain families.

When a modern drug emerges that allows anyone – even foreigners – to wield jade, simmering tension between the two families erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all in the families, from their grandest patriarch to even the lowliest runner on the streets.

Jade City is an epic tale of blood, family, honour, and of those who live and die by ancient laws in a changing world.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams – but he can’t pull it off alone.

A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist.

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction – if they don’t kill each other first.

Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

As a young dragonlord, Ged, whose use-name is Sparrowhawk, is sent to the island of Roke to learn the true way of magic.

A natural magician, Ged becomes an Archmage and helps the High Priestess Tenar escape from the labyrinth of darkness.

But as the years pass, true magic and ancient ways are forced to submit to the powers of evil and death.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. ‘He never says please’, she sighed, but she gathered up her things.

When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she’s a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family.

Raised half in our world, half in ‘Elsewhere’, she has never understood Brimstone’s dark work – buying teeth from hunters and murderers – nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn’t whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

TREASON

For princess Hesina of Yan, the palace is her home, but her father is her world. He taught her how to defend against the corruption and excesses of the old kings, before revolutionaries purged them and their seers to establish the dynasty anew. He was supposed to teach her how to rule.

TRIAL

The imperial doctors say the king died a natural death, but Hesina believes he was murdered. She is determined to uncover the truth and bring the assassin to justice.

TRUTH

But in a broken system, ideals can kill. As the investigation quickly spins out of control, Hesina realizes that no one is innocent. Not the heroes in history, or the father she thought she knew. More blood will spill if she doesn’t rein in the trial—her people’s, her family’s, and even her own.

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Trained at Miss Preston’s School of Combat for Negro Girls in both weaponry and etiquette, Jane McKeene is poised for a successful career protecting the wealthy from the encroaching plague of walking dead.

But when families begin to go missing, Jane uncovers a conspiracy that pits her against some powerful enemies. Sent far from home, Jane will need all her resourcefulness, wit and strength of character to survive.

A powerful, compelling tale of a young girl’s journey through a hostile world, Jane McKeene is an unforgettable protagonist, and Dread Nation is an unforgettable book.

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What are your favourite YA fantasy books? Share your recommendations in the comments below!

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