This post was last updated on August 24th, 2024 at 03:13 pm
The best YA fantasy romance books transport you to fantastical worlds where anything is possible, where you can escape reality and embark on thrilling journeys alongside brave heroes and heroines who love like their lives depend on it. Well, who’s to say they don’t? These 5 picks are excellent reads, even for those of us who don’t usually pick up romance novels.
YA fantasy romance books give us a blend of fantasy and heartwarming love stories that capture our hearts. These stories transport us to magical realms where supernatural beings, epic quests, and forbidden romances intertwine—sometimes in highly surprising ways. When choosing your next great read, consider factors such as compelling world-building, well-developed characters, and realistic romance that doesn’t happen too quickly. In other words, aim for “simmer,” not “boil.”
A great YA fantasy romance will sweep you off your feet with its imaginative setting, relatable protagonists, and a love story that makes your heart flutter. So, dive into these extraordinary tales where love and magic meet, and let these talented authors transport you to captivating new worlds.
This post is about the best YA fantasy romance books and five novels you won’t want to pass up.
Best YA Fantasy Romance Books
Best YA Fantasy Romance Books: The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
In The Shadows Between Us, this fantastic author has again succeeded in giving us a winner among YA fantasy romance standalone books. She’s filled this story with gorgeous descriptions and incredible characters. You’ll love how it transports you to a fantasy world full of love, betrayal, and ulterior motives! While the book doesn’t totally fit into YA fantasy romance books enemies to lovers, many of the elements are there.
Alessandra is a highly independent young woman who will do anything to get what she wants and achieve her goals. Especially since she killed the man she loved after he crushed her heart a few years ago. Ouch. After testing a few suitors, Alessandra sets her sights on the king himself. Her strategy is straightforward: court the monarch, wed him, then assassinate him. Then, she will take control of the realms.
A few court scandals spring up as little puzzles alongside the central mystery in this incredibly action-packed book. All the subplots in the storyline were neatly tied together with the main. It’s one of those novels you’ll immerse yourself in and then dread the conclusion, knowing the enchantment must end sometime! Finding a standalone with so much packed into one book in the fantasy genre is like finding priceless treasure since there are so few of these. The Shadows Between Us is a great choice if you’re looking for YA fantasy romance books with strong female leads.
What readers are saying:
“This high-octane novel is filled with mythical creatures and showcases a heroine who wants to be a warrior, a woman, and a leader.” —School Library Journal, on Warrior of the Wild
Runes by Ednah Walters
Raine Cooper leads a more or less ordinary life for someone her age. However, you soon learn she’s grieving for her father. This is essential to her individuality and provides her with a keener sense of feeling. She is devoted, tenacious, and downright obstinate. As the saying goes, though, nothing in life ever stays the same, and her life changes in a big way when the very sexy Torin becomes her next-door neighbor.
Runes falls into the young adult paranormal romance category. We see that Raine has feelings for both the bad boy and the good. A sort of love triangle looms on the horizon, but Walters resolves it.
However, the story isn’t driven by teen angst or a love triangle. Strong themes running throughout the book include death, devotion, and mythology. Raine doesn’t go it alone and obsess about which guy to date. Maybe she occasionally dips her toe in the water, but it’s not the nucleus of her existence. She fights for what’s at stake and gives her all as she strives to solve her problems.
This is a well-plotted, thoughtfully written novel with characters you can’t help but admire and find relatable.
What readers are saying:
“Like any effective series opener, this novel brims with mystery, aptly introduces characters and relationships… and there’s plenty left unresolved for future books…” —Kirkus Review
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
The Iron King takes place in the Louisiana Bayou, probably not far from Lafayette. Sixteen-year-old Meghan Chase feels she didn’t fit in as the “swamp girl” at school. Her life stinks, and she can’t wait to leave home. But then, a bad situation worsens when her brother Ethan gets stolen. Meghan has to face this amazing and unknown world if she wants to rescue him. Along the way, Meghan realizes that her best friend isn’t who he seems. Meghan is kind-hearted and diligent. Robbie, her best friend, is fun and lighthearted but has his own depths and a dark side too. And then we have Ash. He’s the brooding bad boy type that grows on you over time. The other characters were developed well enough and fit their roles nicely.
The world-building in the book is really well done. There are so many elements, great and small, to admire about the human and fey worlds. Both realms feel tangible, especially since the story centers around adventure and not lingering in one place for too long. An otherworldly vibe follows the reader everywhere as you accompany protagonist Meghan Chase on her journey. Mystery and danger abound without being cliche. The author also added unique elements like the metal substance mentioned and how the two realms were connected.
The Iron King also falls among good fantasy romance books for adults. It’s the first book in this YA fantasy romance series.
What readers are saying:
“I highly recommend it to all who enjoy a fantasy novel filled with characters and creatures born only from the wildest of imaginations. It deserves countless stars for unadulterated fantasy perfection.” —Books4Tomorrow
Queen in Exile by Donna Hatch
Jeniah is a princess who has a secret power—she can do magic. However, she keeps this ability hidden because she feels like an outsider in her own royal family, and using magic tends to cause problems. Her special power is the ability to blur herself, making her invisible or hard to detect. Jeniah doesn’t feel important; she’s just a princess who will be married off whenever it suits her father’s plans. The only thing in her life that gives her happiness is riding her duocorn.
One day, while out on a ride, Jeniah encounters a chayim, a magical creature destined to be her companion. They form an immediate bond, and this makes her realize that she must be special if the creature chooses her. However, a knight named Kai, who is traveling from a distant country to hers, believes she is in danger and mistakenly kills the chayim. Their initial meeting doesn’t go well, but over time, their relationship begins to grow.
Later on, Jeniah learns that she has been promised to marry the prince of Hanora. This news troubles her because she’s heard rumors about the prince’s father—a cruel king who dabbles in dark magic and torture. Despite her concerns, she reluctantly accepts her fate. But before she can be sent off to Hanora, their country is invaded. In the chaos, she manages to escape with Kai. As they embark on their journey together, Jeniah starts discovering new things about herself, her magic, and her family, and these revelations will completely change her destiny.
Queen in Exile is filled with great romantic tension, suspense, and action. It’s perfect for fans of high fantasy YA books!
What readers are saying:
“Strong characters, good story, tragedy, danger, magical creatures, camping, romance, battles, love, kingdoms working together, strong friendships… lots of my favorite things wrapped up in one book! Enjoy!!” —Greg Smith, Amazon Reviewer
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Fireborne is a book that draws heavily from classic literature. The author acknowledges the influence of Homer and Plato, whose works inspired her to write this novel. The story carries a sense of importance and depth. It has an epic plot that revolves around a nation undergoing significant changes, even ten years after a revolution that disrupted the social and political order. Despite the revolution, the new leaders of the country still value the poetry and traditions that enriched people’s lives before.
All the characters in the book are part of a new civic order that emerged after the violent revolution. The old ways of the privileged class have been destroyed, and the winners of the coup have imposed new hierarchies. Now, citizens are no longer born into wealth or poverty. Instead, young teens are tested and assigned to societal strata and named after different metals. A propaganda office works tirelessly to emphasize the importance of each metal for the well-being of the entire country. However, the system is flawed. One character’s sister, for example, is placed in the iron group due to dyslexia, even though her intelligence and abilities could have earned her a better placement if the system had been fair.
The novel focuses on the main characters, who are teenage dragon riders in this post-revolution society. These riders come from various backgrounds and regions of the country, but they all share memories of the losses they suffered during the war. Lee and Annie, two of these dragon riders, take turns narrating the story in Fireborne. Despite their contrasting backgrounds, they both end up orphaned and alone, and their friendship grows stronger as they become teenagers. They both ride dragons and are among the most skilled riders in the country. Readers can connect with both characters, becoming emotionally invested in their lives.
What readers are saying:
“One of fantasy’s best series.” —Booklist, starred review
This post was about the five best YA fantasy romance books.
You may also enjoy the paranormal romance Cinders and Fangs, a dark, imaginative tale of the Cinderella you never knew!
Having telepathic powers isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Especially when it only works with animals. And especially when it works best with… wolves. Giant, terrifying ones included.
I’ve seen some strange things. And now that Father has a new wife, and I got a glimpse of her true face, I wish I could unsee it. That woman’s got plans for me, and I doubt I’ll live through them. But no one believes me. My only chance is to escape and find help before it’s too late.
I wonder if the wolf pup I met as a child will help me—if I can find him. I wonder if he’ll remember me after all these years. Maybe we’ll still feel a bond. Trystan is all grown up now, just like I am. Can he shed some light on my troubled past and the danger I’m in, or will he turn me away, too?
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Cinders & Fangs is book 1 of 3 of The Joining Series.
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