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YA Fantasy Novels to Make Your Mind Wander
Who wouldn’t want to escape reality and go somewhere where everything is possible?
The reason I enjoy fantasy as a genre is that it is so open-ended. There are no limits to how far your imagination can take you.
I mean, if you want humans turning into birds, you have it. If you desire a gold-plated kingdom, you have it.
Following are some YA fantasy novels that are sure to excite you!
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Series
Sisters of the Salt. Prequel: House of Roots and Ruin.
Genres/Categories
YA, Gothic Fantasy, 12 Dancing Princesses Retelling, Supernatural, Romance.
Trigger Warnings
Death of loved ones, description of dead bodies, murder, miscarriage/stillbirth, funerals, gore, visions.
Synopsis
In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.
Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?
When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.
My Thoughts
The aesthetic is marvelous. Erin A. Craig has a truly unique writing style.
Through her writing she makes you feel as if you’re in a bubble, your surroundings hazy, that’s about to burst any moment. But it doesn’t, and it creates this anticipation within you that I assure you will not be found in any other writer’s novel.
House of Salt and Sorrows is not scary, but it is bizarre. It reads like conjuring—but it’s softer and cozier.
The next book in the Sisters of the Salt Series is House of Roots and Ruin, and is about Annaleigh’s sister.
It is just as incredible as House of Salt and Sorrows. Plus, it has an insane plot twist. It can be read as a standalone as well but it’s recommended to read it after House of Salt and Sorrows.
Buy House of Salt and Sorrows!
Small favors by Erin A. Craig
Genres/Categories
YA, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural.
Trigger Warnings
Gore, fire, harm to loved ones, animal death, emesis, gun violence, execution.
Synopsis
Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range–five narrow peaks stretching into the sky like a grasping hand, bordered by a nearly impenetrable forest from which the early townsfolk fought off the devils in the woods. To this day, visitors are few and rare. But when a supply party goes missing, some worry that the monsters that once stalked the region have returned.
As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents’ deepest desires, however grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister, and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames.
My Thoughts
I couldn’t mention House of Salt and Sorrows without highlighting Small Favors!
It, like the former, has otherworldly elements, spirits, and bloodthirsty creatures. It’s cozy (but mind you it has a lot of triggering themes). And of course, it has romance.
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Genres/Categories
YA, Supernatural, Romance, Mystery.
Trigger Warnings
Death, disappearance, drowning, possession, betrayal.
Synopsis
Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…
Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.
Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.
Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.
Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.
But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to save Bo, or save herself.
My Thoughts
I hated this book. Positively, though.
Don’t understand what I mean?
It started well. The Wicked Deep is a contemporary YA with magical realism, a tad different from general fantasy novels.
It’s eerie, mysterious, and romantic, which in my opinion is a deadly combination so obviously I devoured it.
But the plot twist! It was thrilling and totally insane. Yet, I couldn’t help feeling so sad for the main characters.
By the end of the book, I felt hopeless about love, family, and friendship.
And, I cried—although, that could be due to PMS.
My feelings about this book lie on the very fine line between love and hate. Nevertheless, I think it should be read at least once.
Daughter of the Pirate King Series by tricia Levenseller
Books in the Series
Main duology: Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen.
Companion novel: Vengeance of the Pirate Queen.
Genres/Categories
YA, Fantasy, Romance
Trigger Warnings
Death, drowning, gun violence, mention of rape, execution.
Synopsis
Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map―the key to a legendary treasure trove―seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.
More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.
My Thoughts
Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen were the first YA fantasy novels I had read.
At first glance, the premise was intriguing—an all-female pirate crew, mythical creatures, spies, and a swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers romance (although, when this book came out, the trope enemies to lovers hadn’t been coined).
Upon reading, however, my expectations were surpassed! There were so many layers to this story: tragical expositions, the struggle between duty towards blood relations and love for a stranger, the discovery of oneself, and secrets best kept hidden.
Witty, sometimes humorous banter not only between the love interests but also other pirates provided comical relief from scenes packed with action, and, well, death, lots of it—the lack of it would have made for one boring novel, wouldn’t it?
Buy Daughter of the Pirate King.
Buy Daughter of the Siren Queen.
Buy Vengeance of the Pirate Queen.
The Cursebreakers Series by brigid kemmerer
Books in the Series
The main trilogy in order: A Curse So Dark and Lonely, A Heart So Fierce and Broken, and A Vow So Bold and Deadly.
Companion series: Forging Silver Into Stars (sequel to the main trilogy)
Genres/Categories
YA, Fantasy, Beauty and the Beast Retelling, Romance.
Trigger Warnings
Alcohol, assault, attempted murder, blood, death, decapitation, emesis, gun violence, kidnapping, cerebral palsy, terminal illness, parental loss, torture, war.
Synopsis
Fall in love, break the curse.
Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom.
Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
My Thoughts
Ah, yes.
This is the fantasy series that made me write a four, almost five page diary entry in unintelligible handwriting expressing my deep love for a certain character, ranting about how in the second book he was written a tad out-of-character, and raving about his reformed behavior.
And marveling about how cerebral palsy didn’t stop our female protagonist from being an unstoppable person!
Reading these books is an experience of a lifetime.
The Cursebreakers Trilogy may very well be the reason I started a book blog—so I could share my rants and raves with others. That and also Kasie West’s romance novels.
Buy The Cursebreaker Series Here!
A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
Genres/Categories
YA, Cozy Fantasy, Romance
Trigger Warnings
Mention of famine and war, physical weakness, blackmail, death of a parent, alcoholism, homophobia, smoking, infidelity.
Synopsis
Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her.
Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.
But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn.
But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets.
The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.
My Thoughts
Both main characters are bisexual and almost all the supporting characters are queer.
It was interesting to see how this played out in our main leads’s blossoming relationships as well as their friendships with other characters.
It was also refreshing to see that there is no particular “evil” person in this book. It’s more about easing political unrest than battling a formidable enemy.
And, through our female protagonist, we’re urged to take it slow with our passions, and life in general.
So dear readers, grab a cup of tea/coffee or if you’re feeling fancy, hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, and cozy up with a fluffy blanket because A Fragile Enchantment is going to suck you in and never let go—you’d better be comfortable.
