2016 Cover Trends in YA Fiction

Thousands (yes—thousands!) of young adult novels are publishing in 2016, making YA lovers like us very, very happy. The fantasy genre has been on the rise for the past few years, so we were thrilled to see all the amazing books with covers that are out of this world. Take a look at some of our favorite cover trends from this year—and a few coming this fall!

No more pretty dresses—this year was all about kick-butt heroines who are ready to save their kingdoms…

…But okay, there are still some pretty dresses. (Thank goodness!)

And if you can’t wear a pretty dress, why not wear a crown?

Green covers popped up all over the place…

…As did a mix of black, gold, and bronze.

We caught a wave of ships and ship-in-a-bottle books…

…And swords and knives and spears seemed to be on the cutting edge.

New legends came to life in the desert…

…While history got a magical touch.

We noticed a rise in covers with symbols rather than people, many of which have you looking closer to catch all the detail in those images…

…And last but not least, we got to see the covers for these highly anticipated sequels!

What was your favorite fantasy cover of 2016? Let us know!