2 Young Adult Fantasy Novels to Read Now

by MK French

Whether you are looking for young adult fantasy novels for yourself or for your teen, you don't want to miss these. 

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The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan

May 2025;  G.P. Putnam's Sons; 978-0593697337
audio, ebook, print (368 pages); YA fantasy

Jolie Lam is an ostracized high school sophomore. She had an odd freakout a year ago, and her grandfather had visions of dragons and earthquakes. When she saves popular Huong Pham during a vision of her own, Jolie's taken under her wing. Together, the girls unlock long-lost powers: telepathic abilities, fluency in Vietnamese, and eerie premonitions. They have ties to legendary queens and goddesses of ancient Vietnam, which sets them on a dangerous journey through dreams and portals to reclaim their past lives. Ancient enemies follow them, and Jolie must determine right from wrong before the world ends.

Jolie had been ostracized due to seeing things others don't, and reacting to former friends as if they were terrible creatures. Those former friends bully her and get the rest of the school into it; her grandfather's reputation as a fraudulent psychic and suffering from dementia colors her reputation as well. Huong is a junior to her sophomore status and essentially takes Jolie under her wing. As she does, Jolie's prior abilities heighten. Memories of her past life return, and the threat of dragons coming to destroy the world hangs over them.

The novel uses the story of the Truong sisters, the first queens of Vietnam, as the basis for the past lives. Much of ancient history is mythologized, but there's a core of truth to the stories. Here, the sisters who once ruled are tied to the ancient dragons of legend, and the dragons are interested in the power of the elemental magic that the first dragons had given up. Most of the dragons are selfish and don't care who they hurt, but Jolie, in any of her incarnations, had never wanted to do that. She was always seen as lesser because of it, but it's her ties to others that keep her fighting and working to protect the world. I respect her efforts for it; even without her past life memories, she has an inner integrity that didn't break, even with all of the bullying. I really enjoyed seeing her story.

Buy The Lost Queen at Amazon

Out of Air by Rachel Reiss

May 2025; Wednesday Books; 978-1250366146
audio, ebook, print (304 pages); YA supernatural mystery

Phoebe “Phibs” Ray and four friends discovered a handful of ancient gold coins, making a name for themselves. Now that it's their last summer after high school, they travel to an Australian island to scuba dive. Phibs discovers a sea cave that is rumored to have buried treasure. She and her best friend, Gabe, surface from the cave with disturbing changes to their bodies, and treasure hunters are desperate to find that cave. When they hold her and her friends for ransom, Phibs will do anything to keep them safe.

Phoebe is the poorest of the group of dive friends living in the Florida Keys. She works at a dive shop, and the group loves to dive in the water. The story flashes between the current Australian trip and the past events in the Keys when the coins were found. The group had been internet famous and harassed,  and there's the question of who kept one of the coins that Phoebe found. The trust within the group was already fractured before this final trip, and the questions linger in Phoebe's (and our) mind. One of the group knows about the legend of the cave and what happens there, especially if someone breathes the air in its pocket. Gabe and Phoebe breathed it in and experienced odd changes to their bodies.

The fortune hunters appear later in the story than I thought they would, so that there was the question of who took the coin and what was happening to Gabe at the forefront. The supernatural element was a slow development, and didn't detract from the realistic concerns regarding the dives, family situation, and financial worries with college looming. Once the treasure hunters appear, the book rapidly moves to its conclusion, with most of Phoebe's questions answered. It's a great book to get lost in, and it kept me turning pages.

Buy Out of Air at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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