Witchy YA Books Sure To Put a Spell on You
by Devon A. Corneal
The days are getting shorter, the nights longer, and a chill will soon be in the air. It’s the perfect time to read books with a bit of magic and mystery, and there’s nothing more magical than witches. Forget what you know about warts and broomsticks — the witches in these YA books are complex, bold, and unpredictable, whether they’re wearing corsets in 17th century Massachusetts or the coolest mini-skirts in modern times.
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These Witches Don't Burn
Buy from:Salem, Massachusetts, has been home to more than one witch story, but Isabel Sterling’s debut novel is anything but predictable. Sterling’s witches are high schoolers hiding their elemental magic from non-witches while tracking down the source of a new dark magic and dealing with complicated love triangles.
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Hellaween: A Graphic Novel
Buy from:Gwen is an aspiring witch who is determined to make this year a magical one! Luckily, she can always rely on her two best friends — who just happen to be monsters — for their help. One thing Gwen and her friends didn’t count on was Hiro, a local boy obsessed with hunting the supernatural. But when Gwen accidentally awakens something nightmarish, this group will need to band together to fight this sinister foe. This funny graphic novel is a great reminder of the importance of relying on your friends, especially when you feel alone.
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A Wicked Magic
Buy from:A powerful book of spells? Ancient demons? Teenage romance? Liss and Dan are dealing with it all and trying desperately to use their fledgling magic to save their friends and stop the darkness from consuming everything around them.
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Blood at the Root
Buy from:Ten years ago, Malik's life changed forever when his mom vanished and he discovered his uncontrollable powers. Since then, he's kept his abilities secret while protecting his younger foster brother, Taye. Now 17, Malik is ready for a fresh start. Rescuing Taye leads him to his long-lost grandmother, a legendary conjurer, and Caiman University. There, Malik discovers a future he never imagined. As he searches for answers about his powers and his missing mom, Malik uncovers hidden truths about their magical community and an ancient evil.
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Camelot Rising Trilogy
Buy from:Although the Arthurian legends are best known for Merlin, the Knights of the Round Table, and the doomed romance between Lancelot and Guinevere, Kiersten White reimagines Guinevere’s story in a bold departure from tradition. Here, Guinevere is a changeling who sacrifices everything to protect Arthur and Camelot. Her magic has the power to destroy or save everything she believes in.
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Spells to Forget Us
Buy from:Luna — a powerful witch — and Aoife — a non-magical girl — both meet when they are at their lowest and start a life-changing romance. However, as decreed by magic law, Luna casts a spell that will erase Aoife’s memories of their history if they ever break up. But when the girls end their relationship, both of them forget … that is until they meet again. So begins an endless cycle of meet-cutes and breakups.
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Sinner's Isle
Buy from:Rosalinda is trapped on Sinner’s Isle, a place for young witches feared for their magic but desired by powerful men. At eighteen, she’s set to be the main attraction at the Offering, a party for the rich. She must escape before her dangerous magic is exploited. Mariano, the Prince of Pirates, ends up stranded on the island with a magical chain meant to guide him to his heart’s desire. Together, they must outsmart their enemies and escape Sinner’s Isle, before it’s too late.
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Undead Girl Gang
Buy from:If you like a dash of snark and a helping of fun with your witchcraft, Undead Girl Gang is for you. Where else could a Doc Martens-wearing teenager bring three girls back to life with a tube of lip gloss? That’s what Mila Flores does when she sets out to solve the suspicious death of her best friend—only to find herself wrangling an uncooperative group of undead mean girls into helping her track down the truth.
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Born Wicked
Buy from:Cate Cahill and her sisters live in a New England town run by a puritanical order called the Brotherhood. Here, witches get hunted, and all women over the age of 17 must marry or join the nun-like Sisterhood. The Cahill girls are beautiful, educated, and hiding a deadly secret — they are witches, and it’s up to eldest sister Cate to keep them safe, no matter the cost.
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Practical Rules for Cursed Witches
Buy from:From the author of My Dearest Darkest comes a cozy fantasy romance! Teen witch Delilah Bea must break a powerful family's curse to complete her magical training. But her own curse — to never find true love — complicates things when she falls for Briar, the girl she’s trying to save. Together, they battle hunters and dark magic, racing against time to break the curse and find their happily ever after.
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How to Hang a Witch
Buy from:How to Hang a Witch tells the story of Samantha Mather, who moves with her stepmother to Salem, Massachusetts, after her father becomes ill. Samantha (like the author, Adriana Mather) is a descendant of Cotton Mather, a Puritan minister who advocated for persecuting men and women during the Salem Witch trials, which makes Samantha less than popular at her new school. And as Samantha discovers, dark forces are once again at work in Salem. She can’t fight them alone, but thankfully, she has a 324-year-old ghost on her side.
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Akata Witch
Buy from:Sunny was born in America, lives in Nigeria, and just discovered that she’s a witch. Or, more accurately, a “free agent” with magical powers. As she explores her talents, Sunny must team up with fellow free agents to stop a far more powerful criminal force. A rich exploration of African magic and mythology, Akata Witch is also an imaginative and extraordinary story of belonging and finding one’s place in the world.
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Bad Witch Burning
Buy from:Until now, Katrell has been using her ability to talk to the dead to make ends meet. She doesn’t have much choice — it’s that, or she starves. But when Katrell goes a step too far and raises someone from the dead, things get a lot more complicated.
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The Babysitters Coven Series
Buy from:If you think babysitters are just bored teenagers with nothing better to do on a Saturday night, think again. As Esme and Cassandra find out, some babysitters are powerful witches responsible for protecting the innocent from a host of evils.
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Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Buy from:I first met Sabrina as a kid reading comic books, then again when she appeared in her television show in the ‘90s, and again in the revamped Netflix series. Loyal fans will adore Kelly Thompson’s latest comic/graphic novel that captures the unique charms of our favorite teenage witch as she navigates her magical powers, boyfriends, best friends, and life with two witchy aunts.
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Witch Child
Buy from:Set in the 17th century, Witch Child tells the story of Mary Newbury, a powerful healer whose grandmother gets murdered for being a witch and who must flee to the New World for a chance at a better life. As Mary is about to learn, however, intolerance can reach across oceans.
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Half Bad
Buy from:The first book in the Half Bad trilogy takes place in modern-day England and follows 16-year-old Nathan who is half White witch (good) and half Black witch (evil). His mother is dead and his father is the world’s most powerful Black witch. Both sides are hunting him and there is no one he can trust. Trapped in a cage, Nathan has to find a way to escape before his 17th birthday, when his father will give him three gifts and he will come into his own as a witch — or he’ll die.
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Egg and Spoon
Buy from:Fans of Maguire’s unique spin on class fairy tales (think Wicked) will love this marvelous take on the Russian witch Baba Yaga. Set in Tsarist Russia, Egg and Spoon follows the lives of Elena and Ekaterina as they set out on an adventure that brings them into the orbit of the salty Baba Yaga, complete with her chicken-leg house and a plethora of magical creatures.
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The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea
Buy from:This book has it all — mermaids, witches, pirates, dangerous ocean journeys, and forbidden love. Flora has been living as the pirate Florian for years, just trying to survive. When she meets and falls in love with Lady Evelyn, the two will do anything to be together, even if that means challenging the Sea itself.
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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2023 and updated in 2024.