8 Immersive New Epic Fantasy YA Books

This is the first in Tahir’s new YA epic fantasy duology. The book follows three different characters, Aiz, Sirsha, and Quil, who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Aiz finds herself in prison, Sirsha is tasked with finding a killer that has been terrorizing the Empire, and Quil is the Empire’s crown prince, and he must rise to confront the threat that afflicts his domain.

Set 20 years later in the same world as An Ember in the Ashes, the individual stories of the characters intertwine and culminate in an explosive ending.

Every six years, a new Guardian is given the Scroll of Earth. Ambitious 16-year-old Jun wants to join the Guardian’s Tournament in the hopes of improving his family’s reputation after being exiled from their home.

His father doesn’t want him to compete, however, especially as he lacks magical abilities like his twin, a “breathmarked,” who was born with a dragon’s features. Despite his father’s wishes, Jun finds a way to escape anyway. But when he gets to the arena, he discovers that there are far more pressing matters than restoring his family’s honor.

Ruying, who possesses the ability to sap human life, despises the invaders who have colonized her homeland. There’s brutality and starvation, and Ruying thinks that it’s only a matter of time until her family suffers the same fate.

When the enemy prince discovers her hidden talent, he makes a deal with her. In exchange for her and her family’s safety and well-being, she needs to kill the enemy prince’s opponents. But Ruying is wise to doubt the prince’s motivations, especially as using her magic shortens her life.

Manisha, a 16-year-old priestess, meets Pratyush, a monster slayer and warrior on the king’s payroll, and they fall in love.

Shortly afterward, however, a temple visitor assaults Manisha and pushes her until she falls into a snake pit. Nevertheless, the venom doesn’t kill her. Instead, she grows stronger and takes on traits from the vipers…including their wickedness. Manisha transforms men into stones and has been terrorizing the kingdom since she emerged from the snake pit.

The king then sends Pratyush to kill a monster that has been turning men into stone. Will he be able to recognize that it’s his beloved?

This is the third book in Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha series, following Children of Blood and Bone and Children of Virtue and Vengeance. In book one, Zélie works to restore magic to Orïsha and overthrow the monarchy. The second book follows her struggle to regain control of fractured Orïsha amid the presence of power-hungry rulers.

This one picks up where book two left off, with Zélie captured by the enemy, King Baldyr. She and her friends must fight enemies to save their people as the Orïsha are once again in turmoil.

Aasira is being trained as one of the queen’s assassins. She has the ability to wield flame through dancing, a powerful magic that enemies are terrified of. Aasira doesn’t know any better, however. All she knows is that after completing her training, she will have to serve her queen as an assassin.

But her fate may change when she discovers a shocking truth. Will she deviate from the path she has always known?

This YA graphic novel is based on the Korean mythology of gumiho, a nine-tailed fox that transforms into a girl and seduces its victims.

The story follows Kai as she aspires to be a warrior. Her patriarchal society forbids her from becoming one, however. This is compounded by rumors that she’s the granddaughter of Gumiho, the nine-tailed fox. As she navigates her young adulthood, she discovers aspects of her identity that call into question who she truly is.

The book follows Aina, Aranel, and Meizan as they deal with class divide. Their society is governed by Toranic Law and is primarily divided into upper and lower realms. Those at the top want to keep the status quo, while those at the bottom of the society, including Aina’s family, continue to suffer. Aina is given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ascend, but it’s bittersweet leaving her family behind.

Meanwhile, Aranel and Meizan are both members of the Balancers, a group that works to help those in the lower realms. Will they be able to strike a balance in a society that keeps its margins wide?