YA Titles to Escape Into

Perfect for readers of all kinds, these YA and YA Crossover titles feature fantastical settings, lovable characters and gripping stories—so settle down, and escape to a new world. 

 

Fable by Adrienne Young

Seventeen-year-old Fable is a dredger—a freediver who excavates rare gemstones from the coral reefs that fill The Narrows. For the last four years, she’s been trying to get off the island of Jeval, find the father who abandoned her there, and claim her mother’s place on his trading crew. But when she finally makes it off the island, she discovers it may have been the safest place for her.

 

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman

Four teenagers battle an otherworldly beast that haunts the woods of a sleepy New York town. They have unique abilities to protect the town – but their powers are failing. As people start to die, the locals turn against their guardians – and it’s down to the friends to save them, regardless. For fans of Stranger Things, Riverdale, Buffy and Twin Peaks.

 

The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

Angrboda's story begins where most witch tales end: with being burnt. Injured and powerless, she flees into a remote forest, where she is found by trickster god Loki. Distrust grows into a deep and abiding love, and produces a trio of peculiar children. Yet as Angrboda recovers her prophetic powers, she sees a disastrous fate for her family and all of existence, and must choose whether she'll accept the fate that she's foreseen—or rise to remake it.

 

Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin

Mae and her brother Rossa spent two of the strangest summers of their lives with their great-aunt Rita. Nothing in her house was as it seemed: a cat who was more than a cat, and a dark power called Sweet James that lurked behind the wallpaper, enthralling Rita's ward, Bevan, with whispers of magic and escape. In the summer heat, Mae and Rossa will discover secrets not just about the house, and their aunt, but also about themselves...

 

Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders

Tina Mains has always known that she's not an average teenager – she's also the hidden clone of legendary savior Captain Thaoh Argentian, disguised as a human to keep her safe from a terrible evil. But when her destiny arrives it isn't what she expected. Things are more dangerous than she assumed – and everyone is expecting her to actually be the brilliant tactician. But Tina is just Tina, the Royal Fleet is losing the war and they barely manage to escape Earth with the planet still intact. Luckily, Tina is surrounded by a crew she can trust, and her best friend Rachel, and she is still determined to save all the worlds. But first she'll have to save herself.

 

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her father is murdered, she's thrust into power. Determined to find her father's killer, Hesina enlists the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act in Yan, where magic was outlawed centuries ago. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?

 

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Trained at Miss Preston’s School of Combat for Negro Girls in both weaponry and etiquette, Jane McKeene is poised for a successful career protecting the wealthy from the encroaching plague of walking dead. But when families begin to go missing, Jane uncovers a conspiracy that pits her against some powerful enemies. Sent far from home, Jane will need all her resourcefulness, wit and strength of character to survive.

 

All The Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her life training to be High Animancer—the master of souls. As heir to the throne, she must master the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic. When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. But the kingdom holds more wonder and peril than Amora anticipated. A destructive magic is on the rise, and to conquer it, Amora must face legendary monsters, vengeful mermaids, and a stow-away she never expected…

 

Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone

Violeta Graceling has spent her life trying to protect herself and her brother Arien from their adoptive mother’s twisted cruelty; a cruelty driven by the mysterious shadows that spill from Arien’s unwitting hands, and speak of dark magic. To escape, they take a position at the estate of Rowan Sylvanan—the so-called “Monster of Lakesedge”—who comes seeking Arien’s power. Rowan, it is whispered, stalks the halls of his manor and the shores of the blackened, cursed lake.

 

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

When Eleanor Zarrin flees boarding school after a horrifying incident, she returns to the wild family she left behind. But she struggles to fit in with her monstrous relatives, who prowl the woods around the family estate and read fortunes in the guts of birds. In order to save them all from a growing danger, Eleanor must learn to embrace her family of monsters and tame the darkness inside her.