10 Best YA Fantasy Books Of All Time

Many of the most successful books of the last few decades have been YA fantasy novels. From supernatural romances to grand magical adventures, young readers have fallen so head-over-heels in love with the fictional worlds they never wanted to leave that the genre is one of the strongest in modern literature. What’s more, their appeal extends well beyond teenagers. The excitement of a solid literary fantasy adventure is entertaining no matter one's age, even if the commercially-targeted readership is explicitly young adults. Countless novels will always be considered classics of the genre, but the best YA fantasy books stand apart, and their status is hard to argue against. Many have transcended their original readership to become the foundations of iconic pop culture properties. Whether they send readers to faerie courts, supernatural criminal underworlds, dystopian versions of earth, or hidden magic schools, the greatest YA fantasy novels account for some of the most exciting and emotionally engaging stories modern literature has to offer. 10 The Twilight Series By Stephenie Meyer (2005-2020) A Teenager’s Romance With A Vampire Draws Her Into A Hidden Supernatural Conflict Few YA fantasy books understand the all-consuming intensity of first love as effectively as Twilight. Stephenie Meyer makes the supernatural romance between sparkling vampire Edward and new girl in town Bella feel more magical and awe-inspiring than any of the story’s supernatural elements. The intensity and directness of the couple’s romantic journey means readers are invested long before the deeper lore and fantasy worldbuilding fully take shape. The four original Twilight novels also tap into common young-adult anxieties around belonging. The supernatural families are used to explore questions about loyalty and independence, giving Bella’s romantic choices consequences beyond simply choosing a partner. While there are certain elements of the later plot that became divisive, such as the idea of werewolf imprinting, the way Stephenie Meyer gives Bella’s uncertainty and longing as much of a presence as the series’ supernatural elements ensures it will always be a YA fantasy staple. You can purchase Twilight, the first novel in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, here. 9 The Folk Of The Air Trilogy By Holly Black (2018-2019) A Mortal Girl Raised Among Faeries Fights For Influence In A Court Where Immortality Offers No Protection Faerie courts are common territory in YA fantasy, but they rarely feel as hostile or full of danger like in Holly Black's The Folk of the Air novels. Beginning with 2018’s The Cruel Prince, the trilogy treats etiquette, bargains, and social standing as practical instruments of power just as important as any sword or spell. The central heroine of the series, Jude, is a mortal girl raised in this dangerous faerie world after her parents’ murder. Jude has ambitions beyond mere survival, and it’s here that The Folk of the Air novels gain their brilliance as reading experiences beyond their fantasy setting. Unlike many YA fantasy heroes, Jude is openly aggressive and confrontational, and Holly Black’s willingness to embrace such an abrasive protagonist immediately distinguishes The Folk of the Air novels. Jude’s victory isn’t based on any kind of divine destiny. She’s not a humble ordinary person who finds themselves suddenly imbued with great power. Her success requires an open appetite for manipulation and seeing one’s foes defeated, a rarity among central YA fantasy characters. Anyone who enjoys worlds where a backhanded compliment is just as dangerous as a concealed dagger will find The Folk of the Air books among the most satisfying that YA fantasy has to offer. You can purchase The Cruel Prince, the first novel in The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, here. 8 The Six Of Crows Duology By Leigh Bardugo (2015-2016) Six Young Criminals Undertake A Seemingly Impossible Magical Heist Any decent heist story requires a memorable ensemble group of characters, especially when it blends with other genres. Leigh Bardugo completely understands this with her Six of Crows duology, which is part of the author’s Grishaverse universe. Bardugo uses the heist story structure to embark on an incredibly satisfying character-focused adventure, with the elaborate schemes of Kaz Brekker and his five talented specialists almost taking a secondary focus to the intense interpersonal drama between the crew’s members. It’s incredibly impressive how emotional material weaves so seamlessly with criminal adventure, and this is why Six of Crows and its sequel, Crooked Kingdom, count among the best YA fantasy novels (and are definitely the best Grishaverse stories). Relationships and trust only develop through intense patience, testing and setting of boundaries, and difficult choices, which gives enormous weight to every new friendship or unexpected portrayal. Combined with the commercial brutality of the setting Ketterdam, this character-first approach leads to a YA fantasy crime story whose brilliance extends far beyond its twists. You can purchase Six of Crows, the first novel in the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo, here. 7 The Harry Potter Series By J.K. Rowling (1997-2007) An Orphan Enrolling In A Magical School Becomes A Journey About Confronting Destiny The Harry Potter books make magical education feel like an experience readers have personally shared. Lessons, examinations, rivalries, meals, and school holidays make Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry one of the most satisfying settings in any YA fantasy series. Across the seven Harry Potter novels, the Wizarding World becomes as fleshed out as any of the book’s characters. This leads to the central conflict over its fate between Harry and Voldemort feeling far more consequential and important than almost any other fictional battle between good and evil. What’s more, while the worldbuilding of the Harry Potter books accounts for why they remain so beloved after decades, the story itself taps into many of the themes that define the best YA fantasy. The friendship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione remains the emotional foundation throughout, and this keeps the ever-expanding mythology grounded and ensures every victory and defeat resonates with readers. Few fantasy series balance the satisfaction of an individual school-year adventure with the momentum of a larger conflict quite so successfully. You can purchase Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first novel in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, here. 6 The Daughter Of Smoke & Bone Trilogy By Laini Taylor (2011-2014) A Prague Art Student Raised By Chimaera Becomes Entangled In A Devastating Conflict With Angels Lyrical prose can give literary fantasy tremendous atmosphere, and Daughter of Smoke & Bone brings this appeal to the YA corner of the genre. Author Laini Taylor’s imagery gives every setting, character, and creature a vivid physical presence, making the extraordinary feel real enough to touch. The opening novel introduces readers to Karou, a 17-year-old art student whose mysterious errands connect everyday Prague to a much stranger hidden world. The many twists, turns, and shock revelations give the story a lot of momentum, but it’s Taylor’s writing style that elevates the three Daughter Of Smoke & Bone novels from simply being great YA fantasy stories to among the greatest books in the genre. There’s a lot of deep thematic work in the Daughter Of Smoke & Bone books too, especially when it comes to exploring which side is truly good and which is truly evil in a seemingly traditional fantasy conflict. Ideas like romance, grief, and vengeance also complicate matters and add a distinct spin to Karou’s journey and place in the wider battle between the angelic Seraphim and human-animal hybrid Chimaera. The result is a philosophically rich reading experience whose emotional depth is supported by some truly beautiful prose. Throw in a great magic system and a perfect tonal balance between its fantasy and romance and this secures itself as an essential reading for YA fantasy fan. You can purchase Daughter of Smoke & Bone, the first novel in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor, here. 5 The An Ember In The Ashes Quartet By Sabaa Tahir (2015-2020) A Young Scholar Seeking Her Imprisoned Brother And A Morally Conflicted Soldier Confront The Brutality Of An Oppressive Empire Rebellion forms the center of many YA fantasy narratives, but few examine how oppression is actually enforced quite like Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes quartet. Violence in Tahir’s Roman-inspired world is reinforced through education, punishment, status, and the constant narrowing of available choices, which the author explores with chilling detail. The plot places readers on both sides of the oppressor-oppressed divide, with the story split between scholar Laia’s attempts to rescue her imprisoned brother from the regime, and soldier Elias’s questioning of the social structure he helps to violently enforce. The alternating viewpoints of Laia and Elias become an incredibly effective lens through which the An Ember in the Ashes novels explore the relationship between freedom and rebellion. The world of the Martial Empire is a brutal one, but the brutality has a thematic purpose. However, that doesn’t mean that the books are an unending parade of bleakness. Tahir also understands the importance of tenderness within such a harsh setting. The darker passages are all complemented by moments of affection and compassion that serve to make Laia and Elias’s resistance to the status quo matter all the more, especially as the scale and supernatural aspects of the plot increase. You can purchase An Ember in the Ashes, the first novel in the An Ember in the Ashes quartet by Sabaa Tahir, here. 4 The Percy Jackson & The Olympians Series By Rick Riordan (2005-2024) A Boy Who Discovers He Is A Greek Demigod Must Navigate Ancient Rivalries That Are Still Causing Trouble In Modern America Humor is one of YA fantasy’s most underrated aspects, and no book series in the genre use it as effectively as Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Author Rick Riordan makes ancient gods hilariously fit the present-day world by translating the vanity, grudges, and family disputes that defined them in Ancient Greek myths into modern behavior. However, comedy isn’t the only reason Percy Jackson’s saga is now one of YA fiction's most iconic fantasy adventures. The series earns its place through the way it makes the emotional conflicts and problems faced by its young heroes while on their grand quest resonate perfectly with the target readership. As Percy and his grow up across the 7 Percy Jackson novels, they must confront harsh truths like loyalty becoming more difficult when enemies have legitimate grievances, and that the journey to becoming a hero never comes without compromise or sacrifice. Its treatment of ADHD and dyslexia is especially memorable, reframing experiences associated with classroom frustration within an empowering fantasy framework. Rick Riordan never lets these ideas overwhelm the entertainment, either. The narrative voice remains conversational and quick, making exposition unusually painless and even enjoyable. It’s a perfect blend of lighthearted jokes, genuinely engaging fantasy adventure, and a core moral message that struggling to fit in never means one doesn’t matter. You can purchase The Lightning Thief, the first novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, here. 3 The Mortal Instruments Series By Cassandra Clare (2007-2014) A New York Teenager Discovers A Hidden Society Of Demon Hunters And Learns That Her Family Belongs To Its Dangerous World The best urban fantasy novels depend on making familiar places feel newly charged with possibility, and The Mortal Instruments delivers that pleasure like few other YA book series. Nightclubs, streets, and buildings become entrances to a supernatural society with its own laws, prejudices, and competing loyalties. Beginning with City of Bones, Cassandra Clare’s six-book series follows teenager Clary as she discovers that she is a Shadowhunter, a human-angel hybrid. Clare builds outward from this premise to create a unique fantasy world that becomes the perfect setting to use fantasy conflict as a tool to examine emotional disorder and trauma. The Mortal Instruments novels cover almost all the staple thematic topics associated with YA fantasy like friendships, romantic attachments, and complicated family histories. It’s how Cassandra Clare meshes them into a rich hidden fantasy world that incorporates dozens of supernatural species and cultures that makes the series a genre essential. While its unapologetically melodramatic tone does put some readers off, the way this intensity is used to explore ideas belonging and inherited prejudice is incredibly engaging. Even at their most extravagant, The Mortal Instruments remain among the most emotionally poignant YA fantasy series ever written, and they remain an absolute highlight of the wider genre. You can purchase City of Bones, the first novel in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, here. 2 The His Dark Materials Trilogy By Philip Pullman (1995-2000) Two Children Traveling Between Worlds Become Central To A Struggle Against The Authority That Governs Existence Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy isn’t just a YA fantasy achievement, it’s a literary triumph. Not only is its fantasy worldbuilding unique and substantial and its approach to coming-of-age YA themes pitch-perfect, it’s also one of the most philosophically rich book trilogies of the modern era. The core of all three novels is the conflict between the free will of the individual and the assumed absolute authority of fate and destiny, with nearly every aspect and detail serving Pullman’s exploration. For example, the dæmons of protagonist Lyra’s world are much more than animal companions all humans are born with. They’re literal manifestations of the human soul, with their animal forms representing a person’s personality. The fixed forms of these dæmons then naturally lead to questions surrounding whether someone’s characteristics are immutable, or whether they can eventually change. For a YA novel, this is extraordinary mature emotional territory, especially as the narrative unfolds and it becomes clear that Lyra and Will, the companion she finds in another world, may end up having to kill a figure who is god in all but name. Philip Pullman does a remarkable job of trusting young readers to engage with ideas like religious authority and ethical responsibility without ever talking down to them. At the same time, fantastical elements like armored bears, witches, and knives that can tear holes in reality ensure that the philosophical argument takes place within the confines of a riveting adventure. You can purchase The Golden Compass, the first novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, here. 1 The Hunger Games Series By Suzanne Collins (2008-2025) A Teenager Forced Into A Televised Death Match Becomes A Symbol Of Resistance Against Tyranny While the world of The Hunger Games draws from dystopian sci-fi with its aesthetic, its story structure and the grand quest of the bow-and-arrow wielding Katniss Everdeen not only make it a perfect YA fantasy series, but one of the best in the entire genre. Author Suzanne Collins takes an immediately gripping survival premise and uses it to explore the role of entertainment in enforcing inequality and unjust political power. It’s a deeply relevant thematic focus for modern readers, especially compared with more traditional and morally clear-cut good vs. evil conflicts. It’s for this reason that The Hunger Games novels are, for many, the definitive example of YA fantasy at its most engaging. However, there’s a lot more to The Hunger Games than simply tapping into the concerns of contemporary readers. The story is gripping throughout, and the way that Suzanne Collins refuses to treat the central rebellion as an inherent force-for-good that’s beyond scrutiny adds a moral complexity that ensures readers feel respected. Collins writes with a directness that makes these ideas accessible without making them simplistic. Combine this with the fact that the Games themselves make for some incredibly high-octane action sequences and Katniss being an incredibly well-written heroine, and The Hunger Games novels make their claim to being one of the best YA fantasy book series incredibly difficult to dispute. You can purchase The Hunger Games, the first novel in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, here.