Fantasy Fiction
Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of technological and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three (collectively known as speculative fiction or science fiction/fantasy)
The Harry Potter Series
by J.K. Rowling
Orphan Harry learns he is a wizard on his 11th birthday when Hagrid escorts him to magic-teaching Hogwarts School. As a baby, his mother's love protected him and vanquished the villain Voldemort, leaving the child famous as "The Boy who Lived". With his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry has to defeat the returned "He Who Must Not Be Named".
The Keeper of the Lost Cities Series
by Shannon Messenger
Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath–someone who can read minds. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain. Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious (and adorable) boy who appears out of nowhere, and who can also read minds like her. She discovers there’s somewhere she does belong, and that staying with her family will put her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye. Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from what she has ever known.
The Young Elites Series
by Marie Lu
*MATURE CONTENT*
The Young Elites is set in a Renaissance-like world where magic is new, chaotic, and misunderstood, and three rival societies with supernatural abilities battle for power. And a girl transforms from an unwanted daughter into a fearsome leader, igniting panic and sparking war between seven nations.
The Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Series
by Ransom Riggs
*MATURE CONTENT*
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, a novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience.
The Red Queen Series
by Victoria Aveyard
This is a world divided by blood—red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
The Glass Spare Series
by Lauren DeStefano
Wil Heidle, the daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world to serve as a spy for her father, Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world, if only her father would give her the chance. Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people to gemstone. At first Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange ability. When it leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the power within her and leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.
The Vega Jane Series
by David Baldacci
Vega Jane was always told no one could leave the town of Wormwood. She was told there was nothing outside but a forest filled with danger. She always believed it—until the night she saw Quentin Herms run away. Vega knows Quentin didn’t just leave—he was chased. He left behind a trail of clues that point to a dark conspiracy at the heart of Wormwood. If Vega wants to stay safe, she needs to keep her head down and her mouth shut. There’s only one problem—Vega Jane never walks away from a fight.
The Lunar Chronicles Series
by Marissa Meyer
In the first book, a teenage cyborg named Cinder deals with her wicked step-mother, finds love, and discovers secrets about herself. As the series continues, Cinder forges an alliance with Scarlet, a spaceship pilot; Cress, an imprisoned computer hacker; and Winter, a Lunar princess. Along with a diverse crew that includes a soldier, a criminal, and a royal guard, they must work together to rise up against the evil Queen Levana to save the country and possibly even the world.
The Snow Like Ashes Series
by Sara Raasch
*MATURE CONTENT*
Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised and trained to be a warrior by the Winterians’ general, Sir. So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers and fighting enemy soldiers, just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics–and comes to realize that her destiny has never been her own.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin
In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli's mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune. She encounters many characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest.
The Tale of Despereaux
by Kate DiCamillo
The Tale of Despereaux tells the story of several unlikely heroes: Despereaux, a brave mouse banished to the dungeon for speaking with a human; Roscuro, a good-hearted rat who loves light and soup, but is exiled to darkness; Pea, a Princess in a gloomy castle who is prisoner to her father's grief; and Mig, a servant girl who longs to be a Princess, but is forced to serve the jailer.
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Well, he would be perfectly normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the world of the dead. There're dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard: the menace of the Sleer; a gravestone entrance to a desert leading to the city of ghouls; friendship with a witch, and more. It is in the land of the living that real danger lurks, for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod's family.
The Wings of Fire Series
by Tui T. Sutherland
The seven dragon tribes have been at war for generations, locked in an endless battle over an ancient, lost treasure. A secret movement called the Talons of Peace is determined to bring an end to the fighting, with the help of a prophecy-a foretelling that calls for great sacrifice. Five dragonets are collected to fulfill the prophecy, raised in a hidden cave and enlisted, against their will, to end the terrible war.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by Kelly Barnhill
One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the child with magic. Xan decides she must raise the girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep Luna safe from her own power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule-but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her-even if it means the end of the safe world she’s always known.
The Legacy of Orisha Series
by Tomi Adeyemi
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic before a ruthless king ordered all maji killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie fights to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy while struggling to control her powers--and her growing feelings for an enemy...
The Ash Princess Series
by Laura Sebastian
For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside. Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield.
The Three Dark Crowns Series
by Kendare Blake
*MATURE CONTENT*
In every generation on Fennbirn, triplets are born—three queens, all heirs to the crown. Mirabella is an elemental, able to spark flames or storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions. Becoming Queen isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. It’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night they turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last one standing gets the crown.
The Kingdom of Back
by Marie Lu
Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has a wish: to be remembered forever. Even as she delights audiences with her playing, she doubts she'll become the composer she longs to be. She's a young woman in 18th-century Europe, so composing is forbidden to her. She'll perform until she's at a marriageable age-her father has made that clear. As her hope dims, her little brother, Wolfgang's, brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until a boy from a magical land appears with an offer. He can make her wish true, but his help may cost her everything.
The Renegades Series
by Marissa Meyer
In Marissa Meyer's New York Times bestselling young adult series, superheroes and supervillains battle for supremacy of Gatlon City in a high-stakes world of adventure, passion, danger, and betrayal. Possessed with extraordinary abilities, the Renegades are champions of justice, protecting the citizens against the Anarchists determined to destroy them. But Nova walks the line of both hero and villain--torn between a desire for revenge against the Renegades and a deepening love for one of its members...
The Swap
by Megan Shull
Ellie spent the summer getting dropped by her best friend. Jack spent it training with his brothers and hard-to-please dad. When school starts, they're ready for a change. And just as Jack's thinking girls have it easy, Ellie's wishing she could be anyone but herself. Then, BAM! They swap lives and bodies! Now Jack's fending off mean girls at sleepovers, while Ellie's reigning as The Prince of Thatcher Middle School. Soon, Ellie and Jack begin to wonder if the best way to learn to be yourself is to spend time being someone else.