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Top 10 YA Fantasy Books
Being a normal human can be overrated. Young adult fantasy offers irresistible escapism, letting readers step into the shoes of demigods, demons, witches, and assassins. Sure, these heroes possess supernatural abilities and supernatural luck, but they're also intensely relatable as they grapple with growing up and falling in love (and saving the world).
As we searched for the best YA fantasy on Goodreads, we stuck to books with at least a 4.0 average rating. This meant that popular titles with big film adaptations like Twilight, Eragon, and The Golden Compass missed the cut. While The Boy Who Lived made it in, surprising no one, the list is dominated by powerful girls with no time for evil royals or rampaging monsters.
Take a look at our top 10 YA fantasy books and let us know how many you've read in the comments!
by J.K. Rowling
You could've been…a wizard!
The muggle struggle is real for young Harry until he's swept away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
by Rick Riordan
You could've been…the child of a Greek god!
Percy, son of Poseidon, realizes he must travel to the Underworld to stop a war between the gods.
by Cassandra Clare
You could've been…a demon hunter!
After witnessing a terrifyingly bizarre murder, Clary enters a new world of vampires, werewolves, and demons.
by Kiera Cass
You could've been…a princess contestant!
One girl gets the chance to compete for a prince's affection in this fairy tale with a light dystopian twist.
by Becca Fitzpatrick
You could've been…a fallen angel!
Nora doesn't have time for romance, let alone a romance with an angel, but handsome Patch turns her "normal" world upside down.
by Richelle Mead
You could've been…vampire royalty!
Where do vampires learn about their powers? St. Vladimir's Academy, an exclusive school for the creatures of the night and their guardians.
by Victoria Aveyard
You could've been…a commoner with god-like superpowers!
In a realm divided by blood, one red-blooded girl discovers she possesses the same unnatural abilities as the silver-blooded elite.
by Sarah J. Maas
You could've been…an assassin!
Celaena Sardothien, a famed assassin, competes to become the king's champion in a contest that quickly turns deadly.
by Kristin Cashore
You could've been…the king's thug!
Born with the ability to kill a man with her bare hands, Katsa finds herself the unwilling pawn of her uncle, the king.
by Laini Taylor
You could've been…a demon in love!
A young art student with a mysterious past gets caught up in a brutal otherworldly war between angels and demons.
What's your favorite YA fantasy? Share it with us in the comments.
See the complete coverage of Sci-Fi & Fantasy Week including:
Top 50 Favorite Fantasy Novels on Goodreads
Top 10 YA Science Fiction on Goodreads
Top 50 Science Fiction Books on Goodreads
Comments Showing 101-150 of 231 (231 new)
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Gigi
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Aug 03, 2017 02:14AM
7/10
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Fves City of Bones, Throne of Glass, Graceling & Daughter of Smoke & Bone, but I did love Six of Crows too
Read them all.
Loove Vampire academy , pjo and graceling most.
Loove Vampire academy , pjo and graceling most.
9/10.... I haven't read The Selection by Kiera Cass is on my tbr !!!
Wow. I've read a lot of YA fantasy, but only 4 out of the 10 on this list. :o Not a big fan of the paranormal side of fantasy, but gosh I loved Harry Potter, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and Graceling (though I actually prefer Cashore's second book Fire over Graceling).I'm also really surprised that no Tamora Pierce books are on this list, especially anything from the Song of the Lioness Quartet.
wait the selection was fantasy??? i didn't notice/i forgot that 0.o also why is selection here but not raven boys?
I've read all but Red Queen, which I plan to read some day.
I've read five on the list and the only one I didn't read the whole series of was Hush, Hush. There are another few on the list I want to read. There are some I think were missed off, such as An Ember in the Ashes and Six of Crows.
Julia wrote: "I'm quite pride to say I read them all xD"Ikr? Apparently I really like YA lol. I was actually kind of surprised...
10/10 I didn't like them all, but I've read them all. Hush Hush and Vampire Academy were a little boring and took a while to get into. I don't regret reading them, but I wouldn't reread them. I don't remember all that much about Graceling, but I do remember liking it. The rest I love and have re-read at least a couple books from all of them.
I've read 6/10, but all the rest were already on my TBR!
Amelia wrote: "It should have been The Raven Boys instead of The Selection"100% agree!
I was expecting to see Six of Crows, Darker Shade of Magic (but I think that one is NA), ACOTAR (anything written by Queen Maas for that matter) and Raven Cycle. But..Selection?? And although HUGE fan, is Harry Potter not a book for kiddies..?
Idk about hush hush, the selection and red queen://
Really liked When by Victoria Laurie. Actually like everything by her. Also The Haunted Trilogy by Jessica Verday.
9/10...just need to read "The lightning thief"
My favorite is Vampire Academy! I only read two in this list, and that was
1.Vampire Academy, and
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
And want to read at least three in this list
1. City of Bones,
2. Throne of Glass , and
3. Daughter of Smoke & Bone
I've read 10/10. All of those are good books. My two favorites are Hush, Hush and Gaceling.
I've read five of them, and the other five are on my tbr :p
6/10 I haven't read Hush Hush, Vampire Academy, Graceling and Daughter of Smoke & Bone.
I put Brandon Sanderson's "The Emperor's Soul" as being as good as, if not better than, all of these.(You did not read that wrong, either.)
I have read City of Bones, Hush Hush, Vampire Academy and Daughter of Smoke & Bone. Red Queen and Throne of Glass are on my TBR. :)
1/10... (Happy Rotter of course.)A pity The Screaming Staircase didn't make it on the list. It's been the best YA fantasy I've read in a while.
I've read 5/10. HP, Lightning Theif, Selection, TOG and Red Queen. (:TOG is my absolute favorite series. Ever.
The other 5 are already on my TBR shelf at home. Just haven't gotten to them yet.
Yani wrote: "I have read City of Bones, Hush Hush, Vampire Academy and Daughter of Smoke & Bone. Red Queen and Throne of Glass are on my TBR. :)"TOG is my favorite series! I hope you like it!
2/10 ... apparently I read all the books that aren't popular at the moment.
Diana wrote: "I am 6/10"Me too. Only haven't read the four last.
6/10 I wouldn't really consider The Selection a Fantasy series though. More dystopian I think.
6/10, but I own and plan to read two more. I adored Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It is my all time favorite book! (Well technically I liked the second book in the series the best, but I just say the first title since it's how people refer to the series as a whole).
Gabrielle wrote: "Also should have been Six of Crows series instead of Red Queen, in my opinion"I was thinking A. G. Howard's Splintered.
8/10 tho replace tog with six of crows, otherwise this list is an insult to all fantasy novels in the history of ever
9/10. I'd say that's pretty good. Should I read Graceling? And not just because it has my name in the title. Although it sort of gets extra points for that.
