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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Half a king
Abercrombie, Joe
Paper Book
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TIME AND THE WASHINGTON POST * LOCUS AWARD WINNER "The Shattered Seas trilogy has worked its way into a very exclusive group of my favorite fantasy novels of all time."--James Dashner, #1 New York Times...
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 guns above
Bennis, Robyn
Ebook
Robyn Bennis's THE GUNS ABOVE is an adventurous military fantasy debut about a nation's first female airship captain. They say it's not the fall that kills you. For Josette Dupre, the Corps' first female airship captain, it might just be a bullet in...
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...
The Scapegracers
Clarke, Hannah Abigail
Paper Book
"As tender and intimate as it is ferocious and volatile, Scapegracers deserves to be this generation's go-to grimoire. May it launch a thousand covens of angry, loving, brilliant girls." -Amal El-Mohtarin The New York Times Book Review Holiday Books Guide The Craft<...
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...
The 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. ...
The eye of the world
Jordan, Robert
Paper Book
The Wheel of Time is now an original series on Prime Video, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine! A special hardcover edition of The Eye of the World, the first novel in Robert Jordan's #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, celebrating the 30th...
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
Paper Book
"I love every aspect of this amazing book--a genderfluid hero, a deadly contest, and vicious courtly intrigue. Get! Read! Now!" --Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author I needed to win. They needed to die. Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid...
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...
Sabriel
Nix, Garth
Paper Book
Game of Thrones fans will love the New York Times bestselling Abhorsen series. Sabriel, the first installment in the trilogy, launched critically acclaimed author Garth Nix onto the fantasy scene as a rising star. Dark Secrets, Deep Love, and Dangerous Magic Sent to a boarding...
A deadly education : a novel
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
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 colour of magic
Pratchett, Terry
Paper Book
Terry Pratchett's profoundly irreverent novels are consistent number one bestsellers in England, where they have garnered him a revered position in the halls of parody next to Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen. The Color of Magic is Terry Pratchett's maiden voyage...
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
Ebook
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
Because of his bragging'and his great skill at thievery?Gen lands in the King's Prison, shackled to the wall of his cell. After months of isolation, kept sane only by his sharp intelligence, Gen is released by none other than the King's Scholar, the Magus, who believes he knows the site of an...
Leviathan
Westerfeld, Scott.
Ebook
The first novel in a masterful trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld that School Library Journal hailed is "sure to become a classic." It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron...

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