Hey, guys! It’s binge-watching season. But do you know what’s even better than binge-watching?…Binge-reading. It’s time to hunker down and get cozy with some YA series that are completely finished and ready for you to binge read.
(I left out Hunger Games, Twilight, and Harry Potter because it’s obvious how amazing those are! So here are some books that will enable you to branch out!)
If you click on the book titles, I have links to their Goodreads page so you can read their summaries and add them to your own “Want to Read” list!
Comment if you’ve read any of these or if you have any other YA series that are worth the read!
1. The Lunar Series by Marissa Meyer (Cinder)
Everybody comes to me asking what books I recommend, and no matter who asks I ALWAYS recommend Cinder. Everybody who reads these books loves them and I am no exception. I would classify the books in this series as some of my favorite books I have EVER read. I’ve read the whole series at least three times. I don’t mean to hype them up so much, but I’m passionate about my love for these books.
The four novels are based off of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White–but it’s based very loosely and in a way that satisfies your inner child. All of the main characters in each book (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter) intertwine in each other’s stories, which I found written so well. They all have such different personalities and they are all teenagers who have to find their bravery. Not to mention, there are love stories entangled throughout all of the characters and all of the books. The love stories are the most satisfying, romantic, adorable love stories I’ve ever read.
When you pick up a book you want nothing more than to be completely satisfied. There’s a certain list of things you aren’t consciously aware of that you want to happen in books. And these books check off all of these boxes. Beautiful, fantasy-like romances? Check. Perfect villain? Check. Relatable characters? Check. Story that keeps you up until 4 am reading? Check.
You won’t regret reading these books. I don’t want to tell you too much about them because when I read them two years ago, I went in blind. Sometimes reading books you know little about is what makes you love them even more. Because then it truly allows you to live the story. What did you think about these books?
2. The Selection Series by Kiera Cass (The Selection)
I remember these books being all the rave a few years ago so of course I was hesitant to read them. I used to be super anti-conformity, even when it came to books. I know. *Cringe. But my family loved them so much that I ended up giving them a chance, and guess what, I obviously loved them too.
We are all so obsessed with the Bachelor and the Bachelorette TV shows these days. Well, Kiera Cass took that entertaining idea and spun it with royalty, another thing we are all entranced with. So, here we have a bunch of women vying for the prince’s love. But what makes this book satisfying is the entertaining love story, obviously; the underdog main character that we all can relate to; the dreamy prince; and the conflict that is much more than just romance. This book mixes love, royalty, rebellions, chaos, and royal matters to create a delicious cake.
I’ve actually enjoyed all of Kiera Cass’s writing, but The Selection just left me feeling so content with what I had read that I had to have it on my list. I don’t doubt you all will love it. It will entertain you for a few days and transport you out of your own drab world into a life of royalty–just as it did to the relatable main character.
3. Hourglass Door Series by Lisa Mangum (The Hourglass Door)
I remember reading this book long ago and it’s stuck with me ever since. The thing about YA novels is — I want to read something to satisfy me and pull me out of the monotony of life even if it is cheesy. I WANT to read your typical teenage love story/fantasy/sci-fi. But, the thing is, this one is so well-written and so captivatingly written that it accomplishes all of that plus a little more.
The Hourglass Door has one of my few fictional boyfriends. Seriously,. You’re going to fall in love with Dante Alexander and his Italian suave. You’re going to love Abby as well. She’s your typical main character in a YA novel, but she’s not written all pathetic and annoying and “woe-is-me” like most others are. She’s relatable, honest, and you can’t help but love her. The storyline itself is similar to others in it’s genre (a hot guy with a dark past, a girl in high school who gets drawn into his world, etc.) but it’s just enough of a unique idea that you get hooked. The writing is beautiful, the storyline is the perfect snack, and the love story is everything you’d ever want in a novel.
I want to go back and read these books again soon because of how much I enjoyed them the first time and because of how much I love Dante. If you’re looking for an enjoyable, sci-fi/fantasy read, I can’t recommend these enough.
4. Seraphina Series by Rachel Hartman (Seraphina)
This is the last series in my list. I’ve read dozens of other YA series, but these are the four that stuck out to me. I don’t want to recommend others that I’ve read if I don’t 100% love them. But Seraphina is one that I 100% loved.
I have a thing for dragons. I LOVE dragons. But some dragon books are too cheesy or too dark–and don’t even get me started on the cringey-ness of dragon movies. But Seraphina? Some of my FAVORITE dragons I’ve ever come across (book, movie, tv, etc.) are in this novel.
Rachel Hartman’s writing is eloquently beautiful. I found myself having to look up certain words she wrote–which I LOVE because it means the author went above and beyond. Her writing is what pulled me into the story because of how mature and well-thought out each word seemed to be. But then the storyline of Seraphina kept me reading. It was interesting to learn about a different world of dragons and to also dive into the love story and see a girl discovering who she is.
Now, I give Seraphina five stars. Five. I don’t pass those out too often. But Shadow Scale, the second book, it was GREAT but it wasn’t five stars. So if you only read Seraphina, you’ll be satisfied. I don’t want to go into detail about why Shadow Scale received less stars than the first novel, I want you to read them both and decide for yourself.
If you love dragons, fantasy, or books like Eragon then you will definitely enjoy this series.
Miscellaneous
Gone series by Michael Grant – This is a book series I fell in love with years ago because of how dark it is and how unique of a story it is. If you don’t like fantasy and prefer something more realistic, give this one a go. It’s about teenagers trapped in their city without adults and they have to try and make it all work. (It is like the new TV show The Society but these books came out years and years before.)
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas – This book series is good, but I didn’t make it past the second book, so I didn’t feel right adding it to the list. But if you want a book about a bada$$ female lead (like, I mean BADA$$) then definitely read this one. The love story is complex, the storyline is unique, and it’s very much satisfying to read.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think about these YA series and if you have any others you’d like to add! I would love for this list to keep growing because of your ideas!
XO – Alex