7 of the Best New and Upcoming Fantasy Standalones

​ To Kill A Kingdom, by Alexandra Christo
Sirens are in style. There’s a new television show about them; they’ve made cameos in numerous movies; and now they’re back in YA fantasy. I fell in love with To Kill A Kingdom from its very first line: “I have a heart for every year I’ve been alive.” Royal siren Lira—whose collection of hearts came from seventeen murdered princes—is forced to kill one of her own. As punishment, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into one of the humans she hates. Lira can transform back only if she brings the Sea Queen the heart of another prince—a prince who wants to murder all sirens, and who could offer Lira a new kind of power.

The Wicked Deep, by Shea Ernshaw
You might have noticed The Wicked Deep when it made the New York Times bestseller list the week of its debut, but it has been on my radar since that gorgeous cover was revealed. The Wicked Deep‘s concept is what really makes it land: it’s basically a YA Hocus Pocus, the best movie Bette Midler has ever done. (Don’t @ me.) In the town of Sparrow, three sisters drowned for witchcraft two centuries earlier return each summer, inhabiting the bodies of Sparrow girls in order to lure boys to their deaths. Penny accepted the fate of her town, until a new boy named Bo arrives, unaware of the fate that awaits him, and mistrusting Penny’s warnings—even though she has the ability to see what he cannot.

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
Sea Witch is a retelling of “The Little Mermaid” from the perspective of the “evil” witch Ursula. After mourning the loss of her best friend, Evie meets a new girl in her small fishing town—a girl who looks uncannily like her dead best friend. But she’s friendly, and there are two princes who are interested in them both. A happily ever after could be on the horizon—but we all know where this story is going, and dark magic might ruin them first.

Beneath the Citadel, by Destiny Soria
Destiny Soria entered the YA world with historical fantasy Iron Cast, and returns this October with Beneath the Citadel. In Eldra, ancient prophecies guide everything and have kept a high council in power for centuries—until they run out of prophecies. Now a decade-long rebellion, which includes among its ranks the orphan Cass, rages against the hidden council—a council that could be overturned if Cass can figure out the real meaning of the final prophecy.

Sawkill Girls, by Claire LeGrand
Looking for a fantasy horror novel about three girls destined to take down a haunting god-figure on a tiny island? Then you need the obsession-worthy Sawkill Girls, coming this October. Meet Marion, whose family grief drags her down even as she hungers for a love that awkward girls like her never get. And Val, the gorgeous queen bee who lies as easily as she breathes and hides her own family secrets. And Zoey, finding her own center even as she struggles to hide her loneliness. Finally, there’s the monster, lingering in the darkness, who has been tearing girls away from the island for centuries—unless this brave and bruised trio can stop him.

Blanca & Roja, by Anna-Marie McLemore
Would it be wrong to declare Anna-Marie McLemore the queen of YA magical realism? The title seems fitting, especially with Blanca & Roja on the horizon. This story follows the Cerceta girls—both sisters and rivals, doomed to butt heads in a competition in which one will remain a human while the other is turned into a swan. A reimagining of “Snow-White and Rose-Red,” McLemore’s new book is already beloved of Claire Legrand, author of Sawkill Girls—so obviously you need it in your life.

Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett
Traitor Kate—a title inherited from her father, a would-be assassin—works for a courier service after being cast out by her country’s royal house. She delivers things in the dead of night, when drakes come out to hunt. Most cannot do it, but Kate has forbidden magic running through her veins, and is able to control the minds of animals. This keeps her safe…at least until drakes massacre a caravan in broad daylight. The only person left alive? Her first love, the prince—the boy who condemned her father to death. If you’re as big a fan of the lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers trope as I am, you’ll need to read Arnett’s latest when it comes out in May.