5 YA Fantasy Tropes We Can’t Get Enough Of

Shadowshaper, by Daniel Jose Older
Sierra Santiago doesn’t come into her own powers until she notices the murals around her Brooklyn home weeping—and corpses stalking her. It turns out Sierra is the latest in a line of Shadowshapers, wielding powers that infuse artwork with ancestral spirits. And she’s needed now more than ever.

Soundless, by Richelle Mead
Seemingly always, Fei has lived in a village with no sound. Her home is in crisis, as villagers begin to lose their sight, too. One day, however, Fei wakes up with the ability to hear, and she realizes it’s up to her to seek out the truth.

The Bone Witch, by Rin Chupeco
Sometimes, you accidentally resurrect your brother; it happens to the best of us. For Tea, it means the revelation that she’s not quite like the other witches in her family. She has the power of necromancy, and that knowledge will invite some new adventures.

The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson
Near-death experiences can unlock the Sight, the ability to see ghosts walking among the living world. And now Rory Deveaux has it. That newfound power will plunge her headfirst into the arms of London’s underground ghost police, the Shades.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Unready Royalty
Lavish palaces and elegant balls are all well and good, but it’s often most exhilarating to gaze upon them with fresh eyes. That’s why the hero or heroine thrust unexpectedly or abruptly into the royal realm is so particularly delicious.

The Queen of the Tearling, by Erika Johansen
At 19, Kelsea is her realm’s last hope. Raised in exile, she returns to an unsteady kingdom to assume her rightful throne. She’s got enemies within and outside her borders, and it’s thrilling to root for her.

The Star-Touched Queen, by Roshani Chokshi
Maya has lived with the knowledge of her fate her whole life. Doomed by a horoscope that predicts a marriage of “Death and Destruction,” she’s spent most of her royal life hiding from it in books. But the fate of her kingdom rests on her marriage and her reign as queen.

Of Fire and Stars, by Audrey Coulthurst
Princess Dennaleia has been betrothed since childhood. But even knowing her future hasn’t fully prepared her for the reality of navigating her new husband and kingdom—or the hidden and forbidden magic welling inside her.

Sabriel, by Garth Nix
The role of the Abhorsen is not necessarily “royal,” but it is a hereditary calling. Sabriel has spent most of her time at a boarding school outside of the Old Kingdom, where her father serves Abhorsen, the gatekeeper of life and death. When her father goes missing, however, she’s confronted by new responsibilities and old evils.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Flawed and Feisty Heroines
A good story is nothing without a worthy protagonist. While that could mean either a hero or a heroine, YA fantasy does few things better than putting the spotlight on capable, compelling young women, flaws and all.

The Wrath & the Dawn, by Renée Ahdieh
The Caliph of Khorasan takes a new bride each night and kills her the next morning, so 16-year-old Shahrzad’s decision to marry Khalid comes as a surprise. Night after night, however, she survives. In large part, that’s due to her cleverness and her stubbornness, which also prove dangerous at times.

Revenge and the Wild, by Michelle Modesto
As a child, Westie lost her arm (and her family) to cannibals. Since then, she’s blossomed into a rough-around-the-edges young woman in the lawless frontier town of Rogue City, where dark magic mingles with an outlaw spirit. Her mechanical arm is matched only by her recklessness when it comes to danger.

Magonia, by Maria Dahvana Headley
Aza struggles with a mysterious disease that makes it all but impossible for her to breathe—on Earth, anyway. In Magonia, the land above the clouds, however, she can not only survive, but thrive. The only question is on which side will she stand in a conflict between Magonia and Earth.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unknown and Unsettling Worlds
Typically, when you think of the fantasy genre, you think of world-building, of portals into new and uncharted lands. Sometimes though, you don’t wind up in Wonderland. Sometimes you fall down a very dark hole indeed, and the journey is equal parts dizzying and intoxicating.

Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire
We’ve all read the stories about children who fall down rabbit holes or through enchanted wardrobes. McGuire chooses to tell the stories of the children who wash back up on our shores after their trips at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.

Labyrinth Lost, by Zoraida Córdova
Alex has a deep mistrust of magic, which is inconvenient as she’s the latest in a long line of brujas. When a spell goes awry, however, she’s forced to descend to Los Lagos, an in-between world that’s both wondrous and terrifying.

Wintersong, by S. Jae-Jones
In the Goblin King, we see beauty and danger and everything that keeps us coming back for more fantastical journeys. He’s taken Liesl’s sister, and now, Liesl must journey to the Underground to rescue her—though, she may need a rescue herself.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dangerous Games
Often, what lends unease to these unknown worlds is a marquee event, the ultimate test: a game that’s most definitely not for fun, or a test of skill with phenomenal consequences. Whether it comes as a wide-eyed surprise or at the conclusion of years of training, the results are high-stakes and all-consuming.

Caraval, by Stephanie Garber
Caraval is the mysterious performance (part circus, part game) that has plagued Scarlett’s desires since childhood. Supposedly, everything’s part of the show, but the truth of that statement will be tested when Scarlett finally gets her invite to Caraval.

A Crown of Wishes, by Roshani Chokshi
The Tournament of Wishes sounds happy, right? Obviously, it’s a little more complicated. The tournament, held in an otherworldly kingdom, promises a wish to the victor of a three-way battle that will test strength, skill, and wits.

An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir
At stake for Elias in the Trials is an empire, a brutal and bloody one. He’s been bred for this crowning achievement, but as the deadly competition looms, his entanglement with a slave-turned-spy, Laia, changes everything.