I haven't read YA fantasy in a minute, but lately I've had a need to scratch that itch and am hoping for some recommendations! YA fantasy was my jam in the 2010s, but I haven't read much beyond that period, so anything new is completely lost on me. I've listed what I've read below, including series I never finished. I'd prefer a completed series if at all possible.

Any recs for what I should revisit, give a second chance, or pick up for the first time are all welcome!

Series I loved:

• The Hunger Games
• Divergent
• The Lunar Chronicles
• The Grisha trilogy
• The Raven Cycle
• Wolves of Mercy Falls

Series I started and liked, but never finished:

• An Ember in the Ashes
• The Winner's Curse
• Six of Crows
• The Mortal Instruments
• The Infernal Devices

Series I started and remember being iffy on:

• Red Queen
• Serpent & Dove
• Throne of Glass
• We Hunt the Flame
• Wicked Saints

Ever since I read the hunger games I've simply been itching to read another dystopian series and I've gotten a ton of recommendations to read divergent or or shatter does anybody know the differences between the two

Hi. Started binding 13 and it doesn't seem that great

Like some aspects of it keep bugging me.

It moves soooo slooooowlyyyy. Like at some point I was begging for Shannon to interact with someone else!

Shannon keeps telling us how frail she was. Like we get it. I also get an nlog vibe from her.

Is it gonna get better or stay like this? Because if it'll stay like this I better move on

So how is it

Thanks folks

So the backstory is that I just got into the Diabolic by SJ Kincaid as despite having started the first novel a while ago, I couldn't help but be interested in seeing what other YA books had similar premises about a human who learns to bond with a strange being.

I am going through Diabolic a bit quickly that I was wondering where to go after I finish the series again since I am a quick reader that I was interested in seeing how common such a premise is in YA novels.

Hi, my name is Kaylee, and I am currently in a position where I can do nothing but stay inside my room all day, so I thought I would use this time to read as much YA as possible, I am currently getting through around 2 books per week, so I thought to help pass the time even more I would share my top 3 discoveries of July 2026.

1 - We're a Bad Idea, Right? (K. L. Walther) - Honestly, an amazing a fun read. The banter between the characters had me smiling the whole time, and their chemistry was incredible and felt so natural. I also loved how it wasn't just cute romance, it also had a lot of heart, and the characters actually felt real. I was rooting for them from the start, and I flew through the book because I just needed to know what happened. Definitely one of those books that leaves you kicking your feet and thinking about it after you finish. Definitely my favourite of this month.

2 - Pyg: A Contemporary Sapphic Novel: Contemporary Sapphic Fiction (Pip Landers-Letts) - Now, one thing about me is that I love to discover hidden gems, especially stuff that is self published. I don't always know what to expect but Pyg completely surprised me in the best way. I went in expecting a fun queer romance, but it ended up being so much more. The characters had amazing chemistry, the writing was super engaging, and I loved how the story mixed romance with mystery and deeper emotional moments. I got so invested in the characters that I didn't want to put it down. It's one of those indie books that deserves way more hype because it honestly feels just as polished as a traditionally published novel.

3 - Young World ( Soman Chainan) - This one is super new, but it was probably the most impressive read on the list. It was so hard to put down. I kept telling myself I'd read one more chapter before sleeping, and then suddenly I was halfway through the book. The world was really cool without being confusing, and there was always something happening that kept me hooked. I also ended up getting way more attached to the characters than I expected, so all the big moments actually hit. Chainan seriously knows how to write books that keep you on the edge of your seat, especially with the world building, and this one did not disappoint at all.

so this morning i started reading caraval and i thought the story was interesting and i just couldn’t put it down. then in like the last 5 chapters it was like everything’s fake, here’s a lot of trauma but guess what that’s fake too. i’m just so confused because what the fuck.

am i crazy at feeling like the ending was super rushed? i also feel like everyone sucks here like your telling me EVERYONE had to lie to scarlet just so they could escape their father?? i mean literally everyone sucks here and maybe im confused and not understanding something but i just feel like this should have been more thought out towards the end.

i’d love to hear what other people have to say, i dont mean to insult anyone who loved this, in fact if you did i would love to see your perspective.

The author Marissa Meyer posted it on Instagram

Kissed by an angel series by Elizabeth chandler

This was DEEP in my twilight phase when I read this. Memory is fuzzy on the plot, but the cover hits me right in the nostalgia

If you’ve played VII and/or X, or watched Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, you know they’re about restoring balance to the planet/nature to save it after humanity did something that unnaturally twisted it. Are there any YA epic fantasy (preferably recently released) with similar vibes? Some politics is okay but I don’t want something that’s mostly court intrigue/drama/political intrigue. Romance is okay as a side/B plot, like in Fireborne, but no romantasy.

Thanks for any help!

Just a question, are there any YA books that have good queer representation? I love to consume queer media but most of what i can find i’ve finished already. And i want more books to read lol!

Also if there is any, i’d like to know how OBVIOUS it is that it’s got queer characters, as someone who has to be a little bit more discreet.

But even if it isn’t discreet i’d like to know what it is because im going to college in about a year and will be able to be more open about queer things!

Thankies

Yes I know that YA novels are purely text based works as basically I am referring to when books have a scene that is chilling where the hero is forced to do something drastic to save someone.

Like in Talon by Julie Kagawa, the main character Ember has to fight off some US Military soldiers to rescue a fellow soldier so that she can convince him to help protect dragons as she ends up taking a life of one of the soldiers during the campaign to rescue dragons.

Hi All YA Book Lovers, I'd like your recs for YA sci-fi and fantasy books without grimdark (or with minimal grimdark) and without romance (some minimal romance is OK). Basically YA sci-fi and fantasy books with a predominantly positive tone. I like adventure books. Cozy book recs are also welcome.Thanks!

As the title suggests I’m looking for a dragon book/series that gives the same vibe as how to train your dragon (the animated movies, not live action).

Specifically, the things that I loved about the movies was the dragons and the bonds they had with their humans. I also really loved the romance between Hiccup and Astrid, but the dynamic between the love interests doesn’t necessarily need to be similar to them as long as the romance is good. However, I specifically want the dragons to be actually dragons and have a platonic relationship with the humans, so no dragonshifters or monster romance please.

I have already read fourth wing, which I liked, but didn’t really scratch the httyd itch. I have also read fireborne which was honestly a little disappointing since I feel like the dragons didn’t really have a significant role in the story compared to the humans and politics. Like the magical creatures the humans owned could have been anything like for instance griffons or winged horses and the story would have been mostly the same.

I just recently finished the Caraval and the Once Upon a Broken Heart series and its put me into a slump lol. They are now definitely one of my favorite series I've read so far and I'm looking for something similar to it

Me probably in middle school but more in high school

I still read it now obviously

I prefer it then adult books, I find adult books just too much for me in general

Each half of the book has deckled edges (I forgot what deckled edges were guys Ik 😔) but the middle are normal?? (Yk as you can see)
It’s also only on the top and bottom but not on the side
Just wondering if anyone knows why :))

I’m 17 going on 18, and i’ve always loved fantasy books and i tend to read fiction more often than anything else. As a kid i enjoyed Harry Potter and the Hunger Games, and many of my friends told me i should read Percy Jackson as well if i was into that stuff. I always said, okay maybe i will, then never did it. (I’ll add that my fam was very christian and i was afraid that if i asked to read about mythology gods and stuff like that i’d get a lecture like i did with harry potter lol) But a few years ago it got brought back up. One of my friends told me she wouldve thought i wouldve read percy jackson as a kid because of the other book series’s i had enjoyed, and i thought to myself, maybe i should read it. A few months ago i decided that when i got the chance i would get the books. So the other day i bought Lightning Thief and i’ve started reading it for the first time. But im a little worried that maybe its too late in the game, and that everyone will think im only reading it because it’s popular again. (which is not the case ive wanted to for years just never got around to it.) Anyways i guess my biggest question is, am i too old to be reading it for the first time?

Okay so...this is a post with a bit of a story, so please hear me out for a bit.

Percy Jackson was my childhood book series growing up. I took a break from it for a few years and came back to play catch-up when the show was coming out. And I still love the series to death, to the point I'm writing fanfiction for it.

But why does it feel like the discourse has been so...negative towards it lately?

Like, I don't know what happened, but ever since Wrath of the Triple Goddess came out, the discourse surrounding Percy Jackson has become incredibly negative. And I'm not just talking about the show or the more recent books like the aforementioned Wrath or Court of the Dead (which I liked for the record); I mean, like, this negative sentimentally is towards stuff that was in the earlier novels, including the original five books.

Basically it feels like nobody, not even the supposed fans of the series even likes Percy Jackson anymore, which is just so odd to me. I remember a couple of years ago, everyone loved Percy Jackson, and even if there were flaws, people generally agreed the books were good in spite of those flaws. But nowadays it feels like people just want to hate on the series and claim it was never good, even the people who claim to be fans of Percy Jackson.

And I feel like part of the reason I find this all confusing is...partly because of Harry Potter.

So full disclosure here, I didn't grow up with Harry Potter. I only read Harry Potter in full for the first time earlier this year. I read the first three books a few years ago, but a combination of Rowling going nuts and the sheer length of the later books kind of discouraged me from continuing onward. I did get to it earlier this year and...

Okay, look, I wanna be clear here; I did go into these books wanting to like them, and I did enjoy the first three books and book five (I think book five is actually my favorite of the seven), but I found Goblet, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows to be on the weaker side; DH in particular was such a bad ending IMO it kind of soured my opinion of the series as a whole. I don't wanna say it's all bad, but I just can't call myself a fan of the series. I could go on and on as to why Harry Potter isn't my cup of tea, but that's not the point of this post (and I've already made way too many posts on the topic anyway, which I'm trying to cut down on)

And as someone who's really into media analysis, I've been trying to argue in detail why I think Percy Jackson (or other book series, for that matter) is better than Harry Potter, but whenever I do so, I get met with a lot of mockery from people who seem to think I'm a moron for finding fault with Harry Potter and thinking Percy Jackson is better.

Okay, so after that way too long explanation to give context, here's where I'm going with this post.

I don't understand where all this hate/disdain/apathy/disregard for Percy Jackson came from.

Like I said, I remember a time when Percy Jackson was beloved. People praised the series as being a great story for kids and adults, and when Rowling went nuts, people recommended Percy Jackson as a viable alternative to Harry Potter with the general consensus being that Percy Jackson was the better series overall.

But nowadays it feels like that isn't the case anymore. That Percy Jackson isn't good; it pales in comparison to Harry Potter, and Rick Riordan isn't a good writer; he's just some dummy who got lucky.

And I don't get it. What happened? What changed?

Is it because of the show? The newer books? But why do those not being as good as the earlier books (even if I like them) mean suddenly the earlier books are bad?

I don't get it, and I'm struggling to figure it out.

I know I'm late to the party but I just finished They Both Die at the End five minutes ago and I'm still sitting here in silence Somehow a story that tells you the ending on the very first page still manages to break your heart This book isn't about death it's about finally living Thanks Mateo and Rufus I'll remember you both .

I’d love to hear what part of the book stayed with you the most guys

I really like the superhero, found family, alien/supernatural fighting elements.
Any characters like Daisy is definitely a plus!
New adult or Young adult is fine :))

Heyo book lovers. I am asking on behalf of a 17 year old with intellectual disability for some recommendations of books that are young adult, aren’t toooo long, and have absolutely no alcohol related triggers, and any references to suicide/self harm are not at all graphic or detailed?

Even if nuances of the whole plot goes over her head a bit due to understanding limitations that’s okay as long as it’s generally enjoyable still!

I loved every YA book by Lynn Painter like Fake Skating & Better than the Movies .. But now I have no idea what next should I read? Any other good romcoms I should be reading?

Hello bookworms! This is Self-Promotion Sunday, a place where you can promote any of the following:

• A book you wrote
• Your blog
• Your Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc
• Your Discord channel
• a subreddit you created
• your Etsy shop

As a rule, individual self-promotion posts are not allowed on this subreddit, but a weekly post will now be scheduled so you can promote your projects to other bookworms.