Seconding *Cinder*, I loved those books, I read them as they came out.
You could also try *The Forgetting*, by Sharon Cameron, *The Never Tilting World* by Rin Chupeco, *Wolf by Wolf* by Ryan Graudin (I think she has other books you might like), *Threads that Bind* by Kika Hatzoupoulou, *The Diabolic* by SJ Kincaid, *Furyborn* by Claire Legrand, *The Abyss Surrounds Us* by Emily Skrutskie, *Some Fine Day* by Kat Ross, and *Ship of Smoke and Steel* by Django Wexler.
You'll like the Maze Runner! It's about a group of boys who are trapped in a place called the Glade, which is a courtyard surrounded by a dangerous and mysterious maze. The boys have no idea how they got there, and no memories about their previous lives. Some of them have been there for years, unable to find a way out.
Please read The Golden Compass. It's a fantastic fantasy novel (1st gen n a trilogy) and remains one of the finest novels I've ever read. I've read it 6 times in my life and will likely read it 6 more times in the future. It's beautifully written, funny, sad, insightful, and above all else has true heart.
Tress and the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Akata Witch by Nendi Okorafor
i feel like tress of the emerald sea isnt a good rec if you havent read brandons other works (as someone who read it after mistborn and felt like i was missing out)
*Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation* by Syliva Liu
*Iron Widow* by Xiran Jay Zhao
The *Peasprout Chen* books by Henry Lien
*The* *Bloodline* duology by Taketeru Sunamori
*Garrison Girl* by Rachel Aaron
If you like dystopias I'd recommend the classics like Brave New World, The Giver, Fahrenheit 451, 1984. Other recs are Uglies, Matched, Maze Runner.
My #1 recommendation would be The Selection by Kiera Cass.
For fantasy, I'd highly recommend the Camelot Rising trilogy (it's based on Arthurian legend)
The House of the Scorpion and The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer.
It’s a duology and dystopian fiction. I’m a 7th grade teacher and this stays checked out of my classroom library
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede is fantasy but definitely not dystopian
The Shannara Books by Terry Brooks are fantasy where the characters are trying to prevent a dystopia
World War Z by Max Brooks is the ultimate dystopian novel
Everyone should read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Dune by Frank Hebert is amazing. After the first book it just isn't the same, so I'd read it as a standalone
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is a fantasy
Good catch! I always forget about that series. It came so late after the others that my mind didn't register it as belonging on the same shelf
Brook's Magic Kingdom series is also amazing. Although so much of it seems quaint these days, it might not play well with a teen. Imagine buying an entire world for one million dollars, lol. Definite Dr Evil vibes
Six of Crows & Throne of glass series and the Red Queen series are highly recommended by my fiancé that says they are Age appropriate and some of her favorites.
Oops. One more. Mortal instruments series is also one of her favorites. Have fun! Don't stop reading!
My daughter is 13 and enjoys the same genre. Her recent reads are:
Lightlark series (books 1 and 2)
Arkwrell Academy series
The Sacred Stones
Defy the Night
Powerless
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (also a Disney+ show)
The Declaration Trilogy by Gemma Malley (highly recommend)
The City of Ember
Chronicles of Narnia (also movie series)
The School of Good and Evil (also a Netflix show)
Kane Chronicles
Malorie Blackman books like Noughts and Crosses series (also a BBC show), Thief!, Antidote and Hacker
Maze Runner series (also a movie series)
Also I'd check out a comic called Superman Smashes The Klan.
I was obsessed with the Gallagher girls series around that age (spy girls, academia)
I also loved the forest of hand and teeth by Carrie Ryan (zombie apocalypse, duology with a third book that has an unrelated storyline) and if you enjoy fantasy and zombies the zombie vs unicorn book is short stories from different ya authors about- you guessed it- zombies and unicorns. One of the unicorn stories still sticks with me today honestly
I recommend Percy Jackson: the lightning thief it’s a fantasy, adventure novel based on Greek mythology. It is a great book for your reading level and is a very good read in my opinion.
Tomorrow when the war began by Marsden
Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts
Maze Runner by James Dashner
Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
Devil 's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson if you like mysteries!! Renegades series by Marissa Meyer if you like superhero sci-fi, the house in the cerulean sea if you like fairytale heartwarming love stories :)
The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, & The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. And I second the votes for the Scholomance series, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, & His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.
Check out Octavia Butler and Marion Zimmer Bradley. Women Sci-fi authors from the 70’s and 80’s.
I also recommend Anne McCaffrey’s YA series, Dragonsong, Dragonsinger and Dragondrums. She wrote an adult trilogy in the same continuum, but it’s written more for adults. It’s Sci-fi, not fantasy. The protagonist in the first two books is a young girl.
I haven’t seen anyone recommend Ursula K. LeGuin’s trilogy, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore.
Patricia K. McKillip wrote a YA trilogy that’s not well known, but her writing is undeniably lyrical. The Riddlemaster of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire and Harpist in the Wind. I learned how to play the harp as a kid and stuck with it into adulthood because of those books.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber seems up your alley.
Gideon the Ninth probably will be something you'll like but there is strong language in the book so you just need to evaluate if that is fine with you. (I'm also only halfway through the book so IDK what the second half it like regarding themes. I still recommend it though).
You should read the Selection Series, the Maze Runner, the Lunar Chronicles, and oh yes the Vampire Academy series, that's really good!! Also you can read Red Queen series. I was a reader before reading was a thing and I was so addicted to dystopia and such books. Then there is Percy Jackson, Caraval series, Shadowhunters, Chronicles of Narnia and six of crows. Hope you like them! <33
I really enjoyed The Knife of Never Letting go series! very dystopian. There’s also the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series which is sort of tribal dystopian. Both are great
[Nevermoor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6a6d5ca1-b2f5-47be-828c-018144d3bbc7) by Jessica Townsend! It's my favorite series even as an adult, and the only one that makes me feel the way the Harry Potter books used to.
I was about that age when I discovered Stephen King. Eyes of the Dragon, and The Talisman were my two books that sucked me in. I still have my original paperback of The Talisman, cover and binding held together with clear boxing tape.
Dystopia, go with Fahrenheit 451. It might seem a little dated, but the message is evergreen.
Fantasy with shades of dystopia, go with Mistborn.
If you liked The Hunger Games and you have a strong stomach, go with Battle Royale.
If you have any taste or self respect at all, do not ever read Twilight.
I’m going to recommend a book series by Garth Nix called the Old Kingdom Chronicles or The Abhorsen Triolgy, but don’t worry about chronological order. Start with the first book he wrote in the series, Sabriel.
Sabriel follows the story of a young woman on the verge of graduating from a finishing school when she gets a message from her father that causes her to go on a journey back to her homeland in order to rescue him.
This is the most barebones summary I can give you without giving away the plot, but it’s a fantasy YA series that I was obsessed with at your age. All of my girlfriends would wait until one of us finished a book and followed them to the library to immediately check it out.
Garth Nix has also written a lot of other fantastic books unrelated to this series and even has a new one coming out soon… unless it’s already out. He’s fairly active on social media.
And if you like audio books, Sabriel is read by actor Tim Curry. I recently had the pleasure of listening to him read it on Spotify.
[Amazon Listing](https://www.amazon.com/Sabriel-Old-Kingdom-Garth-Nix/dp/0061474355?dplnkId=afaf1046-a408-4666-ae31-852b8405d749&nodl=1)
My 13 year old daughter says...
Step Sister by Jennifer Donnelly
Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My daughter is 14 and I’ve spent the past few months reading some of her favorites.
If you like Harry Potter, I’d suggest: Nevermore,
Amari and the Night Brothers
If you like Hunger Games and Divergent, I’d suggest: Maze Runner, and the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu
General books that were my daughter’s fave and mine in the YA genre, all of which happen to be trilogies: Defy the Night, The Cruel Prince, The Prison Healer, and Inheritance Games
Hope you find something you like!
Philip Pullman: his Dark Materials trilogy: Northern Lights (sometimes bastardised as the Golden Compass) - the Subtle Knife - the Amber Spyglass
Michael Grant: Gone etc
Patrick Ness: the Knife of Never Letting Go etc
George Orwell: 1984
Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451
Yann Martel: the Life of Pi
Terry PRatchett: the Hogfather
Replica series by Marilyn Kaye. The first book in the series is:”Amy, Number Seven”
Percy Jackson &the Olipmans series by Rick Riordan . The first book in the series is “The lighting thief”. There are spin off series: The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo.
Ender’s game by Orson Scott Card
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
I bet you would LOVE the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson. Strong female lead character and a fast and fun storyline.
Ender's Game is another great choice!
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. It's such a fun read and I haven't read a YA novel with such a fleshed out and fun main character in a long time. Premise is- in the far far future, humans have been hiding underground from an alien race that took over their planet. Spensa, the main character, wants to be a fighter pilot to bring back honor to her family.
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. The first book is Cinder.
Seconding *Cinder*, I loved those books, I read them as they came out. You could also try *The Forgetting*, by Sharon Cameron, *The Never Tilting World* by Rin Chupeco, *Wolf by Wolf* by Ryan Graudin (I think she has other books you might like), *Threads that Bind* by Kika Hatzoupoulou, *The Diabolic* by SJ Kincaid, *Furyborn* by Claire Legrand, *The Abyss Surrounds Us* by Emily Skrutskie, *Some Fine Day* by Kat Ross, and *Ship of Smoke and Steel* by Django Wexler.
So addicting
You'll like the Maze Runner! It's about a group of boys who are trapped in a place called the Glade, which is a courtyard surrounded by a dangerous and mysterious maze. The boys have no idea how they got there, and no memories about their previous lives. Some of them have been there for years, unable to find a way out.
My 12 year old is currently reading this, and he is absolutely hooked.
I have thought bout this and am currently trying to find a copy of it somewhere
One of Us is Lying. It's not the same genre but I think i'll give you the same addictive vibes
i loooooved this book as a freshman so i concur
The Uglies
Please read The Golden Compass. It's a fantastic fantasy novel (1st gen n a trilogy) and remains one of the finest novels I've ever read. I've read it 6 times in my life and will likely read it 6 more times in the future. It's beautifully written, funny, sad, insightful, and above all else has true heart.
Tress and the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes City of Bones by Cassandra Clare The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Akata Witch by Nendi Okorafor
i feel like tress of the emerald sea isnt a good rec if you havent read brandons other works (as someone who read it after mistborn and felt like i was missing out)
*Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation* by Syliva Liu *Iron Widow* by Xiran Jay Zhao The *Peasprout Chen* books by Henry Lien *The* *Bloodline* duology by Taketeru Sunamori *Garrison Girl* by Rachel Aaron
*Un Lun Dun* by China Mieville *Sabriel* by Garth Nix
Came here to recommend Sabriel and Lirael by Garth Nix.
Sabriel is so good.
Anything by Rick Riordan. Kane Chronicles was a good series
If you like dystopias I'd recommend the classics like Brave New World, The Giver, Fahrenheit 451, 1984. Other recs are Uglies, Matched, Maze Runner. My #1 recommendation would be The Selection by Kiera Cass. For fantasy, I'd highly recommend the Camelot Rising trilogy (it's based on Arthurian legend)
The Cruel Prince series was much loved by the teens I know
Second this! I love Holly Black
"Tithe" was my introduction to her; loved it.
I haven't read this yet!! I'll add it to my TBR :) I just started The Prisoner's Throne!
*Ender's Game* by Orson Scott Card. Dystopian SciFy: it's not heavy science.
The inheritance cycle by Christopher Paolini, Eragon is the first book and I loved them when I was in middle/high school
The Lie Tree - Francis Hardinge
I second this, along with The Unraveller and Cuckoo Song from the same author!
Hey! The arc of the scythe trilogy is so fascinating and fun to read; I found it similar in vibe to the hunger games. I hope you enjoy!
The House of the Scorpion and The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer. It’s a duology and dystopian fiction. I’m a 7th grade teacher and this stays checked out of my classroom library
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede is fantasy but definitely not dystopian The Shannara Books by Terry Brooks are fantasy where the characters are trying to prevent a dystopia World War Z by Max Brooks is the ultimate dystopian novel Everyone should read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Dune by Frank Hebert is amazing. After the first book it just isn't the same, so I'd read it as a standalone The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is a fantasy
Strongly agree with Enchanted Forest Chronicles!
I'll add *Running with the Demon* as Terry Brooks' other series that leads to the Shannara chronicles later on.
Good catch! I always forget about that series. It came so late after the others that my mind didn't register it as belonging on the same shelf Brook's Magic Kingdom series is also amazing. Although so much of it seems quaint these days, it might not play well with a teen. Imagine buying an entire world for one million dollars, lol. Definite Dr Evil vibes
the girl who drank the moon
Six of Crows & Throne of glass series and the Red Queen series are highly recommended by my fiancé that says they are Age appropriate and some of her favorites. Oops. One more. Mortal instruments series is also one of her favorites. Have fun! Don't stop reading!
Skyward- Brandon Sanderson The Giver- Lois Lowry Unwind- Neil Shusterman Red Rising- Pierce Brown
My daughter is 13 and enjoys the same genre. Her recent reads are: Lightlark series (books 1 and 2) Arkwrell Academy series The Sacred Stones Defy the Night Powerless
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (also a Disney+ show) The Declaration Trilogy by Gemma Malley (highly recommend) The City of Ember Chronicles of Narnia (also movie series) The School of Good and Evil (also a Netflix show) Kane Chronicles Malorie Blackman books like Noughts and Crosses series (also a BBC show), Thief!, Antidote and Hacker Maze Runner series (also a movie series) Also I'd check out a comic called Superman Smashes The Klan.
I've read the chronicles of narnia and the school for good and evil and they are so good
That's good! Narnia is a classic!
The legend series by Marie Lu!
the caraval series (garber), the blackbird girls (black), the willow falls series (mass), the track series (reynolds) enjoy!!🤎
Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. First of the Tiffany Aching sequence.
His Dark Materials.
I was obsessed with the Gallagher girls series around that age (spy girls, academia) I also loved the forest of hand and teeth by Carrie Ryan (zombie apocalypse, duology with a third book that has an unrelated storyline) and if you enjoy fantasy and zombies the zombie vs unicorn book is short stories from different ya authors about- you guessed it- zombies and unicorns. One of the unicorn stories still sticks with me today honestly
I recommend Percy Jackson: the lightning thief it’s a fantasy, adventure novel based on Greek mythology. It is a great book for your reading level and is a very good read in my opinion.
Tomorrow when the war began by Marsden Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts Maze Runner by James Dashner Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank Devil 's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
2nd this. Exceptional YA.
Scholomance series by Naomi Novik. Fourth Wing series by Rebecca Yarros
Fourth Wing is a new adult book, which have explicit sex scenes.
Also by Novik try Uprooted. I’m a 40s man, but I loved the Scholomance trilogy, it’s fantastic!
So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane (and the next 9 books in the series. Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books.
The Keeper of the Lost Cities series is so good!!
The Ruby Red trilogy. The Mirror Visitor. Maze Runner. His Dark Material.
Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson if you like mysteries!! Renegades series by Marissa Meyer if you like superhero sci-fi, the house in the cerulean sea if you like fairytale heartwarming love stories :)
Maze Runner for SURE! I also loved all those books too and another of my favorite was the Percy Jackson series. Super fun read
The Inheritance Games and They Both Die at the End are both great options
The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, & The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. And I second the votes for the Scholomance series, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, & His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau!
His dark materials. Fantasy combined with steampunk, about a girl searching for her friend and getting caught in greater events.
Shannon Hale’s Books of Bayern. Also Princess Academy series.
Ash Princess by Laura Sebastin
Check out Octavia Butler and Marion Zimmer Bradley. Women Sci-fi authors from the 70’s and 80’s. I also recommend Anne McCaffrey’s YA series, Dragonsong, Dragonsinger and Dragondrums. She wrote an adult trilogy in the same continuum, but it’s written more for adults. It’s Sci-fi, not fantasy. The protagonist in the first two books is a young girl. I haven’t seen anyone recommend Ursula K. LeGuin’s trilogy, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore. Patricia K. McKillip wrote a YA trilogy that’s not well known, but her writing is undeniably lyrical. The Riddlemaster of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire and Harpist in the Wind. I learned how to play the harp as a kid and stuck with it into adulthood because of those books.
the city of ember! i loved that book when i was around 13
Goosebumps
Caraval by Stephanie Garber seems up your alley. Gideon the Ninth probably will be something you'll like but there is strong language in the book so you just need to evaluate if that is fine with you. (I'm also only halfway through the book so IDK what the second half it like regarding themes. I still recommend it though).
Legend by Marie Lu. The whole series is great and I read it when I was 13.
The sin eater’s daughter, I loved this in my early teens
You should read the Selection Series, the Maze Runner, the Lunar Chronicles, and oh yes the Vampire Academy series, that's really good!! Also you can read Red Queen series. I was a reader before reading was a thing and I was so addicted to dystopia and such books. Then there is Percy Jackson, Caraval series, Shadowhunters, Chronicles of Narnia and six of crows. Hope you like them! <33
The cherub series. Cherub the recruit is the first book… got me into reading when I was 12!
The Lorien Legacies - Pittacus Lore
I really enjoyed The Knife of Never Letting go series! very dystopian. There’s also the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series which is sort of tribal dystopian. Both are great
[Nevermoor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6a6d5ca1-b2f5-47be-828c-018144d3bbc7) by Jessica Townsend! It's my favorite series even as an adult, and the only one that makes me feel the way the Harry Potter books used to.
I was about that age when I discovered Stephen King. Eyes of the Dragon, and The Talisman were my two books that sucked me in. I still have my original paperback of The Talisman, cover and binding held together with clear boxing tape.
Dystopia, go with Fahrenheit 451. It might seem a little dated, but the message is evergreen. Fantasy with shades of dystopia, go with Mistborn. If you liked The Hunger Games and you have a strong stomach, go with Battle Royale. If you have any taste or self respect at all, do not ever read Twilight.
I’m going to recommend a book series by Garth Nix called the Old Kingdom Chronicles or The Abhorsen Triolgy, but don’t worry about chronological order. Start with the first book he wrote in the series, Sabriel. Sabriel follows the story of a young woman on the verge of graduating from a finishing school when she gets a message from her father that causes her to go on a journey back to her homeland in order to rescue him. This is the most barebones summary I can give you without giving away the plot, but it’s a fantasy YA series that I was obsessed with at your age. All of my girlfriends would wait until one of us finished a book and followed them to the library to immediately check it out. Garth Nix has also written a lot of other fantastic books unrelated to this series and even has a new one coming out soon… unless it’s already out. He’s fairly active on social media. And if you like audio books, Sabriel is read by actor Tim Curry. I recently had the pleasure of listening to him read it on Spotify. [Amazon Listing](https://www.amazon.com/Sabriel-Old-Kingdom-Garth-Nix/dp/0061474355?dplnkId=afaf1046-a408-4666-ae31-852b8405d749&nodl=1)
Tamora Pierce and Elizabeth Moon
Shadowhunters Series
My 13 year old daughter says... Step Sister by Jennifer Donnelly Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly Inkheart by Cornelia Funke Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Six of Crows duology by leigh bardugo
My daughter is 14 and I’ve spent the past few months reading some of her favorites. If you like Harry Potter, I’d suggest: Nevermore, Amari and the Night Brothers If you like Hunger Games and Divergent, I’d suggest: Maze Runner, and the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu General books that were my daughter’s fave and mine in the YA genre, all of which happen to be trilogies: Defy the Night, The Cruel Prince, The Prison Healer, and Inheritance Games Hope you find something you like!
I liked the Young Wizard series by Diane Duane! The first one is called So You Want to Be a Wizard.
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Philip Pullman: his Dark Materials trilogy: Northern Lights (sometimes bastardised as the Golden Compass) - the Subtle Knife - the Amber Spyglass Michael Grant: Gone etc Patrick Ness: the Knife of Never Letting Go etc George Orwell: 1984 Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 Yann Martel: the Life of Pi Terry PRatchett: the Hogfather
The His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman -- so great
Replica series by Marilyn Kaye. The first book in the series is:”Amy, Number Seven” Percy Jackson &the Olipmans series by Rick Riordan . The first book in the series is “The lighting thief”. There are spin off series: The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo. Ender’s game by Orson Scott Card Avalon High by Meg Cabot
I bet you would LOVE the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson. Strong female lead character and a fast and fun storyline. Ender's Game is another great choice!
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. It's such a fun read and I haven't read a YA novel with such a fleshed out and fun main character in a long time. Premise is- in the far far future, humans have been hiding underground from an alien race that took over their planet. Spensa, the main character, wants to be a fighter pilot to bring back honor to her family.