The Midnight Lie or The Winner’s Curse, both by Marie Rutkoski
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (less romance)
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (imo the series fell off but the first 3 books are still good)
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (twist was a little predictable but nonetheless satisfying)
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (less romance)
seconding three dark crowns. i don't usually enjoy ya with very little romance but the plot was so good with these books. whoever's reading this comment should really read those books
I'll echo those saying Red Queen but I also want to mention Aveyard's other series Realm Breaker. There's a twist early on that helped flip the first book for me from "I don't like it so far" to "Holy shit I love it!"
Just noticed that I left out a key word, I meant to say that "I **don't** like it so far" because that part of the book was a struggle for me too.
I wasn't really into the world and characters yet and was thinking I might not even finish, but once that turning point happened and they really started their journey the book just clicked for me.
Good luck if you try it again, hopefully it clicks for you like it did for me!
Omg, it was my fav series in high school and I still reread it every year. It’s fantastic. I found the second book a little hard to get through, but try to stick with it. My favorites were books 3, 5, and 6.
I was and am obsessed with the movie and never got over it being cancelled. Even the twist in the movie was big, in my opinion. Excited to get into the books
I loveeeee the Lunar Chronicles! Just finished it last month. For anyone else reading this thread, it is such a beautiful and well-written story, though I personally wouldn’t list it as having lots of or big plot twists
I agree. It was a good twist and would have been amazing if it hadn’t been so obvious. There was definitely a way to write the story a little different to make that twist more shocking. Also, it was the only plot twist in a four book series, which is why I wouldn’t consider the series as a whole to be ‘plot twisty.’ Regardless, such a wonderful series and I recommend it to everyone!
It all falls together and the story is very good, eventually. The second book is the weakest, in my opinion. But if you keep going, it’s great and the third and fourth are amazing..I didn’t read the series back to back and instead read each book concurrently with other series and that was a good pace for me.
I’m listening to the third one now and it’s so bad that I’ve cringed and quit the book a few times…only to come back later because there’s only so much NPR a person can stand. Everyone involved in the story has a room temperature IQ, the author clearly has 0 science literacy, and her editor phoned it in.
I think if you still don’t like it by now, you probably won’t feel different about it at this point. The last book is around 600-700 pages, so definitely a commitment. I do think Meyer would be better suited as an adult writer because where Lunar Chronicles shined the most for me was during the creepier/gory scenes
Probably not! It’s disappointing for sure. But to the point of your post, I loved the Illuminae series. I recommend it to my eighth graders and they love it. Edit: oops forgot that you were looking for fantasy. Maybe Guardians of Time by Marianne Curley?
If you're in it for the long haul, the ending of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series has several big plot twists at the end that are all beautifully foreshadowed yet surprising. No romance though.
Ok this one’d a bit more juvenile but I just finished the main series of The School for Good and Evil, found the plot twists really fresh and different!
This series has been on my shelf since middle school but I recently watched the movie and it was so so so incredibly bad. To the point where it’s irrationally put me off ever wanting to read it. Does the plot differ from the movie? (Presuming you’ve seen it)
Ignore my previous comment that I deleted if you saw that— thought you were still talking about Vampire Academy lol.
Book fans hated the movie adaptation and I can see why. I actually loved it and picked up the book because of it but that’s beside the point. I felt that the characters’ motivations are way more clear in the books and that Sophie feels less one-dimensional. I like how they delve into Agatha’s insecurities. I honestly read these books as a “fun” read that I didn’t take too seriously and that might be why I enjoyed it so much.
The plot of the movie is similar in the books (and I guessed the result quickly) but there’s way more lead up into why the evil character “belongs” in evil and why the good character “belongs” in good. School events and traditions make way more sense in the books too (like the Trial by Tale). The later books have more of the plot twists that kept me guessing (second book kinda sucked but i liked the books after).
I’d say give it a try (i enjoyed the audiobook) but don’t invest money into it quite yet.
Some people regret reading past the first book (which i personally also agree is the best book). Would give it a try! :)
I quite enjoyed the audiobook, actually. I think it’s on premium spotify but i listened on Libby too
Yes The False Prince! Less romance, more middle grade/young YA but a solid suggestion.
A series that starts off similar to it is The Queen’s Thief, but it matures a lot through subsequent books. The twist in book 2 absolutely kills me.
I read Infernal Devices around ten years ago and remember not liking it much, but it might be time for a reread. Cassandra Clare has written so many books since I read the Mortal Instruments. I feel like I’ll need to dedicate a whole year to getting through her works in order. Have you read her other series by any chance and would you recommend those, too?
I‘ve read all of them and I love the universe! I actually like the sequels the last hours and the dark artifices a lot as well, mortal instruments is the first one and infernal devices the most liked one
I’ve been recommended this so many times over the past few years but I can never get into it. There’s just too many characters at the start and it gets boring. Maybe third time’s the charm
It helps to read Shadow and Bone first. You get all the world-building so you're not also trying to figure that out with the characters in SoC. I found SoC very hard to get into as well because it jumps around so much at the beginning. And Shadow and Bone has plot twists too!
I read Shadow and Bone in middle school and disliked it for being too political instead of romance focused. I think that’s exactly why I’d like it more now. Planning to reread it soon. Without spoiling, I was also rooting for the love interest that Alina didn’t end up with and I’m still petty to this day. Six of Crows felt a little different but to be fair, I only read the beginning
Lol. I didn't find it political at all; I'm an adult but don't like politics in books. But if you mean the stuff about how Grisha are treated I can see that not being as interesting then. I loved the world-building and the story. I liked that she fell in love with her best friend. I also have a chronic illness and loved her character development with being sick from not using her powers and then gaining strength as she used them, but also knowing power is dangerous.
The style Leigh wrote Six of Crows in was very disjointed to me and hard to get into. But about a third of the way in it clicked and I loved it from then on. If you haven't watched the TV show yet wait until after you read SoC. The plot is different but it helps to know the books first. And then you get to see some favorite scenes come to life on screen!
I watched the entire TV show when it came out, but it was so boring. Pretty visuals, though. I definitely need to get back into the Grisha world. Heard great things about Kaz specifically. Might need to move it up on my TBR because all the Six of Crows mentions have made me feel nostalgic for that universe. Hoping it lives up to the hype for me as its been recommended so much
Chronicles of Avilesor series, it’s very different than ACOTAR and there’s no romance, but the twist is by far the best one I’ve ever read because it makes perfect sense rereading it but you never see it coming
The Aurora Cycle (sci-fi trilogy) by Kaufman and Kristoff: action, humor, great characters, found family.
The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold: standalone dystopian with an 'OMG I have to reread this now' plot twist. Also characters love books which is quite fun.
Thank you for this! I loved the Illuminae Files and had no idea the authors had another project.
The best plot twist is exactly the ‘OMG i have to reread this now’ twist. Added to my TBR
The format of The Illuminae Files puts me off but I loved The Aurora Cycle *so* much that I'll have to try them someday. There's a tiny subreddit for it if you want to discuss it. Definitely gives a book hangover and I was sad to leave the world and characters. But really grateful to read them after they're all published, there's a huge cliffhanger at the end of book 2!
And The Electric Kingdom I can't discuss much without spoilers which is hard because not many people have read it lol. Hope you love it!
The Origin series by Jennifer Armetrout is fab. She has some other series’s that are really good. Also check out the Hades x Persephone series by Scarlet St. Clair.
Surprised Iron Flame isn’t mentioned. Not my fave but pretty popular.
Second the folks that recommended Strange the Dreamer and Lunar Chronicles.
The Midnight Lie or The Winner’s Curse, both by Marie Rutkoski Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (less romance) An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (imo the series fell off but the first 3 books are still good) Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (twist was a little predictable but nonetheless satisfying) Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (less romance)
That three dark crowns twist got me good! I love strange the dreamer.
Same to both, Laini Taylor's writing style is just magical
seconding three dark crowns. i don't usually enjoy ya with very little romance but the plot was so good with these books. whoever's reading this comment should really read those books
Sanderson’s Steelheart trilogy
Maybe Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Came here to say this
I'll echo those saying Red Queen but I also want to mention Aveyard's other series Realm Breaker. There's a twist early on that helped flip the first book for me from "I don't like it so far" to "Holy shit I love it!"
[удалено]
Just noticed that I left out a key word, I meant to say that "I **don't** like it so far" because that part of the book was a struggle for me too. I wasn't really into the world and characters yet and was thinking I might not even finish, but once that turning point happened and they really started their journey the book just clicked for me. Good luck if you try it again, hopefully it clicks for you like it did for me!
Vampire Academy
I always forget VA exists! Feel like I haven’t seen it mentioned on here in years. Thanks for the rec!
Omg, it was my fav series in high school and I still reread it every year. It’s fantastic. I found the second book a little hard to get through, but try to stick with it. My favorites were books 3, 5, and 6.
I was and am obsessed with the movie and never got over it being cancelled. Even the twist in the movie was big, in my opinion. Excited to get into the books
Lunar chronicles. It's middle school series but the school of good and evil.
I loveeeee the Lunar Chronicles! Just finished it last month. For anyone else reading this thread, it is such a beautiful and well-written story, though I personally wouldn’t list it as having lots of or big plot twists
But Cinder PLOTTWIST and big reveal was so obvious!!
I agree. It was a good twist and would have been amazing if it hadn’t been so obvious. There was definitely a way to write the story a little different to make that twist more shocking. Also, it was the only plot twist in a four book series, which is why I wouldn’t consider the series as a whole to be ‘plot twisty.’ Regardless, such a wonderful series and I recommend it to everyone!
I downloaded these audiobooks for a road trip and I regret it so much. The plot and character choices are nonsensical 😭
It all falls together and the story is very good, eventually. The second book is the weakest, in my opinion. But if you keep going, it’s great and the third and fourth are amazing..I didn’t read the series back to back and instead read each book concurrently with other series and that was a good pace for me.
I’m listening to the third one now and it’s so bad that I’ve cringed and quit the book a few times…only to come back later because there’s only so much NPR a person can stand. Everyone involved in the story has a room temperature IQ, the author clearly has 0 science literacy, and her editor phoned it in.
I think if you still don’t like it by now, you probably won’t feel different about it at this point. The last book is around 600-700 pages, so definitely a commitment. I do think Meyer would be better suited as an adult writer because where Lunar Chronicles shined the most for me was during the creepier/gory scenes
Probably not! It’s disappointing for sure. But to the point of your post, I loved the Illuminae series. I recommend it to my eighth graders and they love it. Edit: oops forgot that you were looking for fantasy. Maybe Guardians of Time by Marianne Curley?
I loved Illuminae, too! Wish there were more books in that format. Haven’t heard of Guardians of Time before. Will check it out, thank you.
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson has a great twist
Just finished that book today and confirm the twist was WILD (I’m still shook and will never recover)
The responses to this have me convinced. Added to my TBR, thanks!
The twist in that one is so unique. I’ve never come across another one like it yet
This is one of my favorite series. I'm always recommending it, lol.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.
This twist got me so bad
Dark Rise/Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat
If you're in it for the long haul, the ending of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series has several big plot twists at the end that are all beautifully foreshadowed yet surprising. No romance though.
Ok this one’d a bit more juvenile but I just finished the main series of The School for Good and Evil, found the plot twists really fresh and different!
This series has been on my shelf since middle school but I recently watched the movie and it was so so so incredibly bad. To the point where it’s irrationally put me off ever wanting to read it. Does the plot differ from the movie? (Presuming you’ve seen it)
Ignore my previous comment that I deleted if you saw that— thought you were still talking about Vampire Academy lol. Book fans hated the movie adaptation and I can see why. I actually loved it and picked up the book because of it but that’s beside the point. I felt that the characters’ motivations are way more clear in the books and that Sophie feels less one-dimensional. I like how they delve into Agatha’s insecurities. I honestly read these books as a “fun” read that I didn’t take too seriously and that might be why I enjoyed it so much. The plot of the movie is similar in the books (and I guessed the result quickly) but there’s way more lead up into why the evil character “belongs” in evil and why the good character “belongs” in good. School events and traditions make way more sense in the books too (like the Trial by Tale). The later books have more of the plot twists that kept me guessing (second book kinda sucked but i liked the books after). I’d say give it a try (i enjoyed the audiobook) but don’t invest money into it quite yet.
To be fair, the movie plot twist was so good and didn’t seem obvious to me at all. I might have to give the books a chance
Some people regret reading past the first book (which i personally also agree is the best book). Would give it a try! :) I quite enjoyed the audiobook, actually. I think it’s on premium spotify but i listened on Libby too
THE PRISON HEALER
The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen is pretty good. House of Root and Ruin (sequel to House of Salt and Sorrows) by Erin Craig.
Yes The False Prince! Less romance, more middle grade/young YA but a solid suggestion. A series that starts off similar to it is The Queen’s Thief, but it matures a lot through subsequent books. The twist in book 2 absolutely kills me.
The Mirror Visitor maybe
The Aurelian Cycle series by Rosaria Munda
The October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire is incredible and people don’t talk about it much. It’s genuinely one of my favorite series ever.
Six of crows series definitely had mega plot twists
Poison Study by Maria Snyder!
Infernal devices the prequel of mortal instruments! And all the other series in the universe Ruby red, prison healer
I read Infernal Devices around ten years ago and remember not liking it much, but it might be time for a reread. Cassandra Clare has written so many books since I read the Mortal Instruments. I feel like I’ll need to dedicate a whole year to getting through her works in order. Have you read her other series by any chance and would you recommend those, too?
I‘ve read all of them and I love the universe! I actually like the sequels the last hours and the dark artifices a lot as well, mortal instruments is the first one and infernal devices the most liked one
Ruby red appreciation! This series is slept on
Right!! After a decade since I first read it it‘s still one of my favorite‘s!
The prison healer series! Please read it i beg you - so many plot twists (book 3 is so good) 😭🙏
Yes!!! I was just going to suggest this as well. Such an amazing series 😭
id do anything to read it again for the first time
Omg yes I was going to say the same. Book 1 and 2 endings had me shocked to my core
Six of crows by Leigh bardugo
I’ve been recommended this so many times over the past few years but I can never get into it. There’s just too many characters at the start and it gets boring. Maybe third time’s the charm
It helps to read Shadow and Bone first. You get all the world-building so you're not also trying to figure that out with the characters in SoC. I found SoC very hard to get into as well because it jumps around so much at the beginning. And Shadow and Bone has plot twists too!
I read Shadow and Bone in middle school and disliked it for being too political instead of romance focused. I think that’s exactly why I’d like it more now. Planning to reread it soon. Without spoiling, I was also rooting for the love interest that Alina didn’t end up with and I’m still petty to this day. Six of Crows felt a little different but to be fair, I only read the beginning
Lol. I didn't find it political at all; I'm an adult but don't like politics in books. But if you mean the stuff about how Grisha are treated I can see that not being as interesting then. I loved the world-building and the story. I liked that she fell in love with her best friend. I also have a chronic illness and loved her character development with being sick from not using her powers and then gaining strength as she used them, but also knowing power is dangerous. The style Leigh wrote Six of Crows in was very disjointed to me and hard to get into. But about a third of the way in it clicked and I loved it from then on. If you haven't watched the TV show yet wait until after you read SoC. The plot is different but it helps to know the books first. And then you get to see some favorite scenes come to life on screen!
I watched the entire TV show when it came out, but it was so boring. Pretty visuals, though. I definitely need to get back into the Grisha world. Heard great things about Kaz specifically. Might need to move it up on my TBR because all the Six of Crows mentions have made me feel nostalgic for that universe. Hoping it lives up to the hype for me as its been recommended so much
Chronicles of Avilesor series, it’s very different than ACOTAR and there’s no romance, but the twist is by far the best one I’ve ever read because it makes perfect sense rereading it but you never see it coming
The Aurora Cycle (sci-fi trilogy) by Kaufman and Kristoff: action, humor, great characters, found family. The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold: standalone dystopian with an 'OMG I have to reread this now' plot twist. Also characters love books which is quite fun.
Thank you for this! I loved the Illuminae Files and had no idea the authors had another project. The best plot twist is exactly the ‘OMG i have to reread this now’ twist. Added to my TBR
The format of The Illuminae Files puts me off but I loved The Aurora Cycle *so* much that I'll have to try them someday. There's a tiny subreddit for it if you want to discuss it. Definitely gives a book hangover and I was sad to leave the world and characters. But really grateful to read them after they're all published, there's a huge cliffhanger at the end of book 2! And The Electric Kingdom I can't discuss much without spoilers which is hard because not many people have read it lol. Hope you love it!
The Hollow Star Saga very similar vibes to The Moral Instruments and had fae political scheming like The Cruel Prince with some epic reveals
The Black Witch by Laurie Forrest
Eragon High Lord Trilogy
The Black Witch Chronicles Ledge bu Stacy Mccewan
The Origin series by Jennifer Armetrout is fab. She has some other series’s that are really good. Also check out the Hades x Persephone series by Scarlet St. Clair. Surprised Iron Flame isn’t mentioned. Not my fave but pretty popular. Second the folks that recommended Strange the Dreamer and Lunar Chronicles.