The Sound of Young Adult/New Adult Fantasy Novels
Enter the world of sword fights, forbidden romances, dangerous villains, thrilling quests. Experience your favorite fantasy stories with a playlist full of conflict, romance, and endless adventure.
Written by Caroline Harrison
Illustrated by Alyssa Sheldon
Full of advanced worldbuilding, complex characters, and rich cultural influences, fantasy novels provide readers with a unique form of escapism. As we revisit our favorite adventures or discover new worlds, the right music can make these mythical fantasies feel richer and even more captivating. With powerful instrumentals, haunting ballads, and inspiring vocals, go on your own legendary adventure with this 38-track playlist based on popular young and new adult fantasy series.
Inspired by multiple facets of ancient Arabia, Hafsah Faizal’s “We Hunt The Flame” follows Zafira bint Iskandar, the Hunter who braves the forests of the Arz to feed her people, and Nasir Ghameq, a ruthless assassin known as the Prince of Death. As Zafira leaves her home to restore magic and subsequently save her people, her dangerous quest is like Hans Zimmer’s “My Road Leads into the Desert.” With a gradual, dramatic instrumental build, this track’s climax is similar to Zafira’s journey. Though it begins with light strings and an airy, haunting voice, the song concludes with a heavy, sinister sound. Thus, “My Road Leads into the Desert” parallels Zafira’s increasingly dangerous quest. As she travels through the cursed desert island, Sharr, and eventually allies with Nasir, Alan Silvestri’s soothing and mystical “Just an Oasis” describes the unsettling mirages the group encounters. The flute solo and strings’ gradual build throughout the piece represent the relief and mystery brought by the sentient desert. Representing the unexpected feelings forming between Zafira and Nasir, Tamino incorporates Middle Eastern influences, rich vocals, and heartfelt lyrics into “Habibi.” With vulnerable falsetto and dark instrumentals, readers can feel Zafira and Nasir’s forbidden love in the war between light and darkness. As forgotten history is revealed and an old villain returns at the climax of the novel, Howard Shore and Renée Flemming’s “Twilight and Shadow” represents two sides of the growing conflict between dark and light magic. Beautiful, eerie vocals supported by full, moving strings suggest the growing urgency and danger of Zafira’s journey. It’s no longer about saving her village, it’s about saving her world.
Taken to a dangerous world of magic, Feyre Archeron eventually discovers that the ancient faerie that captured her might not be the heartless beast she first thought he was in Sarah J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” After discovering the source of the curse plaguing the fae lands, Feyre goes Under the Mountain to save her captor-turned-lover, Tamlin, and the other faeries from an old enemy of Prythian, Amarantha. Facing three torturous trials for Tamlin’s freedom, Feyre is left near death and hopeless. As a strange song travels to her cell, she finds the strength to persevere. Directly inspired by these scenes, Kelsey Woods’ “Music Under the Mountain” is a wistful and hopeful song that embodies Feyre’s struggling mental state under the mountain. Like the notes drifting into her cell, the haunting song begins with tentative strings slowly filtering in until it reaches a dramatic climax worthy of Feyre’s final confrontation with Amarantha. The end of “Music Under the Mountain” sums up Feyre’s uncertainty moving forward after Amarantha’s defeat with the same initial fading, melancholic melody of eerie, lilting strings alone in a dark silence. Inspired by the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, Tamino’s “Persephone” perfectly summarizes “A Court of Mist and Fury.” The song’s rich, simple guitar underneath Tamino’s dark and tender lyrics like “And then I made sure / You would always return / (...)You still know of dawn / But you always return / When you hid under my black wings They couldn’t have protected you from anything” parallel Rhysand — the High Lord of the Night Court — and Feyre’s relationship as they deal with their trauma together. The ultimate conflict with the King of Hybern in the series’ third novel “A Court of Wings and Ruin” is best embodied by World of Warcraft’s “Wrath of the Lich King.” With its dramatic instrumentation and building tension, this song emphasizes Hybern’s cruelty and the looming conflict Feyre and her allies must face to protect their world.
Leigh Bardugo’s “Six of Crows” is full of outlandish adventure, scheming, and deeply motivated characters as six criminals — the “Crows” — journey to a foreign country, stage an impossible heist, and uncover secrets that could save or destroy their world. “Ask the Saints” from the “Shadow and Bone” soundtrack emphasizes the Crows’ deep relationships with one another as it interrupts a dark, heavy sound with a thoughtful violin solo. Its rich combination of strings matches each of the Crows’ diverse personalities. With steady, industrial instrumentation and winding, suspicious lyrics, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ “Red Right Hand” is the Crows’ leader, Kaz Brekker, personified. Strategic, elusive, and always one step ahead of his enemies, Kaz is “a god, he’s a man, he’s a ghost, he’s a guru.” As Kaz Brekker’s closest ally, Inej Ghafa is the Wraith, a mysterious spy with an affinity for knives. Though she’s famous for navigating through tough places unseen, Inej often finds herself feeling too invisible. With wistful lyrics and haunting vocals, the eerie “Ghosts” by James Vincent McMorrow describes how she feels like an observer in her own life. Determined to destroy Pekka Rollins — the man who left him penniless and helpless on the rough streets of Ketterdam — Kaz’s determination and strategy are summed up in the Arctic Monkeys’ “Brick by Brick.” Driven and energetic, this gritty rock song shows how Kaz plans to take down Rollins by any means necessary. At the end of their heist, the Crows nearly fail their mission until Nina Zenik risks her life by taking a dangerous drug to heighten her powers and save the group. Hozier and Mavis Staples’ “Nina Cried Power” encapsulates how Nina refuses to give her friends up, even if it means putting herself in jeopardy. The background vocals, like the other Crows warning her of the risks, are overpowered by the choir just as Nina ignores their objections. Representing the diverse characters and plots of “Six of Crows,” these tracks are sure to make you “dream again.”
Following these songs, this playlist includes tracks inspired by other popular fantasy novels like Shelby Mahurin’s “Serpent & Dove,” Kerri Maniscalco’s “Kingdom of the Wicked,” Sarah J. Maas’s “Throne of Glass,” and Jennifer L. Armentrout’s “From Blood and Ash.” While you can’t really go to Prythian or Ketterdam, you can take your favorite characters and stories off the pages and with you wherever you go. Embark on a fantastical adventure of your own with this playlist.