Of the many branches on the YA family tree, YA fantasy seems to be the most well-regarded by even the pickiest of readers. It’s hard to ignore the way it shapes and affects culture when some of its most beloved gems include Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians. But these days, with so many catchy covers and alluring summaries to choose from, it’s easy for some books to fall by the wayside.

I’ll level with you: most of the fantasy I find myself drawn to isn’t flying off the shelves, and isn’t praised alongside (wonderful) series like Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse or Sarah J. Maas’s books (confession: I’ve never read a SJM book. I’m thinking I’ll wait until her Throne of Glass series is wrapped up to give it a try).