Young adult fantasy is where Black authors are doing some of their most exciting work right now — and where a lot of readers, teens and adults alike, are finding stories that finally put Black girls at the center of the magic. If you loved books like Children of Blood and Bone, this list is your next shelf: ten YA fantasies by Black authors, from Arthurian retellings to West African epics, all published in the last decade.
A note before the list: “YA” here means the books are written for teen readers, but several of these are just as rewarding for adults — the best YA fantasy does not talk down to anyone. Content notes are included where a book deals with heavy themes, so you can choose what fits.
Start with the modern classic: Legendborn
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (2020) is the single most important YA fantasy of the decade to start with. Sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews arrives at UNC-Chapel Hill grieving her mother’s death and stumbles into the Order of the Round Table — a secret society of Arthurian descendants — only to discover her own magic, rooted in Black Southern rootwork, is older and stranger than theirs. Deonn’s novel won the Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award for New Talent, and its Arthurian remix is documented on the book’s Wikipedia page. The sequels, Bloodmarked (2022) and the finale Oathbound, deepen the story’s questions about who legends belong to. If you read one book on this list, read this one.
West African epics
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (2018) needs little introduction: Zélie Adebola’s quest to restore magic to Orïsha, after a king’s purge murdered its magic-wielders, is propulsive, emotional, and built on Yoruba-inspired mythology. With the film adaptation coming in 2027, reading the trilogy now means you get the story before the screen version does. Our movie guide covers what is confirmed about the adaptation.
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko (2020) is quieter and stranger. Tarisai was raised in isolation by a mother known only as The Lady, then sent to join a prince’s council of eleven — children bound to one another for life — with secret orders to kill him. It is a book about chosen family, free will, and what it costs to break a parent’s control, and its sequel Redemptor (2021) completes the story.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna (2020) follows Deka, a girl whose village declares her “impure” at a blood ceremony, into the emperor’s army of near-immortal women warriors. Forna does not soften the violence or the patriarchy Deka is fighting, which makes the book’s feminist payoff land harder. Content note: blood, battle violence, and sexual violence referenced in backstory.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (2020) pairs a grieving crown princess who must kill to save her sister’s soul with a refugee boy forced into an impossible bargain. Inspired by West African folklore, it is a duology about grief and debt — and about two teenagers who keep choosing each other anyway.
Witches, magic schools, and hidden worlds
Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron (2019) gives us Arrah, the disappointing daughter of two powerful witchdoctors, who fails at bone magic and ancestor calls — until the kingdom’s children start disappearing and she turns to a forbidden ritual that trades years of her own life. It is dark, twisty, and driven by a heroine who is used to being underestimated.
Wings of Ebony by J. Elle (2021) opens in Houston, where Rue is raising her little sister alone, and explodes into Ghizon, a hidden magical society with its own brutal hierarchies. Rue’s anger at both worlds — the one that failed her family and the one that judges her — is the engine of the book, and it speaks directly to readers who have ever felt caught between two places.
Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart (2021) is a Jamaican-inspired fantasy of two witches, sworn enemies, forced into an alliance to take down a common enemy. Rival magic, slow-burn tension, and a vivid island setting make it a strong pick for readers who like their fantasy with political scheming.
For younger teens and family reading
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (2011) is the gentlest entry point on this list and a great first fantasy for younger readers. Sunny, a Nigerian-American girl with albinism, discovers she is a “free agent” with magical abilities and joins a group of friends learning Leopard magic — the magic of the hidden world. It is warm, funny, and full of Nigerian culture, and it pairs beautifully with our Afrofuturism starter guide for the tradition it grows out of.
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow (2020) follows two Portland teens — Tavia, a siren hiding her voice in a world that fears sirens, and Effie, a girl discovering she may be a mermaid — through a contemporary fantasy about police violence, secrets, and sisterhood. It is contemporary, not secondary-world, fantasy, and its real-world grounding is exactly what makes it hit hard.
How to choose your next read
If you want the biggest, most talked-about book first: Legendborn. If you want West African mythology: Adeyemi, Ifueko, or Forna. If you want something for a younger reader: Akata Witch. If you want a hidden magical world with real-world bite: Wings of Ebony or A Song Below Water.
And when you finish these, the wider shelf is waiting: our Black fantasy books hub covers the adult side of the genre, and our HBCU fantasy guide picks up the magical-college thread for readers who want campus magic with Black institutions at the center. The author behind the biggest book here is also worth knowing better — Tracy Deonn’s own story, from grief to the Legendborn Cycle, explains why Bree’s story feels so personal. Happy reading.