21 Amazing YA Fantasy Books You Absolutely Must Add To Your List

Looking for YA fantasy books to read?? Here are some of the BEST YA fantasy books of all time that you should definitely add to your TBR list.

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If you’re into reading fantasy books, you might be looking for YA fantasy books to read. I’m an avid reader who absolutely adores YA fantasy books, and I’m here to tell you all about some of the best young adult fantasy books I’ve read that you should definitely add to your “to be read” list!!

After you read this post you’ll know about so many amazing fantasy books to read!! Here are some of my all time favs that I know you’ll love, too.

This post is all about YA fantasy books.

The Best YA Fantasy Books You Absolutely Must Add To Your TBR List

1. The Night Circus

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This book is so insanely atmospheric. It’s set in a magical circus and has an enemies to lovers/ star crossed lovers romance. It is so easy to get absorbed in!

2. Caraval

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This is another super atmospheric book where you feel like you’re actually in it. I love this book series because it’s a story about two sisters who are really close. It has some romance and is so magical and also has a healthy dose of mystery!

Related Post: 12 Highly-Anticipated Fantasy Books You Must Read This Year

3. A Court Of Thorns And Roses

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I’m sure you’ve probably heard of A Court Of Thorns And Roses already if you’re on booktok at all. This is one of my favorite (if not my favorite) book series of all time! This book is mostly set in the world of the Fae and has romance and a kick ass heroine. The characters are so well formed and you feel like you actually know them.

4. Throne Of Glass

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Throne Of Glass is written by the same author as A Court Of Thorns And Roses. It’s another great book series, but it does have 7 books so it’s a bit of a time commitment. It follows the story of Celaena Sardothien, a teenage assasin who is trying to win her freedom by participating in a competition to become the king’s champion.

The series is so good and has lots of romance and is another book with a kickass heroine who you really route for.

5. From Blood And Ash

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I’m actually re-reading this series at the moment before reading the 4th book in the series that came out a few months ago. The series has a steamy romance with a morally grey love interest and an enemies to lovers trope!

6. The Selection

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I got so absorbed in this series that I read it all in 3 days. It’s about a girl named America, who gets selected to compete against a ton of other girls in a palace for the love of a prince. It’s a way for her to escape poverty, but she doesn’t want to compete because she is already in love with someone else.

This book series is for anyone who, like me, wanted to be a princess when they grew up lol. It has a fairy tale romance.

Related Post: Books I Read In 2021 Part 1

7. Red Queen

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This book is by Victoria Aveyard, who, if you don’t follow on tik tok already, you should. The Red Queen is a dystopian novel with a rigid class system and magic. Here’s an excerpt from the blurb:

Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.”

This book has magic, romance, and jaw dropping plot twists. It’s a must read for anyone who likes YA!

8. Shatter Me

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This book series used to be my absolute favorite. I really loved the writing style of this book when I read it. It’s about Juliette, who’s touch can kill, and the corrupted government wants to use her as a weapon.

This book is another dystopian novel and it has romance and a super powerful heroine.

9. Finvarra’s Circus

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This is my favorite book of. all. time. It is literally the most magical and atmospheric book I’ve ever read, and I’ve re-read it 3 times already. It’s about a girl who’s heart is failing her. She sneaks into a magical circus and gets caught and has to choose between performing in the circus or dying. However, the magical circus is cursed and they think Leanna is the only one who can fix it.

I highly, highly recommend reading this!! It has a delightful slow burning romance.

10. The Cruel Prince

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This book is about a human girl who was stolen as a child to live in the High Court of Faerie. It’s one of the best enemies to lovers books and has a cult following, which I’m sure you’ve seen if you’re on booktok at all.

This is a great one to read if you like enemies to lovers/ morally grey love interest. Or….tails.

11. The Golden Compass

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The Golden Compass is a staple YA book series that recently got turned into a series on HBO! The series has amaaaazing world building and has been claimed to be one of the “top 100 books of all time.”

It’s about a young girl named Lyra who lives in world where people have animal familiars called daemons. Lyra goes on a quest to the North to help her friend Roger and other children who have been stolen by Gobblers.

This book series is filled with magic and seriously genius world building!!

Related Post: Books I Read In 2021 Part 2

12. Eragon

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This is a books series that I really want to re-read soon. It has really great world building and magic and dragons.

13. Kingdom Of The Wicked

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This book is about witches and devils. Here’s the blurb for the book:

“Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost–even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked–princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…”

This book has all kinds of mystery, forbidden romance, and revenge.

14. Serpent And Dove

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This book is such a good enemies to lovers. It’s about a witch and a witch hunter who are forced into a marriage. It’s so good!!

Related Post: 2021 Reading List

15. Ruby Red

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Ruby Red is about Gwyneth, who unknowingly inherits her family’s time traveling gene. Time traveling is something her cousin has been training her whole life for, not her. Here is part of the blurb:

“Gwyneth Shepherd’s sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!
Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon―the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.”

This book has mystery, fantasy, and romance, and it’s so good!

16. Fallen

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This book is about Luce, a girl who is sent to a boarding school called Sword & Cross after a horrible accident. There she meets Daniel Grigori, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her, but she feels like he’s familiar somehow.

This book is great if you like dark academia vibes and forbidden romances.

17. The Hunger Games

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The Hunger Games is yet another dystopian series. The book is set in a world with 12 districts, who each agreed to send one boy and one girl to the Hunger Games every year. Katniss Everdeen is forced to take part in the games where the children are forced to fight to the death with only one victor.

It’s such a great book series with great world building and a super strong heroine!

Related Post: Books I Read In 2020

18. Divergent

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This book is set in another dystopian world. Here’s the blurb:

One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior’s society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions.

Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she’s determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.

This book is great for people who like great world building and a little romance.

19. Once Upon A Broken Heart

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This book was one of my favorite reads of 2021!! It’s by the same author as the Caraval series I talked about earlier. It is so magical and atmospheric and is perfect for people who like books with morally grey love interests!

20. A Shadow In The Ember

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Shadow in the Ember is written by the same author as From Blood and Ash and is set in the same world. This book is about Sera, who was “chosen” before birth to marry the Primal God of Death. But her real goal is to assassinate him to save her kingdom from the Rot.

This book is so so so good! I highly recommend if you like morally grey love interests and enemies to lovers.

Related Post: 2019 Reading List

21. Splintered

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I read this book when I was in high school and I absolutely loved it. It was inspired by Alice in Wonderland. It’s about Alyssa, who is a descendant of the real life inspiration for the book Alice in Wonderland. Their family is cursed and Alyssa experiences just how dark Wonderland actually is.

If you like Alice In Wonderland or dark fantasy at all I highly recommend reading this! It also has ~romance~.

This post was all about the best YA fantasy books to read.

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12 Highly-Anticipated Fantasy Books You Must Read This Year

Books I Read In 2021 Part 1

Books I Read In 2021 Part 2

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