Dear Friend,

I have a confession to make.

I am a terrible reader.

Shocking, since I write so much and since I love stories so much. But it’s true. I don’t read particularly slowly. I AM known, however, for going long stretches without picking up these books I claim to love so much. What can I say? It can be hard to make time to read as an adult, especially when I also want to be writing my own books.

This is sad and honestly frustrating. I love books. I love reading. I love falling in love with characters and visiting worlds I wish were real. I have given myself grace, yet the longing is still strong. I want to be reading more.

BUT in 2025 I did a crazy thing and read a 6-book miniseries! And already in the first month of this new year I am halfway through a new read. Suffice to say, I am feeling VERY optimistic about this year’s TBR pile. (And excited to be getting back to reading as an EXPERIENCE, not a checklist; gonna share more about that in an upcoming newsletter.)

And you’d better believe that sharing recommendations based off that TBR pile will absolutely be part of my newsletters this year! YA fantasy and fairy tales are at the top of my lists, since that’s what I’m also writing. I’ve prepped a review system. Sharing mode is on.

To start the year off strong, I’m sharing my current top three clean young adult fantasy reads! To be honest, two of these I did NOT read in 2025. They are still amazing, however, and I hope that this gives you some new books to add to your own TBR pile this year.

Ready?

Here are my Top 3 Clean Young Adult Fantasy Reads so far:

On Wings of Ash and Dust

By Brittany Wang

This book is technically a miniseries made up of six novellas each leading straight into the next with glorious cliffhangers. It’s Young Adult Fantasy, told in first person present tense. And it’s one of the few stories I’ve read in YA where I emotionally clicked with the female protagonist in the prologue. I was also impressed by the worldbuilding. It didn’t go crazy deep or have extensive descriptions, yet I felt as if I was there in most of the locations.

The story follows Quinn, an exiled princess turned pirate, who, through twists and turns, ends up competing for the throne over all Fayland in the dangerous Ethodine competition. But nothing is as it seems, including her fellow competitors. There’s adventure, quests, romance, enemies-to-found family. It is cheesy in places. But sometimes you want that cheese. And for the most part it worked in this. The ending wasn’t as strong as I had hoped. The twists and turns, however, were brilliantly mapped out with reveals happening right when they needed to.

My favorite thing about this book is those twists and turns. I am terrible at writing them. And this book did them very well.

My personal rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Some things to critique, but such a fun ride I didn’t mind at all.

My romance rating:

Medium. Some kissing and longing; all PG.

I would recommend this book if...you want to go on a magical adventure that doesn’t require a massive time commitment.

Of Ice and Roses

By Heather M. Elliott

This book was one of those delightful slow simmer reads without being chunky enough to intimidate me. It’s a retelling of Legend of the Bleeding Hearts and The Snow Queen with Cinderella vibes in the beginning. The retellings are faithful, yet there is a uniqueness to the blending and to the original story spun throughout that makes it fascinating. And the plot felt realistic without being boring. The narrative style is a bit emotionally distanced from the FMC. This works for the story and the style in which it is told, though.

The story follows Gemma, a peasant girl whose mother makes her a beautiful gown so she can go to the three royal balls. There, she meets the prince; romance quickly ensues. And Gemma suddenly finds herself mixed up in magic and political mayhem. The quest that follows will be familiar for enthusiasts of the fairy tale. But, again, with a unique spin that will keep them guessing.

My favorite thing about this book is the maturity of the characters. They make plenty of mistakes. But they think logically, manage their emotions beautifully, and they read like the kind of people you would actually want as friends in real life.

My personal rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

The kind of cozy adventure I long for on long winter nights.

My Romance Rating:

Light. Gentle physical affection (and a wedding halfway through).

I would recommend this book if...you are looking for a break from recent writing trends but don't want to break out the classics right now.

Cress

From The Lunar Chronicles

By Marissa Meyer

Okay, so technically Cress is the third book in this series, but it’s my favorite so this is going here. The Lunar Chronicles is a futuristic Young Adult sci-fi series with fairy tale inspiration following the main character, Cinder (Cinderella, obviously) and the three other fairy tale heroines, each book picking up a new one as another POV character. I honestly love the entire series (although the last book was admittedly a bit long and harder to get through than the others). But Cress was my favorite, hands down.

Cress draws its inspiration from the fairy tale Rapunzel and follows a young girl who has lived her whole life in a small observation pod out in space monitoring for the evil bad guy. When an interaction with Cinder and her friends causes Cress to leave that safe pod, she is forced on an epic adventure on Earth with a swoony, flirtatious captain and a powerful politician who wants her dead. Obviously, you kind of need to read the first two books before diving into this one. Trust me, though. You’ll thank me!

My favorite thing about this book is that it had a female main character who wasn’t physically strong or skilled as a warrior, who had a bubbly, optimistic personality and was a bit naïve, yet she still manages to help save the day in the end. She is one of my all-time favorite YA female MCs! (Also, her romance – so swoony!)

My personal rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Zero critique. 100% enjoyment!

My romance rating:

All the Lunar Chronicles have a good amount of kissing and hugging and looking breathless into each other’s eyes. The love interest in this particular book is also an acknowledged ‘ladies man’ and some of his actions are in line with that characteristic.

I would recommend this book if...you love sci-fi and fairy tales and are looking for a really good blend of the two.

That’s it for now, friend. I hope to have lots of these bonus newsletters with book recs from clean fantasy this coming year. And if you have books you think I should add to my own TBR pile, feel free to e-mail me at the address below!

Goodbye for Now,

Joanna

Want to continue the conversation? Feel free to email me at holdenwriter1992@gmail.com or DM me on social media (@authorjoannagholden).

Clean, wholesome Christian fantasy for preteen girls.

Want to read what’s already out?

Click Below to learn about my Middle Grade Fairy Tale Retellings.

https://www.joannaholden.com/middle-grade