If you’re anything like me, TikTok is your most used social media app. After downloading the app nearly two years ago, my “for you page” highlighted several videos about popular books. Fast forward to today, and I’m a dedicated viewer on #BookTok with a rekindled love for reading.
#BookTok is a community of readers on TikTok that promote and review their latest reads. Not everything on the app is worth reading, but I have found a few gems that now sit proudly on my bookshelf. Over time, I have read some of TikTok’s most popular young adult (YA) fantasy books and narrowed it down to three that you must have on your shelf.
- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
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Original photo by Ashley Dickey Three words: black girl magic. Legendborn follows 16-year-old Bree Matthews as she navigates the accelerated college program at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC). After the sudden passing of her mother, Bree refuses to stay at home and attempts to pour herself into academics. However, in YA fantasy books, nothing ever goes according to plan. On the first night at her new school, chaos breaks out at a party and students run for their lives. Here’s the catch: Bree is one of the only people that can see the cause of the commotion. The other students are oblivious to the demons that feed on negative human energy.
Lucky for Bree, she’s not completely alone. An army of select students known as the “Legendborn” can see these demons and use magic to protect the innocent. Working alongside Legendborn member Nick Davis, Bree infiltrates this secret society and taps into her power. Yet Bree’s mission started with one question on her mind: Could her mother’s death be tied to the dark secrets of this school? Read Legendborn to follow along on Bree’s journey to uncovering the truth within the walls of UNC-Chapel Hill.
- We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
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Original photo by Ashley Dickey The kingdom of Arawiya has undoubtedly seen better days. This story follows Zafira, a hunter (who’s secretly a huntress), on her quest to return the magic that once helped her village thrive. Now, dark magic threatens to disturb the only place she has called home. The Arz is a dangerous forest that preys on the innocent, but Zafira is brave enough to venture inside and feed her village. The cure to returning magic to her village lies deep with the Arz, but Zafira is not the only person who seeks to retrieve it.
Enter Nasir: the feared Prince of Death with plenty of conquests under his belt. Nasir’s ruthless father is greedy beyond belief. To gain more power, the Sultan forces his son to head into the Arz and kill Zafira before she can retrieve the coveted treasure. What happens when the brooding prince meets his match and cannot deny his growing feelings? Pick up a copy of We Hunt the Flame to find out what happens to Zafira, Nasir and their swiftly crumbling kingdom.
- The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
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Original photo by Ashley Dickey In the first installment of this duology, 16-year-old Sharzhad enters her marriage determined to kill her husband. Let’s rewind a little bit. 18-year-old Khalid is the Caliph of Khorasan, yet he never keeps a bride for more than one night. Each calipha never lives past sunrise, including Sharzhad’s best friend, Shiva. Intent on making the caliph pay for his crimes, Sharzhad steps up as the first volunteer to marry Khalid.
This is not your average fairytale. Sharzhad’s rage propels her through her first meeting with Khalid and their wedding ceremony, but fear for her life quickly sweeps in. There’s only one way to keep him distracted until sunrise: storytelling. Drawing inspiration from Arabian Nights, Sharzhad tells the caliph riveting stories to survive another day. The magic within the tales also flows through their veins. Soon enough, the pair discover that there may be more than mere stories keeping them together. Will the crowned couple recognize their feelings for each other, or will the dawn catch up with them? All of the answers can be found within the pages of The Wrath and the Dawn.
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