Post Clean Authors and Book Series Here

[Ann T, Adult Moderator]

Post your favorite CLEAN Authors and Series here. This will be a great resource for us all. Please make sure when posting a series that you share if there is something more than CLEAN, i.e. There is descriptive violence in this series, or This series has the occasional use of h*ll, sh*t or d*mn. We want to make sure we are providing a detailed description of the series so that all can decide if that series would be good for them.

[sumayyah]

NOTE: This is a middle of the road book, some shelve it in Middle-grade, others in YA. But the main character is in between the age of 14-16 (so far)

I emphatically recommend the Blackthorn Key series by Kevin Sands. There are four books out so far, and I am patiently waiting for the fifth to be released. It involves apothecaries, alchemy, old England, apprentices, explosions, mystery, puzzles, and an amazing friend group I would figuratively put my life on the line for. It's 50% wholesome, 20% devious, and 30% addicting! (Those numbers don't seem right no matter how I look at them since I'd give everything a hundred.)

Here are the books in order -





The clean criteria -
Age range: Maybe 12 and up just for understanding and sensitivity measure.
Swearing: Not that I remember, at least nothing sticks out in my memory. (I will edit this if I believe there is a mistake.)
Romance: None, but you will notice two characters care more deeply for each other than some others. However, no professions of love or sex.
Gore: The tiniest bit. Some death is mentioned with a little more detail than usual. Like there is some disfigurement, and if I'm remembering correctly, a gutted body. I wouldn't say it's stomach-turning though. And there becomes more death as you move on, but again, not that horrendous.

[Carre]

Great!! Thanks for sharing this. We'll be sure to keep this in mind. My daughter pours through books so fast that I've been stockpiling books for her!

[sumayyah]

Carre wrote: "Great!! Thanks for sharing this. We'll be sure to keep this in mind. My daughter pours through books so fast that I've been stockpiling books for her!"

I remember when I was like that, and I think anyone would love these books so I'm glad to provide you with the recommendation! 😁

[Isabella]

Anything by Marissa Meyer! (EXCEPT!! For her book Fairest in the Lunar Cronicals it’s a little bit too much but you don’t have to read that book) Her new Book Instant Karma is amazing there a few kisses in all of her books but it’s nothing more

[Elisabeth aka Elsie(Taylor's version)]

I agree with you! Her books are amazing!

[alvie]

Yes! Marissa Meyers books are my go-to clean books for recommendations. Brandon Sanderson has some really awesome clean YA books too! :)

[sumayyah]

Anything by John Flanagan! His books are full of medieval settings and loveable characters! Plus the fighting scenes are amazing and make me wish I could actually do archery (though I try 😭). Especially read the Ranger's Apprentice series first!!


The covers are cheesily old style, but don't let that fool you because the books are great!

[Jesse]

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson is completely clean. I think the second book has a non-passionate kiss and a brief talk of sexual reproduction. All of Sanderson's books are relatively clean. His Reckoners series is clean as well, maybe just some flirting and I think the second book has a nightclub scene, but it's not inappropriate. Swearing wise: Damn, hell, bastard, piss.
His Mistborn books are pretty clean for Adult fantasy. I think there's a couple mentions of whores or prostitutes. And a couple mentions of rape, though never any detail. The second book has a scene where you think it's going to be rude, but it's actually not. The third book is clean. I honestly can't remember anything worth mentioning. I haven't read the second era yet, so I don't know what's in those. Swearing wise, same as the Reckoners.
The Reckoners violence is kept to comic book type violence, so nothing gory. Mistborn, on the other hand, is pretty gory and has some disturbing themes. I'd recommend Skyward 12+ The Reckoners 13+ and Mistborn 14+


The Giver Quartet is clean. The first book Jonas as a sexual dream, but he doesn't know it's rude. Son is about a girl finding her lost child, but the thing I didn't vibe with was that she was twelve when she had him. Your only ever present for the birth, though.

The Maze Runner is clean. Violent, and sometimes creepy, but clean. Same as the Mortality Doctrine be the same author. swearing: hell, damn, maybe bastard, bloody. And some made up slang like Shuck.

[Allyson, Group Moderator]

sumayyah wrote: "Anything by John Flanagan! His books are full of medieval settings and loveable characters! Plus the fighting scenes are amazing and make me wish I could actually do archery (though ..."

I'll second that!! I love all of the books I've read by him!

[Carre]

Morgan;) wrote: "Anything by Marissa Meyer! (EXCEPT!! For her book Fairest in the Lunar Cronicals it’s a little bit too much but you don’t have to read that book) Her new Book Instant Karma is amazing there a few k..."

Allyson, thanks for the recommendations!! I am looking into another book series as we speak, for my 13 year old, and wondered what in Fairest is not appropriate? It looks like it's part of the 'Lunar Chronicles' and, from what I'm looking at on Amazon's boxed set, it appears to be 4th in line in that series. You're saying it's too much, and should, and can, be skipped? Thanks!!

[Elisabeth aka Elsie(Taylor's version)]

Fairest takes place before Cinder, the first book in the series and is about queen Levana (the villain)’s past. That’s why it can be skipped without missing something important. I’d say it wasn’t any different from the other books except for the sexual content which compared with the other books was a lot more. It had some kisses and many references about sex before marriage. Later it becomes clear that the main character had sex(before she gets married), though it wasn’t explicit. That was the only thing that bothers me and is up to you to decide if your daughter can handle it or not.

[Carre]

Okay, thank you!!

[chairee]

Ally Carter writes clean books. Also for more romantic books Kiera Cass is pretty good. (Kiera Cass books has some kissing and some mild language)

[Allyson, Group Moderator]

Carre wrote: "Morgan;) wrote: "Anything by Marissa Meyer! (EXCEPT!! For her book Fairest in the Lunar Cronicals it’s a little bit too much but you don’t have to read that book) Her new Book Instant Karma is amaz..."

Sorry, I didn't see this, Carre! I've never actually read the series though so I'm glad it looks like Elizabeth was able to answer your question! I hope you found out what you were wanting to! 😄

[Carre]

Bella wrote: "Ally Carter writes clean books. Also for more romantic books Kiera Cass is pretty good. (Kiera Cass books has some kissing and some mild language)"

Fantastic!! My daughter seems to like a little of the romance, but we don't need graphic! I will check out Keira Cass, for sure! Thank you!

[Carre]

Allyson wrote: "Carre wrote: "Morgan;) wrote: "Anything by Marissa Meyer! (EXCEPT!! For her book Fairest in the Lunar Cronicals it’s a little bit too much but you don’t have to read that book) Her new Book Instant..."

No problem!! I think I addressed my comment to the wrong person, sorry! I am still figuring this all out :)

[Allyson, Group Moderator]

Carre wrote: "Allyson wrote: "Carre wrote: "Morgan;) wrote: "Anything by Marissa Meyer! (EXCEPT!! For her book Fairest in the Lunar Cronicals it’s a little bit too much but you don’t have to read that book) Her ..."

Haha! That's perfectly okay!! 😜

[sumayyah]

There are two standalone fantasy books that I recently remembered as very good. They're by Margaret Rogerson and the books are...
An Enchantment of Ravens
Sorcery of Thorns

The author herself said this about the second book, "Sorcery of Thorns is intended for grades 9-12. It contains action-related violence and non-explicit kissing about on par with most young adult books." And I believe the same rating can apply to the first one. These are not a series, they stand alone but are good books.

[alvie]

I just finished The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I don’t usually read mystery novels, but this was exceptional! A few kiss scenes, and the occasional use of the h word and the d word, and also one use of the b word. One character uses substitutes for swears that are, well, creative to describe it accurately. This book really was fantastic!! I finished it in less than a day. :) I’d recommend it for ages 13 and up.

[Carre]

Adding to our list! Thank for the recommendation :)

[[deleted user]]

My favorite YA authors are Kasie West, Jennifer A. Nielsen, and Jenna Evans Welch. Kasie West and
Jenna Evans Welch write YA romance and Jennifer A. Nielsen writes (at least from the books I've read) historical fiction.

[Anna]

I saw someone already said this but YES, John Flanagan!! There is some fighting but it's not very descriptive and some very light language like taking God's name in vain or the rare dam* and such.

[Anna]

They are literally so amazing and I wish I was an archer.

[Carre]

I'm sorry if this has already been asked/answered, or is possibly even already listed as a 'clean' book that I've overlooked, but - Can anyone tell me if the entire series by Jennifer Lynne Barnes - The Naturals series - is considered clean? Book 1 was confirmed to be clean, but can we assume her entire series stays this way? Thank you!

[Always Fully Booked]

I had no idea where to post this. You’ll have to forgive me. Anyways, I was wondering if anybody knew if the book You Have a Match by Emma Lord is clean or not. If you do please respond. Thanks!

[Queen V™]

Does anyone know how clean the book Six of Crows is?

[Ann T, Adult Moderator]

Amanda asked in the Parent Only Corner:

Does anyone know if the mythos academy series is clean or not ?? My daughter has shown interest in reading it but none of the reviews I have found have talked about its content. It's Mythos Academy series by Jennifer Estep.

[Amanda]

thank you ann for posting it again here.... i appreciate it.

[shiloh]

Probably one of my all time favorites, one of the series that got me hooked on dystopian 😍
Matched by ally condie



(I don't know exactly how clean maybe some mild cussing at most)

[Allyson, Group Moderator]

I loved that series!!! 🤩🤩 It got me hooked on dystopian too, they were incredible!!!

[Anne Hutchinson]

sumayyah wrote: "Anything by John Flanagan! His books are full of medieval settings and loveable characters! Plus the fighting scenes are amazing and make me wish I could actually do archery (though ..."

I totally agree!!
(These covers srsly need to be redone)

[Story]

Queen V™ wrote: "Does anyone know how clean the book Six of Crows is?"

I do not consider Six of Crows clean. It’s incredibly violent and has sexual relationships in it. While I thought it was a good book, it’s not clean to my standards and I definitely think it shouldn’t be categorized as YA. Maybe Bardugo’s first two of the Shadow and Bone trilogy are somewhat clean, but nothing else she writes is.

[Story]

I love Rebecca Ross’ YA books. I thought all of them were clean. There is a touch of violence in them, though. The first duology, The Queen’s Rising and The Queen’s Resistance, are about overthrowing a ruling power in favor of the true ruler. Her other two are standalones. I don’t remember any language. The romance is a side plot. If you’re looking to avoid any romance or violence, they’re not for you. The most recent, Dreams Lie Beneath, has magic in it as well, so if you don’t like magic, it’s not for you. Otherwise, I recommend them.

[Madison]

I recently read the first two books of the Jake McGreevy series by Sean Vogel. Main character is 14/15 y/o so it feels somewhere between MG and YA. But both books were clean and enjoyable.

[Katie]

This may seem like a ridiculous question, but what is MG?

[McKayla]

Middle grade I believe

[Katie]

Ah that makes sense

[Madison]

A great mystery novella is free now through May 6. It’s been a while since I’ve read it but I don’t recall any language or graphic violence.

The Crown Jewel Mystery (A Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery) by Anna Elliott and Charles Velay

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

[sumayyah]

T wrote: "sumayyah wrote: "Anything by John Flanagan! His books are full of medieval settings and loveable characters! Plus the fighting scenes are amazing and make me wish I could actually do..."

Haha true, but I kind of like the ones with the weapons on them.

[sumayyah]

Ann T wrote: "Amanda asked in the Parent Only Corner:

Does anyone know if the mythos academy series is clean or not ?? My daughter has shown interest in reading it but none of the reviews I have found have tal..."

Please deliver this message to Amanda since I'm not sure if she'll see it:

Hello, Amanda. I'm not sure how old your daughter is but I don't think this book is clean enough to read, nor does it seem well-liked. I read some reviews to get the gist of it and it seems that there is some, excuse my language, slut-shaming, nudity, and making-out scenes. I'm not sure about the violence, etc but based on people's descriptions of the girl's character she is definitely no role model. However, if it's the Academy aspect that she's interested in then I can recommend Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger. It has magical elements as well as the academy. It's middle grade bordering on YA and it's clean. I know there are plenty more like this book, but they're slipping my mind. Anyway, I hope this helped!

(I'll edit it if I need to change some words, I just couldn't think of how to make the word more decent)