Paranormal/Supernatural Young Adult

I was hoping to have this up sooner but a sinus infection has made writing, blogging and reading a little difficult recently. This post was inspired over a month ago when my friend Edna asked me if I’d give her some recommendations for paranormal/supernatural young adult literature. I have to admit that paranormal and supernatural stories have been a guilty pleasure of mine for awhile. As a child, my favorite series was the My Sister, The Ghost series by Linda Joy Singleton. I read them all the time. As I entered my teenage years, I fell in love with stories like Look for Me by Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn and The Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith. I read these stories over and over again.

While I’m really delayed in getting this list to Edna, I actually think that we are entering the perfect season to read some paranormal stories. There’s something about the changing colors outside, the crispy leaves on the ground and the chilly weather complete with hats, scarves and hot drinks that make this weather perfect for a slightly spooky and mysterious story. Or maybe it’s just the fact that it’s Halloween season… or maybe it’s a combination of all of these things.

Whatever the reason, if you haven’t read any of these books I hope you’ll take the opportunity to try some of them out. If you click on the name of the book, it’ll take you to Amazon, where you can read a description of the book. My review will be short and will only tell you what I liked about it, or what to expect.

Kissed by an Angel, by Elizabeth Chandler. This is the first angel series that I read and I absolutely loved it. At points it moved a little slowly for me, but I was drawn into the story and the lives of the characters. I spent the entire series trying to figure out the mystery involved. My favorite part about this novel, though, would be the imagery, which is absolutely beautiful. This is the series I think of when I feel like the imagery in my own writing is lacking. I remind myself that while reading this novel, I could see what Chandler was writing about, and to this day I can still see it.

Vampire Kisses, by Ellen Schreiber. Whenever I read a book in this series, it makes me want to pull out my Addams Family and Munster DVDs. It’s quirky, funny and a great escape! This series is highly recommended for those who just want a fun story to read… with a little bit of mystery thrown in.

Sea Change, by Aimee Friedman. I bought this while on a book store shopping trip with my brother-in-law one summer. I debated buying it and I’m so glad that I did because one day, when I needed a break from people (we had a lot of family over), I shut myself in my room, pulled out this book and escaped into the story for a few hours. It’s a story with a lot of mystery that takes place by the sea. What more could I ask for? After reading this, I lent it to a friend of mine, who after reading immediately sent me a text saying, “This book needs a sequel!” I think it works on its own, but if Friedman writes a sequel, I won’t complain. And it would be in my hands!

Hush, Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick. This book and its sequel swept me off my feet. I literally took breaks from the books to go to class, work and do homework only. You know, the necessities in life. To me, the sign of a good book is one that your mind returns to from time to time, and my mind returns to these books regularly.

Evermore, by Alyson Noël. The leader of the book club I’m a member of (and a fellow writer) told me about this book when we met up one day. It took me awhile to get around to reading it, but when I did I was hooked. This book doesn’t shy away from things that I think some people might not be comfortable bringing up–like deaths in a family–but it handles these topics well, while throwing a little bit of the unknown into the mix. I also loved Ever as a character and I’m excited to read the next in the series. Also notable is Radiance, which follows the story of Ever’s sister Riley.

Blue Bloods, by Melissa de la Cruz. This novel has a fully formed vampire society, and I love a fully formed society in novels like this because it makes the story more realistic to me. I’m also intrigued by what Cruz has added to vampire mythology and I’m excited to see where this series will go.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me, by Lisa Schroeder. Verse novel, need I say more? In case you would like me to say more, this is a beautiful novel and I felt like a verse novel was perfect for this story, because Schroeder was able to draw out the emotion in a unique, effective way. It doesn’t take long to get through this novel and I highly recommend it (along with Schroeder’s other novels).

Forgive My Fins, by Tera Lynn Childs. This reminded me of Vampire Kisses, but with mermaids, and was equally enjoyable.

Lost Voices, by Sarah Porter. As with Blue Bloods, this novel has a fully formed society (mermaids instead of vampires), which made it incredibly realistic. This also has a darker side, which I enjoyed. A review of both this novel and the Childs novel can be found at Minnesota Mermaids.

What are some of your favorite paranormal/supernatural young adult novels?