Next SFF Author: Rick Yancey

Previous SFF Author: John Wyndham

Series: Young Adult

Fantasy Literature for Young Adults (over the age of 12).

Pegasus: Pages and pages of nothingness

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Humans came to this land generations ago. There they formed an alliance with the pegasi, defending them from evil creatures in exchange for shelter in Pegasus lands. As a sign of the alliance, members of the royal families of both races are magically bound together when the human comes of age. These ceremonies are performed by the Speakers, the only humans who can understand Pegasus speech, until at the binding of Princess Sylvi and Ebon, when they discover they can understand each other perfectly. This threatens to upset the balance of power between the two kingdoms and break the Speakers’ hold on power,

Nightshade: A thought-provoking YA paranormal series

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Nightshade is yet another addition to the burgeoning YA paranormal genre, but stands out for several reasons, including its creative premise. It centers on the Guardians (essentially werewolves but with a few vampire traits as well), who are powerful compared to humans but are themselves enslaved by a race of witches called the Keepers. The Keepers rule most of the world from behind the scenes. But in Vail, where 17-year-old Guardian Calla Tor lives, their dominance is overt.

All I knew going in was that this was a werewolf novel with a love triangle,

Fire: Five enjoyable stories by McKinley & Dickinson

Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley & Peter Dickinson

Let me start by saying I’ve never been much for short stories. It’s not that they can’t be well done, and I admit that it takes a huge talent to do them well, but I usually find myself frustrated and wanting more. Probably because I am used to reading full-length novels. That being said, I enjoyed reading Fire. There are five stories, two by Robin McKinley and three by Peter Dickinson.

The Gift: Dystopian urban fantasy for YAs

The Witch and the Wizard: The Gift by James Patterson & Ned Rust

A dystopian urban fantasy written for young adults, The Gift is the second novel in James Patterson’s Witch & Wizard series. Co-writing with Ned Rust, Patterson wastes no time opening The Gift, starting his story with the public execution of a resistance leader and follows up with a face-off between our teenage heroes and their villainous foe, The One Who Is The One.

Tyger Tyger: The plot never grabbed me

Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

I wanted to love Tyger Tyger. I’ve got a soft spot for teenagers-in-faeryland stories, and this one gets off to a terrific start. Teagan, the heroine, is working at a Chicago zoo; she plans to pursue a related career when she grows up. I can’t praise Kersten Hamilton highly enough for giving Teagan a concrete aspiration like this. The YA paranormal field is alarmingly full of heroines who seem bland without the magic or without the male lead, and have no idea what they want to do with their lives.

Pathfinder: A great way to steer YAs toward SFF

Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

Rigg is a 13-year-old boy who lives in seclusion with his father, surviving as a trapper and only occasionally going to the nearest town to sell animals’ pelts. He is successful as a trapper in part because he has a unique ability: he can see the “paths” people and animals have taken, in the form of a colored trail that stretches behind them, showing where they’ve been. This way, he can track almost anything — “almost” because the only person who doesn’t have a trail is his father…

Stormbreaker: What more can you want?

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

You’re never too young to die…

After a friend recommended the Alex Rider books, and the movie adaptation pricked my interest, I settled down with Stormbreaker, the first of what is (currently) a nine-book series. Alex is a fourteen year old English schoolboy who wakes early one morning to find that Ian Rider, his uncle and guardian since his parents’ deaths, has been killed in a car accident. It’s not long before the truth emerges: Ian wasn’t a banker at all,

Past Midnight: Refreshingly devoid of YA paranormal clichés

Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen

Charlotte’s parents are ghost-hunters who travel the country investigating (and debunking) the paranormal. In the past, Charlotte’s peers have treated her like a freak when they learned about her parents’ profession, so when Charlotte starts a new school at the beginning of senior year, she keeps it a secret. Avery, a popular cheerleader, lives across the street from Charlotte’s new home, and the two girls become fast friends. Finally, Charlotte thinks she’s going to have a normal life —that is, until ghostly presences start manifesting around her,

Aunt Maria: Would make a brilliant movie!

Aunt Maria by Diana Wynne Jones

Diana Wynne Jones once again combines eccentric characters, moral ambiguity, magic, time-traveling, shapeshifting and an uncanny ability to portray human behaviour in one of her best books: Aunt Maria. With all the twists and turns that we expect from Wynne Jones, Aunt Maria is one of the most re-readable and enjoyable books in her vast collection.

After the accidental death of their father, Naomi “Mig” and Chris Laker are reluctantly taken to Cranbury-on-Sea by their mother to visit Aunt Maria.

Mira, Mirror: Intriguing and thoughtful

Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Harrison

Everyone knows the story of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” but Mettie Ivie Harrison has something more to say, not just about the Evil Queen, but also her magic mirror. In recent years it has been rather vogue to take a traditional fairytale and put a new spin on it (usually by retelling it through the eyes of the antagonist), but Mira, Mirror not only acts as a sequel to “Snow White,” but also provides a new point-of-view in the form of the Queen’s mirror.

Next SFF Author: Rick Yancey

Previous SFF Author: John Wyndham

We have reviewed 8498 fantasy, science fiction, and horror books, audiobooks, magazines, comics, and films.

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Recent Discussion:

David C Walton on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 5, 2025
Do it! One of the best things I've read in recent years.
Marion Deeds on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 5, 2025
This reminds me. I want to read Addie LaRue.
Bill Capossere on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 3, 2025
We’re in total agreement David!
David C Walton on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 3, 2025
I felt just the same. The prose and character work was excellent. The larger story was unsatisfying, especially compared to…
Marion Deeds on Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: Ambitious, atmospheric, and ultimately unevenJuly 3, 2025
Hmmm. I think I'll pass.