3 Mind-Blowing YA Fantasy Books That Will Hook You From Page One
SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2026
Unless an opening of a book grabs me, I probably won’t make it past the first pages. Too little time. Too much choice.
These three fantasy books, Powerless, One Dark Window, and Once Upon a Broken Heart, all instantly grabbed my attention with their opening pages.
Powerless by Lauren Roberts 2023
Book 1 in a 3-book series
In POWERLESS, a street thief, Paedyn, lives in a society where Elites have powers and Ordinaries, who have none, are hunted. She saves a prince and is forced into a deadly competition while hiding her lack of abilities.
The things I love in the opening of Powerless include:
Action start.
Blood ran down Paedyn’s arm after a guard’s sword nicked her, and she punched him before climbing up the inside of a chimney to escape.
Lead character Paedyn
Her humorous, sarcastic inner voice - Stifling a sneeze, joking that it would be a terrible way to be caught. And her thoughts about how “generously” the King treats people in Loot Alley.
Her physical strength - Escaping from the Flash guard, even though he is very fast on his feet.
Her care for her best friend’s feelings - worrying that Adena will be annoyed when she finds out that Paedyn had to tear a strip from her clothes and has ruined Adena’s stitching.
Worldbuilding and the way nothing is explained.
The opening four pages include words like the Volts and Scholars, the Imperial guards (white-uniformed law enforcers), the Flash guards, the King, the purple flash field shielding some people and others without powers, Loot’s alley, and slang like ‘Plague knows what else’.
I don’t understand a lot of the terms used, but I’m so intrigued that I have to keep reading about Paedyn, a complex, caring character with a sense of humour!
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig 2022
Book 1 in the Shephard King duology
In ONE DARK WINDOW, Elspeth lives in a mist-filled kingdom. She has a spirit in her mind that could overcome her before she can rid the kingdom of a dark curse.
The things I love in the opening of One Dark Window include:
The unanswered questions around
The Nightmare - Elspeth fears the angry voice in her head called The Nightmare. But then, after the Mist, she is no longer afraid.
The Black Veins - Elspeth’s veins turn black, which must mean she had the infection, and she has to be fearful of something but we don’t know what.
The Physicians - Elspeth’s aunt is so desperate to hide Elspeth from the Physicians that she pushes her out the window, but we have no idea why.
The Mist - Elspeth hits her head on the rocks, but then mistenvelops her body and her mind, and somehow this helps her escape the Physicians, but we don’t know how.
The mystery is intriguing, and the pieces somehow link together. Elspeth must have survived the infection, which is why she has to hide from the Physicians.
Importance of family.
From the opening pages, it is obvious that her aunt, uncle and cousins protected and loved Elspeth.
One Dark Window’s opening pagesdon’t explain anything, but I could piece together bits of this dark fantasy world. Elspeth seems as confused as I am about this world, which makes me relate to her and want to find out what she does next.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber 2021
Book 1 in a 3-book series (a spin-off from the Caraval book series.
In ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART, Evangeline Fox makes a deal with an immortal to stop the man she loves from marrying her stepsister.
The things I love in the opening of Once Upon a Broken Heart include:
Shop Bell’s Point of View
The first two pages are told from the shop bell’s point of view, which feels so fresh and imaginative.
The shop bell sees a man about to enter the shop and knows the girl inside is in danger. The bell rings early to warn the girl, but she misreads the signal and gets excited instead. We don’t find out what happens, and that mystery keeps me reading.
The Fairy Tale-Inspired Fantasy
Then we move into Part 1, The Tale of Evangeline Fox, which uses fairy tales as a backdrop.
Evangeline is searching for the Prince of Hearts. Then she finds a door with half a broken heart, the symbol of the Prince of Hearts. The language and tone are so whimsical and engaging that I have to keep reading.
Once Upon a Broken Heart is so imaginative and fun that I have to keep reading more about this fairytale fantasy world.
Final Thoughts
These three books, Powerless, One Dark Window, and Once Upon a Broken Heart, demonstrate how important a strong opening can be. Each story drew me into its world through mystery, atmosphere, and, most importantly, a unique character voice I had to stay with.
What YA Fantasy books have your favourite openings?
- Chris
Fiction Rebellion Heroine