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BEST OF · 25 BOOKS · RANKED · ZERO SPOILERS

25 Best YA Fantasy Books (2026)

Fantasy worlds crafted for young adults — chosen ones, forbidden magic, and friendships forged in fire.

25 books 🌶️ Avg 1.1/5 YA FantasyFantasy RomanceEpic FantasyHeist FantasyFaeUrban Fantasy Epic AdventureDark & IntenseAction-PackedEmotionally Gripping
THE RANKING

Every book, ranked

Ranked by reader rating, mood alignment, and overall quality. Every book on this list has been read cover to cover by our team.

#1

Empire of Storms

A epic adventure, dark & intense Young Adult ya fantasy built around fated mates, enemies to lovers, found family. 693 pages with a moderate to high-heat romance and a Cliffhanger conclusion.

🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5 693 pages ★ 4.63 YA FantasyFantasy RomanceEpic Fantasy
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#2

Queen of Shadows

A action-packed, dark & intense Young Adult ya fantasy built around enemies to lovers, found family, forbidden love. 648 pages with a low-heat romance and a HFN conclusion.

🌶️🌶️ 2/5 648 pages ★ 4.62 YA FantasyFantasy RomanceEpic Fantasy
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#3

Crooked Kingdom

The crew is back and the stakes have never been higher. Every thread from Six of Crows pays off here in spectacular, heart-wrenching fashion. Read Six of Crows first — then clear your schedule for this one.

🌶️ 1/5 536 pages ★ 4.59 YA FantasyHeist Fantasy
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#4

Clockwork Princess

A epic, romantic Young Adult ya fantasy built around final battle, love triangle resolution, sacrifice. 592 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 592 pages ★ 4.46 YA Fantasy
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#5

Six of Crows

Six criminals. One impossible heist. A crew so perfectly mismatched you'll never stop rooting for them. The found-family dynamics alone will ruin your life in the best way.

🌶️ 1/5 465 pages ★ 4.46 YA FantasyHeist Fantasy
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#6

Crown of Midnight

A dark & intense, action-packed Young Adult ya fantasy built around enemies to lovers, forbidden love, secret identity. 418 pages with a low-heat romance and a Cliffhanger conclusion.

🌶️🌶️ 2/5 418 pages ★ 4.39 YA FantasyFantasy RomanceEpic Fantasy
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#7

Lord of Shadows

A dark, epic Young Adult ya fantasy built around war, forbidden love, political intrigue. 720 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 720 pages ★ 4.39 YA Fantasy
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#8

Clockwork Prince

A romantic, tense Young Adult ya fantasy built around love triangle, political intrigue, victorian. 528 pages and a satisfying conclusion.

❄️ 0/5 528 pages ★ 4.36 YA Fantasy
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#9

Heir of Fire

A dark & intense, epic adventure Young Adult ya fantasy built around chosen one, training arc, forbidden love. 565 pages with a low-heat romance and a Cliffhanger conclusion.

🌶️🌶️ 2/5 565 pages ★ 4.35 YA FantasyFantasy RomanceEpic Fantasy
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#10

The Folk of the Air Complete Collection

A dark, romantic Young Adult ya fantasy built around fae court, enemies to lovers, complete series. 960 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 960 pages ★ 4.35 YA FantasyFae
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#11

Chain of Thorns

A epic, romantic Young Adult ya fantasy built around final battle, sacrifice, romance. 752 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 752 pages ★ 4.35 YA Fantasy
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#12

Sentinel

A epic, satisfying Young Adult ya fantasy built around final battle, sacrifice, resolution. 306 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 306 pages ★ 4.32 YA Fantasy
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#13

Apollyon

A dark, epic Young Adult ya fantasy built around gods, war, power. 310 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 310 pages ★ 4.3 YA Fantasy
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#14

City of Heavenly Fire

A epic, emotional Young Adult ya fantasy built around final battle, sacrifice, love. 725 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 725 pages ★ 4.3 YA Fantasy
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#15

Bloodmarked

The electrifying sequel to Legendborn — Bree faces impossible choices as Arthurian magic and bloodline secrets collide. 560 pages of non-stop tension.

🌶️ 1/5 560 pages ★ 4.29 YA FantasyUrban FantasyArthurian
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#16

Lady Midnight

A dark, romantic Young Adult ya fantasy built around forbidden love, murder mystery, faerie. 720 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 720 pages ★ 4.27 YA FantasyUrban Fantasy
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#17

Chain of Iron

A dark, romantic Young Adult ya fantasy built around forbidden love, murder mystery, shadowhunters. 688 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 688 pages ★ 4.26 YA Fantasy
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#18

Deity

A intense, romantic Young Adult ya fantasy built around gods, war, forbidden love. 340 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 340 pages ★ 4.24 YA Fantasy
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#19

Queen of Air and Darkness

A epic, dark Young Adult ya fantasy built around final battle, war, sacrifice. 912 pages with a gentle romantic thread and a satisfying conclusion.

🌶️ 1/5 912 pages ★ 4.24 YA Fantasy
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#20

Legendborn

A Black teen at a prestigious university uncovers an Arthurian secret society and her own connection to a power older than Merlin. 498 pages of stunning modern fantasy.

🌶️ 1/5 498 pages ★ 4.23 YA FantasyUrban FantasyArthurian
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#21

Dark Heir

A dark, epic Adult ya fantasy built around betrayal, war, dark magic. 480 pages and a satisfying conclusion.

❄️ 0/5 480 pages ★ 4.22 YA FantasyDark Fantasy
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#22

The Assassin's Blade

A action-packed, dark & intense Young Adult ya fantasy built around prequel stories, tragic romance, assassin heroine. 452 pages with a low-heat romance and a Bittersweet conclusion.

🌶️🌶️ 2/5 452 pages ★ 4.2 YA FantasyFantasy RomanceAdventure Fantasy
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#23

Strange the Dreamer

A dreamlike, romantic Young Adult ya fantasy built around librarian hero, lost city, forbidden love. 536 pages and a satisfying conclusion.

❄️ 0/5 536 pages ★ 4.2 YA FantasyLiterary Fantasy
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#24

Throne of Glass

A action-packed, adventurous fantasy Young Adult ya fantasy built around enemies to lovers, love triangle, hidden identity. 404 pages with a low-heat romance and a HFN conclusion.

🌶️🌶️ 2/5 404 pages ★ 4.19 YA FantasyFantasy RomanceEpic Fantasy
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#25

Sabriel

A young necromancer crosses the Wall into the Old Kingdom to rescue her father from Death itself. 372 pages of dark, atmospheric fantasy.

❄️ 0/5 372 pages ★ 4.18 FantasyYA FantasyDark Fantasy
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FAQ

Common questions

What is the #1 pick on this list?

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas takes our top spot. It earned its rank through reader ratings, mood alignment, and overall quality.

How spicy are the books on this list?

The average spice level is 1.1/5. Spice ratings range from 0 to 3/5, so there is something for every heat preference.

How did you rank these books?

Every book on Sort By Cravings is read cover to cover. We rank by reader rating, mood fit, and overall quality. No publisher sponsorships influence our picks.

How often is this list updated?

We review and update our best-of lists quarterly. New releases that meet our criteria get added, and rankings shift as we profile more books.

What genres are represented here?

This list spans YA Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Epic Fantasy. The average page count is 567 pages. Browse by genre pills on each card to find your ideal match.

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How this list was built

Every book on Sort By Cravings is read cover to cover before being profiled. This list ranks 25 books by reader rating, mood alignment, and editorial quality. No publisher sponsorships influence our rankings. Read our editorial standards.

📚 Updated: March 2026 25 books ranked 150 total matches in our library