Top-10 Young Adult Fiction Books In 2024

There’s a certain kind of story where the dead—being rather contrary—don’t stay dead. And then there’s The Reappearance of Rachel Price, where a girl who was very much not dead simply… vanished. Now she’s back. Holly Jackson’s latest is a quiet unraveling of a mystery that was never meant to be solved—layered with secrets, half-whispers, and the unnerving sense that maybe, just maybe, everyone around Rachel wanted her gone in the first place. (Funny how that works, isn’t it?)

Dungeons and Drama is exactly what it says on the tin. Kristy Boyce gives us a tale where high school isn’t just a battlefield—it’s a Dungeons & Dragons campaign gone terribly wrong. Our protagonist, the sort who wields sarcasm as her weapon of choice, is thrust into a tangled mess of friendships, unspoken crushes, and, of course, a bit of live-action role-playing (because where else can you escape the drama but by creating more?). I, too, once tried my hand at a role-playing game, though the dice seemed cursed. Life, it turns out, is a lot like that: rolling a 20 when you expect a 1—though mostly, it’s the reverse.

The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee is, as you might imagine, about worlds colliding—though not in the literal sense (there are disappointingly few explosions). Instead, Ellen Oh offers us the clash of cultures, generations, and the kind of identities that never quite sit still. Mina, our protagonist, straddles two realms—one steeped in her Korean heritage, the other in the everyday chaos of being a teen in modern America. I once tried straddling two worlds, though it mostly involved juggling an overdue manuscript and a cat who refused to accept literary deadlines. Mina, of course, faces a far more harrowing task: discovering who she is without losing where she comes from. Which is, perhaps, a bit more complicated than a grumpy cat. (But not by much.)

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland is a story about power—about the kind you ask for and the kind you stumble into by accident (or, worse, on purpose). Three young women, each bound by loss and longing, dare to summon the divine—and the divine, as is often the case, doesn’t exactly play nice. It’s a tale of dark magic, blood promises, and the terrifying weight of desire. These girls, however, summon far more than they bargained for, and the gods are listening—though, to be honest, I suspect they’d rather not have been. And as anyone who’s ever made a deal knows, you should always read the fine print. Always.

Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill is the sort of tale that begins, as all good tales do, with a question: what happens when the darkness follows you home? Our protagonist, drawn into a world where shadows have minds of their own (and, quite likely, a sense of humor), stumbles upon ancient mysteries—secrets that really should have stayed buried. It’s unsettling, in that lovely, shivery way.

Hearts Still Beating by Erin Jade Lange is a story about survival, but not the kind you find in epic battles or grand adventures. No, this is the quiet kind—the one that takes place in hospital rooms and hushed conversations, where hearts (quite literally) hang in the balance. Our protagonists, two teens thrust together by fate—and a bit of bad luck—are bound by a shared desperation to keep living, even as everything around them says they shouldn’t.

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee is the sort of title that suggests something very specific: death—followed by more death, for good measure. It’s a mystery wrapped in layers of historical intrigue, where betrayal feels inevitable and revenge is a dish that gets served… well, more than once, evidently. Our protagonist—sharp, clever, and always a step behind—is chasing a ghost that refuses to stay buried. (Ghosts, in my experience, tend to be like that.) And remember, as all good murder mysteries remind us: the dead don’t always stay dead, and the living aren’t always what they seem.

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams is a story where history doesn’t just linger—it festers, deep underground, until it rises, demanding to be reckoned with. Set in the Deep South, it’s a tale of ghosts (both literal and metaphorical), secrets long buried, and the kind of truth that refuses to stay silent. The characters? They’re tangled in a web of family and fate, trying desperately to outrun the past (and, as I’ve learned, the past is surprisingly fast when it wants to be). Remember: some roots go too deep to pull out. And sometimes, they’re still bleeding.

Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi is a tale where magic is both a blessing and a curse—mostly the latter, to be honest. The land of Orïsha, once filled with wonder, now teeters on the brink of chaos (as lands in these sorts of stories tend to do). Zélie, ever defiant, finds herself at the center of a storm—of rebellion, betrayal, and, naturally, the occasional cataclysmic battle. The thing about magic, you see, is that it never comes without a price. And as Adeyemi reminds us, sometimes that price is everything.

These Deadly Prophecies by Mara Fitzgerald is the sort of book that starts with a whisper—one of those chilling, doom-filled whispers that says, “you really shouldn’t have done that.” Of course, someone always does it. Enter our heroine, caught in the grip of a prophecy that promises death, ruin, and a fair amount of unpleasantness (as prophecies often do). She’s racing against fate—though, as I’ve learned, fate has remarkably good running shoes. In the end, it’s not about escaping fate. It’s about deciding who you’ll be when it finally catches you.