10 Science Fiction Books for Teens who Love YA Fantasy

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

Tropes: love triangle, homogenous species

Great for fans of: Red Queen, Shadow and Bone

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away after an unusual species invades the earth. These aliens take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, didn’t expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she’s never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

Girl in the Dark by Nicole Adrianne

Tropes: dark villain origin story, pseudo-European medieval setting, royalty

Great for fans of: Graceling, Heartless

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…

If you can’t get enough of Grimms’ twisted Fairy Tales and Kiera Cass’ The Selection series, then this is your next addicting read.

Grab a copy of Girl in the Dark to start this chilling, villainous royal dystopian fantasy story today!

The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Tropes: lovers to enemies to lovers, reluctant hero

Great for fans of: These Violent Delights, A Shadow in the Ember

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. 

This afternoon, her planet was invaded. 

The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now, with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra – who are barely even talking to each other – are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit. 

But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again. 

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents – including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more – Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.  

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Tropes: enemies to lovers, chosen one

Great for fans of: The Cruel Prince, Percy Jackson

Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone…except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both.

Girl in the Snow by Nicole Adrianne

Tropes: arranged marriage, friends-to-lovers, reluctant royal, autistic main character, runaway princess

Great for fans of: Throne of Glass, Six of Crows

No electricity, no phones, and a broken princess to blame. Winter in the Seven Kingdoms just got colder…

After her stepmother promised her in marriage to a smug, stuck-up stranger, Eira thought she couldn’t get any angrier. Now, she’s on the run, and the entire kingdom is convinced that she built an EMP device and destroyed their power grid.

With Eira’s best friend, infuriating fiancé, and the entire Royal Guard on her tail, staying hidden in a tiny village seems like her best—and only—option. But, as Eira uncovers a series of long-hidden truths about the Queen and late King, hiding from her destiny becomes nearly impossible.

Will Eira’s evidence be enough to convince the kingdom of her innocence, or will it be just enough to get her executed?

If you can’t get enough of Grimm’s imaginative Fairy Tales and Kiera Cass’ The Selection series, then you’ll be enchanted by the heart and suspense of Post-Apocalyptic Princesses.

Grab a copy of Girl in the Snow to start the dangerously clever journey today!

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Tropes: reluctant hero, competition, enemies to lovers, morally grey

Great for fans of: The Shadows Between Us, To Kill a Kingdom

Two teens must master the “art of killing” in this New York Times bestselling, Printz Honor–winning young adult sci-fi book series from Neal Shusterman.

Thou shalt not kill:

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

The scythes choose Citra and Rowan as apprentices—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

When they try to break free of their roles, the two apprentices discover those in power will not peacefully relinquish their control. Can Citra and Rowan change things for the better without being silenced themselves?

All These Monsters by Amy Tintera

Tropes: love triangle, chosen one

Great for fans of: The Selection, Percy Jackson

Seventeen-year-old Clara is finally ready to fight back. Fight back against her abusive father, fight back against the only life she’s ever known, and most of all, fight back against scrabs, the earth-dwelling monsters that are currently ravaging the world. So when an opportunity arises for Clara to join an international monster-fighting squad, she jumps at the chance.
 
When Clara starts training with her teammates, however, she realizes what fighting monsters really means: sore muscles, exhaustion, and worst of all, death. Scrabs are unpredictable, violent, and terrifying. But as Clara gains confidence in her battle skills, she starts to realize scrabs might not be the biggest evil. The true monsters are the ones you least expect.

Miles & Breaker by Nicole Adrianne: A Box Set of Science Fiction Books for Teens

Tropes: forbidden love, starcrossed lovers, girls in STEM, twisty plot, competition

Great for fans of: Red Queen, Shatter Me

Two students. Twelve months. One victor.

After prodigy Jada Breaker’s best friend is murdered in a terrestrial terrorist attack, high school is the last thing on her mind. With a shocking piece of evidence in hand, she’s ready to launch her own investigation and find out the truth about her friend’s death: tragic accident, or cruel assassination?

When an unexpected competitor arrives from Earth to challenge Jada’s future and freedom, though, she’ll need an undivided mind to win the fight. If she continues her investigation, she’ll risk losing the future she’s always dreamed of. 

But if Jada fails to learn the truth before graduation, a galaxy-wide conspiracy will grow unchecked and destroy everything she’s ever known…

If you loved the suspense of The Hunger Games and the intrigue of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, then you’ll adore the heart and mystery of Miles & Breaker.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Tropes: royalty, chosen one

Great for fans of: The False Prince, We Hunt the Flame

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.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

Tropes: girls in STEM, smart female lead, twisty plot, dark

Great for fans of: Caraval, Furyborn

A surprising and gripping sci-fi thriller with a killer twist

The daughter of two astronauts, Romy Silvers is no stranger to life in space. But she never knew how isolating the universe could be until her parents’ tragic deaths left her alone on the Infinity, a spaceship speeding away from Earth.

Romy tries to make the best of her lonely situation, but with only brief messages from her therapist on Earth to keep her company, she can’t help but feel like something is missing. It seems like a dream come true when NASA alerts her that another ship, the Eternity, will be joining the Infinity.

Romy begins exchanging messages with J, the captain of the Eternity, and their friendship breathes new life into her world. But as the Eternity gets closer, Romy learns there’s more to J’s mission than she could have imagined. And suddenly, there are worse things than being alone….