Here are four novels with fantastical elements for middle- and/or high-school readers (and for those looking for Halloween reads, see especially Defanged). You’ll find more at the Fantasy tag in the Guide/Reviews Database, and see also our Five Questions interview with Julie Berry about If Looks Could Kill.

Chaos King
by Kacen Callender
High School    Tor Teen    384 pp.
4/25    9781250890283    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781250890290    $11.99

Ash Woods, the transmasculine alchemist who saved the city from his father’s destructive magic in Infinity Alchemist (rev. 3/24), begins this novel now licensed, honored by House Alexander, and cohabiting with the two people he fell in love with, Callum and Ramsay. But Ash is coping with symptoms consistent with PTSD and is worried that the other two will realize they love each other and not him. When Lord Alexander suggests — threateningly — that Ash become his spy in the outlaw Alchemist Liberation Party, and then the ALP kidnaps Ash to recruit him to spy on Lord Alexander, Ash becomes a double agent to protect Callum and Ramsay from attack but ends up forced to betray each of them. The motivations and pressures brought to bear can be difficult to track at times, but Ash finds he aligns with the goals of the ALP and takes steps he can’t back away from, alienating both of his lovers in the process. Meanwhile, chaos energy left over from Ash’s father’s attack raises the stakes to potential universal destruction. Fast-paced action sequences and a dollop of metaphysics make this exciting sequel a good fit for those who like their fantasy to take big swings. ANITA L. BURKAM

Defanged
by H.E. Edgmon
Middle School    Feiwel    240 pp.
9/25    9781250874009    $17.99

Lux Priddy has always considered himself a good vampire who doesn’t make trouble for others, unlike those scary, violent vampires rumored to live in an underground society called Nox Urbus. In theory, he should be fine with being Defanged, a procedure pioneered by the organization Vampirism Sucks to “cure” vampirism. However, right before his scheduled Defanging on his twelfth birthday, Lux makes an impulsive escape into the New York City sewer system in search of refuge. As it turns out, Nox Urbus is real, and the supportive community he finds there doesn’t match up with what he’s been told his entire life. When a major court ruling makes Defanging mandatory, Lux must choose whether he wants to resist or assimilate into a eugenicist, human-supremacist society. Edgmon makes deft use of the vampire as an allegory for the Other, telling the story of a fictional marginalized community trying to live on its own terms in the face of escalating systemic oppression. While the primary group alluded to is autistic people, the story also draws parallels between vampires and queer people and marginalized racial groups. The close third-person narration presents an emotionally rich insider’s view of an autistic kid’s subjective experience, complete with “infodumps” about special interests, sensory overstimulation and sensory joy (through stimming), the challenges of tripping over the invisible wires of unspoken social norms, and more. Suspenseful, timely, and thought-provoking. SHENWEI CHANG

The Scorpion Queen
by Mina Fears
High School    Flatiron    320 pp.
1/25    9781250392350    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781250852953    $11.99

In imperial Mali in 1359, Aminata, a rich merchant’s daughter originally betrothed to a noble she loves, loses everything after a false accusation leads to her disownment and the cancellation of her engagement. Now she must work as a servant to Princess Mariama, daughter of Emperor Suleyman, a ruthless man who forces the princess’s suitors to undergo impossible Trials that result in their being boiled to death. The only thing keeping Amie afloat is a plan to elope with her beloved, Kader. However, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Mariama, a charismatic young woman who intends to end the Trials for good. When Amie embarks on a quest to steal a hammer from an exiled god — both the key to ending the Trials and an opportunity to run away with Kader — she is torn between her promise to her first love and her loyalty to the princess. Romance, court intrigue, and a classic fantasy adventure combine as Fears draws readers in with lush world-building and a flawed but sympathetic protagonist whose passion and resilience sustain her. This solid foundation becomes the springboard for a fast-paced quest arc full of perilous and thrilling encounters, testing Amie’s courage and conviction at every turn. The ending feels a bit abrupt, but it sets the stage and builds anticipation for a potential sequel. SHENWEI CHANG

The Poisoned King [Impossible Creatures]
by Katherine Rundell; illus. by Ashley Mackenzie
Middle School    Knopf    304 pp.
9/25    9780593809907    $19.99

When Christopher Forrester returns to the Glimouria Archipelago, conditions could not be more dire: the ancient, wise dragons are dying, and the dragon Sarkany, on whose back Christopher flew in Impossible Creatures (rev. 9/24), has sent for his help. For Anya, Princess of the Island of Dousha, the tragedy is more immediate: her grandfather the king has been poisoned, her dear father has been accused of the murder, and her uncle Claude’s soldiers have been ordered to kill her and make her death look natural. Christopher rescues her, and although their quests turn out to be connected, their troubles seem nearly insurmountable. Into a story rife with mythical beings — including sphinxes, unicorns, manticores, and crow-like gaganas that are Anya’s devoted companions; all rendered in the illustrations with Art Nouveau-esque flair — Rundell drops passages of almost crystalline beauty. Her strengths in relating her characters’ inner lives engage reader sympathies in an iron clasp. Star-crossed lovers the Berserker Nighthand and nereid scientist Irian return, making an unexpected but apt contribution at the wrenchingly emotional climax. Rundell’s ability to render the nobility and pathos of the human experience will take readers on a profoundly affecting journey that they will remember long after the book is closed. ANITA L. BURKAM

From the October 2025 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.