I love to read Young Adult (YA) books and it’s great to find a good series to fall in love with. Every few years I discover a new series that I absolutely love.
I do find that I tend to read YA that is in the science fiction or fantasy genre, not the contemporary or romance genre. I find that it can be a hit or miss with YA so I prefer to read books that have been recommended by people I know or highly rated on Goodreads.
So without further ado, here are my top 5 young adult book series must read!
They are not in particular order and book covers link to first book in the series. Click covers to get the summary of the book.
1. The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater.
Book 2: The Dream Thieves
Book 3: Blue Lily, Lily Blue
Book 4: The Raven King
The Raven Cycle is about Blue Sargent, daughter of a clairvoyant, who has no powers of her own and her adventures with 4 Raven boys. Gansey, the leader of the Raven boys is on a quest to find an old dead king who is wondering along the ley lines. Finding the king will grant Gansey one wish.
This series is definitely a must read, and not just for young adults. What an awesome series! Brilliantly written, with a great cast of characters, and a wonderful story line. I loved every aspect of the books.
2. A Court Of Thorns And Roses series by Sarah J. Maas.
Book 2: A Court Of Mist And Fury
Book 3: A Court Of Wings And Ruin
Feyre, a resourceful girl kills a wolf in the woods and discovers later that it’s not just a wolf but a faerie. Feyre is forced into going into faerie lands to save her family and herself. And so begins her adventures in the world of Fae.
This series is exciting and full of action. Maas world building is superb and I loved getting to know more about the Fae! This is fantasy at its best!
3. An Ember In The Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir.
Book 2: A Torch Against The Night
Book 3: A Reaper At The Gates
Laia becomes a slave and acts as a spy to save her brother. Elias is a soldier in the Empire’s military academy. He wants to be free. Their worlds collide and they help each other to achieve their goals.
The plot will pull you into this series! I loved that the world building is inspired by ancient Rome. At the heart of this series is what length you will go to to save the one you love.
4. Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer.
Book 2: New Moon
Book 3: Eclipse
Book 4: Breaking Dawn
The Twilight Saga is a love story between Bella Swan, a human and Edward Cullen, a vampire.
I love the Twilight Saga. Meyers nails the love story; the ups and downs in Bella’s and Edward’s relationship, the break-up and then the getting back together. And it has vampires and werewolves!
Just an FYI, the books are way better than the movies!
5. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
Book 1: The Hunger Games
Book 2: Catching Fire
Book 3: Mockingjay
Set in the dystopian future, 16 year old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in place of her sister to fight in the annual televised “Hunger Games” to the death. She teams up with her fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark.
Astounding series! It’s a fast pace series that will suck you in with its unique story line. I loved how brave and strong Katniss was in this series. The world building was also awesome!
So there you have my top five Young Adult book series must read! Have you read any of these series? Which are your favorite YA series?
Check out these other posts of interest:
5 Best Romance Novels Worthy of Reading.
5 Great Fiction Books About the Immigration Experience.
5 Best Thrillers To Read This Summer.
I agree, the Raven Cycle and Twilight are must reads! I loved them both. I’ve only read the first book in the A Court and Thorns and Roses series and I found it to be okay but I didn’t love it like I thought I might have done? I will try and read more of the series though. I thought the Hunger Games series was an okay read for me. I loved book 2!
Hi Olivia!
We certainly have similar tastes 🙂 Raven Cycle and Twilight are my top ones.
Book 2 of A Court of Thorns and Roses was good but I think it had too many sex scenes. It was a bit too steamy for my liking. I love the Fae world in those books and the plot the most.
Thanks for the recommendations Auntie Dinh! I love reading a series and particularly loved the Hunger Games so will try the others.
The other series in my top five would be: a series by Pittacus Lore starting with I Am Number Four, the Maze runner series- James Dashner, The Divergent series- Veronica Roth, Percy Jackson- Rick Riordan.
I’d also recommend Paper Towns by John Green as a solo book.
Hi Ruben!
I have actually read and loved The Maze Runner series,The Divergent series and Percy Jackson series.
I have seen I am Number Four around so I will definitely check that out. John Green has been on my radar for some time too 🙂 Thanks for your recommendations!
Just FYI, The Court of Thorns and Roses is R-rated- it has quite a bit of adult content, some very explicit sex scenes are in the books.
Thanks for stopping by Ruben!
I have read the Hunger Games, Twilight and A Court of Thorns and Roses and I have to agree with you. They are my favourites too. I like Maggie Stiefvater’s Wolves of Mercy Falls series and haven’t got around to reading The Raven Boys.
Hi Jackie!
Thanks for your recommendation. 🙂 I will have to check out Wolves of Mercy Fall series!
You’re going to LOVE The Raven Boys. It was spectacular!
I didn’t put it on the list but I also love The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Dinh! It’s nice to see you reading books right up my alley. 🙂 I’ve read all these series, though I’ve only finished twilight and hunger games. I lost my momentum with the first 3. Well, technically, I lost interest. Shhh
Hello Lonna!
I do enjoy reading YA but it’s not always my cup of tea and I do tend to like fantasy YA overall though since I love that genre.
Do you have a series you’d recommend?
Yes! You have to try Red Winter trilogy by Annette Marie. So good.
I’m always so impressed with the characterization in the Raven Cycle series. Those characters felt so real.
Hi Alicia!
I think the best part of the book were the characters too. It has a great plot as well 🙂
I’ve read surprisingly few of these! (And I’m going to refrain from the standard Raven Cycle rant *calming breaths*)
Hi Cee!
I hope the rant was going to be all good things?