Larissa's YA Favorites

Raybearer

The Raybearer Series: Book #1

By: Jordan Ifueko
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Length: 13 hours 48 minutes

“Such a cool fantasy novel with an incredible magic system! Perfect for fans of "Children of Blood and Bone." I highly recommend listening to the audiobook to further immerse yourself in this beautiful world that Ifueko has created. Read more

Redemptor

The Raybearer Series: Book #2

By: Jordan Ifueko
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Length: 13 hours 21 minutes

The hotly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestselling YA fantasy about Tarisai’s quest to change her fateFor the first time, an Empress Redemptor sits on Aritsar’s throne. To appease the sinister spirits of the dead, Tarisai must now anoint a council of her own, coming into her full power as a Raybearer. She must then descend... Read more

The Beast Player

By: Nahoko Uehashi
Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly
Length: 14 hours 50 minutes

**One of YALSA's 2020 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults**

Nahoko Uehashi's The Beast Player is an epic YA fantasy about a girl with a special power to communicate with magical beasts and the warring kingdom only she can save. Read more

Children of Blood and Bone

Legacy of Orisha: Book #1

By: Tomi Adeyemi
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 17 hours 44 minutes

“Children of Blood & Bone, is a story told in a world where magic no longer exists. Years ago, this was not the case. Once, magic and the Gods were celebrated. Now, Diviners (those with Maji blood, but no magic) are treated poorly, and all the Maji have been killed. One of those including our main protagonist, Zélie’s, mother. Determined to... Read more

Children of Virtue and Vengeance

Legacy of Orisha: Book #2

By: Tomi Adeyemi
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 13 hours 27 minutes

*The spectacular sequel to Audie Award Audiobook of the Year Children of Blood and Bone*

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

"Bahni Turpin exquisitely narrates the second book in this fantasy series, Legacy of Orïsha. Her steady pace and West African accent draw us into the story of Zélie, a Maji warrior, and Princess Amari--both of whom fight... Read more

Iron Widow

Iron Widow: Book #1

By: Xiran Jay Zhao
Narrated by: Rong Fu
Length: 12 hours 13 minutes

“This book was amazing, brutal, unique, and horrific. The audio book was absolutely fantastic. There was so much representation and so many difficult topics and situations handled really well. The characters are extremely morally grey but it made it so intriguing to never know what they were going to do next. I will definitely be recommending... Read more

A Deadly Education

A Novel

The Scholomance: Book #1

By: Naomi Novik
Narrated by: Anisha Dadia
Length: 10 hours 58 minutes

“K. First up. A HUGE shout out to the narrator of the audiobooks. Anisha Dadia BROUGHT El and this story to life for me in such vivid color. She perfectly captured the prickly, smart, and sarcastic El in all her awkward outcast glory. And this is important because El is telling us the story...I have loved how El changed and developed over the... Read more

The Last Graduate

A Novel

The Scholomance: Book #2

By: Naomi Novik
Narrated by: Anisha Dadia
Length: 13 hours 26 minutes

“My, my, my. This book evoked so many emotions out of me that I finished reading it last night, threw it across my room, and then screamed internally all night, picking it back up occasionally to see if the final few sentences changed, and then tossing it again when they hadn't. Novik has perfected the art of sucking you into her worlds and... Read more

We Unleash the Merciless Storm

By: Tehlor Kay Mejia
Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
Length: 11 hours 40 minutes

In this nail-biting sequel to Tehlor Kay Mejia’s critically acclaimed fantasy novel We Set the Dark on Fire, La Voz operative Carmen is forced to choose between the girl she loves and the success of the rebellion she’s devoted her life to. Perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and Anna-Marie McLemore.Being a part of the resistance group La Voz... Read more

We Set the Dark on Fire

By: Tehlor Kay Mejia
Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
Length: 9 hours 53 minutes

“Tehlor Kay Mejia's imaginative LGBTQ YA debut fantasy starts in mythology and ends in open rebellion. In between she builds a culture we know deeply without knowing at all, and characters trapped in consequences of old choices and trying to invent new ones. While the latter speaks to the novel's appeal to YA readers, the former also pulls in... Read more

The Way Back

By: Gavriel Savit
Narrated by: Allan Corduner
Length: 10 hours 53 minutes

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A SYDNEY TAYLOR NOTABLE BOOK

Perfect for readers of Neil Gaiman and Philip Pullman, a sweeping historical fantasy that follows two teens on a journey through the Far Country, a Jewish land of spirits and demons.

For the Jews of Eastern Europe, demons are everywhere: dancing on the rooftops in the darkness of... Read more

A Song Below Water

A Novel

A Song Below Water: Book #1

By: Bethany C. Morrow
Narrated by: Andrea Laing & Jennifer Haralson
Length: 9 hours 23 minutes

“Tavia and her sister, Effie, are struggling with being themselves in a world where some people are born as mythological beings, like Sirens, Eloko and Gargoyles. Tavia is a Siren, a being that is feared because her Siren voice can be used to control others. In addition, she is Black, adding an additional layer of silencing. She lives in hiding... Read more

Akata Witch

Nsibidi Scripts: Book #1

By: Nnedi Okorafor
Narrated by: Yetide Badaki
Length: 8 hours 49 minutes

Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she has albinism. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in. And then she discovers something amazing—she is a "free agent" with latent mystical power. Soon she's part of a... Read more

Akata Warrior

Nsibidi Scripts: Book #2

By: Nnedi Okorafor
Narrated by: Yetide Badaki
Length: 12 hours 42 minutes

A year ago, Sunny Nwazue, an American-born girl Nigerian girl, was inducted into the secret Leopard Society. As she began to develop her magical powers, Sunny learned that she had been chosen to lead a dangerous mission to avert an apocalypse, brought about by the terrifying masquerade, Ekwensu. Now, stronger, feistier, and a bit older, Sunny is... Read more

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

By: Malinda Lo
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 12 hours 25 minutes

“This coming of age story about a young woman growing up queer in 1950s Chinatown, San Francisco, was brilliant. I loved the rich historical detail, believable characters, exploration of intersectional identities, romance, and sense of place, made even stronger by the excellent narration. Best book I've read in quite some time and highly... Read more

Nocturna

Nocturna: Book #1

By: Maya Motayne
Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
Length: 14 hours 47 minutes

“Maya Motayne’s Nocturna is the epic fantasy that you’ve been waiting for. With the sneaky cleverness of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval, and the moral grayness of Marissa Meyer’s Renegades, this Latin-inspired tale provides just the right amount of magic,adventure and beautiful world-building, as heir-to-the-throne Alfie and face-shifter Finn race to... Read more

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

By: Erika L. Sánchez
Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
Length: 9 hours 40 minutes

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “stunning” (America Ferrera) YA novel about a teenager coming to terms with losing her sister and finding herself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican American home.

“Alive and crackling—a gritty tale wrapped in a page-turner. ”—The New York Times

Perfect Mexican daughters... Read more

The Merciful Crow

The Merciful Crow Series: Book #1

By: Margaret Owen
Narrated by: Amy Landon
Length: 12 hours 57 minutes

“Equal parts beauty and grit, The Merciful Crow is a novel that kept me up through the night. In the start of what is planned on being a duology, Margaret Owens filled her story with beautiful words, witty characters, and situations many can connect to. The world Owens created is divided into a caste system named after birds, which like many in... Read more

The Faithless Hawk

The Merciful Crow Series: Book #2

By: Margaret Owen
Narrated by: Amy Landon
Length: 12 hours 28 minutes

Kings become outcasts and lovers become foes in The Faithless Hawk, the thrilling sequel to Margaret Owen's The Merciful Crow.

As the new chieftain of the Crows, Fie knows better than to expect a royal to keep his word. Still she’s hopeful that Prince Jasimir will fulfill his oath to protect her fellow Crows. But then black smoke fills the sky,... Read more

Sorcery of Thorns

By: Margaret Rogerson
Narrated by: Emily Ellet
Length: 14 hours 20 minutes

“Amazing! I wonderful fantasy I loved every bit of. The narrator brought this story to life, and I was hypnotized the entire time. This story has some of my favorite elements in it. A strong, smart heroine? Check. A charming hero with demons and a chip on his shoulder? Check. An evil threatening the safety of the world? Check. Elizabeth is such... Read more