Welcome to Texas Reads YA! As a teen who loves to read YA, I sometimes have a hard time finding quality YA novels.

Both of these novels take a twist on the ordinary—one through a retelling of Romeo and Juliet and the other through the perspective of an unconventional main character. Though both are fantasy novels, they take very different approaches to the genre.

Prince of Shadows

In the houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import; their fates are written on the day they are born.

Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin and for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona, and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…

…and will rewrite all their fates forever.

Prince of Shadows is a fast-paced story full of rich and inviting characters. The intricacies of family and the politics specific to Romeo and Juliet are portrayed magnificently throughout the tale. This novel is also unique in its perspective, adding layers to this retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

Rachel Caine was the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of more than fifty books across several categories and genres, including adult thriller and adult urban fantasy/science fiction, as well as books for young adults ages twelve to eighteen. She lost her fight with a rare and aggressive cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, in November 2020. With over fifty-six books in print and millions of copies sold, she was a frequent guest at conventions in the United States and around the world. Her popular book series include the young adult Morganville Vampires novels, the Great Library series, and the #1 bestselling Stillhouse Lake novels in adult thrillers.

Violet Grenade

Her name is Domino Ray.
But the voice inside her head has a different name.

When the mysterious Ms. Karina finds Domino in an alleyway, she offers her a position at her girls’ home in secluded West Texas. With no alternatives and an agenda of her own, Domino accepts. It isn’t long before she is fighting her way up the ranks to gain the woman’s approval… and falling for Cain, the mysterious boy living in the basement.

But the home has horrible secrets. So do the girls living there. So does Cain.

Escaping is harder than Domino expects, though, because Ms. Karina doesn’t like to lose inventory. But then, she doesn’t know about the danger living inside Domino’s mind.

She doesn’t know about Wilson.

Violet Grenade is a dark novel featuring layered and complex characters that evoke thought-provoking topics throughout. The novel is extremely well-written, with multiple possible interpretations.

Victoria Scott is the author of eight novels, including Titans, Fire & Flood, Salt & Stone, the Dante Walker trilogy, Hear the Wolves (March 2017), and Violet Grenade (May 2017). She is published by Scholastic and Entangled Teen and is represented by Sara Crowe of Pippin Properties. Victoria’s latest novel, Titans, received two starred reviews, and Fire & Flood was selected as a 2017 Spirit of Texas Reading Program book. Her novels have been translated and published in fourteen foreign markets. She currently resides in Dallas and loves hearing from her readers.