YA Books About Witches
Right around September is the time of year I put away my beach reads and break out the fantasy books. These are my favorite YA books about witches.
I love YA fantasy but looking at the genre as a whole can be daunting. There are so many amazing books to choose from. I wanted to make the choices a lot more manageable for you. Since I have read so many (Check out my Ultimate list of YA fantasy), I thought it would make your life easier if I put my favorite witch books in one place. If you are looking for adult books, check out: The Best Witch Books
Some of these books are more magical realism as many young adult witch books are. Think, our world but people can do magic. A few of these picks are high fantasy with fantastic world-building. Whatever your taste is when it comes to YA books about witches, I know that I will have the perfect book for your next read.
The Best YA Books About Witches
Best Fantasy YA Books About Witches
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor – jump to review and to see more books in this category
Best YA Witch Books Set in School
Wicked by – jump to review and to see more books in this category
Fun Young Adult Witch Books
The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson- Jump to review and see more books in a category
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Best Fantasy YA Books About Witches
Akata Witch
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Year: 2011
Genre: YA Fantasy
More info: New York Times Best Seller
Age Range: 12+
Plot
I absolutely loved this YA fantasy book about Sunny, a twelve-year-old girl who lives with her parents and two brothers in Nigeria. Sunny is albino and teased for her looks. This is one of the fantasy books set in Africa that is a must read!
When Sunny discovers that she is a “free agent”, someone with magical abilities whose parents are not magic, she enters a world she didn’t know existed. Sunny and her three fellow magical students must study and learn their abilities in order to stop the Black Hat Killer before he brings about complete destruction.
Why Jackie loves it
Unlike anything I have read, the story is woven beautifully and is one of the best fantasy books for teens. if you love young adult books about witches, this is at the top of our list.
Find this book in: Novels About Africa / Best Fantasy Books for Teens / YA Books About Witches
The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea
Author: Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Year: 2020
Genre: Fantasy
Spice Rating: None. This is a wonderful love story
Age Range: 12+
Plot
Flora and her brother are pirates on the Dove. In order to protect her identity, she has become Florian and is tasked with protecting Lady Evelyn on the ship while she is on the ship. The intent was to bring her to the Floating Islands for an arranged marriage. The pirates have other intentions- t0 enslave Evelyn until she can be sold.
Flora does not intend to fall in love with Evelyn and when the two free a captured mermaid, they change the fate of more than just her. This book is filled
Why Jackie loves it
I am so glad that someone recommended this fantasy book to me. It is one of those books that did not get the visibility that it should have. This book is so well written and is filled with magic while also exploring the power of love.
Find this book in: 12 Best Pirate Books and Stories Set on the High Seas /YA Books About Witches
Serpent and Dove
Author: Shelby Mahurin
Year: 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
More info: Serpent & Dove Book 1 of 3
New York Times Bestseller, B&N YA Book Club Pick, Indiebound Bestseller
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Louise Le Blanche is a witch and Reid Diggory is a witch hunter, but when they are forced to be married Lou has to keep her identity a secret and try not to fall for her handsome husband. Could you ask for anything more from enemies-to-lovers books?
She is trying to change his mind about being a witch hunter while hiding her true identity. She is also using the inside knowledge to save her witch friends. Set in the pre-industrial age in Paris, France, this book is perfect for lovers of YA!
Why Kirsten loves it
This book has funny, fierce heroines, a steamy love story, and a cast of characters that is diverse. I devoured all thee books in this series in a week.
Find this book in: YA Books About Witches / Young Adult Fantasy Romance Books / Historical Fantasy Book / Books Set in Paris / YA Historical Fiction Books / The Ultimate List of YA Fantasy Books / Best YA Romance Books
Children of Blood and Bone
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Year: 2018
Genre: YA Fantasy
More info: Legacy of Orisha, #1
An Instant New York Times Bestseller, A TIME top 100 Fantasy Books of All Time, A New York Times Notable Children’s Books, A Kirkus Prize Finalist
Age Range: 14+
Plot
When magic disappeared from Orisha, Zelie’s world changed forever. When the king ordered all the Maji killed, Zelie was left without a mother or magic. She is on a quest to find revenge and bring magic back to Orisha (Orisha is a mythical Nigeria). This is one of the fantasy books for teens that builds a whole new world and brings young adult fantasy books to a whole new level.
Zelie must use the help of a princess to escape from the crown prince who wants to finish what his father started and erase all magic permanently. This book is filled with magic, spirits, and danger.
Why Jackie loves it
I enjoyed this book which is the first in a fantasy series for Young Adults. I listened to the amazing audiobook and I loved listening to the story the way that the story was intended to sound.
Find this book in: Fantasy Book Series for Young Adults / The Ultimate List of YA Fantasy Books / YA Books About Witches / 15 Novels About Africa / Books by Female BIPOC Authors / The Best Books Like Fourth Wing
YA Witch Books Set in School
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Author: Gregory Maguire
Year: 1995
Genre: Fantasy
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author
Tony Award-winning musical, soon to be a major motion picture
Age Range: 13+
Plot
Everyone knows the Wicked Witch of the West but not everyone knows how she became that way. She wasn’t always bad. This is the story of a girl who would grow up to become one of the most hated villains in history. Elphaba is born with green skin and is treated with superstition and dislike. When she enters Shiz University, she is eventually able to make friends
When Elphaba realizes that Animals are threatened with exile, she tries to protect them. After all, they have voices, minds, thoughts, and opinions too. Soon she finds herself in a war with the mysterious wizard.
Why Kirsten loves it
I think of Professor Snape from Harry Potter in the same way. If you love witches and rooting for the bad guys, this book is for you. Like the Broadway play, the movie adaptation of this will be a must-see.
Why Jackie loves it
I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz and could not imagine the Wicked Witch of the West as anything else, until I read this book. This is a brilliantly written book that shows there are always two sides to the story. This is a message that is so strong and remains relevant in our society.
Find this book in: YA Books About Witches / Books Becoming Movies or TV Series / Books Like the Lunar Chronicles / Classic Book Retellings / Adult Books Similar to Harry Potter
Plot
The lines between reality and fiction are perfectly blurred. It is a book about a book and making a movie about that same book. ( follow that? Lol) Flo and Clara were two students at the Brookhants School for girls. When they become obsessed with a book by Mary MacLane, it ultimately leads to their deaths and the school closes soon after.
Now, Merritt Emmons has published a book about Brookhants that is being made into a movie, and the doors of Brookhants are open for filming. The story intertwines the lives of all those who read the book and the mystery and supernatural that follow them.
Why Jackie loves it
I started Plain Bad Heroines and I did not know what to think. I was debating giving up on the book for a little while because I just wasn’t sure where the book was going. Fast forward. I loved it and I am glad I stuck with it. This YA fantasy book has all the makings of cult horror. It is scary, complex and so well-written.
Find this book in: Thriller Horror / Books Like Ninth House / Books Set in High School / Dark Academia Books
A Lesson in Vengeance
Author: Victoria Lee
Year: 2021
Genre: YA Fantasy
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
I have been hearing so much about this book and I knew that I needed to read it. Felicity Morros is back at the prestigious Dalloway School to finish high school after a year away. Her mother has pulled strings to get her back to Godwin house even after the terrible events that led to the death of her girlfriend.
Now, despite her past and despite the history of witchcraft and death at the school, Felicity is determined to move forward. But, when she meets Ellis Haley, nothing goes as planned.
Why Jackie likes it
If you love dark academia books, this novel is a perfect pick. It definitely has a creepy undertone! As a reader, you have to wait to find out what happened last year which makes the book a creepy and compelling read
Find this book in: YA Books About Witches / Dark Academia Books
Fun Young Adult Witch Books
The Wren Hunt
Author: Mary Watson
Year: 2018
Genre: YA Fantasy
More info: Wren Hunt Book 1 of 2
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 14+
Plot
I loved this book and read it in only a few days. Once a year, Wren is chased through the forest by a group of boys who deliberately taunt her and terrify her. They are judges- a powerful group of families who control magic. Little do they know that Wren is an Augur- another magical family who has to keep her identity hidden.
The war between the Judges and the Augur is old and deep. In order to save her family, Wren must take an internship within the walls of a Judge’s home and risk everything. The lies and the deceit are spellbinding I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
Why Jackie loves it
This is a modern witch book that is a must-read and a young adult fantasy novel that should be on your TBR as well. The idea of feuding families, hidden magic, survival, bravery, and deception was page-turning and original
Find similar books in: YA Books About Witches / Fantasy Book Series for Young Adults /Best Fantasy Books for Teens
The Watchmaker’s Daughter
Author: C.J Archer
Year: 2016
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
More info: Glass and Steel Book 1 of 13
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 14+
Plot
I read this book in a day. I then read the next three in as many days. I am not sure what is so addicting about these witch books, but they are just that- addicting. There is a little magic, a great story and a whole lot of chemistry going on in these books.
India Steel does not know what to do when her father dies and her fiancé steals her inheritance- the watch store where she always worked. Members of the watchmaking guild are afraid of her. Left with no other choice, India takes a job with Matthew Glass. A charismatic, if not mysterious man from America. While this series is technically not a young adult fantasy book, there is no inappropriate content in this series.
Why Jackie loves it
This series is an addicting historical fantasy. I loved watching India Steel come into her own and learn to trust in herself and her abilities. She is a strong female character who does not give up, even when everything is taken from her
Find this similar books in: YA Books About Witches / Ultimate List of YA Fantasy / Fantasy Book Series for Young Adults
Spells Trouble
Author: P.C Cast and Kristin Cast
Year:
Genre:
More info: Sisters of Salem book 1 of 3
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range:
Plot
Hunter and Mercy Goode are twins who are about to celebrate their birthdays and learn what it means to be the gatekeepers- protectors of gates to the underworld.
They are witches and their mother becomes the first victim in a string of murders that leave them all in peril. When trees start dying, the gates start opening, the twins are not prepared for what they must do to save the town and themselves.
Why Jackie likes it
This is the first book in a trilogy and although I enjoyed it, there were a few things that disappointed me. I also think that the plot twist could have been less obvious. Also, It was clear that this is the first book because the story ends rather abruptly and leaves you hanging (a huge pet peeve).
Find this book in: YA Books About Witches
Expert Tip
These books are meant to be fun and entertaining. If there is a book that you love, decide what about it attracts you. Is it the magic, the characters, the relationships between the characters? When you find out what it is that you love about a book, it makes it so much easier to find your next great read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a YA witch book and an adult witch book?
There are two main differences between YA and adult books. The first is the age of the characters. In YA books, the characters are younger- typically high school age. Another key difference is the content. Most young adult books should not have any graphic sexual content in it.
Are YA witch books fantasy?
Yes, witch books are fantasy. Some can also be referred to as magical realism because it is magic in our world.
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Epilogue
I hope you love this list of young adult witch books. Which one is your favorite? What should I put on my list of books to read? I would love your suggestions
