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be frank

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I haven't! I'll look into that one. I'm also eyeing When Dimple Met Rishi and American Panda and I hear those two books mentioned alongside Jenny Han a lot!

Also Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I'd almost put Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon in this category too, but it does have a darker undercurrent to the sweet.

eta: Seconding Anatomical Shape of a Heart. That's a great read.
 
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ReadWriteRachel

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Also Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I'd almost put Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon in this category too, but it does have a darker undercurrent to the sweet.

eta: Seconding Anatomical Shape of a Heart. That's a great read.

I enjoyed The Upside of Unrequited so Simon is on my list! Have you read I'll Give You the Sun? I've heard good things about that one as well but haven't picked it up yet.
 

KTC

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I'm looking for some lighter YA contemporary! Something in the vein of Anna and the French Kiss or Fangirl, if that helps -- I prefer books without hard-hitting political issues, life-threatening diseases, etc. :)

I absolutely LOVED Love Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed. It's right up Anna and the French Kiss's alley...with the addition of bigotry issues. But, honestly, for the most part I found it a charming light contemporary.
 

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Yeah, honestly I wasn't sure quite what to recommend. There are other YA books I super love but most of them tend to get into heavier issues than the lighter feel of Fangirl and Anna and the French Kiss.
 

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This is super super vague, but I've realized that most of my reading list is ancient in terms of publishing. My boyfriend recently got me reading Percy Jackson because they're his favourite novels but he won't let me read the recently released ones until I read every other book written by Rick Riordan it seems. XD So my reading list is comprised of books that were published at least 10 years ago. I did recently head to the bookstore to find some new books, but one I bought and am currently reading (The Warrior Heir) was still published more than 10 years ago, and the other (FirstLife) is 2 years old which is recent at least, but I need more. I write YA Fantasy mainly but also delve into other realms of YA. I like to read YA Fantasy mainly as well.
 

ULTRAGOTHA

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...he won't let you...?


So you're asking for recent YA fantasy novels to read?

These books were all published in 2017 and are finalists for the 2018 World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) Award for Best Young Adult Book:
Akata Warrior, by Nnedi Okorafor (Viking)
The Art of Starving, by Sam J. Miller (HarperTeen)
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, by Philip Pullman (Knopf)
In Other Lands, by Sarah Rees Brennan (Big Mouth House)
A Skinful of Shadows, by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan UK / Harry N. Abrams US)
Summer in Orcus, written by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), illustrated by Lauren Henderson (Sofawolf Press)
(Summer in Orcus was published in 2016, but this illustrated version came out last year.)
 

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The author of the Warrior Heir has a current series out: Shattered Realms.

Do you like some of these books better than others? What do you like and/or dislike about them? There's a variety of YA fantasy pubbed each year, so knowing what you're interested in will help with recs.
 

KayMitch

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...he won't let you...?


So you're asking for recent YA fantasy novels to read?

These books were all published in 2017 and are finalists for the 2018 World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) Award for Best Young Adult Book:
Akata Warrior, by Nnedi Okorafor (Viking)
The Art of Starving, by Sam J. Miller (HarperTeen)
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, by Philip Pullman (Knopf)
In Other Lands, by Sarah Rees Brennan (Big Mouth House)
A Skinful of Shadows, by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan UK / Harry N. Abrams US)
Summer in Orcus, written by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), illustrated by Lauren Henderson (Sofawolf Press)
(Summer in Orcus was published in 2016, but this illustrated version came out last year.)

Thank you! I'll look into them and see if they're something I might be interested in reading!


The author of the Warrior Heir has a current series out: Shattered Realms.

Do you like some of these books better than others? What do you like and/or dislike about them? There's a variety of YA fantasy pubbed each year, so knowing what you're interested in will help with recs.

I did see that she had a newer series out AFTER I bought the Warrior Heir, and so far I'm thoroughly enjoying it so i'll definitely be getting that series as well.

It's hard to sum into words what I like in a book XD I like characters with snark/sass and plots that involve interesting, dynamic, fantasy worlds. I love dragons, elves, all that high fantasy stuff as well. But clearly I also enjoy fantasy that is set in the more real like world as well.

And beyond that i have a guilty pleasure for Sarah Dessen's novels XD
 

ULTRAGOTHA

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In that case, Kaymitch, Try Summer in Orcus first (It's FREE online! Click the link!). Also try every other book by T. Kingfisher. They might not specifically be YA but all are suitable for YA. Talk about snark/sass and dynamic worlds! You will love them!
 

MaryLennox

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Thank you! I'll look into them and see if they're something I might be interested in reading!




I did see that she had a newer series out AFTER I bought the Warrior Heir, and so far I'm thoroughly enjoying it so i'll definitely be getting that series as well.

It's hard to sum into words what I like in a book XD I like characters with snark/sass and plots that involve interesting, dynamic, fantasy worlds. I love dragons, elves, all that high fantasy stuff as well. But clearly I also enjoy fantasy that is set in the more real like world as well.

And beyond that i have a guilty pleasure for Sarah Dessen's novels XD

I would recommend Sarah J. Maas - her Throne of Glass series. The first one was put out a while ago, but the series has not come to a conclusion yet. I think there's going to be seven full books...but I could be wrong about that. Most recently there was a spin-off book. The mc is pretty snarky/sassy. Maas also has the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but some people feel it is older than YA...or it was intended to not be YA...but since she already had a YA fantasy it got lumped in with YA. Or something. I really like both. ACoTaR has a new novella out. But they are heavy on the romance - just a warning, in case you're not into that.
 

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Can anyone recommend some serious, super-realistic contemporary YA? In the vein of THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES, WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF, I STOP SOMEWHERE, and HATE LIST. I'm currently writing a serious contemporary YA about a girl whose boyfriend tries (and fails) to kill her and how she comes to terms with what happened and his death. I like to read books similar to what I'm writing for inspiration, and right now I just keep cycling through the four above. :)
 

Kjbartolotta

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Can anyone recommend some serious, super-realistic contemporary YA? In the vein of THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES, WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF, I STOP SOMEWHERE, and HATE LIST. I'm currently writing a serious contemporary YA about a girl whose boyfriend tries (and fails) to kill her and how she comes to terms with what happened and his death. I like to read books similar to what I'm writing for inspiration, and right now I just keep cycling through the four above. :)

Hmm. I really liked American Girls, which isn't meant to be super-dark or heavy, but deep and introspective, while still managing to be fun. Please Ignore Vera Dietz may to closer to what you're looking for, an amazing, honest, heart-wrenching book.
 

Shante_

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Hmm. I really liked American Girls, which isn't meant to be super-dark or heavy, but deep and introspective, while still managing to be fun. Please Ignore Vera Dietz may to closer to what you're looking for, an amazing, honest, heart-wrenching book.

Thank you! I think I actually have Vera Dietz on my Kindle, but haven't yet gotten around to reading it. Bumped up to the top of my TBR! :)
 

Kjbartolotta

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AS King is so, so, sooooooooo good. Vera's my fav and her least surreal one (though it does have a chapter written from the perspective of a pagoda). I would suggest I Crawl Through it for her best book about the effects of trauma, though its very weird.
:)
 
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be frank

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Can anyone recommend some serious, super-realistic contemporary YA? In the vein of THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES, WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF, I STOP SOMEWHERE, and HATE LIST. I'm currently writing a serious contemporary YA about a girl whose boyfriend tries (and fails) to kill her and how she comes to terms with what happened and his death. I like to read books similar to what I'm writing for inspiration, and right now I just keep cycling through the four above. :)

Try The Sea of Tranquillity by Katja Millay and If I Lie by Corrine Jackson.
 
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Girlsgottawrite

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Comp Titles: YA Gothic / Horror Fantasy - Please help!

Hi Everyone,
So I'm writing a ya gothic fantasy. It takes place in a fictional version of the creole south in the mid 1800's. It's got a bit of a witchcraft / voodoo vibe and has a lot of creepy/ horror elements. What I'm looking for are some books, ya or not, that might make good comps. At this point I'm looking for some reading to help bolster my own work since this is a sort of new area for me, but I will eventually need comp titles if I ever want to try to get this thing published.

I'm reading The Monstrumologist right now, and it's really good, but it doesn't have the supernatural/witchcraft elements I'm looking for.

Any recommendations? I've been hunting all over, but I must not be doing something right because I've come up with very little.

Thanks,
Courtney
 

Fuchsia Groan

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I can't think of anything with precisely those elements, but maybe Dawn Kurtagich's books (The Dead House and And the Trees Crept In)? Very gothic with supernatural elements, though not witchcraft as far as I remember.

Possibly Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn?

Books I haven't actually read that sound in this vein to me: The May Queen Murders, Beware the Wild. And Holly Black writes gothic stuff. Give me a few days and I'll think of more. :) I don't think any of these are historical, though.

Is the protagonist of your book competently practicing witchcraft (which could push it toward paranormal), or being affected by someone else's witchcraft? How scary/unknown is the witchcraft aspect?
 

edutton

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Hi Everyone,
So I'm writing a ya gothic fantasy. It takes place in a fictional version of the creole south in the mid 1800's. It's got a bit of a witchcraft / voodoo vibe and has a lot of creepy/ horror elements.
Take a look at Dia Reeves' Bleeding Violet... it's modern, but I think it has a lot of the other elements you're looking for.
 

Girlsgottawrite

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Thanks sooo much! These are great! I was looking for something with a real creep factor, and I think you guys have given me some great recs to get me going. I used to read a lot of horror, but have been reading mostly fantasy for a while now. Since I'm working on this cross-genre book, I wanted to brush up a bit. :)

Fuchsia - My character uses witchcraft to protect herself from other (more fantasy-ish magic) mostly. The magic isn't so much important as just getting the creepy vibe that I'm looking for. Thanks so much!
 
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I am looking for some recommendations on YA fiction that includes super powers or special abilities of some kind.
 

Brightdreamer

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I am looking for some recommendations on YA fiction that includes super powers or special abilities of some kind.

"Special abilities" is kind of broad... are we talking shapeshifting? Telekinesis? Seeing ghosts/fairies? And the setting... contemporary? Futuristic? Historical? Alternate timeline? Steampunk?

For super powers, the obvious answer would probably be Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart, set in a world where superpowered humans have become an untouchable elite class without legal or moral restraints. (Sanderson's Alcatraz series might count, too, if you're accepting magic-based special abilities - and humor.)

Jeremy Scott (of "CinemaSins" fame) wrote a superhero YA tale, The Ables, about young superpowered teens who must overcome various disabilities while saving their community.
 

be frank

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I am looking for some recommendations on YA fiction that includes super powers or special abilities of some kind.

THE DARKEST MINDS series by Alexandra Bracken
HUNTING LILA duology by Sarah Alderson
PIVOT POINT duology by Kasie West
BEING JAMIE BAKER series by Kelly Oram
 

edutton

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Book recommendations -- enemies to lovers?

I'm looking for things to read and enemies-to-lovers is my favourite romance trope. If anyone has suggestions, drop them below :)
As for other genres, I read basically anything. Sci-Fi, Mystery, Thrillers, Fantasy... As long as the story is good, I hold no qualms.