8 Great YAs that Reimagine Iconic Figures in Their Youth

Blackhearts, by Nicole Castroman
Who doesn’t love a good Blackbeard story? The infamous pirate, known for all sorts of mischief, makes for one excellent and often frightening tale. In Nicole Castroman’s Blackbeard origin story, Blackhearts, we meet Edward “Teach” Drummond long before he was notorious, when he was just the unhappy son of a rich merchant and indifferent fiancé to a woman he didn’t love. Meanwhile, as a new maid in the Drummond household, all Anne Barrett wants is freedom and to visit her mother’s birthplace. Both Teach and Anne’s hearts point to the sea and, eventually, to each other. But with impossible and forbidden choices around them, their story seems doomed to tragedy.

Lock & Mori, by Heather W. Petty
If you enjoy BBC’s Sherlock, you know how much fun can be had by placing Sherlock in the modern day. In Lock & Mori, not only do we get another modern Sherlock (“Lock”), we get him in his youth, still at school, alongside a young (and female) James “Mori” Moriarty. The two team up to solve a series of murders in London’s Regent’s Park, but when the clues start pointing in a very personal direction for Mori, secrets and lies may break the fragile trust between them. Don’t miss sequel Mind Games, out this December.

Teen Frankenstein, by Chandler Baker
Tor Frankenstein accidentally hits and kills a person with her car, but she’s determined her genius mind can bring him back to life…though the consequences aren’t what she expected. Teen Frankenstein isn’t so much a look at the famous doctor before his best-known experiment, but rather, an imagining of what would happen if that experiment took place while Frankenstein was a high schooler. The book’s hilarity and genderbent protagonist (we’re all about women in the sciences) make it a must.

Queen of Hearts, by Colleen Oakes
Not yet the Queen, the Princess of Hearts, Dinah, is a curious mixture of antiheroine and underdog. She’s envious, jealous, and a bit cruel, but she’s also a loving sister (toward her brother at least), heartbreakingly in love, and unable to stand the way people are treated in the Towers. She wants to be a good ruler who doesn’t lead with fear, as her father does. As in any court, however, navigating threats, politics, and royal family members is a nearly impossible task. Dinah does her best until a shocking betrayal that may cost her her head.

Scarlet, by A.C. Gaughen
Another genderbent origin story that rewrites Will Scarlet, a member of Robin Hood’s band of Merry Men, as a woman fleeing an evil fiancé. Scarlet is in hiding from Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, posing as a boy in Nottinghamshire before joining Robin and his band. Rob knows the truth about her, and sparks between them reveal an epic love story in the making. Rob and Scar’s shenanigans are highly addictive, and luckily their adventures span a full trilogy, continuing with Lady Thief and Lion Heart.

Tarnish, by Katherine Longshore
Katherine Longshore is a master of historical fiction, and the best place to start is with her Royal Circle series. Anne Boleyn is a well-known historical figure, from her affair with King Henry VIII to her shocking execution. While history often paints Anne as an ambitious seductress out for wealth and power, the true account may be very different. Tarnish imagines Anne in the Tudor Court before she became a queen. She wants to be more than just a marriageable asset to her family, but she doesn’t expect to fall in love with poet Thomas Wyatt. Her head and her heart battle as the King starts to notice her, and Anne must decide what it means to be true to herself.

Black Widow: Forever Red, by Margaret Stohl
I’m personally amazed that any of the Avengers or their associates make it through one city-destroying battle alive, let alone survive into adulthood. Black Widow: Forever Red gives us a glimpse into the life of young Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff, a lethal assassin and spy from the Marvel universe. In this thrilling story, Natasha’s mission is to protect Ava Orlova, the one person who can help take down Natasha’s old teacher. If you enjoy the stories of a more youthful Black Widow, the sequel, Black Widow: Red Vengeance, will be out this October.

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, by Rosamund Hodge
While technically the primary players of Romeo and Juliet begin and end Shakespeare’s play in their youth, we see little of Paris and nothing of Rosaline. Rosamund Hodge fills in that gap in the epic Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, book one in a duology, coming this September. Paris and Rosaline stand-in Runajo get the spotlight, telling the story of their own young lives—a swirl of swords, dark magic, and bloodshed—while they build complicated bonds with Romeo and Juliet. This is by far one of the most original Shakespeare retellings I’ve ever read, and you won’t look at the famous play the same way after reading it.