Top 8! 📚 YA Fantasy Standalone Recommendations 🎄 Blogmas Day 5

Here is post 2 in my Top 8 series! Today I will be recommending 8 YA Fantasy Standalone books. Let’s jump in!

1. Romanov by Nadine Brandes

Romanov follows Nastya who is on a mission to smuggle an ancient spell in order to help her family. However, the leader of the Bolshevik Army is hunting her. She ends up having to team up with a Bolshevik solider in order to survive.
Romanov is a really interesting retelling with a fair amount of accuracy with a hint of magic. I had a lot of fun reading this one and it was very atmospheric and full of action.

2. Sherwood by Megan Spooner

Sherwood is a gender flipped Robin Hood retelling. In this one however we find out that Robin is dead and Maid Marion disguises herself as Robin to help her people & herself.
This one was full of action and mystery. It was also very atmospheric & unpredictable. I loved Marion as a character as she was strong & determined but also realistic.

3. Ever Curse by Corey Ann Hadyu

This is one I read and loved fairly recently. Ever Cursed follows Jane one of the 5 cursed princesses of Ever who each have one essential thing taken form them on their thirteenth birthday. Their mother the queen is also frozen in time in unbreakable glass. Jane sets out to find the witch who placed the curse and fix things. We also follow Reagan who is the witch that placed the curse and who isn’t quite the villain she would seem.
Ever Cursed was a unique fairytale type story. I loved Reagan who was not all she seemed. I also enjoyed that it was told in multi POV and we got to know both Jane (and the princesses stories) as well as Reagan’s POV. There is sexual assault featured as well as eating disorders so be careful going into this one.

4. Indigo Owl by Charlie Archbold

Indigo Owl is actually labelled as a Dystopian but it doesn’t have fantasy elements which is why it’s on this list. Indigo Owl follows Scarlet who is heading off to control her psychic Solitaire talents at Arcadia Institute. When she is on the steps of the institute her father reveals a secret about her past. She is determined to find out what actually happened to her mother when she disappeared and teams up with some class mates and ends up discovering a planet-wide conspiracy.
This was another one I read fairly recently & loved! It was action packed but also had tonnes of character building & world development. This story is very unique and also a bit thought provoking which I enjoyed.

5. Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

This is another very unique book! Daughter of the Burning City follows Sorina who is the only illusion work of the Gomorrah Festival, a giant travelling circus. Sorina has the ability to create any illusion and she as a child created a family for herself. She has always believed that her illusions are not truly real and can’t be hurt, until one of them is murdered.
Daughter of the Burning City is both Fantasy & Msytery which is my favourite combo. The abilities and this world in general is just so interesting and quirky. This one also features both Lesbian & Demisexual rep! Which at the time of this release I didn’t know of a single other book that had Demisexual rep. So that was awesome!

6. Mooncakes by Wendy Xu & Suzanne Walker

Mooncakes is the only Graphic Novel on this list and it’s definitely one of my favourites. Mooncakes follows Nova who is a witch and she hears talk of a white wolf spotted in a local woods and decides to investigate. She ends up finding her childhood crush & werewolf Tam battling a horse demon. Tam is being hunted by dark forces that are determined to steal her wolf magic.
Mooncakes is so much fun and I love both Tam & Nova. This one is also diverse as we have a F/F romance brewing between Tam & Nova as well as Nova’s lesbian witch bookshop owing grandmas & Nova herself being hearing impaired and wearing an aid. Nova’s grandmas are definitely stars of the show. I love Nova & Tam but can we have a book about the grandma’s please?!

7. Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

Fawkes is yet another unique story. Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague & Igniters believe that Keepers caused the plague. Our main character Thomas has caught the plague and his eye has turned to stone & it will soon spread. His Keeper father tries to recruit him for a mission that will hopefully end the plague and save him. However, doing so will destroy the family of the girl he loves.
This one is such an interesting concept. A plague that slowly turns people to stone. This world is very well developed and atmospheric. I loved the characters and I also enjoyed the discussion of racism in this one as it was both historical accurate as well as being questioned. Highly recommend.

8. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Lastly we have Sorcery of Thorns in which we follow Elisabeth who is a foundling in one of the Great Libraries where magical Grimoires are kept chained & protected. An act of sabotage results in one of the most dangerous Grimoires escaping and transforming into a grotesque monster of ink and leather. Elisabeth tries to stop it but ends up being suspected of releasing it and sent to the capital to face justice. There she meets Nathaniel a sorcerer who is supposed to be evil but things might not be quite like she has been told.
I loved the grimoires aspect. I loved the action. I loved the characters. And I loved the world. This one was a heap of fun to read and I can’t wait to see what Margaret Rogerson comes out with next.

What YA Fantasy Standalone do you recommend to others the most?

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