23+ of Your Favorite Suspenseful YA Books

Kelly Jensen Sep 26, 2016

Kelly Jensen

Editor

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

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This Riot Recommendation is sponsored by The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis.

Edgar Award–winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a dark and riveting contemporary young adult novel in THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES.

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence. As her senior year in high school unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting her and two friends on a collision course that will change their lives forever. THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES is a stunning, unforgettable page-turner.

Contrary to what you’ve probably heard, YA isn’t itself a genre (it’s more of a category). This means that there is YA in every genre, from fantasy to romance to mysteries to thrillers, and many of them are seat-of-your-pants, heart-won’t-stop-pounding, ignoring-your-adult-responsibilities-til-you’re-done suspenseful.