Six Up & Coming Young Adult Fantasy/Dystopian Trilogies

Long before actress Jennifer Lawrence translated Katniss Everdeen into a larger-than-life presence on the big screen, fans of young adult fantasy had already turned Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy into a highly bankable series. There's something about the transport to a completely different land populated by otherworldly characters that gives fantasy its allure, and YA fans (of all ages) increasingly relate to the alternative worlds represented by the crop of engaging fiction published in recent years.

Here we present half a dozen series (all but one anticipated to be trilogies), carefully culled from a vast field of contenders. All six are garnering reader and critical acclaim - and are ones to watch as they gather momentum and well...catch fire.

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski Mar 2014. 368 Pages. Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Winning what you want may cost you everything you love In a kingdom where war is the way of the land, seventeen-year-old Kestrel, the daughter of a famous general, really only has two options: she can fight or get married. But life, as they say, has other plans. When Kestrel's paths cross those of a young slave boy named Arin, things get very complicated, very quickly. The highly charged plot ensures that even the electrifying Hunger Games pale in comparison. More details and reviews about this book Next Up: The Winner's Trilogy #2: The Winner's Crime To publish: March 3, 2015

The Young Elites by Marie Lu Oct 2014. 368 Pages. Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons. Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever that wiped out many citizens but left a few children standing, and permanently changed. Some of the fever's survivors have more than just scars to show for their ordeal, they seem to possess new and unusual powers. Good and evil duke it out in this story where the Young Elites are the target of an epic battle. But are they truly evil or is it a matter of perception? More details and reviews about this book Next Up: The Young Elites #2: The Rose Society To publish: Oct 17, 2015

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman Jul 2012. 480 Pages. Published by Random House Children's Publishing. Humans and dragons maintain a shaky peace in the kingdom of Goredd. When a member of the royal court is found murdered, profoundly gifted musician Seraphina Dombegh is trapped between the two sides even as she tries to get at the bottom of a sinister plot. This rich fantasy debut won much critical acclaim and a share of ardent fans who are looking forward to following Rachel Hartman into Goredd again. More details and reviews about this book Next Up: Seraphina #2: Shadow Scale To publish: March 10, 2015 It is not clear if book 2 is the end of the road for the kingdom of Goredd or whether Hartman will return there in the future.

Mark of the Thief: Praetor War Book 1 by Jennifer A. Nielsen 24 Feb 2015. 352 Pages. Published by Scholastic. With two sci-fi/fantasy series (Underworld Chronicles and the Ascendance Trilogy), Nielsen already has some serious YA creds. Devoted fans and first-timers alike are looking forward to seeing where she will take her new series. With a dash of history, the setting of ancient Rome and a smart protagonist, this one has all the makings of a huge hit. A touch of magic doesn't hurt either. Published: February 2015 More details and reviews about this book

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen Jul 2014. 448 Pages. Published by HarperCollins Publishers. Sapphires, not diamonds, are a girl's best friend. The prodigal daughter, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, is back from exile to claim the throne and she must use her bookish knowledge to outsmart the forces of evil that have lined up to prevent the ascension that is rightfully hers. The Tearling sapphire, one of the princesses' prized possessions, possesses a whole lot of power to get her out of some nasty situations. The rest is up to this wise and intelligent protagonist who garners comparisons to The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen. More details and reviews about this book Next Up: The Queen of the Tearling #2: The Invasion of the Tearling To publish: June 9, 2015

Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy Jan 2014. 384 Pages. Published by Scholastic. A story that might hit too close to the bone for some, Reedy has won a large number of fans with his dystopian novel that veers dangerously close to plausible. Asking the question: what if we removed the word "United" from the United States of America, Reedy explores the story's plotline to its conclusion of a country on the verge of a second civil war. More details and reviews about this book Recently Released: Divided We Fall #2: Burning Nation Published: January 2015

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