The best YA fantasy books full of dark secrets and epic adventures

Katie L. Carroll Author Of Elixir Bound
By Katie L. Carroll

Who am I?

I started reading young adult fantasy by the likes of Tamora Pierce and Garth Nix in my teens and was instantly hooked. I stuck with it into my adult years because YA fantasy has always been full of rich worlds, complex characters, and fast-paced plots. My younger sister also loved these stories, so when she passed away at a tragically young age, it spurred me on to write my own YA fantasy in memory of her. This list includes some of my favorites—ones I know she would have loved as well.

I wrote...

Elixir Bound

By Katie L. Carroll,

Book cover of Elixir Bound

What is my book about?

Set off on an epic adventure in this award-winning YA fantasy! Katora possesses the subtle magic that marks her as the next guardian of a powerful healing Elixir. The Elixir is such a highly guarded secret that Katora doesn’t know it exists until she’s tasked with leading a quest into a dangerous forest to retrieve its magical ingredient. Will Katora bind herself to the Elixir and become its next guardian or will she abandon her family’s legacy in the name of independence?

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The books I picked & why

An Ember in the Ashes

By Sabaa Tahir,

Book cover of An Ember in the Ashes

Why did I love this book?

In a fantasy world inspired by ancient Rome with a Hunger Games-type tournament, a spy hiding as a slave clashes with an elite soldier who is more than meets the eye. The unexpected chemistry between Laia and Elias shines against the backdrop of the brutal world of the Empire. This story explores so many different sides of humanity, and it’s the human connections that kept me hooked and eagerly anticipating the rest of the series.

An Ember in the Ashes

By Sabaa Tahir,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked An Ember in the Ashes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Keeps one reading long after the lights should have been out' - Robin Hobb

Read the explosive New York Times bestselling debut that's captivated readers worldwide. Set to be a major motion picture, An Ember in the Ashes is the book everyone is talking about.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death.

When Laia's grandparents are brutally murdered and her brother arrested for treason by the empire, the only people she has left to turn to are the rebels.

But in exchange for their help in saving her brother, they demand that Laia spy on the ruthless Commandant…

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The Kiss of Deception

By Mary E. Pearson,

Book cover of The Kiss of Deception

Why did I love this book?

When I finished this book, I immediately wanted to go back and read it again! Princess Lia flees her home on the day of her arranged wedding, only to find herself falling in love with two handsome strangers. She has no idea one is her betrothed prince and the other is an assassin hired to kill her. In a masterful storytelling move, the reader gets into both the love interests' heads but has no idea which is the prince and which is the assassin.

The Kiss of Deception

By Mary E. Pearson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Kiss of Deception as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia's life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight - but she doesn't - and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighbouring kingdom - to a prince she has never met. On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive - and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an…

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The Belles

By Dhonielle Clayton,

Book cover of The Belles

Why did I love this book?

Don’t let the gorgeous cover fool you into thinking this story is all about beauty, though the prose and setting certainly have their share of it. I was captivated by the gray royal court where the Belles control beauty. There are no shortages of dark secrets that put them all at risk in a dangerous political game. Fun details, like miniature teacup pets, are woven seamlessly with the darker aspects of this lush world.

The Belles

By Dhonielle Clayton,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Belles as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Beauty. Power. Magic. What would you give to have it all?

The dazzling New York Times instant bestseller from the author of TINY PRETTY THINGS (coming to NETFLIX soon)

Camellia and her sisters control beauty.

They are Belles and they can make you 'perfect'.

Glossy hair, smooth skin, flawless body.

You'll feel better once it's done. The results are worth the pain.

And when they fade, the Belles will fix you all over again . . .

But it will cost you.

Are you willing to pay the price?

'Heart-pounding' Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author

'Diverse' Tomi Adeyemi,…

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Finnikin of the Rock

By Melina Marchetta,

Book cover of Finnikin of the Rock

Why did I love this book?

A kingdom cursed after the murder of the royal family is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the immersive world-building in this series. Even with all the details, the pacing of the story never falters. But it’s the dynamic and complex characters like Finnikin and Evanjalin that are so richly portrayed, I was willing to follow them on any adventure.

Finnikin of the Rock

By Melina Marchetta,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Finnikin of the Rock as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2008 Printz Award Winner Melina Marchetta crafts an epic fantasy of ancient magic, exile, feudal intrigue, and romance that rivets from the first page. (Age 14 and up)

Finnikin was only a child during the five days of the unspeakable, when the royal family of Lumatere were brutally murdered, and an imposter seized the throne. Now a curse binds all who remain inside Lumatere’s walls, and those who escaped roam the surrounding lands as exiles, persecuted and despairing, dying by the thousands in fever camps. In a narrative crackling with the tension of an imminent storm, Finnikin, now on the…

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Grave Mercy

By Robin LaFevers,

Book cover of Grave Mercy

Why did I love this book?

Ismae is the daughter of Death and trains in the ways of violence, so it’s no surprise when’s she sent deep into Brittany’s high court on an assassination mission. What she doesn’t expect is falling in love with her target. I was fascinated and enthralled by the combination of history and politics, but I fell in love with these courageous and complex young daughters of death.  

Grave Mercy

By Robin LaFevers,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Grave Mercy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
     Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high…

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5 book lists we think you will like!

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