I often find that adults dismiss YA fantasy books so quickly without giving them a try. That’s why I’m sharing over 30 recommendations that you’ll want to read right now.
Fantasy has always been my favorite genre. It all began when I read The Chronicles of Narnia with my family at six years old. I was immediately hooked on the world-building, the creatures, and the way that it allowed me to escape the mundane of everyday life and explore new places. There’s a quote that says, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, the man who never reads lives only one.” I believe this to be incredibly accurate, and thanks to YA fantasy books, I have not only lived a thousand lives, but I’ve traveled to a thousand far-away places without ever leaving the comfort of my room.
Honestly, talking about fantasy books gets me seriously pumped up. So I wanted to share the best of the best when it comes to what I’ve read over the years. There will be familiar names on this list, but I’m also hopeful that it will also introduce you to new and unique (and often underrated) stories that I highly recommend.
Below, you’ll find a list of series and standalone YA fantasy books. Let’s be honest – I think you should read them all! If you’re an adult who has been thinking of giving YA fantasy a try, I strongly encourage it! The older I get, the more I’m thankful for this particular genre of books. It’s often the best kind of escape, after reading the much denser, politically-heavy fantasy geared toward adults. I sincerely appreciate YA fantasy even more now than I ever did when I was growing up.
related posts
Immersive Stand-Alone Fantasy Books You Need to Read// 6 Magical Books to Read When You Need an Escape // Gripping Trilogies Every Reader Will Enjoy
YA Fantasy Books You Can Enjoy as an Adult
You can find synopses for 30+ YA fantasy books below, along with links to buy a copy for yourself! Make sure to follow me on The StoryGraph to read my ratings and check out my bookstagram to see aesthetic photos of these titles and more.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin Duology
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
All the Stars and Teeth Duology
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Belladonna Trilogy (in progress)
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Bring Me Your Midnight
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Caraval Trilogy + Once Upon a Broken Heart spin-off
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Defy the Night Trilogy
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Echo North Duology
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Into the Heartless Wood
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Legacy of Orïsha Series
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The Legendborn Cycle Series (in progress)
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Sands of Arawiya Duology
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Shadow and Bone Trilogy + Six of Crows and King of Scars spin-offs
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Barnes & Noble
Six Crimson Cranes Duology
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Sorcery of Thorns
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Strange the Dreamer Duology
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The Bone Houses
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Little Thieves (series in progress)
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Hunger Games Series
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Last Finestra Duology
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The Lunar Chronicles Series
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The Nature of Witches
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The Prison Healer Trilogy
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Raven Cycle Series + The Dreamer Trilogy spin-off
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Wolves of Mercy Falls Series
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Three Dark Crowns Series
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Wicked Lovely Series
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What are your favorite YA fantasy books?
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Wowwwwwwww! That’s a long, long list of books. I’ll admit, I haven’t read a whole lot of fantasy books, but whatever I’ve read so far, I’ve loved. The Starless See has been on a TBR for ages now.
If you’re considering reading The Starless Sea, I highly recommend the audiobook. It’s another level of story-telling with a full cast and beautiful narration! You’ll love getting swept away into the tale.
Fantasy is my favorite books to read. Its so amazing how the worlds ( in the books) are so magical. Loving the sea and all the weird things that it has. The book Deep Blue is something that I would be interested in.
The Waterfire Saga (which is the series that Deep Blue is from) is a really excellent collection of mermaid stories! If you like those kinds of books, you’ll love the Waterfire Saga. Jennifer Donnelly (the author) is one of my favorites. You’ll notice her books are all throughout this post!
I love fantasy books! It’s been so long since I read them though. These sound like some really great options!! Aalwayss love your recommendations!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
I don’t think I could go more than a week or so without a good fantasy book. They’re really my favorite. I guess that’s why I’ve read more of them than any other genre!
It has been awhile since I’ve read a fantasy book but I am definitely looking for a good one! The ones you have listed sounded really and will definitely be checking them out!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
I hope you’re able to find at least one you can enjoy out of the 90+ I listed here 😉 Whether that’s a series or a standalone, I truly believe there’s something for everyone!
JUST PINNED THIS POST TO COME BACK TO LATER!! LOVE ME SOME FANTASY AND ALWAYS NEED GOOD RECS.
XX REBECCA // http://WWW.REBECCAPIERSOL.ME
Oh thank you so much for pinning! I love hearing that 🙂 I truly hope you find a new favorite from this post!
I absolutely love the twisted tales books I think its so fascinating to learn about the different sides of the famous Disney stories! Than you so much for sharing this list!
They’re really fun! I’ve only read a handful of them, but the Belle and Mulan books were definitely my favorites. They’re just so unique!
Love this post! I’ve been reading YA fantasy for over fifteen years now, and I find that the genre can still surprise me with something new. So many of these are amongst my favourites too – Cassandra Clare especially is one of my favourite YA authors. Thanks for sharing!
I’m only just now getting into her books, and she is super talented at world-building. The Infernal Devices have been fun to read! I’m sure once I finish them, I’ll begin diving into the rest of her work!
I am not a big fantasy reader, but I will def check some of these out!
A lot of people aren’t as keen on it, but I do think it’s a genre that at least merits checking out – especially for the not-as-hyped works (which I’ve listed plenty of here). I sure do hope you give a few of these a go to see if they can interest you more than you think!
I’ve never dove too much into fantasy fiction but these books sound amazing! I would love to expand my usual reading niche with something like these. Thanks for sharing these!!
Kileen
cute & little
These all sound like some great fantasy novels. Thanks for sharing this list!
Absolutely! It’s really fun to talk about the topics I’m passionate about, and I could honestly chat about fantasy novels all day haha!
Ah! I don’t read fantasy much. I think I read the Maze Runner series and The Hunger Games series, but I normally just go for a page-turner/love story kind of book. So generic, I know! I definitely need to branch out more, and you make such great recommendations!
And I wouldn’t even consider those fantasy so much as dystopian or even, to some degree, sci-fi! But they’re also excellent books, and The Hunger Games is very special to me. However, I believe that fantasy is the best for when you’re looking for true escape. Don’t get me wrong, I love my rom-coms and contemporary, but fantasy is just so FUN.
Yes! Some great picks here! I need a new series to read, I just finished the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
I’ve heard about his work a lot but have yet to read any of it. I’ll have to make that a priority sometime soon!
I don’t think I’ve ever read a fantasy series before but for years, people have been telling me to read Harry Potter! It might be time to give it a try 😉
Rachel
http://www.hello-her.com
Well, that’s definitely a good place to start 😉 But I also highly, highly suggest some of the less hyped books because then your expectations are lower as you’re starting out!
This is a great list and I am going to pass it on to my husband! I admit, I’m not too much into fantasy books, but he definitely is so thanks for this list! xo
A lot of people dismiss the genre – especially women – and that makes me sad, because they don’t know how good it actually is. Clearly, if I’ve read so many in the last 20 years, there must be something special about it 😉 But I do hope your husband can enjoy some of them. Most of the choices I added here have female protagonists, but if he doesn’t mind that, then, by all means, have fun reading!
I love books for the fact that they are an escape from whatever we’ve got going on in our day to day. It really does get my mind off a lot of the craziness in the world!
Yep, that’s a huge part of why I read. I also love learning and growing my vocabulary and learning how to write a little bit better as well! Reading is phenomenal for a plethora of reasons, that’s for sure.
What an impressive list! Think this might help make quarantine life go a little easier for Fantasy lovers! xoxo, Sarah
I could see that being a possibility, for sure. Reading has certainly helped me through lockdown.
I have never read fantasy book before, but after reading these I would like to give it a try. Thank you for suggesting.
Hopefully, this will give you a good launching point! Fantasy is such an amazing genre, and I wish it got the love it deserves.
This was such an incredible list! I will admit that Fantasy isn’t my favourite genre. I’ve tried plenty but I just struggle with it a bit. But every now and again, I read an incredible Fantasy novel!
To each their own, of course 🙂 I just find it to be the most appealing because it’s so far from what real life is like – yet, there are still opportunities to learn from it!
I never read fantasy books because I was not a big fan of them. But these list you have sound interesting and I should check them out to see what interests me:)
I hope you do. This list includes some of my favorite books of all time!
I do love a good YA book! I honestly never finished the Harry Potter series, and have been thinking about starting it over this year, with all the extra time spent at home.
Alex | adoredbyalex.com
I know you’re into thrillers, so if you’re looking for something more suspenseful or dramatic I recommend the Three Dark Crowns series or The Arc of the Scythe trilogy. They both have some excellent murders (haha – that shows how little I read thrillers, I know, but hopefully it’ll help to some degree).
I’ll be honest: young adult books are my guilty pleasure! They’re so consumable as a reader. Thanks for these recs
Ah – it shouldn’t be a guilty thing at all. Young adult books are excellent. They’re often more relatable and they’re frequently more unique than adult fiction (especially when it comes to fantasy). I’m glad you enjoy them 🙂
These look like such good reads! I definitely will be adding some of these to my reading list. Xx.
When I was younger, there was a series I was hooked on called “So You Want To Be A Wizard”. It’s been a while since I picked up a Fantasy book, I’m definitely going to read some that you suggested.
I love fantasy stories. Can’t say that I’ve read any fantasy books recently, probably pick up one soon.
Xx, Nailil
https://thirtyminusone.com
I read all genres but some how I have never read a fantasy. I will have to check out one of your recommendations.
❥ tanvii.com
I haven’t been doing a lot of YA or fantasy reading lately. But these are great recommendations I’m sure!
GREAT picks! This isn’t YA necessarily but one fantasy series I’ve really been enjoying is the Witcher series (it’s what the Netflix show is based on). It’s so good!
Oh man, it’s been a long time since I’ve picked up a new fantasy novel, but they really are great for when you need to escape the real world. I have a feeling I’ll be adding a few of these to my Goodreads list!
Hearltess was SO SO SO good!! I also am such a big fan of anything by Sarah J. Maas. Saving some of these recs for cozy fall reads!
xo, Alice
I love fantasy!! Thank you so much for sharing your picks. I am always looking for something new to read and these sound great!
Fantasy is just my favorite genre of all time. There are so many incredible stories! I hope you get inspired to read a few of these 🙂
I love fantasy books and you have so many great recommendations! Added quite a lot to my never-ending TBR as usual! I love the Shiver series, I think it’s so underrated and The Chronicles of Narnia was one of the books that truly swept me away! Thank you for sharing x
Oh, that’s fantastic to hear! I love being able to introduce people to new favorites. The Wolves of Mercy Falls is SO underrated. People tend to immediately think of The Raven Cycle instead when they hear Stiefvater’s name, but I just love my wolf boys haha.
I love a good fantasy book list. Fantasy is absolutely one of my favorite genres to read because you get to explore so many different worlds, magic systems, and humanoid races in each story. I’ve read a couple of books and series from this list, most I loved but a few I didn’t, but that’s all part of being a book lover, you won’t enjoy every book but they are all worth checking out. I will have to make room on my TBR for some of these books because they sound like stories I would really enjoy.
Those are all reasons why I love the genre as well. It truly is a real escape – and that’s a big part of why I enjoy reading so much! It takes me to a new place and really cultivates my imagination.
Wow what a roundup! I love a lot of these (sucker for twilight) I have to say though – I actually hated the lord of the rings! I feel like that’s sacrilegious to say, but I just never got into it!
I don’t think I even included LoTR! Not because I don’t like it, since I do, but because it’s just not on the top of my favorites list. I actually prefer the movies over the books! I certainly don’t judge people for their book preferences. We’re all different! 🙂
Wicked Fox is an incredible tale and I can’t recommend it enough. If anyone was on the fence about it, here’s a second endorsement. Everyone should read it!
It’s awesome! I definitely preferred the first book over the second, but the whole story was well done, to be sure. I’m glad you liked it as well 🙂
I’m so glad you put Narnia at the top, although I’ve only watched the films, I would love to read the books. You’ve got some good choices on here and I will certainly look out for them 😁
Oh, please do read the books! They’re phenomenal and far superior to the films. In fact, the only film I think worth noting was The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The others made me cringe as someone who grew up loving Narnia haha!
FAB! Such a looong list you have here, Steph! I’ve been a fan of fantasy books since I read Harry Potter and Narnia years ago! There are so many fantasy books I want to read on my list this year but for the last months I tend to go to read standalone books – I have to check if I haven’t added your recommendations x
I definitely do have quite the list, because it’s my favorite genre. And of course, this isn’t including every fantasy book I’ve ever read or anything. Just the ones I consider the best 🙂 If you’re looking for standalone fantasy, please oh pretty please read Into the Heartless Wood!
Wow, such a fab list! I haven’t read many fantasy books in recent years (I did read the Twilight series years ago!) & may need to give this genre a chance. Will definitely be referring to this list!
I think it doesn’t get enough love as a genre, especially in adult women. However, these are really some of the best books. They’re so well-written and they allow you to fully escape to another world!
I never liked fantasy. However, when I was a teenager I read all of the Twilight saga and I remember that I enjoyed it. Maybe I’ll give fantasy another shot.
That’s a huge bummer! I think fantasy gets a bad rap and it makes me so sad. It’s such a fantastic genre and deserves way more attention and appreciation.
You’ve included so many great suggestions. I loved reading The Chronicles of Narnia when I was younger and would love to read them again.
They might be even better as an adult. I started them back up again over Christmas and I’m slowly squeezing them in over time. It’s so much fun to go back to that world again and I can appreciate so much more now.
So many books on here that are high on my to read list! And I always love a list that includes The Night Circus!
Absolutely! It’s a great book! I definitely enjoyed The Starless Sea more – and I think they’re both better as audiobooks – but I really liked the almost “bedtime story” style of writing!
I’m not much of a fantasy reader, funnily I don’t always enjoy the plots. I think the only books from this list I’ve enjoyed are Ready Player One, The Hunger Games and Erin Morgenstern’s books. So I’m definitely gonna take a few recs from here to look into and add to my list. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
I know it’s not everyone’s favorite genre, and that’s okay. To each their own! That’s what’s fun about being a bookworm, right? We’re all unique but books bring us together! But I would love if you were able to find a new favorite based on my suggestions 🙂
Oh my goodness, I had forgotten all about my childhood love for the Chronicles of Narnia! I don’t gravitate towards fantasy books as much as I’d like but Scythe and The Starless Sea are on my TBR! 🙂
The first Scythe book is especially intriguing and I highly, HIGHLY recommend listening to the audiobook for The Starless Sea as it’s sooo much better than trying to read it. I hope you enjoy them both!
This is such a great list. A lot of them I’d never heard of before!
This is an amazing list! The Chronicles of Narnia is a classic and everyone should at least read the first book. I loved it! Also, I totally forgot I read Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater when it just came out years ago. I don’t even remember if I read all of them. I think I stopped after the second for some reason. Now I want to re read the whole series again!
I LOVE the Chronicles of Narnia!! One of my very favorites!! Loved The Hunger Games too. Not sure if they would be considered fantasy but I love Alice an Wonderland and the like. My brother is a huge fantasy fan! Will have to send this to him when he gets to A school.
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
The Infernal Devices is our favorite fantasy series of all time. Thanks for sharing your other recommendations.
That’s an impressive list! Looks like plenty of solid picks! xoxo, Sarah
Yaas to this list! I love fantasy novels and I hate any kind of elitism when it comes to literature. People can like what they like and thinking someone is beneath them because they like fantasy is so ridiculous!
I love the list you put together and I also got hooked on fantasy since Chronicles of Narnia that turned into an obsession with Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter!
Thanks for sharing this amazing list, so many of my favourites are here! Fantasy has been my go to genre since I was around 12, and I honestly don’t think I’ll ever outgrow it – there are just so many books to try.
Apart from Twilight and The Hunger Games, I’ve read literally none of these. I struggle with Fantasy sometimes but I do really enjoy it. I watch a lot of Sci-Fi type shows / films, particularly dystopian too. But with books I just struggle and actively shy away from them. But I’d like to expand my reading a bit more so might have to give some of these a try!
I LOVE fantasy novels, they’re hands down my go to genre! so thanks so much for this roundup… so many new books to get!
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com