- by Kristin Cashore
A gifted young fighter navigates royal power and personal freedom in a court-centered fantasy.
- Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
A condemned prisoner becomes entangled in palace politics and dangerous training.
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Its ambitious heroine confronts rivalries and power games in a perilous court.
- by Megan Whalen Turner
A supposedly ordinary thief is swept into royal politics and a clever quest.
- by Leigh Bardugo
A young woman enters a world of military power, courtly influence, and dangerous magic.
- by Erika Johansen
A newly crowned queen must face court threats and decide what kind of ruler she will become.
- by Mary E. Pearson
A runaway princess encounters political danger and uncertain loyalties beyond the palace.
- by Garth Nix
A young woman trained in a dangerous magical duty ventures into a world of political and supernatural peril.
- Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
A young woman is drawn into a ruthless royal court where status and power are contested.
- An ember in the ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Two young people struggle against an oppressive empire in a high-stakes fantasy.
- by Marie Rutkoski
A privileged young woman becomes caught between political strategy and personal loyalties.
- by Robin McKinley
A young woman is drawn into the defense of a kingdom and discovers a larger role than she expected.
- by Marie Lu
A dangerous young heroine is drawn into a secretive struggle for power in a fantasy kingdom.
- by Marissa Meyer
A resourceful outsider becomes entangled with a prince and the fate of a kingdom.
- by Jennifer A. Nielsen
A clever orphan is trained for a dangerous deception that could reshape the royal succession.
- The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
A fiercely independent heroine confronts old magic and social pressures in a wintry Russian setting.
- by Rae Carson
A princess faces political danger and discovers unexpected strength on a perilous journey.
- by Cinda Williams Chima
A streetwise young man and a princess become part of a kingdom's struggle over power.
- by Laurie Forest
A young woman confronts inherited prejudice and political tensions in a magical society.
- by Cassandra Rose Clarke
An aspiring assassin and a cursed pirate set out on a lively magical adventure.
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Maas brings courtly power struggles and perilous bargains to a fantasy romance.
- by Samantha Shannon
A young clairvoyant survives imprisonment and becomes entangled in resistance against a powerful regime.
- by Renée Ahdieh
A determined young woman enters a dangerous ruler's palace with a plan of her own.
- by L. J. Andrews
A heroine's fate becomes bound to a formidable faerie ruler in a story of kingdoms and power.