I am so excited to be a part of this month's bookish blog hop, celebrating YA science fiction. Often, in young adult book circles, the word science fiction draws groans or general disinterest. There's a pervasive idea that science fiction books are inaccessible. To combat this, I'm bringing you one of my absolute favorite genre mashups-- young adult science fiction books with royalty.
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this article for more blog stops and a chance to win 5 free YA sci-fi e-books from our prize pool (of your choosing)!
Books in Series: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, & Winter
The first on the list has to be The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. So much credit to this author for jumpstarting a love of science fiction in a brand new generation of young female readers. A group that often shies away from sci-fi. The Lunar Chronicles is based on classic fairy tales with a sci-fi twist.
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.
#2 Shadows & Starlight
Books in Series: Seven Crowns, The Botanist's Game, Rule of Shadows, Fallen Kingdom
Full disclosure, this is my book series! So, I might be a little bit biased. 😉 Shadows & Starlight features magic, dystopian royalty, and sci-fi. A perfect fit for this list.
Sixteen-year-old Ana finds her ordinary life upended after she learns she’s the sole heir to a dynasty on another planet — one where seven families share the crown. Now targeted by deadly assassins, can she navigate a dangerous new world… and fight to survive? A magical page-turner that kicks off a series!
Travel to a glittering, dangerous world with political alliances and ballgowns, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Cinder.
Books in Series: Crown Chasers, Throne Breakers
A deadly competition for the throne will determine more than just the fate of the empire in this duology opener.
A deadly race across 1,001 planets will determine more than just the fate of the empire.
Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy, even leaving behind the Kingship and her uncle, the emperor, for a life of exploring.
But when her dying uncle announces a crownchase—a search for the royal seal hidden in the empire that will determine the next ruler—Alyssa is thrust into her greatest, most dangerous adventure yet.
Books in Series: The Other Side of the Sky, Beyond the End of the World
This list would be remiss without an addition from the YA sci-fi queen herself, Amie Kaufman. Amie is also the author of the Illuminae and Aurora Rising series. She and co-author Meagan Spoon also have another sci-fi series called Starbound.
Prince North’s home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate engines, powered by technology.
Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the Surface, responsible for providing answers, direction—hope.
North’s and Nimh’s lives are entwined—though their hearts can never be. Linked by a terrifying prophecy and caught between duty and fate, they must choose between saving their people or succumbing to the bond that is forbidden between them.
Books in Series: Girl in the Dark, Girl in the Snow, & More to Come
Evil stepmothers aren't born—they're made.
After a devastating plague nearly destroyed humanity, Vespera never expected to leave the safety of her rural homestead. But the ruling royals chose her to help repopulate the kingdom's capital city, and a single peasant girl can't defy a power-hungry new government without a death wish.
Things go from bad to worse when, instead of rewarding her loyalty as promised, the city officials doom her to a life of servitude and labor in the lowest class of society. When blind obedience to her rulers leaves her unemployed, homeless, and estranged from her family, Vespera’s attempt to change her fate and avenge the peaceful life she lost leads to even more trouble.
Because in a city swarming with nobles, soldiers, and rebels, revenge will come at a desperate cost...
Books in Series: Standalone Novel
Sci-fi elements in a Disney-like theme park where all the princesses are robots… and one might be a murderer.
Welcome to the Kingdom… where "Happily Ever After" isn’t just a promise, but a rule.
Glimmering like a jewel behind its gateway, The Kingdom™ is an immersive fantasy theme park where guests soar on virtual dragons, castles loom like giants, and bioengineered species—formerly extinct—roam free.
Ana is one of seven Fantasists, beautiful “princesses” engineered to make dreams come true. When she meets park employee Owen, Ana begins to experience emotions beyond her programming including, for the first time… love.
But the fairytale becomes a nightmare when Ana is accused of murdering Owen, igniting the trial of the century. Through courtroom testimony, interviews, and Ana’s memories of Owen, emerges a tale of love, lies, and cruelty—and what it truly means to be human.
Books in Series: When Planets Fall, When Dreamers Fall, When Heroes Fall
Looking for less ballgown and more epic sci-fi? Try the Stars Fall Circle series.
A bloodthirsty king. A wrecked starship ready for war. A disabled mechanic is the planet's only hope.
Breaker's home is cleaved by blood. The three tribes on the planet Scarlatti--whose only difference is their blood color--each want to exploit Breaker's valley for themselves. The feudal tension has already claimed red-blood Breaker's leg and his older brother. Now all Breaker wants is to maintain the tenuous peace in order to keep his little 'stroid of a brother alive.
Malani, a red-blood raised blue, is a kidnapped POW. She's determined to escape and return to her adoptive home. The secrets she carries could help the blue-bloods win... if they don't fall into the wrong hands.
Luka wants to right the wrongs done to his family and bathe his home in justice. He'll do whatever it takes, and where Luka goes, trouble is never far behind.
With the discovery of a wrecked starship, these three paths intersect. Breaker is given seven days by the green-bloods to fix and hand the starship over as a weapon. If he fails, his family will be killed and his home taken.
War is coming. War respects no boundaries. And war leaves no survivors.
Did you find a new series to love?
I hope so! You can get the first two books in my YA sci-fi royalty series, Shadows & Starlight today. Book three is now available for pre-order. The cover reveal is coming soon!
Be sure to check out the rest of this amazing blog hop for even more YA Sci-Fi appreciation!
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