This roundup of the best YA fantasy books is different. Even though it only includes 20 of the top YA fantasy novels, from teen fantasy romance books to the best YA fantasy standalone books, this playlist is the best of the best. Why feature 50 books when you just need the top 20? That’s exactly what you get here with Broke by Books’ epic list of the 20 essential young adult fantasy books. This list might be a bit different from other articles that compile the best young adult fantasy novels in that I feature both well known and under-the-radar picks for a diverse slate of stories.
And now for a list of the best fantasy books for teens!
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
We kick off this roundup of the best fantasy books for teens with Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Witch. In this spellbinding novel, Sunny Nwazue lives in Nigeria but was born in New York City. Sunny struggles to fit in…not only is she a Black albino, she has little talent for sports or popularity contests. Then Sunny learns she’s a “free agent,” someone with latent magical abilities, and embarks on a new education at a magic school for the chosen ones. If you’re getting Harry Potter vibes, you’re not alone.
How to read it: Purchase Akata Witch on Amazon
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
In The Belles, Dhonielle Clayton weaves a luxe fantasy world where beauty is power. Specifically, women can receive the gift of being a Belle and controlling Beauty. Camellia wants to be more than just an ordinary Belle; she wants to be the chosen one hand selected by the Queen of Orleans. But the tricky politics of the Court make it hard for Camellia to know when to use her powers and when to keep them hidden. One of the best YA fantasy book series, The Belles is the first in a trilogy that ranks high among the best teen fantasy romance books.
How to read it: Purchase The Belles on Amazon
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
If you’re wondering what some of the best YA fantasy series are, you’ve found the right book; Rin Chupeco’s The Bone Witch kicks off a thrilling trilogy you won’t soon forget. This dark fantasy book stars Tia, a witch with more than your usual powers…turns out Tia has necromancy abilities, making her a rare “bone witch.” Tia and her brother, who she accidentally raises from the dead, soon begin an apprenticeship with a wise older bone witch. The world building of Chupeco will take your breath away… and bring you somewhere magical in this book, definitely one of the best fantasy books for teens.
How to read it: Purchase The Bone Witch on Amazon
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty
In the mood for the one of the best fantasy books for teens? Look no further: S. A. Chakraborty’s The City of Brass is a must-have for your TBR. In The City of Brass, the first in a trilogy, our setting is eighteenth-century Cairo, where pickpocket Nahri summons Dara, a djinn warrior. The two take off on the run to Daevabad, the fabled City of Brass, seeking a better life. Chakraborty blends magic with myth in this captivating fantasy novel inspired by Middle Eastern mythology.
How to read it: Purchase The City of Brass on Amazon
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
I devoured A Court of Thorns and Roses, the first in a five-installment series by Sarah J. Maas, author of several books that could be considered the best YA fantasy books. If you’re seeking the best teen fantasy romance books, you’ve found a match with A Court of Thorns and Roses. In this captivating novel, nineteen-year-old Feyre is a huntress who makes her living from stalking and slaying beasts, like the wolf she kills one day. But this is no ordinary kill, and soon Feyre is whisked off to the kingdom where she falls for her captor, the beastly Tamlin, a powerful and dangerous Fae. This steamy novel will warm you up on a cold day.
How to read it: Purchase A Court of Thorns and Roses on Amazon
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Another fae-based novel, The Cruel Prince begins one of the best YA fantasy series and best YA fantasy with romance books. In The Cruel Prince, the first book in the Folk of the Air trilogy, Jude is a mortal who has been raised in the High Court of the Faerie. But Jude is forever an outsider. When she keeps falling into the path of Prince Cardan, the High King’s wicked youngest son, Jude has to navigate the tricky dynamics of life in the Court. Can she trust anyone? Scratch that: can she trust her own heart? You’ll flip pages of this book, one of the best fantasy books for teens, to find out.
(PS: If you want more books about faeries, check out my article on this blog about the best faerie books for adults.)
How to read it: Purchase The Cruel Prince on Amazon
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
If you love the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, you’re sure to love Brigid Kemmerer’s retelling, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, which deserves to be on any roundup of the most captivating teen fantasy romance books. In this version, Prince Rhen is doomed to be a beast unless he can win the love of a woman. When Harper, a brave girl with cerebral palsy, gets swept into Rhen’s world, both of them find unexpected feeling for each other. But their world is vulnerable now more than ever… can they team up? Or is their love as cursed as Rhen? Any list of the best YA fantasy with romance should include A Curse So Dark and Lonely, the first in the Cursebreaker series.
(And if you want more fairy tale books, check out my roundup of the best fairy tale and folklore books for adults here on this blog.)
How to read it: Purchase A Curse So Dark and Lonely on Amazon
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
A Printz Honor Book (it doesn’t get much more prestigious than that), Elana K. Arnold’s Damsel is one of the best YA fantasy standalone books. In the Kingdom of Harding, the death of the king means his son must complete a rite of passage: he has to slay a dragon and rescue a damsel from distress to be his bride. But Ama doesn’t know any of this when she wakes up in Prince Emory’s arms. The Prince’s story seems like a fairy tale. But soon Ama realizes there might be more danger and dark truths of the rite—and her fate—than she could ever imagine. This dreamy, inventive, and feminist novel belongs on any TBR chock full of the best fantasy books for teens.
How to read it: Purchase Damsel on Amazon
The Diviners by Libba Bray
Any roundup of the best fantasy books for teens should include Libba Bray’s The Diviners. Set in New York City during the Roaring Twenties, this novel features a flawed heroine you can’t help but root for, Evangeline O’Neill. Evie is overjoyed to move to the city, even if it means she has to live with her Uncle Will, whose obsession for all things occult makes Evie nervous…What if he discovers Evie has a supernatural powers that have caused trouble? Then a girl is murdered, her body branded with a puzzling symbol. Will is called to consult, and Evie realizes she—and her powers—could help catch a murderer. Atmospheric and bewitching, this novel easily blends history with magic in what turns out to be one of the best YA fantasy book series.
How to read it: Purchase The Diviners on Amazon
The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune
The best YA fantasy books can pick you up when you’re feeling down, and that’s exactly what T.J. Klune does in his novel The Extraordinaries, the first book in a trilogy. In this fun novel, Nick Bell is the author of the most popular fan fiction in the Extraordinaries fandom. Nick also has ADHD. Then Nick crosses paths with Shadow Star, a superhero who Nick pines for, and Nick becomes excited to become extraordinary himself, even if it complicates his relationship with his best friend, Seth, who just might be the love of Nick’s life. This upbeat novel is among the best YA fantasy with romance, perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl.
How to read it: Purchase The Extraordinaries on Amazon
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Printz Award-winning author Melina Marchetta is firing on all cylinders in Finnikin of the Rock, the first in a trilogy that’s for sure considered one of the best YA fantasy series. The titular hero of this saga is Finnikin, cursed to remain in Lumatere, once ruled by a royal family who didn’t survive a violent coup that murdered them and placed an evil imposter on the throne. Now, with manhood soon approaching, Finnikin teams up with Evanjalin, a gifted young woman who boasts her dark dreams will help them find a lost royal and spark a rebellion to overthrow the evil leaders and reinstall hope and peace to the kingdom. Finnikin of the Rock is definitely one of the best YA fantasy books.
How to read it: Purchase Finnikin of the Rock on Amazon
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
In The Grace Year, among the best fantasy books for teens, Kim Liggett has spun a story that will capture your attention and not let go until the end. Each girl in Garner County is exiled for her sixteenth year where she gets all the magic out of their system. They return purified and ready to be married off. But the grace year is more than just dangerous. It’s deadly. Tierney James is nervous on the cusp of her grace year, and soon she learns her fears are correct… the villains of the grace year might be her peers themselves. Gritty and emotional, this novel is one of the best YA fantasy standalone books.
How to read it: Purchase The Grace Year on Amazon
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
If you’d ask me to name the best fantasy books for teens, I would definitely include Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood. This intriguing book follows seventeen-year-old Alice, who has lived her life on the road with her mom, Alice’s grandmother, whose own mother authored a collection of dark fairy tales set in the Hinterland. When she dies, Alice’s mother goes missing, allegedly taken to the Hinterlands. But they aren’t real…and fairy tales never come true… right?
How to read it: Purchase The Hazel Wood on Amazon
Into the Bloodred Woods by Martha BrockenbroughÂ
One of the best YA fantasy standalone books, Into the Bloodred Woods is an intoxicating, can’t-flip-the-pages-fast-enough kind of read. Featuring a multi-layered world, you come for the magic and stay for the characters, including Ursula, a shifter queen who owns half the land her father owned, with the other half going to her evil brother, King Albrecht. When Albrecht invades Ursula’s kingdom, nothing and no one is safe. But a band of bold and brave revolutionaries fight back.
How to read it: Purchase Into the Bloodred Woods on Amazon
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
We can’t all be superheroes, right? In The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Patrick Ness designs a universe where the kids who aren’t the Chosen Ones still have to go to school, still have to have epic romances, and still must be loyal best friends and sidekicks. When I was a kid, my favorite character in Winnie-the-Pooh was Piglet. One time, I went to the Disney Store in the mall and asked for more Piglet merchandise. The cashier told me something I’ll never forget… the reason why there weren’t more items featuring Piglet was because “Piglet is a secondary character.” Well, The Rest of Us Just Live Here focuses on the secondary characters in traditional heroes-and-villains tales, creating an irreverent, intriguing world starring the secondary characters who might not be the heroes but definitely make their mark. This is for sure one of the best YA fantasy standalone books.
How to read it: Purchase The Rest of Us Just Live Here on Amazon
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo is the author of several books that easily earn the ranking of the best fantasy books for teens, but I’m highlighting Six of Crows here because I think it’s just perfect. As the first part in a duology that could definitely be considered one of the best YA fantasy series, Six of Crows stars a cast of teen criminals —six young deviants—who work together to pull off an epic heist. Set in the Grishaverse, Bardugo’s world first introduced in Shadow and Bone, this novel pulls you in and won’t let you go until you reach the last page.
How to read it: Purchase Six of Crows on Amazon
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer is one half of a duology that ranks among the top YA fantasy book series. In this captivating book, for sure one of the best fantasy books for teens, Lazlo Strange is an orphan junior librarian who dreams of the mythical country of Weep. But then it turns out that, not only is Weep real, but it’s in need of someone to rescue it. A hero named the Godslayer recruits Lazlo and a group of legendary heroes set out to liberate the Weep. Is it a good thing when our dreams come true? That’s what Lazlo grapples with in this exceptional novel, among the best YA fantasy books.
How to read it: Purchase Strange the Dreamer on Amazon
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
If you’re seeking the best YA fantasy with romance books, you’ll want to make sure Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns is at the top of your TBR. In this engaging book, the first in an essential YA fantasy book series, a once-in-a-generation occurrence happens when triplets, all three girls, are raised to compete for the crown in the land of Fennbirn. Now the young women have come of age, each with her own unique powers, and it’s time for all-out war. Featuring strong female characters who kick ass, this book ranks among the best YA fantasy books.
How to read it: Purchase Three Dark Crowns on Amazon
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
The best YA fantasy standalone books are the kind you can enjoy without being pulled into a long YA fantasy book series. And that’s exactly what you get with Rachel Hartman’s Tess of the Road. Tess rebells against all the gender expectations pushed upon her as a resident of Goredd, a medieval kingdom. Then her family decides enough is enough… it’s time to send Tess to a nunnery. But Tess has no intention of becoming a nun. Instead, she’ll journey on the road to a future she cannot even imagine. Along the way, there are dragons and other magical encounters in this feminist novel, easily one of the best fantasy books for teens.
How to read it: Purchase Tess of the Road on Amazon
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Teen fantasy books with romance don’t get much better than Naomi Novik’s Uprooted. If you’re in the mood for a self-contained story, this novel is one of the best YA fantasy standalone books out there. In the award-winning Uprooted, Agnieszka lives in the corrupted Woods. To appease the Woods, a magician known as the Dragon protects Agnieszka and her people. The catch? Every ten years, the Dragon selects a girl to serve him. Guess who gets chosen? That’s right. Agnieszka. Initially resistant to the Dragon, Agnieszka soon realizes good and evil are relative. Novik does an excellent job weaving a feminist reimagining of the folk and fairy tales we grew up with.
How to read it: Purchase Uprooted on Amazon
And there you have it! The best fantasy books for teens. Which of these best YA fantasy books will you read first?
Want more great YA book picks? Check out these lists here on Broke by Books:
