It’s time for a fantasy list, and I’ve got a good one today! Do you love YA fantasy? Are you searching for something new? Hopefully I can introduce you to a few today, books that really grabbed my attention when I saw them. All twelve of these books are “to be released” later in 2020 and some are even 2021 releases, but you can add them to your TBR right now. Obviously, YA fantasy is a huge field and there are lots of books that could have made it onto this list. I chose books I haven’t talked about before on this blog, and as is my policy, I never talk about a book until it has a cover. I was also pleased to see lots of diversity on this list, although I have to admit that was a happy coincidence and wasn’t planned. Let’s get started!
Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz. October 2020 from Pagestreet Kids. How to Train Your Dragon meets Quidditch Through the Ages—you gotta love that comparison! And for readers looking for diverse representation, this appears to be an #ownvoices story from a Puerto Rican author.
A Dragonbird in the Fern by Laura Rueckert. August 2020 from Flux. A murdered princess returns to haunt the living until her killer is caught—what a fun premise! There also appears to be a dyslexic character in this story.
A Wicked Magic by Sasha Laurens. July 2020 from Razorbill. “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The Craft.” OK, another irresistible comparison! Especially since I just started watching Sabrina 😀
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. September 2020 from Simon Pulse. This sounds like a retelling of the King Arthur legend, and that is one glorious, bad-ass cover!
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown. June 2020 from Balzer + Bray. This is the start of a series and also the author’s debut. I love the sound of the tale based on West African folklore, and once again, we have a cover with a fierce African American woman on it!
Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston. October 2020 from Balzer + Bray. I was so excited to spot this book. I’m a big fan of Poston’s Once Upon a Con series, and this new fantasy sounds so good!
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. November 2020 from Simon Pulse. I love the sound of this Chinese retelling of Romeo and Juliet in a fantasy setting.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna. February 2021 from Delacorte. I’m in love with this cover, and I love this idea, the story about a young girl with the gift of intuition, whose blood is gold!
Hush by Dylan Farrow. October 2020 from Wednesday Books. This is described as a feminist fantasy, and the author is an activist, so this is bound to be an interesting read.
Magic Dark and Strange by Kelly Powell. October 2020 from Margaret K. McElderry Books. I love the idea of this book: a girl has the power to bring the dead back to life, but she pays the price by losing an hour from her own life for every hour the ghost remains “awake.” Powell wrote last year’s Songs From the Deep, which I haven’t read yet but I’ve heard good things about.
The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige. January 2021 from HMH Books for Young Readers. A coven of witches disguised as a college sorority? Oh yes please, sign me up!
Hunted By the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena. June 2020 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This magical fantasy romance is set in a world inspired by medieval India, and I can’t stop staring at this cover:-D
Well that’s at least 3 more books added to my TBR – great list!
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I have a lot of these on my watchlist! But as with most YA books these days, many of them are in “maybe” status until I see more reviews 😀 If you read any of these, I’ll definitely look for your recommendations!
I agree, it’s a crowded field and you just never know what you’ll get. I did download the Ashley Poston book from Edelweiss because I’m a fan of her other books:-)
Great list! A Wicked Magic, These Violent Deaths and The Ravens are all on my TBR.
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I’m really looking forward to The Ravens:-)
I LOVE the cover to A Wicked Magic. Good blurb, too!
I think the story sounds amazing:-)
Oh my gosh, I agree — I can’t stop looking at the cover for Hunt the Sky either!
It’s a very powerful cover!
Well these all look amazing. Oh no, RIP my book buying ban hahaha. 😀
Ha ha, me too:-)
I have so many of these on my most anticipated list. I can’t wait for A Wicked Magic. I haven’t seen a Blazewrath Games before but I am liking this cover. Will have to look it up.
Lots to choose from in YA fantasy for sure:-)
They all sound so good, Tammy, and I love these covers. I’d say I’m most drawn to Hunted by the Sky. Great share!
Thanks Jenni, they do look like fun:-)
My TBR just grew. LOL And look at those gorgeous covers!
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I know! Lots of gorgeous covers here:-)
Ooh, Blazewrath Games sounds awesome. Thanks for introducing me!
Sure thing! I can’t wait for it as well:-)
I love YA fantasy right now. So much coming out. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin catches my eye.
Magic Dark and strange looks fabulous!
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There is a LOT of YA fantasy coming out, you don’t have to look very hard:-)
Oh my goodness, so many of these covers are so beautiful! I’ve only heard of a few of these, but I think I’m now interested in almost all of them. What a seriously fun comparison for Blazewrath Games–that intrigues me in itself. Also particularly excited for These Violent Delights! Time to go add things to my TBR. 🙂
I can’t wait for Blazewrath Games, it does sound amazing!
I don’t read a lot of YA, but every so often it can be very refreshing. Quite an interesting mix here. I love the cover and title for These Violent Delights.
I agree, I often don’t enjoy YA but it’s fun uncovering hidden gems:-)
Oooh there are some pretty covers <3 I want Dragonbird, Legondborn, and Wicked Magic!
I think YA fantasy has some of the best covers, personally:-)
I’m not personally a YA fantasy fan, but I like to be aware of upcoming titles so I can recommend them to teens. Thanks for this list!
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Hopefully teens will enjoy these:-)
The Ravens sounds brilliant and I really like the sounds of the Ashley Poston book too. Okay, who am I kidding? All of these are going on my TBR, lol.
I have only heard of one of those! 🙂 Great list!
I’ve kind of been on the fence with YA just recently but finishing Kagawa’s series just now has definitely renewed my faith a little.
This is a lovely post and I’ll definitely keep my eye out for some of these.
Lynn 😀
You hear that sound? Yup, that’s my TBR weeping. way to go. Thankfully, a lot of these were already on my TBR, so it’s only suffered by a few books haha.
I’m so looking forward to Blazewrath Games, because those comps are PERFECT, and the diverse rep is really just a bonus at this point. I hadn’t heard of A Dragonbird in the Fern yet, but that’s going directly on the TBR. That cover is straight up GORGEOUS and I maaaay be tempted to preorder it just for that. xD Am I shallow? Maybe. But will it look fabulous on my bookshelf? Undoubtedly LOL. Hadn’t heard of Magic Dark and Strange, either, but it’s comped as Bone Witch meets Sherlock Holmes? How neat does that sound?!
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Oh I hadn’t seen A Wicked Magic before. I need to check that out.
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