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The 22 Best Young Adult Fantasy Series of All Time

By YPB Team

Fae courts, heist crews, dragon riders and the occasional vampire, spread across four decades of teen shelves. Some run to eight books; some said everything they had to say in two.

  1. Six of Crows — ranked #11
    Six of Crows
    Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse duology (Six of Crows, 2015; Crooked Kingdom, 2016) about Kaz Brekker's crew of thieves in the city of Ketterdam.
  2. The Folk of the Air — ranked #22
    The Folk of the Air
    Holly Black's trilogy (The Cruel Prince, 2018, to The Queen of Nothing, 2019) following the mortal Jude Duarte through the faerie court of Elfhame.
  3. The Infernal Devices — ranked #33
    The Infernal Devices
    Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter trilogy (Clockwork Angel, 2010, to Clockwork Princess, 2013) set in Victorian London.
  4. The Raven Cycle — ranked #44
    The Raven Cycle
    Maggie Stiefvater's four novels (The Raven Boys, 2012, to The Raven King, 2016) about Blue Sargent and four boys searching Virginia for a sleeping Welsh king.
  5. The Mortal Instruments — ranked #55
    The Mortal Instruments
    Cassandra Clare's six-book series (City of Bones, 2007, to City of Heavenly Fire, 2014) in which Clary Fray discovers the Shadowhunters of New York.
  6. Shadow and Bone — ranked #66
    Shadow and Bone
    Leigh Bardugo's Grisha trilogy (2012 to 2014) about Alina Starkov, a soldier who discovers she can summon light in the war-torn country of Ravka.
  7. Throne of Glass — ranked #77
    Throne of Glass
    Sarah J. Maas's eight-book series (2012 to 2018) that begins with the assassin Celaena Sardothien competing to become the king's champion.
  8. Harry Potter — ranked #88
    Harry Potter
    J.K. Rowling's seven novels (1997 to 2007) following a young wizard through his years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
  9. His Dark Materials — ranked #99
    His Dark Materials
    Philip Pullman's trilogy (Northern Lights, 1995; The Subtle Knife, 1997; The Amber Spyglass, 2000) following Lyra Belacqua across parallel worlds.
  10. Daughter of Smoke & Bone — ranked #1010
    Daughter of Smoke & Bone
    Laini Taylor's trilogy (2011 to 2014) about Karou, an art student in Prague raised by chimaera, caught in a war between angels and monsters.
  11. An Ember in the Ashes — ranked #1111
    An Ember in the Ashes
    Sabaa Tahir's four-book series (2015 to 2020) following Laia, a Scholar spy, and Elias, a soldier of the brutal Martial Empire.
  12. Graceling Realm — ranked #1212
    Graceling Realm
    Kristin Cashore's series that began with Graceling (2008), set in a world where some people are born with an extreme skill called a Grace.
  13. Song of the Lioness — ranked #1313
    Song of the Lioness
    Tamora Pierce's quartet (1983 to 1988) in which Alanna of Trebond disguises herself as a boy to train as a knight of Tortall.
  14. The Old Kingdom — ranked #1414
    The Old Kingdom
    Garth Nix's series that began with Sabriel (1995), about the Abhorsens, necromancers who use bells to lay the dead to rest.
  15. The Inheritance Cycle — ranked #1515
    The Inheritance Cycle
    Christopher Paolini's four novels (Eragon to Inheritance, 2011) about the farm boy Eragon and his dragon Saphira.
  16. Twilight — ranked #1616
    Twilight
    Stephenie Meyer's four-novel saga (2005 to 2008) about Bella Swan and the vampire Edward Cullen in Forks, Washington.
  17. Red Queen — ranked #1717
    Red Queen
    Victoria Aveyard's four-novel series (2015 to 2018) about Mare Barrow, a commoner with red blood who discovers a power of her own in a kingdom ruled by Silvers.
  18. Legacy of Orïsha — ranked #1818
    Legacy of Orïsha
    Tomi Adeyemi's West African-inspired series that began with Children of Blood and Bone (2018), in which Zélie Adebola fights to bring magic back to Orïsha.
  19. Caraval — ranked #1919
    Caraval
    Stephanie Garber's trilogy (Caraval, 2017, to Finale, 2019) about the sisters Scarlett and Donatella Dragna and a magical game run by the mysterious Legend.
  20. Strange the Dreamer — ranked #2020
    Strange the Dreamer
    Laini Taylor's duology (Strange the Dreamer, 2017; Muse of Nightmares, 2018) about the librarian Lazlo Strange and the lost city of Weep.
  21. Seraphina — ranked #2121
    Seraphina
    Rachel Hartman's duology (Seraphina, 2012; Shadow Scale, 2015) about a half-dragon court musician in the kingdom of Goredd.
  22. Letters of Enchantment — ranked #2222
    Letters of Enchantment
    Rebecca Ross's duology (Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows, both 2023) about rival journalists Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt during a war between gods.

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