5 Series to Start While Waiting for Six of Crows Sequel Crooked Kingdom

Illusive, by Emily Lloyd-Jones
A vaccine created against a virus gave a percentage of the population special powers, and illusive Ciere and eidos Devon are among them. In a world where those with powers were given the option to either serve the government or be branded traitorous, they’ve chosen what’s behind door number three: using their powers with illusions, memory, and heightened senses in a criminal fashion. When she’s forced to hunt down the supposedly destroyed formula that gave her powers in the first place, Ciere teams up with Devon; her gangleader (and essentially foster father) Kit; and a few other superpowered friends to go after it, leading to high-stakes hijinks, twists, and turns. For those who strongly prefer romance to take a backseat in their SFF, this is a perfect pick, especially since it’s still bantertastic in all the best ways. And if you’re thinking, “Hey, this sounds like X-Men meets Ocean’s 11!” You are correct, and it reads like it, too. Which is glorious.

The Girl at Midnight, by Melissa Grey
Echo doesn’t know where she comes from, but she’s perfectly happy in her life as the only human living among the birdlike Avicen race, picking pockets and selling her gains on the black market. But as war with the dragonesque Drakharin race edges closer to their nest below the streets of New York City, Echo knows it’s time to put her gathering skills to more important use: tracking down the legendary thunderbird that will supposedly end this feud for good. But she can’t do it on her own, and before long, her quest includes her best friend, Ivy; intriguing Drakharin prince Caius and his enamored, loyal bodyguard, Dorian; and the hilarious Jasper, who’ll flirt with anything with a pulse, and twice with Dorian on Sundays. The combination of killer voice, awesome teamwork, a desperate quest, and some tortured romance make it perfect for Bardugo fans, but for Jesper/Wylan fans, just wait until Jaspian takes it over the top for you, especially in sequel The Shadow Hour.

Trust Me, I’m Lying, by Mary Elizabeth Summer
Being a teen con artist who scams her classmates for cash? Just another day at the office for Julep Dupree, if that is her real name. (It isn’t.) But when she comes home to find her grifter father’s disappeared, Julep’s gotta go way above her usual pay grade to bring him back. Together with her best friend, Sam, and high school hot guy, Tyler, who is definitely interested in more than just three-card monty with Julep, they hunt down the only consistent family she has ever known. But what they tumble into is so much more dangerous and complicated than any of them imagined, and it will drastically change all their lives forever. (It will also introduce Julep to mob boss Dani, leading into Trust Me, I’m Trouble and one of my all-time favorite girl-girl ships, but I digress…)

The Young Elites, by Marie Lu
If you’re down with powerful bad boy Kaz Brekker, just wait until you chill with bad girl Adelina Amouteru. Only when it comes to Adelina, the powers are a little more literal. She’s a survivor of Blood Fever, a condition that left those who survived it with strange markings and stranger abilities, and put governmental targets on their backs. But while the Inquisition Axis would hunt people like her down, Adelina escapes near-execution with the help of Enzo, who is similarly empowered and brings to her a group of fellow Young Elites, who embrace their gifts instead of villainizing them. But the Adeline’s darkness may be too much even for those with whom she shares this new kinship to bear, and in this world, those who don’t fight together are destined to war apart. Adelina is probably the single most badass female MC in all of YA fantasy, and the best news? Sequel The Rose Society is every bit as good, and trilogy cap The Midnight Star releases in October.

The Fixer, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
YA’s answer to Scandal finds Tess Kendrick forced to move in with her sister, Ivy, in Washington, D.C., where Ivy just happens to be the capital’s most notorious and prolific “fixer,” a crafty mastermind who makes problems go away behind the scenes. Turns out, the skill’s genetic, and Tess quickly rises to a similar position in her new private school. But in a city like D.C., it’s only a matter of time before their worlds collide, and when they do, it happens with a vengeance and a shattering of secrets from which they may never recover. This series is so much fun and so fast-paced, and the best part is that I guessed every single twist wrong, and you probably will, too.