YA Books with Beautiful Maps

The video featured in this post contains a paid partnership with World Anvil

Is there anything better than opening a fantasy or sci-fi novel and being greeted by a beautiful map? I recently shared my love for book maps and my experiences discovering them as a child in a video (see below), but I thought I’d pull some suggestions together in a blog post too!

If you’re a keen fantasy writer yourself, I’d recommend checking out World Anvil, who I worked with for this video (you can also use code Booksandquills for 30% off their 12-month memberships). They’re a brilliant Worldbuiding platform with a really active, supportive and creative community. And for anyone who’s a keen map creator, you can also turn the maps of your world into super handy interactive maps that contain everything you’d want to share with readers (or just as your own resource).

Below you’ll find some of the Young Adult books with maps that I’ve read and loved in the past, plus a few that I’ve bought recently that I’m really keen to read.

All books that I received from the publisher for review in the past will be marked with * (for most of these I’ve since then also bought my own finished copies).

Sabriel (The Old Kingdom series)*

I was introduced to the Old Kingdom series when I worked at Hot Key Books, and had the pleasure of accompanying author Garth Nix on part of his book tour. This year is also the 25th anniversary of the release of Sabriel! The fantastic characters and terrifying monsters are really what makes this series such a joy to read, and I’m forever intrigued by the magic system, the way people can travel into death and the necromancer bells wielded by Sabriel. There are multiple prequels and sequels, plus the original trilogy, but Sabriel also works very well on its own if you’re not quite ready to fully commit yet.

I’ve also got an interview with Garth up on my YouTube channel if you’d like to hear more!

Wranglestone

When I heard the pitch of this book, it was a no-brainer (ha) for me, I had to read it! It was also one of the books nominated for the YA Book Prize 2021 and I was on the judging panel this year. If you love national parks, an incredibly sweet gay love story with plenty of zombies sprinkled in, this one is for you. The map at the beginning of the book doesn’t cover a very big area, but really helps set up the atmosphere of the story.

Raybearer*

Have you spotted the face hidden on the cover of the book yet? The story of Raybearer is inspired by West African folklore, European fairy tales and lots of other cultures. It features a young girl Tarisai, who is competing to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11, but at the same time she has also been given a secret murder mission by her mother. The map at the front gives quite a wide overview, and I love the illustrations showcasing all the different areas. This is one I haven’t finished yet and it’s one that I’ll be listening to as an audio book, so can’t wait to see where the story takes me!

The Priory of the Orange Tree*

This chunky book has been making the rounds on TikTok and I’ve been eyeing up my copy for a few years now. Though it’s not published as Yount Adult, it’s frequently paired with YA recommendations, so I figured I’d include it in here. Bookstagammer @athomeintheclouds has just launched the #prioryathon readathon for anyone who has been looking for a reading buddy to tackle this book. Prior has not one, but two beautiful maps! The story features dragon riders, royal families, a variety of LGBTQ+ characters, promises epic adventures and has endless reviews singing its praises.

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom

If you (like myself) absolutely loved the Shadow & Bone series, you’ll have already been introduced to some of the compelling characters from Six of Crows (and its duology sequel Crooked Kingdom). Set in the same universe as Shadow & Bone, as you can see from the map featuring the same world, this features a crew of criminals plotting a heist. The books also feature some other maps, including of the city of Ketterdam, which was “inspired by Amsterdam, Antwerp, Las Vegas, London, and old New York (aka New Amsterdam)”. Can’t wait to dive into this world again!

Girls of Paper and Fire

A slightly different map approach is featured in Girls of Paper and Fire, the first book in a trilogy that was recommended to me by my friend Jean. Here you can see the map of The Hidden Palace, the location where eight girls are chosen to be Paper Girls to serve the king each year. This story set in an Asian-inspired world also features a forbidden romance and a secret plot…

We Hunt the Flame

We Hunt the Flame is a book that keeps popping up on all my social media feeds and I finally bought a copy a few weeks ago. The first book in the Sands of Arawiya duology has one of my favourite ever maps. The beautifully detailed borders featuring portraits and flowers, and the way cities are visualised with parchment banners make sure that you spend a bit of extra time studying the map! The story follows two legends: Zafira, who is the Hunter, disguised as a man and on a mission to help feed her people, and Nasir the Prince of Death. “People lived because she killed. People died because he lived.”

Have any recommendations you’d like to add to the list? Leave them below!