Here are 20 books that These Violent Delights fans have personally recommended once you finish the These Violent Delights series.
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When I was nine years old, my first poem was ‘published’ in my elementary school’s annual creative writing booklet. It was such a thrill to see my poem in print and to know lots of people would be reading it. I was hooked on writing, but it would be many, many years before I was published again. While I know it’s never too late to publish a book, I regret how long I waited. Young writers, don’t be afraid to go for it and don’t ever feel you’re not old enough for your words to matter. Readers need your unique, fresh vision.
It’s such a thrill to discover a premise I’ve never heard of before. The concept of two souls existing in one body caught my attention. When I read on the back cover that this wasn’t just a fluke happening to one person but that everyone in this alternate reality started life with two souls, I knew I had to find out how that worked and how society would handle it. Never underestimate the power of a good back-cover blurb!
Kat Zhang put in the hard work and had all the details worked out. I was impressed. So was HarperCollins, who offered the nineteen-year-old a contract for the “Hybrid Chronicles” trilogy.
HOW I LIVE NOW meets HIS DARK MATERIALS in this stunningly written and intensely moving debut, the first book in the Hybrid trilogy.
Imagine that you have two minds, sharing one body. You and your other self are closer than twins, better than friends. You have known each other forever.
Then imagine that people like you are hated and feared. That the government want to hunt you down and tear out your second soul, separating you from the person you love most in the world.
When I was nine years old, my first poem was ‘published’ in my elementary school’s annual creative writing booklet. It was such a thrill to see my poem in print and to know lots of people would be reading it. I was hooked on writing, but it would be many, many years before I was published again. While I know it’s never too late to publish a book, I regret how long I waited. Young writers, don’t be afraid to go for it and don’t ever feel you’re not old enough for your words to matter. Readers need your unique, fresh vision.
I love adventures with a plot that has a lasting impact on the protagonist. I like seeing growth and altered viewpoints as characters cope with overwhelming challenges. Fourteen-year-old Aria Edwards is a perfect candidate for change as she busts out of convent life to attend the Keeper Academy, which is all she’s ever dreamed of.
I sympathized as she learned that life isn’t always what she wants it to be, and I cheered her on as she slowly and painfully changed into a girl who earned my respect. I’m sure writing this debut novel was a life-changing experience for its teenage author, too.
Fourteen-year-old Aria Edwards finds life at the convent, in a word, lacking. The days are long, the prayers are longer, and excitement is nonexistent. But after her authoritarian mother finally gives in, Aria gleefully leaves the convent for Saint Garin’s Academy, where she can realize her lifelong dream of becoming a Keeper. It sounds almost too good to be true, but before long Aria discovers life as a Keeper is not as noble as she once thought. Surrounded on all sides by evil creatures, powerful enemies and a dark conspiracy that could shake the Kingdom of Tedros to its core,…
When I was nine years old, my first poem was ‘published’ in my elementary school’s annual creative writing booklet. It was such a thrill to see my poem in print and to know lots of people would be reading it. I was hooked on writing, but it would be many, many years before I was published again. While I know it’s never too late to publish a book, I regret how long I waited. Young writers, don’t be afraid to go for it and don’t ever feel you’re not old enough for your words to matter. Readers need your unique, fresh vision.
I love that this book was born out of the need for a story that no one else was writing. When authors are willing to step off the mainstream road and write what’s really in their hearts, everyone wins. There’s a saying I love: “Write the book you want to read.”
When fifteen-year-old Beth Reekles went searching for a teen romance story to read, she was frustrated by not finding one about regular, everyday teenagers. Everyone was publishing supernatural stories filled with vampires, werewolves, and angels. So, she wrote this book and shared it on Wattpad.
The timing was right, and it pulled in 19 million readers, including me! Beth was offered a multi-book publishing contract, and it went on to become a Netflix series.
** Read the book behind the smash-hit Netflix film, starring Joey King! **
Meet Elle Evans: pretty, popular - and never been kissed.
Meet Noah Flynn: badass, volatile - and a total player.
When Elle decides to run a kissing booth for the school carnival, she never imagines she'll sit in it - or that her first ever kiss would be with bad boy Noah.
From that moment, her life is turned upside down - but is this a romance destined for happiness or heartbreak?
If you love Holly Bourne and John Green, then you will adore The Kissing Booth!
Long before I was an author of romantic fantasies, I was an avid reader of all things romance. Genre romance. Fantasy Romance. Romantic Fantasy. Romantic suspense. An adventure where the characters smile at each other for a heartbeat longer than usual. Give me even a hint of attraction between two characters, and I’m hooked. Give me life-or-death stakes and a first kiss that takes hundreds of pages, and I’m addicted. As a psychologist, helping young adults sort through real-life romance dilemmas is one of my favorite parts of the job. Now that I get to write these stories, I’ve made it my mission to devour all the best high-stakes YA romances I can find—or write.
This YA fantasy romance is the essence of cottage-core: a girl with flower magic and big dreams, a shy and perfectly emo boy with even bigger secrets, and a setting that will make you yearn for a thatched roof in a field of wildflowers. Clara’s magic was never dangerous—until she touched her father’s chest and accidentally made poisonous flowers bloom inside him. She needs her former best friend’s help to save him, but Xavier’s not the nice boy she remembers, and he makes demands of his own. As the secrets unravel, the chemistry ratchets to new heights, and you won’t be able to put this one down,
"Flowerheart is like a garden in full bloom: vibrant and sweet, whimsical and wondrous." -Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic
Perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Tamora Pierce, this standalone YA debut is a stunning cottagecore fantasy romance about a girl with powerful and violent magic which she must learn to control-or lose everything she loves.
Clara's magic has always been wild. But it's never been dangerous. Then a simple touch causes poisonous flowers to bloom in her father's chest.
The only way to heal him is to cast an extremely difficult spell…
Long before I was an author of romantic fantasies, I was an avid reader of all things romance. Genre romance. Fantasy Romance. Romantic Fantasy. Romantic suspense. An adventure where the characters smile at each other for a heartbeat longer than usual. Give me even a hint of attraction between two characters, and I’m hooked. Give me life-or-death stakes and a first kiss that takes hundreds of pages, and I’m addicted. As a psychologist, helping young adults sort through real-life romance dilemmas is one of my favorite parts of the job. Now that I get to write these stories, I’ve made it my mission to devour all the best high-stakes YA romances I can find—or write.
A sharpshooter with high walls around her heart, Margaret lives alone in her family’s falling-apart mansion. Alone, that is, until charming alchemist Wes shows up and makes her an offer she can’t refuse: partner up in the dangerous hunt for the last living mythical creature, and bring her mother home. This delightful twist on the grumpy/sunshine trope will transport you to the mythical forest and candlelit manor with its lyrical writing. The vibes alone in this story cannot be beat. Add the promise of a hunt and a well-earned slow-burn romance, and this book will soothe your soul like a warm sweater on an autumn day.
A MAGICAL SECRET. A MYTHICAL HUNT. AND A LOVE THAT COULD RISK EVERYTHING.
In the dark, gothic town of Wickdon, Maggie Welty lives in an old creaking manor. Maggie's mother is an alchemist who has recently left town, leaving Maggie with just her bloodhound for company. But when Maggie spots a legendary ancient fox-creature on her porch, her fate is changed forever. Whoever tracks down and kills the hala in the Halfmoon Hunt will earn fame and riches - and if Maggie wins the hunt, she knows her mother will want to celebrate her. This is her chance to bring…
I have always been fascinated by stories that use darkness in plot and character growth. As a former funeral director, I find stories with death—whether it’s the power of death, the death of a loved one, or something similar—to be really poignant. I always write books that embrace the darkness, and I love to see how characters come out on the other side. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I do!
This fantasy, set in a reimagined Italy, literally made me want to dive into the world.
I am still thinking about the romance of the book and the predicament Alessa finds herself in. Oh, and did I mention all the delicious food within the book? I could basically taste the gelato.
While I was heavily invested in the romance, I thought the plot was so interesting and well-woven into the story.
"One of the best fantasies of the year." - Buzzfeed
"Riveting, passionate, and full of high stakes danger." ―Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Emily Thiede's exciting fantasy debut, This Vicious Grace, will keep readers turning the pages until the devastating conclusion and leave them primed for more!
Three weddings. Three funerals. Alessa’s gift from the gods is supposed to magnify a partner’s magic, not kill every suitor she touches.
Now, with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home, Alessa is running out of time to find a partner and…
I was an avid reader growing up, but I never saw myself reflected unless it was a book about the Holocaust. Those are crucial stories to tell, but I wanted a Jewish girl going through a wardrobe to a secret land or having magical adventures. So, I decided to write those stories for women and combine them with steamy romance, because I love that, too. All my main characters are Jewish, and I draw from Judaism and Jewish folklore for my worldbuilding and magic systems. It's also important for me to showcase my diverse hometown of Vancouver. To that end, my characters are of varying ethnicities and sexual identities.
I love m/m romance and I love urban fantasy, but until now, that combination hadn’t grabbed me in a way that had me sit up in excitement. I tore through this series (currently and desperately awaiting the final book). Not only does Nash devise a fun and fascinating magic system with Dom’s playing cards, I shipped Dom and Kempthorne so hard. The obstacles they must overcome, both externally and with their inner demons, had me turning pages as fast as I could. It’s an absolute delight.
Something wicked is moving in the shadows of London...
In the underground world of glitzy illegal auctions, fast cars, and stolen magical artifacts, John "Dom" Domenici knows he's out of his depth. But he needs the job at Kempthorne & Co like he needs to breathe. The alternative-going back to the organized crime gangs of London's East End-is unthinkable.
So when Alexander Kempthorne, boss of Kempthorne & Co Artifact Retrieval Agency, wants him on a special case to track down an illegal artifact dealer, Dom can't say no.
It shouldn't matter that Kempthorne's world is full of deadly secrets. It…
I’ve always loved magic and pirates. As I kid, I made up games incorporating the two. As a teenager, I wanted to read about them. But at the time, I couldn’t find anything that had both pirates and magic, so I decided to write one myself. As the years blurred past and the young adult book scene exploded, more and more books with pirates and magic have been published and of course, I try to read them all! I read them not only to study books similar to my own, but because I love them and I can’t get enough.
Imagine The Little Mermaid but the mermaid is actually a killer siren and the prince is actually a siren hunter/pirate, and you’ve got To Kill A Kingdom.
If you’re not sold by that alone (because I certainly was) well, this standalone fantasy also has seafaring action, a variety of vibrant kingdoms, strong character arcs, morally grey characters, dashing pirates, siren magic, and of course, a slow burn enemies to lovers romance (you may have noticed I’m a sucker for those.)
I only wish this was a series and not a standalone.
An unforgettable dark romantic YA fantasy about the siren with a taste for royal blood and the prince who has sworn to destroy her.
"Stellar world building and nonstop action will keep readers hooked on this twisted reimagining of 'The Little Mermaid'." Booklist Online
Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing…
I’ve always loved reading young adult fantasy books with forbidden romance and lush worldbuilding and classic fairytale elements like princesses, dancing, pretty clothes, and delicious food spreads. All these books offer fresh takes and twists, and tug at your heartstrings with the angst, the betrayals, the secrets, and the love. These are all immersive stories that transport you far away, to a different time, to a different land, which is exactly what you need sometimes to get away from this world and its craziness.
Shazi is a headstrong, stubborn girl who marries the ruthless caliph of her kingdom with the intention of killing him. She doesn’t expect to fall in love with him, which thwarts all of her plans. This book easily transports you to an Arabian caliphate with the gorgeous descriptions of setting, food, and clothes, and the relationship between Shazi and Khalid is wonderful to witness blossoming. This book keeps you at the edge of your seat and gives you an ending that is bound to break your heart.
One of TIME magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time
A #1 New York Times bestseller and a sumptuous, epic tale inspired by A Thousand and One Nights.
'A riveting Game of Thrones meets Arabian Nights love story' US Weekly
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a terrible surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and…
I am an author, American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and signing storyteller. I write picture books, children’s nonfiction, middle grade, and young adult fantasy, and resource books for educators, librarians, and parents. In my books, I highlight strong female characters, both fictional and from real-life. Here I am sharing 5 of my favorite fantasy and sci-fi books with female characters who – by the end of their journeys - absolutely do not care what you think of them.
Kestrel’s father is the fierce general who won the Herran War and enslaved its people. When she buys a Herrani house slave named Arin at the market, Kestrel gets more than she bargained for – a challenge to her privileged, sheltered life, an epic love, and a part in the revolution. This is the first in the trilogy, and it is a genuine pleasure to watch Kestrel, from the beginning a character with an independent streak, navigate impossible choices as she grows into the person she wants to be. A lush and detailed world full of intrigue, politics, and gripping romance.
THE FIRST BOOK IN THE HEART-STOPPING WINNER'S TRILOGY: an irresistible story of forbidden romance and class warfare
'Every line in The Winner's Curse is beautifully written. The story is masterfully plotted. The characters' dilemmas fascinated me and tore at my heart... I loved it. I want more.' Kristin Cashore, author of the Graceling Realm books
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.
As a general's daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. Kestrel has other ideas.
One day,…
