Recs if you like The Young Elites ...

your 2016 book blog called it misses you

For a book to make this list, it needs to start with X, Y, or Z (ignoring "The," "A," "An"), be a standalone or series opener, and have at least a 3.7 star average rating on Pagebound. Pulling from a variety of genres!

the staples of the book community on youtube in the early to mid 2010s.

Give me more badass FMCs who don’t wait for someone else to save the day!! Quick with a blade, quicker with a comeback, these bad b*tches take on monsters, villains, and terrible life choices with equal ferocity. If you’re looking for women who break rules, break hearts, and occasionally break a few bones, this is the ultimate list for you.

Competent FMCs who start off badass instead of helpless, no training montage needed. (Disclaimer: maybe some need a little bit of extra training 🤏 but the mentality is already there.)

Recs welcome.

We loved flawed characters here, because perfect people are boring.

In progress - suggestions welcome in comments

Badass ladies, dashing book boyfriends, enviable fighting abilities, lore that makes your brain happy because it's so perfect, and hopefully a final battle that isn't a snorefest.

Only first book in series listed.

In progress - suggestions welcome in comments

books that were romance + fantasy before the term was even invented (circa 2022)

Books in which at least one of the characters is someone’s evil father.

Could not put any of these down. Read almost all of them in a day.

Some of the books that I loved as a teenager, before Tiktok even existed.

Feeling like you're in the mood for some solid 2010's dystopian fiction? Look no further. We've got sci-fi, romance, and fantasy, all dystopian, all badass young protagonists fighting oppression.