Books are probably my biggest passion. Within that, I'm a big proponent of young adult fiction and writers, because just about everyone can read books within this genre and relate to the characters. I believe that YA books can be extremely nuanced and well-written, and that they therefore deserve more respect. Also, I fully believe that reading should be an enjoyable experience! YA literature is what helps me to keep loving to read when things like being an English major gets me down when it comes to reading.
These are some of my favorite authors of all time, and you totally should check out what they've written.
1. Laini Taylor
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Laini Taylor is the author for you if you love beautifully written stories with incredibly creative and developed plot and settings. I love her characters, but for me, the best part about her writing is her lush settings. They help to add to the fairy-tale feeling of her stories, which I'm a huge fan of.
2. Leigh Bardugo
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If you love the same things Laini Taylor has but with more characters/POVs, Leigh Bardugo is another author to check out. Her settings for the Grishaverse novels are extremely developed and diverse in every way imaginable, making those books a real treat to read. She has two upcoming books, one that's set at an Ivy League and about a murder-mystery, so if that's more your kind of read than her high fantasy books, be sure to check it out.
3. Victoria Aveyard
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Victoria Aveyard has one series out right now, and it's very popular with a movie on the way. It's a dystopian fiction but reads more like high fantasy for the most part due to the strange hierarchy and the people with powers. Her writing is very straightforward, which is refreshing and real. I haven't been able to bring myself to read the last book, 'War Storm,' because I don't want the series to end and because I'm dreading the events that are going to take place because, well, it's probably going to be very tragic considering the arc the story has taken.
4. Sarah J. Maas
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Sarah J. Maas is the queen of starting off a series with a simple plot that quickly expands to something that is much more epic. Take that and add in characters that you're going to fall in love with, and you get wonderful high fantasy novels. Also, her main characters are awesome, strong, and powerful queens. Who doesn't like reading about high fantasy royalty?
5. Maggie Stiefvater
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I love Maggie Stiefvater because she has a wide variety of books that can appeal to everyone, but despite being all pretty different, they all have her distinct literal and metaphorical magical style on them. She has books that are very romantic, she has books that are centered on friendship, and she has two awesome standalone novels, just to name a few.
and last but not least...
6. Cassandra Clare (because her newest series is THAT good)
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Cassandra Clare is possibly the most popular author on this list, what with the TV show and everything. Her books aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I think that even if you haven't read her first two series, you need to check out "The Dark Artifacts." The two currently out are amazing, and the upcoming one is going to be heart-wrenching and spectacular. You don't even have to have read her other books (all ~10 of them) to understand what's happening in the newest, so you should give it a try!
