8 Books to Read if You Love YA Books

The realm of Young Adult books is ever growing and it’s easy to miss a great new release series or book – or even an older but still fantastic series! We love a good Young Adult book and sharing our love of these books. We’ve created a list of some of our favourite YA books and series. Which have you read and which will you be adding to your list?

The series that started me on my YA Fantasy journey was The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. A young girl switches places with her twin brother in order to be trained as a knight at Court – a strictly male profession – and discovers her magical abilities at the same time! There are three extra series that carry on from this original series, so you’re able to stay with the characters you love for a long while!

Next is Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller. Alosa is the seventeen-year-old captain of her own pirate ship, with an all-female crew. She’s on a mission to find an ancient treasure map and is captured by an opposing crew, which just so happens to include the dashing first-mate Riden.

The Illuminae Files series by Australia’s own Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is one of the most unique books I’ve read. We’re definitely delving into the world of sci-fi here, but think terrifying zombies in space and a murderous Artificial Intelligence. This is all compiled into a book that is in a dossier style with emails, transmissions, schematics of the spaceships. It may not be for everyone, but you have to say that it is unique.

Stephanie Garber’s Caraval takes you into the sometimes spooky world of carnivals and the good and bad sides of magic. There’s always something mysterious happening on almost every page, and you never really know who to trust. Ever. Throw in some romance and you get almost a perfect YA series.

But if you’re looking for a standalone YA book, you should definitely try Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte. It’s a science fiction/fantasy/murder mystery all rolled into one! The twists and turns were perfect, keeping you on the edge until the final reveal. I read this in one sitting – you just NEED to know what happens next!

The Shadow and Bone Trilogyby Leigh Bardugo is one to keep an eye out for if you enjoy stories filled with magic and morally grey characters. It follows Alina as she comes to grips with her power – one that laid dormant for her entire life. It is also slated to be an upcoming TV series, but you know what they say: they book is always better!

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer are a collection of novels that mirror some of your favourite fairy tales. Set in the post-apocalyptic future, we see Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White all join forces throughout the series, even if they are portrayed a little differently to the classics.

Finally, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is the book that most YA fangirls will identify with. It revolves around Cath, a new college student who spends most of her time as an online fanfiction writer. Cath is completely at home online. But Cath has anxiety about her life at college, and in the real world! Her anxieties about her life are beautifully portrayed and very real. It’s really just a heartwarming and wonderful read about what it’s like to be a fangirl IRl.

Bec is an avid YA fantasy and science fiction reader. Occasionally she branches out into YA contemporaries, or even – heaven forbid – regular adult titles! She’s been reading since before she could walk and always has a book with her, whether in a physical copy, an e-book or an audiobook! The Harry Potter series cemented her love of reading when she was just 10 years old. PrincessBecReads is where she shares her bookish thoughts and reviews of books, and you can also catch her fangirling almost every day on her bookstagram account @princessbecreads

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