Ever wanted to dive into the vast world of speculative fiction...and read about amazing women? Not even sure what Speculative Fiction is? This is your guide! Here you will find an entry-level guide for new readers of spec-fic. The guide has seminal titles, varying formats, and variety in subgenres to best appeal to readers who are not as familiar with with the topic. Spec-fic is an umbrella genre that includes high and low fantasy, dystopia, sci-fi, horror, superheroes, & fairy tale re-tellings. Many texts in speculative fiction are plot driven and heavy in world building, so that readers can enter an alternate reality, which is especially poignant for young adults. YA readers have so much happening in their real-world lives that the escape-factor of speculative fiction genres can be especially appealing. On top of this, spec-fic genres provide teens with characters going through intense hardships, which can give readers a sense of solidarity in their own lives. This guide has both seminal titles and new & fresh titles to keep you going. Some key authors to note for the speculative fiction genre(s) are: Marissa Meyer, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Sarah J. Maas, Stephanie Meyer, and Susan Collins. Meanwhile, seminal titles such as the Hunger Games, Twilight, and Ella Enchanted also sparked trends in publishing (dystopia, vampires, fairy tales). We've done our best to include many of the subgenres in novel, graphic novel, & film formats. If you love some of these books, many of them have film adaptations that you can also check out.
-These titles are ordered alphabetically by author, not ranked on merit.
-This list was curated by Brooklyn Kemp & Sarah Khan from UBC's MLIS program.
The Wrath and the Dawn is an exciting re-imagining of The Arabian Nights set during the reign of a ruthless boy king who takes a new wife every night and leaves them hanging from silk cords in the morning. In the book, readers follow heroine Shazi…
The first book in the series, Red Queen introduces readers to Mare Barrow. In Mare's dystopian world, there are two blood types: Red (the inferior), and Silver (the magic wielding superior). Readers (and Mare herself) quickly discover that despite…
While this high fantasy novel appears to be about a boy named Kaz, readers quickly find themselves acquainted with five other characters (two of which are female) who must all work together to undergo Kaz's heist of the highest security prison.…
Ten years after Jude and her two sisters were orphaned and sent to live in the High Court of Faerie, Jude struggles to win her place in court despite her mortality and the Fey's hatred of humans. The author includes diverse & queer characters in a…
Every generation has a new set of triplets: three possible queens, three heirs to the crown, three girls with unimaginable magic. This dystopian high fantasy tells the tale of how, on the night of their 16th birthday, three sisters fight to the…
Kasta lives in a world where people have unique powers called "Graces;" but, what is Kasta to do when her Grace is the act of killing? This intense dystopian fantasy takes readers into a world where ethics and morals are questioned. Young readers…
When the paths of Han Alister and Princess Raisa ana'Marianna collide, their lives are changed forever. Han, born with two magicked cuffs around his wrists, has attained the Demon King's amulet despite Han's perpetual bad luck. Or, is it because of…
This high fantasy story re-tells a melding of Hindu folk tales. 16 year old Maya is cursed by her horoscope, which ultimately puts her into an arranged marriage. This isn't any arranged marriage however...Maya finds herself on a throne in a new…
When 15-year-old Clary Fray witnesses a murder at the Pandemonium nightclub, her world will never be the same. She sees monsters everywhere she goes, but she is the only one who can see them. When Clary and her mother are attacked by a demon…
Set in the late 1800's, young American Tessa Gray reaches Victorian England in search of her missing brother...but finding her brother is the least of Tessa's problems. Held captive upon her arrival, Tessa is rescued by a strange people called the…
For Katniss Everdeen, survival is always on her mind, but when her sister's name is selected as Tribute from their district, Katniss volunteers to take her place in the Hunger Games. The Games have 24 tributes from across 12 districts, and they must…
Sisters Scarlett and Tella have always wanted to go to Caraval - the once a year spectacular where the audience is part of the show. When the day comes that they receive their letter to Caraval, they have no idea what they are getting into. Once the…
In this historical fantasy, 14 year old Faith (who happens to be a budding scientist) begins investigating her fathers mysterious death after he moved his family to an isolated island. Soon, she discovers a tree in that feeds on people's lies and…
This seminal, sci-fi novel is technically classified as J Fic, but main character Meg is about 13 years old and her great adventures will likely continue to appeal to young adult readers. Meg , her brother, and their friend transcend time and space…
This is a seminal text in the genre of fairy tale re-tellings. Based on the story of Cinderella, Ella must live with a curse that forces her to obey any command she receives. While VPL catalogues this story as J Fic, it is equally accessible to…
A Court of Thorns and Roses follows Feyre, a common village girl, who hunts for the survival of her family; but when Feyre goes hunting too close to The Wall - a place where magical creatures lay beyond - she makes a fatal mistake. With the blood of…
Celaena Sardothien has been in prison working the salt mines of Endovier for almost a year when the Crown Prince of Ardalan comes with an offer she can't refuse: be his champion in a tournament vying for the position to become the assassin of the…
Juliette Ferrars stays locked away because she is a danger to all those around her - her touch is lethal. She has been in isolation for almost a year, not having spoken a word during that time or interacted with another human...until she gets a…
Rose Hathaway is a half human, half vampire hybrid. She isn't sensitive to the sun and doesn't need blood to survive, but she is faster and stronger than a human. After being the only survivors of a car accident with her best friend's family, Rose…
Cinder is a modern, sci-fi re-telling of a classic Cinderella tale. Taking place in a futuristic world ravaged by the Plague, Cinder (a mechanic and cyborg) accidentally catches the eye of a Prince...Much to Cinder's step mother and step sisters'…
