More New YA Fantasy/Historical Fiction
Discover the latest YA fantasy and historical fiction books! Explore captivating tales of magic, adventure, and rich historical settings in this curated list of must-reads.
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Warrior Princess
by Frewin Jones
You can be a warrior, if you choose to be. Fifteen-year-old Branwen's life is changed forever when enemy Saxon troops attack her homeland and her brother is killed. Branwen wants to jump into action and avenge her brother's death, but instead she is sent to a neighboring stronghold where she'll be safe from harm. Yet while she is surrounded by exquisite beauty and luxury in her new home—as a princess should be—she feels different from the other girls. Deep down, Branwen has the soul of a warrior. Then a mystical woman in white foretells a daunting prophecy: Branwen will be the one to save her homeland. Suddenly forced to question everything—and everyone—around her, she realizes that the most difficult part of her journey is still to come. With no time to lose, Branwen must make a choice: continue on the path her parents intended for her . . . or step into the role of a true Warrior Princess.
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Warrior Princess #2: Destiny's Path
by Frewin Jones
Her destiny must be fulfilled . . . Ranwen refuses to take orders from anyone—even the Shining Ones, the ancient gods whose power is feared throughout the land. They want her as their Chosen One, destined to save her country from the Saxons. But Branwen doubts she's truly ready to be a leader. Then a messenger from the skies shows her a vision of a bleak and violent future—a future in which Branwen has abandoned her destiny, and those most dear to her suffer unspeakable horrors. There's a blurry line between good and evil, and those Branwen trusts the most are capable of the greatest betrayal. The Shining Ones have spoken. Will Branwen answer their call?
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Warrior Princess #3: The Emerald Flame
by Frewin Jones
The Emerald Flame of her people. Branwen has finally accepted that the Shining Ones have chosen her to save her country from the Saxon invaders. But the next stage in her journey includes a seemingly impossible mission, and the path before her is filled with darkness and danger. Branwen is pushed to the brink of disaster, and with each step she takes, she is being pulled farther from the life she once knew—the life she still desperately misses. Guided by the spirits, with both her fearless friend Rhodri and the dashing, sometimes maddening Iwan by her side, Branwen must overcome terrifying odds if she is to succeed in her quest. But a true Warrior Princess won't back down . . . even when an old enemy returns.
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The Keepers' Tattoo
by Gill Arbuthnott
Orphaned as an infant, Nyssa can only dream about who she is, where she comes from--and the meaning behind the mysterious words branded on her skin.
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Sphinx's Princess
by Esther M. Friesner
Nefertiti was far more than just a pretty face. Nefertiti may be the dutiful daughter of a commoner, but her inquisitive mind often gets her into situations that are far from ordinary, like receiving secret lessons from a scribe. And she's the kind of girl who acts first, and apologizes later whenever she witnesses injustice or cruelty. But she is also extraordinarily beautiful. And news of her striking beauty and impulsive behavior attracts the attention of her aunt, the manipulative Queen Tiye, who sees Nefertiti as an ideal pawn in her desire for power. Even though Nefertiti is taken from her beloved family and forced into a life filled with courtly intrigue and danger, her spirit and mind will not rest. She continues to challenge herself and the boundaries of ancient Egyptian society. Esther Friesner offers readers another fresh new look at an iconic figure - blending historical fiction and mythology in a thrilling concoction. From the Hardcover edition.
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Sphinx's Queen
by Esther Friesner
Chased after by the prince and his soldiers for a crime she did not commit, Nefertiti finds temporary refuge in the wild hills along the Nile's west bank before returning to the royal court to plead her case to the Pharaoh.
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Flecks of Gold
by Alicia Buck
Mary Margaret is not the type of girl to fall in love - especially after seeing what a string of bad relationships has done to her mother. That's why it's so weird when Mary finds herself strangely attracted to Kelson, a guy at her new school. It's almost . . . unnatural. What she doesn't know is that she's been put under a spell. and when Kelson kidnaps Mary's mother and takes her to his home world, Mary will have to rescue her by relying on something she never knew existed - magic. Flecks of Gold is an enchanting blend of fantasy, action, and even a little romance. Get lost in this world where magic is commonplace and danger lurks where you least suspect it.
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Restoring Harmony
by Joëlle Anthony
Having lived an existence of relative quiet on an isolated farming island, 16-year-old Molly of 2041 Canada is sent to find and rescue her grandparents from a U.S. suburb devastated by global economic collapse and organized crime. A first novel.
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Forbidden Sea
by Sheila A. Nielson
When a mermaid attempts to lure her into the sea, fourteen-year-old Adrianne, who lives in a superstitious island community, must choose between the promise of an underwater paradise and those she loves.
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The Poison Throne
by Celine Kiernan
When young Wynter Moorehawke returns to court with her dying father, but she finds her old home shadowed with fear. The king has become a violent despot, terrorizing those he once loved. His son and heir Alberon has fled into exile and now there are whispers everywhere of rebellion. Meanwhile, Alberon's half-brother Razi has been elevated to his throne. He struggles to meet his King's demands while remaining loyal to his beloved brother and to his friend-Wynter. Now, she must choose- her father or her dreams, her friend or her king, her duty... or her love.
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The City in the Lake
by Rachel Neumeier
A teenage girl who is learning to be a mage must save her mysterious, magical homeland, The Kingdom, from a powerful force that is trying to control it.
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Lord of the Changing Winds
by Rachel Neumeier
Griffins lounged all around them, inscrutable as cats, brazen as summer. They turned their heads to look at Kes out of fierce, inhuman eyes. Their feathers, ruffled by the wind that came down the mountain, looked like they had been poured out of light; their lion haunches like they had been fashioned out of gold. A white griffin, close at hand, looked like it had been made of alabaster and white marble and then lit from within by white fire. Its eyes were the pitiless blue-white of the desert sky. Little ever happens in the quiet villages of peaceful Feierabiand. The course of Kes' life seems set: she'll grow up to be an herb-woman and healer for the village of Minas Ford, never quite fitting in but always more or less accepted. And she's content with that path -- or she thinks she is. Until the day the griffins come down from the mountains, bringing with them the fiery wind of their desert and a desperate need for a healer. But what the griffins need is a healer who is not quite human . . . or a healer who can be made into something not quite human.
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Daughter of the Flames
by Zoë Marriott
After learning that she is the sole heir to the Ruan throne, orphaned Zira, trained in weaponry and martial arts as a warrior priestess, must unravel the secrets of her identity, decide her people's fate, and accept her feelings for a man who should be her enemy.
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Wild Talent
by Eileen Kernaghan
The year is 1888. Jeannie Guthrie, a sixteen year old Scottish farmworker, is possessed of a mysteriouswild talent. Convinced that she has unintentionally killed her neer-do-well cousin George, Jeannie flees to the anonymity of London. There she is befriended by the free-spirited Alexandra David, and introduced to Madame Helena Blavatsky's famous salon. Drawn reluctantly into the world of the occult, and seemingly haunted by her cousin's vengeful ghost, Jeannie must learn to control her dangerous talent in order to survive.
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A Pearl Among Princes
by Coleen Paratore
As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Gracepearl feels her deceased mother guiding her toward a decision between life on a remote, agrarian island with her childhood love, or somewhere far away with a young man in training to be a prince.
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Ash
by Malinda Lo
Forced into becoming an indentured servant when her family dies, Ash lives a lonely and desperate life with no hopes for the future, until she meets Kaisa, the King's royal Huntress, who teaches her to love, live, and dream once again.
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The Stolen One
by Suzanne Crowley
No one wanted you. But I did. Kat's true identity is a secret, even from her. All she has ever known are Grace and Anna and their small village. Kat wants more—more than hours spent embroidering finery for wealthy ladies and more than Christian, the gentle young farmer courting her. But there are wolves outside, Grace warns. Waiting, with their eyes glowing in the dark . . . and Grace has given Kat safety and a home when no one else would. Then a stranger appears in their cottage, bringing the mystery of Kat's birth with her. In one night, Kat's destiny finds her: She will leave. She will journey to London, and her skill with the needle will attract the notice of the magnificent Queen Elizabeth—and of the wolves of the court. She will discover what Grace would never tell her. Everything will unravel.
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The Goblin Gate
by Hilari Bell
Jeriah's brother, Tobin, is in terrible danger. He's willingly crossed over to the Otherworld with a hedgewitchnamed Makenna and her legion of goblins. What Tobin doesn’t know is that the Otherworld is a perilous dimension thatleeches magic from those who have it—and life from those who don’t. In order to save his brother, Jeriah must find a way to open a mystical gate between the worlds. Searching for the key to rescue Tobin from the clutches of the Otherworld, Jeriah is thrust into a tangled web of politicalintrigue as he uncovers a dangerous secret that could change the fate of an entire kingdom. Now he must get help from the very beings he’s been taught to hate—the mischievous goblins. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for Tobin. . . . Hilari Bell’s enthralling fantasy adventure tests the bonds of magic, love, and loyalty in an unforgettable follow-up to The Goblin Wood that will leave readers breathless as they race to find out what high-stakes consequences await its hero.
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Silver Phoenix
by Cindy Pon
No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters. But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined. Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help. It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more.
