What to Read

YA Recommendation: Ravens, Space Ships, and Curses, Oh My!

YA has a little something for everyone. Are you looking for a little magical realism with a dark fantasy twist? Maybe you’re scoping out a portal fantasy with epic stakes. Perhaps you’re trying to get your hands on a riveting science fiction whose protagonist holds the fate of two planets in the palm of her hand? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Check out this great trifecta of trilogies!

The Nevermore Trilogy by Kelly Creagh

Isobel Lanley has it all: beauty, brains (okay, that one’s an overstatement), a hot quarterback boyfriend, the role of top flyer on Trenton High’s cheer squad, and amazing friends (kind of). When Mr. Swanson partners Isobel with Varen Nethers (Trenton’s representative goth) for an English project, she finds herself questioning more than her perception of Varen, but reality itself.

Strange supernatural things begin to happen around Isobel as her relationship with her sullen and reserved classmate takes a turn for the romantic. Can Isobel figure out what’s happening and stop it before takes away something she loves?

The Nevermore trilogy is a stunning YA tour de force with incredibly relatable characters that seem real and lived-in. The story is thrilling, while the budding romance between Isobel and Varen is deeply convincing. Varen is definitely one of my favorite love interests of all time!

The Xenith Trilogy by Chani Lynn Feener

Delaney is a normal Earth-girl whose chance encounter with Olenna, a runaway alien princess, sends her head-first into a struggle between two enemy kingdoms on the planet Xenith. Delaney must pretend to be Olenna until she’s found while ensuring that her betrothal to Prince Trystan goes off without a hitch. If the engagement fails, Earth would be caught in the crosshairs of an intergalactic war. She will have to use all of her wits to convince everyone that she is who she claims while dodging assassination attempts. Can she manage to make it out of this with her life… and her heart?

The Xenith Trilogy is chock-full of intergalactic political intrigue, sexy aliens, and a love triangle that works! Feener’s convincing worldbuilding, action-packed plots, wonderfully constructed romances, and fantastic characters make this YA trilogy one you won’t want to miss.

**The Cursebreakers Trilogy by Brigid Kemmerer**

Prince Rhen of Emberfall is cursed to relive the last season of his life by an enchantress. Every season, the prince’s royal guardsman, Grey, brings him a woman from another world to break the spell. Every year, Rhen drives these women away.

When Harper, Washington D.C. native and teen thoroughly down on her luck, intervenes to help a stranger in need, Grey accidentally takes her to be the prince’s next companion. Harper comes to understand that the only way she will be able to leave Emberfall is if she breaks the prince’s curse.

The first book focuses on Prince Rhen and Harper, while the second focuses on Grey. The final installment will likely combine these PoVs (though it isn’t set to drop until January 26, 2021). Kemmerer ensures that every storyline is compelling while keeping the reader on their toes. I could never anticipate what was going to happen next and found myself caring deeply about the characters. I await A Vow so Bold and Deadly with bated breath!

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Haley Forte

"Haley Forte is an LA-based aspiring fantasy and science fiction novelist by day and a grumpy book goblin on her third cup of coffee by night. She double-majored in English and International Studies during her final semester at the University of South Carolina (you know, like a madwoman). It was there where she learned to love caffeine and intersectional feminist literature and detest Ayn Rand, William Faulkner, and all-nighters. When she isn't writing a book, you can either find her with her nose in one or embarking on socially distanced hikes with friends. She lives in the tower room of a refurbished Spanish revival castle with a roommate and two cats.