78 books like Skyhunter

By Marie Lu,

Here are 78 books that Skyhunter fans have personally recommended if you like Skyhunter. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Daughter of the Forest

Jennifer Ivy Walker Author Of The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven

From my list on paranormal romances with shapeshifting warriors.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always loved fairy tales, myths, and fantasy, having developed a vivid imagination during childhood because we lived far from friends. When I began studying French, I discovered a love for medieval legends such as Tristan et Yseult.  During trips to France, I explored troglodyte caves of the Loire Valley and prehistoric grottos, such as La Grotte de Lascaux. The more I researched legends and myths, the more my fantasy world of paranormal romance and shapeshifting warriors evolved.

Jennifer's book list on paranormal romances with shapeshifting warriors

Jennifer Ivy Walker Why did Jennifer love this book?

This story is a retelling of a fairy tale of six brothers who transform into swans due to an evil enchantment. Their sister Sorcha, the Daughter of the Forest, painfully weaves shirts from starwort nettle to break the spell and save them. Filled with romance, otherworldly elements of medieval Celtic legends such as fairy folk and magic spells, this novel is a powerful testament to love and loyalty.

I have always loved legends and fairy tales and felt totally immersed in this magic world of Marillier’s Celtic forest.

By Juliet Marillier,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Daughter of the Forest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sorcha, the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum, faces the difficult task of having to save her family from its enemies, who have bewitched her father and six older brothers while forcing her to choose between the life she has always known and a special love.


Book cover of Gallant

Matt McMann Author Of Escape from Grimstone Manor

From my list on horror for kids (and kids at heart).

Why am I passionate about this?

I was a scared kid who loved spooky stories. I can still remember sitting on the couch, reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, mumbling the words aloud, both terrified and enthralled. I checked out every book in the library on Bigfoot, the Abominable Snowman, the Loch Ness Monster, werewolves, and vampires. I’ve hiked the Pacific Northwest, sailed Loch Ness, and chased a ghost light on a mountain. While I missed Bigfoot and Nessie, I caught the ghost. Now I write the kind of spooky monster mystery books I’ve loved for a lifetime.

Matt's book list on horror for kids (and kids at heart)

Matt McMann Why did Matt love this book?

Gallant resists being categorized. It’s a middle grade book that feels like a literary adult novel. It’s a horror story, but also a gripping coming-of-age tale. It’s about ghouls, ghosts, and Death, but also found family, self-sacrifice, and acceptance.

A wonderfully Gothic atmosphere pervades this melancholy book, yet there’s hope in this story of a family called to give everything to protect the world from a great evil. And did I mention the young protagonist never says a word?

Beautifully written in a way that makes me jealous of the author’s skill, its haunting effect lingered with me for weeks after turning the final page.

By V. E. Schwab,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Gallant as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

The Number 1 Sunday Times-bestselling novel, from the author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and A Darker Shade of Magic.

A darkly magical and thrilling tale of a young woman caught between the world and its shadows, who must embrace her legacy to stop the approaching darkness. The Secret Garden meets Crimson Peak, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black and Susan Cooper.

Fourteen-year-old Olivia Prior is missing three things: a mother, a father, and a voice. Her mother vanished all at once, and her father by degrees, and her voice was a thing she never had…


Book cover of The Witch Collector

Debbie Iancu-Haddad Author Of Speechless in Achten Tan

From my list on fantasy with characters who can't talk.

Why am I passionate about this?

Writing a protagonist who can't talk out loud is quite a challenge. I talk constantly as I'm both an extrovert and a public speaker for my day job, but I have had several bouts of severe laryngitis and have been under severe no speaking orders from the doctor. People react differently when you can't talk. Nowadays, we all have a convenient mobile device on hand to help, but that isn't always the case in the fantasy books we read. In Speechless in Achten Tan my main character Mila can't talk because magic took her voice. Her magic power is connected to her ability to speak, so she's pretty desperate to regain her ability to speak.

Debbie's book list on fantasy with characters who can't talk

Debbie Iancu-Haddad Why did Debbie love this book?

I picked up this book because I wanted to read another book about a witch who couldn't talk. Luckily, it's nothing like mine, phew.

Raina is a young woman who was born without the ability to speak. She lives in a country where magical ability is commonplace and marked on their skin. To substitute her lack of voice she communicates with sign language and can also weave spells that way. I didn't sense that Raina's lack of voice held her back very much. I think she had more trouble with jumping to conclusions and being too stubborn for her own good.

This was a great adventure with breakneck pace and some really high stakes.

By Charissa Weaks,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Every harvest moon, the Witch Collector rides into our valley and leads one of us to the home of the immortal Frost King, to remain forever.

Today is that day—Collecting Day.

But he will not come for me. I, Raina Bloodgood, have lived in this village for twenty-four years, and for all that time he has passed me by.

His mistake.

Raina Bloodgood has one desire: kill the Frost King and the Witch Collector who stole her sister. On Collecting Day, she means to exact murderous revenge, but a more sinister threat sets fire to her world. Rising from the…


Book cover of The Trouble with Trying to Date a Murderer

Debbie Iancu-Haddad Author Of Speechless in Achten Tan

From my list on fantasy with characters who can't talk.

Why am I passionate about this?

Writing a protagonist who can't talk out loud is quite a challenge. I talk constantly as I'm both an extrovert and a public speaker for my day job, but I have had several bouts of severe laryngitis and have been under severe no speaking orders from the doctor. People react differently when you can't talk. Nowadays, we all have a convenient mobile device on hand to help, but that isn't always the case in the fantasy books we read. In Speechless in Achten Tan my main character Mila can't talk because magic took her voice. Her magic power is connected to her ability to speak, so she's pretty desperate to regain her ability to speak.

Debbie's book list on fantasy with characters who can't talk

Debbie Iancu-Haddad Why did Debbie love this book?

This is actually a humorous fantasy book, but I only discovered the fantasy elements about halfway through. It's also M/M romance. The MC lost his voice as a baby when his father cut his vocal cords. Pretty gruesome. He usually communicates with his phone, nonverbal cues, and lots of body language.

By Jennifer Cody,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Trouble with Trying to Date a Murderer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Romily:

Third time’s the charm, right? At least that’s what I tell myself when I witness the same hot guy commit mass murder three times in a few days. I’m either the luckiest mute boy ever or possibly the unluckiest. Who knows, maybe him kidnapping me will turn into the greatest love story ever told? Hey, it could happen! You never know how these things will turn out. I happen to believe in love and soulmates, and if nothing else, Arlington Fox doesn’t treat my disability like a nuisance. It’s not everyday you find someone who just gets you, and…


Book cover of The Teeth in the Tide

C.W. Rose Author Of Oceansong

From my list on mermaid romantasy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an American-born Chinese fantasy and romance author who has been obsessed with the sea and mermaids since I was a little girl, the latter which started after I saw the animated The Little Mermaid. I’ve always wondered what mysteries lay beneath the sea. I’m also a certified scuba diver and lifeguard, and a strong swimmer. I was never afraid of deep water, and sometimes I think I was a mermaid (or probably a fish) in a past life. If you also love mermaids and romantasy, or even better, both together, I really hope you find your next favorite read on here and enjoy them as much as I have! 

C.W.'s book list on mermaid romantasy

C.W. Rose Why did C.W. love this book?

This book had such a strong pitch: Attack on Titan with mermaids.

I loved that the characters had strong motivations: our female protagonist, human Kestra, wants revenge on the merfolk for killing and devouring her father. Our male protagonist, merman Rake, wants to escape his life as a breeder male so that he can raise his son in peace.

I loved the writing and felt immersed in the underwater world, and life on Kestra’s island village. I also enjoyed reading about Rake and his son when they escape to the surface, and try to find their place in the world.

This was the first time I had heard of this author, and I enjoyed her work so much that I went on to read more of her books!

By Rebecca F Kenney,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Teeth in the Tide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This new 'Extended Edition' of "The Teeth in the Tide" contains the full, open-door, intimate scenes between characters, plus the first chapter of the sequel, "The Demons in the Deep," at the very end. Otherwise, the content is exactly the same as the previous edition, which only had fade-to-black intimate scenes.

Trapped on a walled island with her people, Kestra aches for vengeance against the swarms of ravenous mermaids that ate her father fifteen years ago. The swarms threaten her town’s last supply ship--and the life of the brave young captain who smiles so charmingly at her whenever he makes…


Book cover of The Magical Imperfect

Cordelia Jensen Author Of Every Shiny Thing

From my list on middle grade verse published in 2021.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have written three verse novels; two YA, Skyscraping and The Way the Light Bends, and one half-verse, half-prose MG Every Shiny Thing (co-authored with Laurie Morrison.) I teach verse novel specific classes for The Highlights Foundation and The Writing Barn, on topics like plotting verse novels, creating an image system in verse novels, revising verse novels. I also edit verse novel manuscripts, working with one private student per month. Along with this, I’ve taught a Writing for Children class at Bryn Mawr College. Presently, I teach kids and teens through the Kelly Yang Project and run a local, kids’ literary journal here in Philadelphia called the Mt. Airy Musers. 

Cordelia's book list on middle grade verse published in 2021

Cordelia Jensen Why did Cordelia love this book?

The main character in The Magical Imperfect has selective mutism. This is a clever idea for a main character written in verse because, typically, there’s little dialogue in the form. What really stood out to me, though, is the climax of the story that takes place during an earthquake. Baron cleverly uses time stamps and white space in a striking way to help create story tension and layer meaning during this exciting and scary twenty-page multi-poem scene.

By Chris Baron,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Magical Imperfect as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

For fans of Wonder, Chris Baron's The Magical Imperfect is an affecting middle grade story of two outcasts who become friends…

Etan has stopped speaking since his mother left. His father and grandfather don’t know how to help him. His friends have given up on him.

When Etan is asked to deliver a grocery order to the outskirts of town, he realizes he’s at the home of Malia Agbayani, also known as the Creature. Malia stopped going to school when her acute eczema spread to her face, and the bullying became too much.

As the two become friends, other kids…


Book cover of All the Truth That's in Me

Jo Schaffer Layton Author Of Badlands

From my list on characters who go through hell, survive, and also find love.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love books that entertain and uplift when characters learn and overcome. As a teenager, things happened that threw me into a painful tailspin, ending in a wilderness program for troubled kids. It taught me that I can do hard things and face challenges in life. I’ve lost loved ones, have a special needs child, divorced, been broke, earned my black belt, returned to school as a single mom for a degree, and co-founded a nonprofit to support literacy for kids. None of that was easy, but it increased my compassion and hope. Stories can be powerful reminders of human resilience, and that battle scars make someone more beautiful than before.

Jo's book list on characters who go through hell, survive, and also find love

Jo Schaffer Layton Why did Jo love this book?

I understood this story on a deep, metaphoric level.

Judith is a traumatized teen who disappeared for years and is unable to speak and explain why–which is often the plight of those who have suffered. Silence is a barrier to understanding and healing.

This book reads like poetry and transports you back in time. Life must have been difficult for early Puritan settlers–especially for anyone who was “different” or “afflicted.” The frustration and injustice! The mystery/thriller aspect had me on the edge of my seat! I really wanted things to get better for the main character, who remained graceful in the face of trauma and sadness. This story confirmed my hope that the truth is always eventually revealed and that it does set you free. It was a satisfying read!

By Julie Berry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked All the Truth That's in Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Speak meets The Scarlet Letter in this literary masterpiece, the recipient of five starred reviews and nominated for the 2014 Edgar Award

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family.   Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who's owned her heart as long as she can remember--even if he doesn't know it--her childhood friend, Lucas.   But when Roswell Station…


Book cover of Thornhill

Dawn Kurtagich Author Of The Dead House

From my list on YA with unusual formats.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was a late reader. I was, in fact, forcefully against reading. You’d have had to drag me by my ear to get me anywhere near a book. I was dyslexic, suffered with Irlen syndrome, and detested the embarrassing fact that I found reading too difficult. I thought my mother had invented some kind of cruel torture when she insisted I read to her every day. It never worked. And then… it did. I read my first book at the age of 12, and it was written in the form of letters. It was Animorphs Book 1 by KA Applegate, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Dawn's book list on YA with unusual formats

Dawn Kurtagich Why did Dawn love this book?

Thornhill tells the story of two girls—Ella, recently moved into a new house, which has a perfect view of the abandoned Thornhill Institute next door, and Mary, the mysteriously evasive girl who seems to live in the dilapidated building. Ella’s narrative is told in a graphic novel style with blackwork drawings, heavy and bold, while Mary’s narrative is told via diary entries. Each narrative informs the other until they eventually meet to reveal the truth on both sides. Thornhill was one of those rare gems that pull me firmly into the story by use of the unusual format—and keeps me there until the end. 

By Pam Smy,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thornhill as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Parallel stories set in different times, one told in prose and one in pictures, converge as a girl unravels the mystery of the abandoned Thornhill Institute next door.

1982: Mary is a lonely orphan at the Thornhill Institute For Children at the very moment that it's shutting its doors. When her few friends are all adopted or re-homed and she’s left to face a volatile bully alone, her revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself.

2017: Ella has just moved to a new town where she knows no one. From her room…


Book cover of Pet

Erik Christopher Martin Author Of The Case of the French Fry Phantom: Dotty Morgan Supernatural Sleuth Book One

From my list on middle-grade featuring an LGBTQIA+ protagonist.

Why am I passionate about this?

The world is an amazing, diverse place that needs stories that represent everyone. I identify as gender fluid and am part of my city’s LGBTQIA+ community. For kids, there aren’t enough stories that feature non-straight cis protagonists where that identity isn’t the focus. LGBTQIA+ kids exist. They are normal. Let a gay kid go into space. Let a teenage lesbian solve a mystery. Let a trans girl defeat a dragon. Let an ace teen be a witch. Everybody deserves their adventure. 

Erik's book list on middle-grade featuring an LGBTQIA+ protagonist

Erik Christopher Martin Why did Erik love this book?

The City of Lucille has gotten rid of all its monsters.

That’s what Jam, a teenage trans girl, believed until the demonic-looking Pet emerged from one of her mother’s paintings. But despite their monstrous appearance, Pet isn’t the monster, but came forth to hunt a monster already living among the people of Lucille undetected. 

Pet contains vivid imagery, powerful themes, and a sensitive and brave protagonist. Be bold. Be vigilant. Monsters never entirely go away because we are the monsters.

By Akwaeke Emezi,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Pet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?

She stumbled backwards, her eyes wide, as the figure started coming out of the canvas
...
She tried to be brave. Well, she said, her hands only a little shaky, at least tell me what I should call you.
...
Well, little girl, it replied, I suppose you can call me Pet.

There are no more monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. With doting parents and a best friend named Redemption, Jam has grown up with this lesson…


Book cover of It's My Party and I Don't Want to Go

Elizabeth James Author Of Pippa Speaks Up!

From my list on books for kids with anxiety (that actually help!).

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve struggled with anxiety since childhood, but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I even realized that I could do something about my anxiety. Then, when my seven-year-old daughter was diagnosed and began therapy for her anxiety, I knew other kids deserved to learn these tools, too. No child should have to suffer with anxiety like I did for years. Instead, it’s my hope that through fiction books like these, kids can identify with these characters suffering from anxiety, see themselves in their stories, and be equipped to manage their anxiety so that they can flourish in their lives—starting right now.

Elizabeth's book list on books for kids with anxiety (that actually help!)

Elizabeth James Why did Elizabeth love this book?

Ellie endeared herself to me as I read the ridiculous lengths to which she would go to avoid—no, sabotage—her own bat mitzvah simply to escape her extreme anxiety (and selective mutism).

But while the food fight and faking her own death were entertaining, what was most compelling was how the author pulled back the curtain not only on her Jewish faith and heritage but also on her panic attacks. As well as the coping techniques that she learned throughout the story to tame them in a way that made the little girl in me—also horrified at the thought of speaking, let alone singing, in front of a crowd—feel empowered not only to recognize my own anxiety but to also realize that I can do something about it. 

By Amanda Panitch,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked It's My Party and I Don't Want to Go as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 11, 12, 13, and 14.

What is this book about?

A funny, feel-good story of friendship, being brave and
believing in yourself.


Perfect for fans of Libby Scott & Rebecca Westcott, Cath
Howe and Sarah Hagger-Holt.



Ellie Katz is sabotaging her own party.

Crowds and attention have always made her nervous. And lately
they've been making it harder for Ellie to breathe.

The bat mitzvah celebration would mean:

(1) a large crowd;

(2) lots of staring;

and (3) family listening to her sing in another language.

No, thank you!
To avoid certain catastrophe, Ellie hatches a plan to ruin the
big day. Everything is falling apart perfectly, until she
has…


Book cover of Daughter of the Forest
Book cover of Gallant
Book cover of The Witch Collector

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