Serving as a judge for the CYBILS Book Awards provided me with the opportunity to discuss 7 great stories with fellow book nerds. I read the spec fic category, which includes fantasy, sci fi, magical realism, and alternate history – all genres with lots of world building and action! If this is the type of story you enjoy, you should check out these short-listed books. It was hard to pick a winner!

To entice you to check out all these awesome books, I’m going to save the winner for last. Be prepare to add several titles to your TBR list!

Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer

I loved the concept of this fantasy. Nita is a girl living a cloistered and unusual life–she cuts up and packages the body parts of dead monsters for sale on the black market where their magical and medicinal properties are highly valued. After defying her overbearing mother, Nita finds herself in a cage, afraid her body parts will soon be up for sale on this same market.

I loved the karma. Nita goes from unwittingly enabling the black market to facing a painful death through it if she can’t escape. I also loved watching Nita puzzle through break-out options and explore the story’s South American setting. Not Even Bones explores what it means to be a monster in a way that is relevant to today’s teens.

Read our full review of Not Even Bones here. You can find out more about Not Even Bones on Goodreads, or buy it on Indiebound, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

An alternate history in which the dead rise up as zombies, starting with the soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg, and attack the nation. With this high-concept premise, I was ready for an action-packed tale. Dread Nation is a page-turner, but the heart of this story is Jane, a mixed-race daughter of a rich Southern white woman. Trained at Miss Preston’s school for Combat, Jane is handy with both a six-shooter and a pair of sickles. She’s also voicy and opinionated and pulled me into the story from page one. Follow Jane through her adventure tracking the disappearance of a friend’s family and into a deeper conspiracy!

You can find out more about Dread Nation on Goodreads, or buy it on Indiebound, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda

Pitch Dark is a dual narrative science fiction space adventure. Tuck wakes up from stasis on a ship that’s been infested by terrifying aliens. Laura is part of a family/crew of archeologists searching the galaxy for remnant’s of Earth’s civilization and the bacteria-rich soil they desperately need to save their planet. When their two ships collide, both their problems grow exponentially.

Pitch card is full of cinematic settings, future-tech and action. It also has a strong message about freedom that will appeal to today’s teens.

You can find out more about Pitch Dark on Goodreads, or buy it on Indiebound, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

This contemporary fantasy is set on a small island. The contained setting and familiar world allow the author to explore the magic of main character Georgina’s family and her own deep emotions as she encounters first love and struggles to discover who she is. LGBTQ fans will particularly love the romance.

You can find out more about Summer of Salt on Goodreads, or buy it on Indiebound, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

This Mortal Coil is sci fi/adventure set in a world where implants are universally used to manipulate the human body–healing, changing physical features and providing access to technology. Main character Cat must work with a futuristic soldier sent by her father before he died to decrypt his vaccine for the plague that has killed millions. But the company who controls everyone’s implants and the code that runs on it is out to stop them. This story is action-packed.

You can find out more about This Mortal Coil on Goodreads, or buy it on Indiebound, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Mirage: A Novel by Somalia Daud

In this off-world science fiction story, Amani is a look-alike for the despised Princess Maram. She’s kidnapped from her planet and trained to act as a body-double for the princess to protect her from assassination attempts. If she pulls off this deception, she could die for the princess, but if she doesn’t, her family will suffer the consequences for her failure. This story is full of rich descriptions of a Morrocan-style culture and romance.

You can find out more about Mirage on Goodreads, or buy it on Indiebound, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

And now…the winner of the 2018 CYBILS book award for Young Adult Speculative fiction:

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

There is so much to love about this story! It’s a fantasy set in a masterfully-built world with humans and dragons and other species in between. The reader joins main character Tess on a journey to escape her many mistakes and maybe to overcome them.

Tess is a wonderfully flawed character, often her own worst enemy, but also a fast friend and full of determination. I loved the fact that the struggles eating at Tess’s heart are not (only) the larger-than-life stakes of other epic fantasies, but also inner demons we all face every day–family strife, guilt over past mistakes, and trouble accepting the help of others.

Tess of the Road is beautifully written, gripping and un-put-downable.

You can find out more about Tess of the Road on Goodreads, or buy it on Indiebound, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Congratulations to Rachel Hartman and Tess of the Road!

On The Winged Pen, we’ve reviewed dozens of young adult spec fic novels. If you need some more suggestions, check out our reviews of these books!
Enchantée by Gita Trelease
The Guilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
Stronger, Faster, and More Beautifulby Arwen Elys Dayton
Salt by Hannah Moscowitz
Trail of Lightening by Rebecca Roanhorse