Last week’s post on recommendations by genre started to get out of control, so I decided to split it into two separate posts, lest you become overwhelmed by choices and run and hide. Or maybe that’s just me.
NA Fantasy:
If I’m being honest, all of the YA fantasy options I’m pushing could be categorized as New Adult, but this is the only one that’s actually marketed that way, so NEVERNIGHT by Jay Kristoff gets its own category.
This series is fantastic. Wannabe assassins in an assassin school dedicated to a death goddess. There’s also a girl with a shadow dark enough for two . . . #stabstabstab
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YA Fantasy:
Sarah J. Mass, y’all.
Whether you begin with the girl assassin (yes, I do enjoy an assassin) or the human caught up in Faerie machination, SJM is the way to go when you’re looking for a YA fantasy series, as far as I’m concerned. That being said, despite a less than stellar beginning, ACOTAR has become my definitive favorite of the two.
THRONE OF GLASS:
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A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES:
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And if you’re a fan of darker fantasy, Leigh Bardugo’s GRISHA trilogy is the way to go:
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YA Urban Fantasy:
With YA literature, I tend to stick to the fantasy side of things (b/c easier to avoid teenangsty nonsense), but one urban fantasy series that avoided that particular pit is Melissa Marr’s WICKED LOVELY. Again, the first book wasn’t my favorite, but everything that came after is amazing. Marr creates fae that are both fantastical and horrific, so this is a must-read series for any fan of fae everything.
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ALSO, I love TWILIGHT. #donthate
Is it literature that will reshape your view of life and your place in it? No. But it doesn’t need to be. It needs to be mindless entertainment, a temporary escape from the everyday drudgery of real life, and on that front it exceeds expectations.
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YA Science Fiction:
After Suzanne Collins’ HUNGER GAMES (b/c duh):
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FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS by Diana Peterfruend is my top choice for YA sci-fi. This gem is post apocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION, and it is deliciously painful.
MG Fantasy:
CUCKOO SONG by Frances Hardinge is the best middle grade book that I’ve read since HARRY POTTER. At its basest elements, it’s a story about two sisters, but man alive, THE STORY. I laughed, I cried, I ALL THE THINGS. Don’t be put off by the creepy cover, it actually has little to do with dolls, and check this one out asap. This is a book I have zero reservations about recommending to everyone.
What about you? What are your favorite YA series and authors?
My name is Jessica and I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I’m trying my hand at writing, but mostly I read. My favorite genres are Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, and the YA versions of those genres, but if there is a book of a different color getting lots of buzz, I’ll read it too, just to be informed. If I’m not reading or writing, I’m probably on Goodreads or Pinterest or baking blueberry pies because I love them.
Oh my goodness. I love this post and all of your recommendations 😀 I’ll definitely be checking out The Darkness Shows the Stars !!!! My favorite are The Black Mage Series by Rachel E. Carter and possibly The Summer Series by Jenny Han. Have you read them?
I want them all. LOL
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