Fantasy (YA)

The books in this list are primarily about worlds that are imagined (or a slightly wonky reality) -- think magic, elves, faeries, and quests in a universe that's not quite our own!

If you're also interested in fantasy creatures inhabiting a real work, be sure to check out our Supernatural and Urban Fantasy list!

Updated June 19, 2024
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Wellington City LibrariesYouth team at Wellington City Libraries
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Children of blood and bone
Adeyemi, Tomi
Paper Book
An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller A TIME Top 100 Fantasy Books of All Time A New York Times Notable Children's BookA Kirkus Prize Finalist With five starred reviews, Tomi Adeyemi's West African-inspired fantasy debut, and...
Shadow and bone
Bardugo, Leigh.
Paper Book
See the Grishaverse come to life on screen with the Netflix series, Shadow and Bone -- Season 2 streaming now! Discover the adventure that started it all and meet Alina, Mal, and the Darkling in Shadow and Bone from #1 bestselling author, Leigh Bardugo.
The cruel prince
Black, Holly
Paper Book
By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue. Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They...
The gilded wolves
Chokshi, Roshani
Paper Book
*AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* First in a "wildly inventive and wildly representative" (The New York Times Book Review) historical fantasy series, Roshani Chokshi's The Gilded Wolves follows the exploits of a found family--six societal outcasts...
A wizard of Earthsea
Le Guin, Ursula K.
Paper Book
The first novel of Ursula K. Le Guin's must-read Earthsea Cycle. "The magic of Earthsea is primal; the lessons of Earthsea remain as potent, as wise, and as necessary as anyone could dream." (Neil Gaiman) Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless...
Assassin's apprentice
Hobb, Robin.
Paper Book
"Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb's books are diamonds in a sea of zircons."--George R. R. Martin    Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated as an...
The fifth season
Jemisin, N. K
Paper Book
At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter in this "intricate and extraordinary" Hugo Award winning novel of power, oppression, and revolution. (The New York Times) This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time. ...
Serpent & dove
Mahurin, Shelby
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller * Indiebound Bestseller * An Amazon Best Book of 2019 * B&N's YA Book Club Pick "A brilliant debut, full of everything I love: a sparkling and fully realized heroine, an intricate and deadly system of magic, and a searing romance...
Mask of shadows
Miller, Linsey
The bright and breaking sea
Neill, Chloe
Paper Book
Kit Brightling, rescued as a foundling and raised in a home for talented girls, has worked hard to rise through the ranks and become one of the few female captains in Queen Charlotte's fleet. But the waters become perilous when the queen sends Kit on a special mission with a partner she never asked...
Unbroken : 13 stories starring disabled teens
Nijkamp, Marieke
Paper Book
This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators. With stories in various genres about first loves, friendship, war, travel, and more, Unbroken will offer today's teen readers a glimpse into the lives of...
The left-handed booksellers of London
Nix, Garth
Paper Book
A girl's quest to find her father leads her to an extended family of magical fighting booksellers who police the mythical Old World of England when it intrudes on the modern world. From the bestselling master of teen fantasy, Garth Nix. In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw...
A deadly education : a novel
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the first book of the Scholomance trilogy, the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic. FINALIST FOR THE LODESTAR AWARD * "The dark...
Dorothy must die
Paige, Danielle.
Paper Book
I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado--taking you with it--you have no choice but to go along, you know Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about...
Tempests and slaughter : a Tortall legend
Pierce, Tamora
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * This must-read fantasy from an author who is legend herself--TAMORA PIERCE--is one Bustle calls "the perfect book for die-hard Pierce fans and newcomers alike." "Tamora Pierce's books shaped me not only as a young writer but also as a...
The color of magic
Pratchett, Terry.
Paper Book
"In the history of comic fantasy, Mr. Pratchett has no equals for invention or for range. . . . Those who don't [know him] can do no better than to buy installment No. 1, The Color of Magic and read right the way through."--Wall Street Journal In this first novel in the...
Carry on : the rise and fall of Simon Snow
Rowell, Rainbow
Paper Book
#1 New York Times best seller! Booklist Editors' Choice 2015 - Youth! Named a "Best Book of 2015" by Time Magazine, School Library Journal, Barnes & Noble, NPR, PopSugar, The Millions, and The News & Observer! Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One...
This savage song : a monsters of Verity novel
Schwab, Victoria
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller * An Amazon Best Book of the Year There's no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from acclaimed author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains--and...
The alchemyst : the secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel
Scott, Michael
Paper Book
Nicholas Flamel appeared in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter--but did you know he really lived? And his secrets aren't safe! Discover the truth in book one of the New York Times bestselling series the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.   The truth:<...
Iron cast
Soria, Destiny
Paper Book
It's Boston, 1919, and the Cast Iron club is packed. On stage, hemopaths--whose "afflicted" blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art--Corinne and Ada have been best friends ever since infamous gangster Johnny Dervish recruited them into his circle. By night they perform for...
The thief
Turner, Megan Whalen
Paper Book
Discover and rediscover the world of the Queen's Thief, from the acclaimed novel The Thief to the thrilling, twenty-years-in-the-making conclusion, The Return of the Thief. The epic novels set in the world of the Queen's Thief can be read in any order. New York Times...
Leviathan
Westerfeld, Scott.
Audiobook
It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in...

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