54 YA Fantasy & Sci-Fi Books That Hit Shelves in 2020

YOU ARE READING: 54 YA Fantasy & Sci-Fi Books That Hit Shelves in 2020 AT PhebinhvanhocEN

With so much going on around the world (the pandemic and resulting lockdowns, climate change, protests against police brutality, elections), it’s been a harder year than usual for authors and readers to keep up with the times. day with the new releases. And hey, we totally get it. but there were an incredible number of new books hitting shelves this year, and many of them were amazingly good in so many different ways. With the *book shimmy* awards giving us a chance to properly reflect and appreciate them, we wanted to make sure there wasn’t a book to read that completely missed their radar.

You are reading: Best ya fantasy books 2020

So, whether you need a refresher before you nominate your favorites, we’ve all been on the “wait, did that come out this year?” boat, or are simply looking for new worlds and adventures to immerse themselves in for a while. We’ve got you covered scroll down and check out some of the books the epic read team loved this year. let them take you on new adventures in worlds beyond.

2020 ya sci-fi & fantasy books

that, yes, it really hit stores this year

1. infinite son by adam silvera

Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers—a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures.

brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. emil just wants the fight to stop. the cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it more difficult for anyone with power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters have grown bolder by the day.

Then, in a fight after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own, one that puts him right at the center of the conflict and makes him the heroic spellwalker Brighton always wanted to be.

buy infinity son now!

2. a heart so fierce and broken by brigid kemmerer

📚 This is the sequel to: A Curse So Dark and Lonely

find the heir, win the crown.

The curse is finally broken, but Emberfall’s rhen prince faces even darker problems. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed on embers. Though Rhen has Harper by his side, his Gray Guardian is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

win the crown, save the kingdom.

Rumored to be the heir, gray has been on the run ever since he destroyed lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen, until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Embers by force. Her own daughter, Lia Mara, sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Gray to oppose Rhen, even for Emberfall’s sake?

buy such a fierce and broken heart now!

3. the conference of the birds by ransom riggs

📚 This is the latest book in: the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series

with his final words, h—jacob portman’s final connection to his grandfather’s secret life abe entrusts jacob with a mission: deliver the newly contacted quirky noor pradesh to an operative known only as v. noor is being chased. she is the subject of an ancient prophecy, predicting an impending apocalypse. save noor—save the future of all peculiars.

With only a few puzzling clues to follow, Jacob must figure out how to find V, the most enigmatic and powerful of Abe’s former associates. but v is hidden and never, ever wants to be found.

buy the conference of the birds now!

4. the land of night by melissa albert

📚 This is the sequel to: The Hazel Wood

In the Land of Night, Alice Proserpine plunges back into a fascinating and menacing world of dark fairy tales and hidden doors. She follows her and Ellery Finch as they learn that the Hazel Forest was just the beginning, and that worlds die not with a whimper, but with a bang.

With the help of Finch, Alice escaped the interior and the dark legacy of her lonely grandmother. Now she and the rest of the scum of the fairy tale world have arrived in New York City, where Alice is trying to make a new life without magic. But something lurks within the survivors, and she suspects their deaths may have a darker purpose. Meanwhile, in the flickering inner world, Finch searches for her own adventure and, if she can find it, a way back home…

buy the country of the night now!

5. deep dark red by anna-marie mclemore

Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves.

Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal Olive Rosella’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. She is drawn to a boy who knows the history of prom fever better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But there’s more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and uncovering the truth may decide if Rosella survives the Red Shoes.

buy the deepest dark red now!

6. diamond city by francesca flores

Fierce and ambitious, Aina Solís is as sharp as her blade and as mysterious as the blood magic she protects. After the murder of her parents, Aina takes a job as an assassin to survive and finds a new family in those like her: the unwanted and forgotten.

Your boss is brutal and cold, with a questionable sense of morality, but he provides a place for people who have nowhere else to go. and he makes sure they stay there.

Diamond City: Built by magic, ruled by tyrants, and in desperate need of saving. it’s a world filled with dark forces and hidden agendas, old rivalries, and deadly new enemies.

To claim a future for herself in a world that doesn’t want her to survive, Aina will have to win a game of assassination and conspiracy, and risk losing everything.

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7. spellhacker from m.k. england

In Kyrkarta, magic—known as maz—was once a freely available natural resource. Then an earthquake released a magical plague, killing thousands and opening the door for a greedy corporation to make maz a commodity that’s tightly controlled—and, of course, outrageously expensive.

That’s why Diz and her three best friends have a lucrative, illegal side job of Maz Siphoning. her next job is supposed to be her last heist.

But when their plan reveals a powerful new variety of corn that (literally) blows up in their faces, they’re forced to unravel a conspiracy at the very center of the spell plague, and possibly save the world. no pressure.

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8. weaving in the moonlight by isabel ibañez

Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena’s motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight.

when atoc demands the royal countess’s hand in marriage, it is ximena’s duty to go in his place. she relishes the opportunity, as illustrious spies have reported that atoc no longer carries her deathly relic. If Ximena can find it, she can return the true aristocrats to their rightful place.

Look for the relic and use its weaving ability to hide messages in tapestries for the resistance. But when a masked vigilante, a kind-hearted princess and a thoughtful healer challenge Ximena, her mission becomes more complicated. There might be a way to overthrow the usurper without starting another war, but only if Ximena turns her back on revenge and the Countess from her.

shop moonlight weaving now!

9. the king of ravens by libba bray

📚 This is the finale to: The Diviners

After a horrific explosion claimed one of their own, the fortunetellers find themselves wanted by the American government and on the brink of war with the King of Ravens.

As Memphis and Isaiah flee the mysterious Shadow Men for their lives, Isaiah receives a startling vision of a young girl, Sarah Beth Olson, who could change the balance in their fight for peace. sarah beth says that she knows how to stop the king of ravens, but she will need the help of the fortunetellers to do it.

Elsewhere, Jericho has returned after escaping Jake Marlowe’s estate, where he has discovered the shocking truth behind the Raven King’s plans. Now, the diviners must travel to Bountiful, Nebraska, in hopes of joining forces with Sarah Beth and stopping the King of Ravens and his army of the dead for good.

But as rumors spread of towns becoming ghost towns and the dead developing unprecedented powers, all hope seems to be lost.

buy the king of ravens now!

10. ember queen by laura sebastian

📚 This is the finale to: Ash Princess

Princess Theodosia was a prisoner in her own country for a decade. Renamed the Princess of Ashes, she endured relentless abuse and taunting from the Kaiser and his court. But though she wore a crown of ashes, there is fire in Theo’s blood. As the rightful heir to the Astrean crown, she runs through her veins. And if she learned nothing more from her mother, she learned that a queen never cowers.

Now free, with a misfit army of rebels at her back, Theo must free his enslaved people and face a terrifying new enemy: the new Kaiserin. Imbued with a magic that no one understands, the kaiserin is determined to burn anyone who gets in her way.

The strange power of the Kaiserin is growing stronger, and with Prinz Søren held hostage, the stakes are higher than ever. Theo must learn to embrace his own power if he has any hope of facing the girl he once called the sister of his heart.

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11. the shadows between us by tricia levenseller

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

court the shadow king.
marry him.
kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the newly crowned Shadow King’s power. some say that he can command the shadows that swarm around him to do his bidding. others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves and will do everything in her power to get it.

but alessandra is not the only one trying to kill the king. as they try to end her life, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen, all the while fighting not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a shadow king than a cunning, evil queen?

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12. heart of flames by nicki pau preto

📚 This is the sequel to: Crown of Feathers

The world is poised on a knife edge, and war is almost certain between the Empire and the Phoenix Riders.

Veronyka finally got her wish to join the Riders, but even though she’s supposed to be training, all she really wants to do is fly to defend the Pyra villages from the advancing Empire. Tristan has been promoted to Master Rider, but has very different ideas about how best to protect the people from him than his father, the Commander. sev has been sent to spy on the empire, but keeping cover for him may force him to fight on the wrong side of the war. And Veronyka’s sister, Val, is determined to take back the empire she lost, even if it means inciting war herself.

As tensions reach a boiling point, all characters are drawn into a struggle that will shape the course of the empire and determine the future of the Phoenix Riders. each must decide how far he is willing to go and what he is willing to lose in the process.

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13. the queen killer by melissa de la cruz

Caledon Holt is the Kingdom of Renovia’s deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in brawn or brains, which is why he’s the Guild’s most dangerous member and the Queen’s one and only assassin. He’s also bound to the Queen by an impossible vow-to find the missing Deian Scrolls, the fount of all magical history and knowledge, stolen years ago by a nefarious sect called the Aphrasians.

shadow has been training all her life to follow in the footsteps of her mother and aunts, to become skilled enough to join the ranks of the guild. Although magic has been banned since the Afrasian uprising, Shadow has been secretly learning to control her powers, hoping to one day become an assassin as feared and revered as Caledon Holt.

When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Call together, they are forced to team up as assassin and apprentice to hunt down a sinister new threat to renovia. But as Cal and Shadow grow closer, they will uncover a shocking web of lies and secrets that may destroy everything they hold dear. With war on the horizon and true love at risk, they will stop at nothing to protect each other and their kingdom.

buy queen slayer now!

14. all stars and teeth by adalyn grace

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer — the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.

When her demo goes awry, Amora is forced to go on the run. She makes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he will help her prove that she is fit to rule, if she helps him recover her stolen magic from her.

But navigating the realm holds more wonder — and more danger — than amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll have to face off against legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stowaway she never expected…or risk Visidia’s fate and lose the crown forever.

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15. life below by alexandra monir

📚 This is the sequel to: The Final Six

It was hard enough for Naomi to leave Leo, another Final Six entrant, in a dying land. Now she doesn’t know who to trust.

The International Space Boot Camp continues to dodge all questions about their previous failed mission, and Naomi suspects that all is not as it seems on her own mission to Europe. With just one shot at Jupiter’s moon, Naomi is determined to find out if there is dangerous alien life on Europa before she and her crew get there.

leo, back on earth, has been working with renegade scientist dr. Greta Wagner, who promises to take him to space where he can dock with Naomi’s ship. And if Wagner’s hypothesis is correct, there is no possibility of coming into contact with extraterrestrial life in Europe; It’s final, and it’s up to Leo to find and warn Naomi and the crew.

With the questions piling up, everything becomes more dangerous the closer the mission gets to Europe. if the dream was to establish a new world for humans… the final six are about to enter a nightmare.

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16. night cloak by evelyn skye

📚 This is the sequel to: Circle of Shadows

After the devastating ceremony of two hundred hearts, Sora, Daemon, Fairy and Broom are truly alone in the fight to save their kingdom. Empress Aki is missing, and everyone else who could help them is a prisoner of Prince Gin’s mind control.

At least Sora understands what they’re up against. Or so she thinks, until she overhears Gin bargaining with the god of war for immortality and discovers that ryuu magic may be a more insidious danger than she thought.

Suddenly, the stakes are higher and even more personal for Sora: not only must he stop a seemingly indestructible Prince Gin, but he must also unravel the secrets of Ryuu magic before it’s too late to do so. almost everyone he loves.

Sora, Daemon, Fairy, and Broomstick face dangerous obstacles at every turn, but the biggest challenge may be discovering who they really are and what, if anything, they’re capable of.

The fate of a kingdom rests in your hands.

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17. gold chain by cassandra clare

Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin. Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else.

But Cordelia’s new life falls apart when a shocking series of demonic attacks devastate London. These monsters are nothing like the Shadowhunters they’ve fought before: these demons walk in broad daylight, pummel the unsuspecting with incurable poison, and seem unkillable. london is quarantined immediately. Trapped in the city, Cordelia and her friends discover that her own connection to a dark legacy has given them incredible powers and forced them to make a brutal choice that will reveal the true cruel price of being a hero.

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18. imagine me by tahereh mafi

📚 This is the final book in: the Shatter Me series

juliette ferrars. she sommers. which is the truth and which is the lie?

Now that she knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks toward a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between good and evil, between her and Juliette, blur.

and with old enemies in the offing, your fate may not be in your control.

The day of reckoning for resettlement is drawing near. but you may not be able to choose which side you fight for.

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19. the midnight lie of marie rutkoski

Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colors. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences.

nirrim keeps his head down and a dangerous secret close to his chest.

but then he meets sid, a rogue traveler from far away who whispers rumors that the high caste possess magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic herself. but to do that, nirrim must give up her old life. she must place her trust in this cunning stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.

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20. the town crier moon by kathryn purdie

Bone Criers are the last descendants of an ancient famille charged with using the magic they draw from animal bones to shepherd the dead into the afterlife—lest they drain the light from the living.

ailesse has been groomed since birth to become her matriarch, but first she must complete her rite of passage: kill the boy she is destined to love.

Bastien’s father was killed by a bone weeper and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. now his revenge must wait, for the ritual of ailesse has begun and his destinies are intertwined, in life and in death.

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21. evil as you want by rin chupeco

Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left encased in ice when the Snow Queen waged war. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in…Arizona.

Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the royal family of Avalon, hides out in a town so boring that magic doesn’t even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them.

A new hope for their abandoned homeland is rekindled when a famous legendary creature, the firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala must join a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.

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22. sara holland haven

Hidden deep in the mountains of Colorado lies the Inn at Havenfall, a sanctuary that connects ancient worlds—each with its own magic. For generations, the inn has protected all who seek refuge within its walls, and any who disrupt the peace can never return.

For maddie morrow, summers at the inn are more than just a chance to experience this magic firsthand. havefall is an escape from reality, where her mother sits on death row accused of murdering maddie’s brother. It’s where Maddie fell in love with handsome soldier Fiorden Brekken. and it is where she someday hopes to inherit the role of innkeeper from her beloved uncle.

but this summer the impossible happens: a dead body is found, destroying everything the inn stands for. With Brekken missing, her uncle critically injured, and a dangerous creature on the loose, Maddie suddenly finds herself responsible for the safety of everyone in Havenfall. She’ll do anything to uncover the truth, even if it means working alongside a hot new staff member, Taya, who seems to know more than she’s letting on. As dark secrets about the inn itself are revealed, one thing becomes clear to Maddie: no one is to be trusted, and no one is safe…

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23. a phoenix must first burn, edited by patrice caldwell

Sixteen tales by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic.

evoking beyoncé lemonade for a teenage audience, these authors, who are truly the heirs of octavia butler, have weaved worlds together to create a dazzling storytelling that focuses on black women and gender non-conformists . a phoenix first must burn will take you on a journey from folktales to futuristic societies and everything in between.

Filled with stories of love and betrayal, strength and endurance, this collection contains a variety of complex and real characters that you can’t help but see yourself in. witches and scientists, sisters and lovers, priestesses and rebels: the heroines of a phoenix must first burn and shine brightly. you will never forget them.

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24. empire of dreams by rae carson

📚 This is a companion to: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

red sparkle stone is an orphan girl with a strange name, a veiled past, and a mark of magic in her hair. But finally, after years and years of running, of fighting, she is about to be adopted into the royal family by Empress Elisa herself. she will have a home, a family. Sixteen-year-old Red can hardly believe her luck. then, in a stunning political masterstroke, the empress’s greatest rival blocks her adoption, and everything red has worked for crumbles before her eyes.

But Red is not about to let herself or the empress become a target again. Determined to prove her worth and protect her chosen family from her, she joins the royal guard, the world’s most elite fighting force. however, it is no coincidence that someone wanted her to fail as a princess. someone whose dark agenda puts everything, and everyone, she loves at risk. as she approaches danger, red must save the empire. if she can survive the draft year, something no woman has ever done before.

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25. Merciless Gods by Emily A. duncan

📚 This is the sequel to: Wicked Saints

nadya no longer trusts her magic. serefin fights against a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. malachiasz is at war with who and what he has become.

As their group continually divides, the girl, the prince and the monster find their destinies irrevocably intertwined. they are pieces on a board, orchestrated by someone… or something. The voices Serefin hears in the dark, the ones Nadya believes are her gods, the ones Malachiasz is desperate to meet, those voices want a stake in the world and refuse to be silent any longer.

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26. zoraida córdova arsonist

Renata Convida was only a child when she was kidnapped by the King’s Justice and brought to the luxurious palace of Andalucia. As a Robari, the rarest and most feared of the magical Moria, Renata’s ability to steal memories from royal enemies enabled the King’s Wrath, a siege that resulted in the deaths of thousands of her own people.

Renata is now one of the whispers, rogue spies who work against the crown and help the remaining Moria escape from the kingdom bent on its destruction. The whispers may have rescued Renata from the palace years ago, but she cannot escape their mistrust and hatred, nor the overwhelming memories of the hundreds of souls she turned “hollows” during her time in the palace.

When Dez, her unit commander, is taken captive by the notorious Bleeding Prince, Renata will do anything to save the boy whose love makes her place among the whispers bearable. But a disastrous rescue attempt means Renata must return to the palace under cover and complete Dez’s top-secret mission. Can Renata convince his former captors that he remains loyal, even as he burns for revenge against the brutal and enigmatic prince? his life and the fate of moria depend on it.

But returning to the palace awakens long-locked childhood memories. As Renata becomes increasingly involved in the politics of the royal court, she discovers a secret from his past that could change the entire destiny of the kingdom and end the war that has cost her everything.

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27. the christine lynn herman omen deck

📚 This is the sequel to: The Devouring Gray

Though the beast is seemingly subdued for now, a new threat looms in four paths: a corruption seeping out of the gray and into the forest. And with the other founders worried about their tangled alliances and frayed relationships, only Hawthorne seems to realize the danger. But saving the city he loves means seeking help from the person her family despises the most: her and Justin’s father.

May’s father isn’t the only newcomer in town: Isaac’s older brother Sullivan has also returned, seeking forgiveness for his role in Isaac’s troubled past. But Isaac isn’t ready to let go of his family history, especially when that history could be the key he and Violet Saunders need to destroy Gray and the monster within him.

harper carlisle is not ready to forgive either. Two devastating betrayals have left her cut off from her family and not knowing who to trust. As the corruption becomes impossible to ignore, Harper must learn to harness her newfound powers to protect Four Paths. but the only people who can help her do that are the ones who have hurt her the most.

With the veil between the gray and the city thinning, all founding descendants must put aside their mutual grievances to stop the corruption and slay the beast once and for all.

but maybe the monster they really need to kill has never been the beast…

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28. sword in the stars by amy rose capetta & cory mccarthy

📚 This is the sequel to: Once & Future

Ari Helix may have won his battle against the tyrannical Mercer Corporation, but the bigger war has just begun. Ari and his cursed wizard Merlin must travel back in time to the unenlightened Middle Ages and steal King Arthur’s Grail, the very definition of the impossible.

It is imperative that time travelers do not skew the timeline or alter the course of history. coming face to face with the original Arthurian legend could produce a ripple effect that changes everything. somehow merlin forgot that the past can be even more dangerous than the future…

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29. lightning bringer by jordan ifueko

Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?

tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. she was raised in seclusion by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as the lady. She is sent by the lady to the global empire capital of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as part of the crown prince’s council of 11. If chosen, she will join the other members of the council via lightning, a bond deeper than blood.

That closeness is irresistible to tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But the lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is forced to obey: to kill the crown prince once he gains her trust. Tarisai won’t sit idly by and become someone’s pawn, but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself?

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30. the ballad of songbirds and snakes by suzanne collins

📚 This is a prequel to: The Hunger Games

It’s harvest morning that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow prepares for his one chance at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty House of Snow has fallen on hard times, his fate hanging on the slim chance that Coriolanus is able to out charm, wit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to guide the winning tribute.

The odds are stacked against you. she has been assigned the humiliating task of mentoring the female tribute from district 12, the lowest of the low. His fates are now completely intertwined: every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus begins to feel for the tribute of his doomed… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

buy the ballad of songbirds and snakes now!

31. kiera cass’s fiancee

A would-be queen. A handsome young king. A perfect match… or is it?

When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked and thrilled. After all, she grew up in Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention along with other daughters of the nobility. Capturing her heart is a dream come true.

But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she discovers that the future she really wants is one she never thought she could imagine.

buy the promised one now!

32. Burning Aurora by Amie Kaufman & jay kristoff

📚 This is the sequel to: Aurora Rising

First, the bad news: an ancient evil, you know, your standard deal to consume all life in the galaxy, is about to be unleashed. the good news? Squad 312 is ready to save the day. they just have to take care of a few small distractions first.

like the clan of gremps who would like to rearrange their favorite faces.

and gia’s painting of illegal agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long lost sister, who isn’t exactly happy to see her little brother, and has a syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy hot on their heels, Squadron 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they hear the hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri the sole survivor. now her black box could be the thing that saves them. But time is ticking, and if Auri can’t learn to master his trigger powers, the squad and all of his admirers will be as dead as Abraaxis IV’s great ultrasaur.

buy burning aurora now!

33. house of dragons by jessica tracks

When the Emperor dies, the five royal houses of Etrusia attend the Call, where one of their own will be selected to compete for the throne. It is always the oldest child, the one who has been preparing for years to compete in the Trial. But this year is different. This year, these outcasts will answer the call…

The Liar: Emilia must hide her dark magic or die. The Soldier: Lucian is a warrior who has sworn never to pick up a sword again. The Maid: Vespir is a dragon trainer whose skills alone will keep her in the game. the thief: ajax knows that nothing is free, he must take what he wants. The Assassin: Hyperia was born to rule and will stop at nothing to take her throne.

Five royal houses will heed the call to compete in the trial for the dragon throne. but who will win?

buy house of dragons now!

34. the archer at sunrise by swati teerdhala

📚 This is the sequel to: The Tiger at Midnight

For Kunal and Esha, finally working together as rebels, the upcoming Sun Mela provides the perfect pretext to infiltrate King Vardaan’s vicious court. Kunal returns to his role as a dedicated soldier, while Esha uses her new role as an adviser to Prince Harun to find allies for her rebel cause. A radical plan is afoot to rescue Jansa’s lost princess, Reha, the key to the throne.

but amid the mela games and glittering festivities, far more dangerous forces lurk. With the rebel’s entry into Vardaan’s court, a match has been lit, and long-kept secrets will force Kunal and Esha to reconsider their loyalty to him, to their countries, and to each other.

entering the palace was an easy task; dating will be a battle for their lives. In book two of Swati Teerdhala’s epic fantasy trilogy, a kingdom will fall, a new ruler will rise, and all will burn.

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35. andrew eliopulos headdresses

Living in a small town where magic is frowned upon, Sam needs his friends James and Delia—and their time together in their school’s magic club—to see him through to graduation.

But as soon as the senior year begins, small cracks start to appear in your pool. Sam may or may not be in love with James. Delia becomes increasingly frustrated with her amateur magic club. And James reveals that he got mixed up with some sketchy wizards over the summer, putting a target on everyone’s back.

With so many fault lines threatening to derail his hopes for the year, Sam is forced to face the fact that the same love of magic that brought his group together is now driving them apart, and there are some issues that neither amount of magic can fix.

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36. a song of ghosts and ruin of roseanne a. brown

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts his younger sister, Nadia, as payment to enter the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

but karina has her own deadly aspirations. her mother, the sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens to riot; and solstasia hangs like a knife on her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic… which requires the beating heart of a king. And she knows exactly how to get one: by offering her hand in marriage to the winner of the solstasia competition.

When Malik makes his way into the contest, they are on a thrilling course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to fulfill their tasks to the death?

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37. an underwater song by bethany c. tomorrow

Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Never mind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.

But everything changes in the wake of a mermaid murder trial that rocks the nation; Girls’ favorite internet fashion icon reveals that she’s also a mermaid, and word spreads around her community. Tensions rise when Effie begins to be haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. no secret seems safe anymore, soon portland won’t be either.

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38. burn by patrick ness

Sarah Dewhurst and her father, outcasts in their little town of Frome, Washington, are forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, something only the poorest of the poor ever have to resort to.

However, the dragon, Kazimir, has more than meets the eye. Sarah can’t help but be curious about him, an animal that supposedly has no soul but is apparently intent on keeping her safe.

because the dragon knows something she doesn’t. she has arrived at the farm with a prophecy in mind. a prophecy involving a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshipers, two fbi agents on the hunt, and somehow sarah dewhurst.

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39. goddess in the machine by lora beth johnson

When Andra wakes up, she’s drowning.

Not only that, but she’s in a hot and dirty cave, it’s the year 3102 and everyone still calls her a goddess. When Ella Andra entered a cryonic sleep for a journey across the galaxy, she expected to wake up in a hundred years, not a thousand. worst of all, the rest of the colonists, including her family and friends, are dead. they died centuries ago and for some reason their descendants think that andra is a deity. She knows she’s nothing special, but she’ll play along if it means she can figure out why she was left in stasis and how to get back to earth.

Zhade, the exiled bastard prince of eerensed, has other plans. Four years ago, the crystal coffin of the sleeping goddess disappeared from the palace, and Zhade set out to find it. he now he hopes the goddess is the key to taking her rightful place on the throne, if he can get her to play her part, that is. because if her people realize that she doesn’t have the power to save her dying planet, they will kill her.

With a ruthless monarch on the throne and a city torn at the seams, Zhade and Andra may never unravel the mystery of their destiny, let alone find a way to overthrow the king, especially since Zhade hasn’t. done. been exactly communicative with andra. and a thousand years from home, is there any way to know that earth is better than the planet it woke up to?

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40. cinderella is dead by kalynn bayron

It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sophia, sixteen, would rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes a desperate decision to run away and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. there she meets constance, the last known descendant of cinderella and her stepsisters. together they vow to bring down the king once and for all, and in the process learn that there is more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew…

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41. faith: taking flight by julie murphy

Faith Herbert is a pretty regular teen. When she’s not hanging out with her two best friends, Matt and Ches, she’s volunteering at the local animal shelter or obsessing over the long-running teen drama The Grove.

So far, she’s spent her senior year trying to work out her feelings for maybe in love with Johnny and making plans to stay close to Grandma Lou after graduation. Of course, there’s also that little matter of recently discovering that he can fly…

42. unravel dusk by elizabeth lim

📚 This is the sequel to: Spin the Dawn

Maia Tamarin’s journey to sew the dresses of the sun, moon, and stars has taken a heavy toll. returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. the boy she loves is gone, and she is forced to don the sun dress and take the place of the emperor’s bride-to-be to keep the peace.

But the war raging around Maia is nothing compared to the internal battle. ever since she was touched by the bandur demon, she has been changing… looking in the mirror to see her own eyes glowing red, losing control of her magic, her body, her mind. It’s only a matter of time before Maia is completely lost, but she will stop at nothing to find Edan, protect her family, and bring lasting peace to her country.

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43. the damned by renée ahdieh

📚 This is the sequel to: The Beautiful

After the events of Belle, Sébastien Saint Germain is now cursed and forever changed. the treaty between the fallen and the brotherhood has been broken, and war between the immortals seems imminent. the price of loving celine was expensive. But Celine also paid a high price for loving Bastien.

Still recovering from the injuries sustained during a night he can’t quite remember, his dreams are turbulent. And she doesn’t know that, unbeknownst to her, she has set in motion a chain of events that could lead to her death and reveal a truth about herself that she is not yet ready to learn.

The forces that lurk in the shadows have been waiting patiently for this moment for centuries. And just as Bastien and Celine begin to discover the danger that surrounds them, they discover that their love could tear them apart.

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44. midnight sun by stephenie meyer

📚 This is a companion to: the Twilight series

When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But so far, fans have only heard Bella’s side of the story. At long last, readers can experience the version of Edward in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.

This unforgettable story told through Edward’s eyes takes a new and decidedly dark twist. meeting bella is the most puzzling and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward’s past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the struggle that defines his life. How can she justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?

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45. star daughter by shveta thakrar

The daughter of a star and a mortal, Sheetal is used to keeping secrets. Pretending to be “normal.” But when an accidental flare of her starfire puts her human father in the hospital, Sheetal needs a full star’s help to heal him. A star like her mother, who returned to the sky long ago.

Sheehal’s quest to save her father will take her to a heavenly court of bright wonders and dark shadows, where she must take the stage as her family’s champion in a competition to decide the next ruling house of the skies, and win, or risk never coming back to earth.

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46. vicious spirits of kat cho

📚 This is the sequel to: Wicked Fox

As the vicious spirits begin, Miyoung and Jihoon are picking up the pieces of their broken lives following the deaths of Miyoung’s mother Yena and Jihoon’s grandmother.

With the support of his friend somin and his friend-enemy, junu, they might have a chance to get back to normal. but miyoung is getting sicker every day and her friends don’t know how to save her. With few options remaining, Junu has an idea, but it might require the ultimate sacrifice, and let’s be honest, Junu isn’t known for his “generosity of him.”

Meanwhile, the events of the Evil Fox finale have turned the forces that govern life and death upside down and there are supernatural entities lurking in the background who will stop at nothing to set their world right.

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47. set fire to the gods by sara raasch & Kristen Simmons

Ash is descended from a long line of gladiators, and she knows the brutal nature of war firsthand. But after her mother dies in an arena, she vows to avenge her by overthrowing her fire god, whose temper has stripped her country of its resources.

madoc grew up fighting in the streets to pay his family’s taxes. but he hides a dangerous secret: he doesn’t have the powers of the earth god like his opponents. his elemental gift is something else, something that hasn’t been seen in centuries.

When an attempt at revenge goes dangerously awry, Ash inadvertently throws the gods of fire and earth into a conflict that can only be resolved through lavish and deadly gladiatorial games, putting Madoc in Ash’s path. She realizes that her powers are the weapon her rebellion needs, but Madoc will not endanger her family, no matter how intrigued he is by the beautiful warrior.

But when the gods force Madoc’s hand, he and Ash discover an ancient war that will threaten more than one immortal – it will tear the world apart.

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48. blood & sweetheart of shelby mahurin

📚 This is the sequel to: Serpent & Dove

Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from the coven, the kingdom, and the church: they are fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To survive, they need allies. strong, but as lou becomes increasingly desperate to save her loved ones, she turns to a darker side of magic that may cost reid the one thing she can’t bear to lose. always linked to her, her vows were clear: where lou goes, he will go; and where she stays, he will stay.

Until death do them part.

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49. legendborn by tracy deonn

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC-Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon that feeds on human energies. a secret society of so-called “legend-born” students who hunt the creatures. and a mysterious teenage wizard who calls himself “Merlin” and who tries, and fails, to erase Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The wizard’s failure unlocks Bree’s unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another merlin was in the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to uncover the truth, even if it means infiltrating Legendborn as one of her initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled legend born with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership brings them deeper into the secrets of society, and closer to each other. But when the Legendaries reveal themselves to be the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is brewing, Bree has to decide how far she will go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to defeat society or join forces. . the fight.

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50. graveyard boys by aiden thomas

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian isn’t about to die quietly. he is determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. With no other choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so they can both get what they want. But the more time Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants her to go.

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51. never look back by lilliam rivera

Eury comes to the Bronx as a girl haunted. Haunted by losing everything in Hurricane Maria-and by an evil spirit, Ato. She fully expects the tragedy that befell her and her family in Puerto Rico to catch up with her in New York. Yet, for a time, she can almost set this fear aside, because there’s this boy…

pheus is a charming golden-voiced bachata singer, ready to spend the summer on the beach with his friends, serenading his flickering flame. that changes when he meets eury. all he wants is to put a smile on his face and fight his demons. But some dangers are too powerful for even the strongest love, and as the world threatens to tear them apart, Eury and Pheus must fight for each other and for their lives.

This self-voiced narration of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice is perfect for fans of Ibi Zoboi’s Proud and Daniel José Old’s Shadowshaper.

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52. iron heart of nina varela

📚 This is the sequel to: Crier’s War

for too long, the automas have ruled the realm of rabu, oppressing its human citizens. but the human revolution has arisen, and at its heart is ayla. Once a servant, now a fugitive, Ayla narrowly escaped the palace of the Lady Crier, the girl she would have killed had she not fallen in love first.

Now Ayla has sworn allegiance to Queen Junn, who can help achieve the ultimate goal of the human rebellion: destroy the Iron Heart. without the power of it, the automatons will weaken to the point of extinction. Ayla wants to be successful, but she can’t shake the strong feelings she has developed for crier. And unbeknownst to her, Town Crier also fled the palace and joined the traveling rebels, determined to find and protect Ayla.

Even when their paths collide, nothing can prepare them for the dark secret that lies at the heart of iron.

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53. fable of adrienne young

For seventeen-year-old Fable, the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home she has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one, and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father, and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew.

To do so, Fable enlists the help of a young merchant named West to get her off the island and across the straits to her father.

But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his business venture have only multiplied since she last saw him, and Fable soon discovers that West is not who he seems. together, they will have to outlast the treacherous storms that stalk the straits if they are to stay alive.

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54. as the shadow rises by katy rose pool

📚 This is the sequel to: There Will Come a Darkness

The last prophet has been found, but he sees destruction ahead.

In this sequel to the critically acclaimed, darkness will come, kingdoms have begun to fall to a doomsday cult, magical beings are being hunted, and an ancient power threatens to break free. But with the world hurtling toward its prophesied end, Anton’s haunting vision reveals the dangerous beginnings of a plan to stop the Dark Ages.

When Jude, Guardian of the Order of the Last Light, returns home in disgrace, his quest to help the Prophet is complicated by his growing feelings for Anton. Meanwhile, the assassin known as the Pale Hand will stop at nothing to find her undead sister before she dies forever, even if it means letting the world burn. And in Nazirah, Hassan, the prince without a kingdom, forms a risky pact to try and win back his throne. When the forces of light and dark collide in the city of mercy, old wounds are reopened, new alliances are tested, and the end of the world begins.

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what were your favorite fantasy books of 2020? let us know below, and don’t forget to vote for them in the *book shimmy* awards now!