Young Adult Paranormal Romance Fantasy Book Recommendations

Both Young Adult and Paranormal Romance are amongst the bestselling subgenres within fantasy fiction. Combining the two incredibly popular genres have resulted in another new category that is too hot to handle right now. Some of the highest sales figures are in the YA Paranormal Romance category with fans hungry for more.

Today we are taking a look at some of the best books so far in this category. These books are bestsellers both online and through offline bookstores and maintain an overall rating of 4+ on either Amazon or Goodreads.

Out of the seven books covered today, the first five are by established authors in Young Adult Paranormal Romance novels while the last two are by a relatively new author who is fast climbing up the ranks with her enthralling writing style.

1) The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Blue, the daughter of a clairvoyant finds herself intrigued by Gansey, a well-to-do student of Aglionby. Her interest in him surprises Blue herself considering she does not usually want anything to do with the boys at Aglionby who are also popularly referred to as Raven Boys.

Now in the midst of the world of four Raven Boys, Blue finds herself in a mystery she never expected.

The Raven Boys by author Maggie Stiefvater is a rocking start of The Raven Cycle series. The book about sixteen year old Blue, her true love and the prophecy that she will cause the death of her one true love is an absorbing tale in the young adult paranormal romance genre.

2) Fallen by Lauren Kate

There is something about forbidden love and angels that keeps readers coming back for more. Fallen by author Lauren Kate is one of those books that you just cannot get enough of, thanks to it sublime plot and the beautiful love that slowly evolves within its characters.

Some fans and reviewers have compared Fallen to the immensely popular Twilight books. The only thing is in the Fallen series, vampires have been replaced by fallen angels.

Regardless of whether you are a fan of Twilight or not, you should give the Fallen series a try. It is one of the most popular series in the YA paranormal romance category and does have a distinctive story that is both captivating and dark at times.

3) Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

A lot of you will know Cassandra Clare as the author of the bestselling YA urban fantasy series, Mortal Instruments. If you liked that series, you will love Clockwork Angel which is the first book of The Infernal Devices series.

Clockwork Angel is in fact the prequel to Mortal Instruments and is a must read for all fans of Cassandra Clare.

This book has it all. Historical Victorian cities, a strong, smart female lead in Tessa, an intriguing plotline and of course a genuine and more realistic romance that makes this book one of the most widely read novels in the YA paranormal romance category.

4) Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Angels, mysterious visions, potential love triangle and a destiny waiting to unfold. Unearthly by author Cynthia Hand has everything that one needs from a young adult paranormal romance fantasy.

Part of a trilogy of the same name, Unearthly revolves around a girl named Clara. She is part angel and is still discovering who she is as well as the power inside her. She is on a journey to figuring out what is her purpose considering her angel roots.

Things start to get interesting when she meets the boy who she has been seeing in her dreams. Her visions are quite mysterious with forest fires and the boy named Christian in them. Clara is also drawn to another guy from her new school Tucker and things start to get interesting quite fast.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand will appeal to fans of the Twilight series and is one of the highest rated books in the genre.

5) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass

Few books in the past have evoked the kind of passion and polarization like A Court of Thorns and Roses by author Sarah J. Mass.

Even though this is one of the bestselling and highest rated books in YA paranormal romance, I was in two minds whether to include it here or not.

The reason being is many don’t consider A Court of Thorns and Roses as “young adult” even though the character ages fall in the YA category. Some readers have described this book as pure ‘erotica’ and wonder whether it should be moved to the mature adult category with a warning.

It is incredible though that this book is still sold within the YA world and has sold over nine million copies. So if you want to give it a try, then just be warned that this book is more graphic in its content and not like the other recommendations in this list.

6) The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

At the beginning of this article, I had promised two books by an author fast going up the ranks in the young adult paranormal romance world.

The Wicked Deep is the first of those books by author Shea Ernshaw.

Published in 2019, The Wicked Deep is a New York Times bestseller and something that the genre needed quite desperately. We have too many books now with very similar stories, similar settings and teenage love. So when I came across The Wicked Deep, it was like a breath of fresh air. A book where the story was the central and most appealing feature, not forced romances.

The Wicked Deep starts with three sisters, sentenced to death for witchcraft. This was couple of centuries ago and now the three sisters return every summer to avenge their death. They possess weak girls and lure unsuspecting boys to their demise.

Author Shea Ernshaw really draws in the reader and you just cannot put down the book with its poetic writing style and excellent plot development.

7) Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw

The Wicked Deep was quite an incredible book by Shea Ernshaw. However, the author followed it up with something as good if not better in Winterwood.

Although not part of the same series, these are currently standalone books that can be enjoyed by all. I feel you do not need to be a fan of specifically YA paranormal romance to enjoy these books. If you love fantasy fiction in general, then Winterwood is for you.

The story is all about a suspected witch named Nora Walker. Nora feels a deep connect with the woods that surround the town of Fir Haven. However, these woods are rumoured to be haunted and to everyone’s surprise, a boy named Oliver, who should be dead considering the snowstorm he was amidst, turns up alive after weeks with no memory of the days in which he disappeared.

This is another book by Shea Ernshaw where the story is the most intriguing aspect and the romance does build up in a more realistic way.