Sandy Shin:
please rec me some of your favorite paranormal or urban fantasy YA! Recently published (within the last few years) and set in high school ones would be awesome, but others are wonderful as well.
I've read the following over the last few years and would recommend them:
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Raven's Gate, Evil Star, Nightrise and Necropolis by Anthony Horowitz. These are the first 4 books in his Power of Five series (I think the last one is due out in 2011). It's his first foray into urban fantasy and although they're not set in school (sorry!), they are one of the few sets of books that use the whole world as their setting - e.g. Raven's Gate is set in England, Evil Star in England and Peru, Nightrise in the USA and Necropolis in Hong Kong. I think they're a more satisfying read than Horowitz's better known Alex Rider series and some of it is really creepy.
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Tithe, Valiant and Ironside by Holly Black. These have been recced by others and although there wasn't enough story within the 3 books for my tastes, the imagery is beautiful and if you're into faeries, then it's a must-read.
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The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven. I thought this book was a lot of fun. It's set in London and features vomiting demon bats.
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Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, and Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr. More faeries. Although there are scenes set within high school, it's more about the different faerie courts and the emotions that bind the characters together. The next in the series is Radiant Shadows, due out in April 2010.
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Magic or Madness, Magic Lessons and Magic's Child by Justine Larbalestier. For me, this is one of the best urban fantasy trilogies out there and I'm still surprised that it doesn't get much play. It's set in Sydney and New York and it's central characters face the ultimate dilemma - if they use their magical abilities, then it will reduce their life spans. If they don't use their magical abilities, then they'll go insane.
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Skulduggery Pleasant, Playing With Fire, and the Faceless Ones by Derek Landy. This is a series about a skeleton detective and his teenage girl sidekick and is set in Ireland. They're funny, dark and thrilling and the next in the series - Dark Days - is due out in April 2010.
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Un Lun Dun by China Mieville. This is urban fantasy but set in a parallel world to London. It's a strange read (but if you've read Mieville's adult work, then you'll be familiar with it), but he really subverts a lot of the cliches in YA fantasy.
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The Devouring by Simon Holt. This is urban horror/urban dark fantasy more than paranormal/urban fantasy, but I still thought it was a good read. It's the first in a series and there are a lot of tributes to the greats in horror fiction.
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The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan. This is the first in a trilogy, the second book The Demon's Covenant is due out this year. It's a more original take on YA urban fantasy than a lot of other books on the market in that the main character is a complete dick. But don't let that put you off, because he's meant to be a dick and it keeps the action going.
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Changeling and Dark Moon by Steve Feasey. This is a series about a teenage boy who discovers that he's a hereditary werewolf and gets involved in battling evil with a good vampire and a teenage sorceress. Although the premise isn't completely original, the action comes hard and fast and Feasey doesn't pull his punches and I like it because the action moves around the world (e.g. Dark Moon is partly set in Iceland). The next in the series - Blood Wolf - comes out in February 2010.
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The Medusa Project: The Set-Up by Sophie McKenzie. I'm recommending this because some of it is set in a school, but I'm in a minority who didn't think there was enough originality to the storyline. It's about teens with superpowers and involves crime fighting. The next in the series is The Hostage, which comes out in January.
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Stone Heart, Ironheart and Silver Tongue by Charlie Fletcher. I've only ready the first in this trilogy, but am eager to read the rest. It's set in London and is about a sort of parallel world where the statues are alive and at war with each other.
Hope that's of some help.
MM
