The best books like Twilight you can read right now

It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the cinematic masterpiece that is also well known Breaking dawn part 2 got to the cinemas. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we’ve put together a list of young adult and adult novels with supernatural twists that you should read if you were (or still are) a Twilight fan.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

The cover for Elatsoe, featuring a young human in a red cloak surrounded by white wolves.

The world Elatsoe lives in is not very different from our own. There’s still high school to navigate, homework to turn in on time, and pistachio ice cream. Coincidentally, this mirror world also has terrifying monsters and powerful magic users. Elatsoe herself can commune with the dead, a gift passed down through generations of Lipan-Apache ancestors who came before her. When her beloved cousin is brutally murdered, Elatsoe decides to use her unique abilities, and with the help of her best friend and her trusty ghost dog by her side, she soon discovers that in the quaint town, all is not what it seems Her cousin’s body was discovered.

Darcie Little Badger has written a beautiful and at times deeply disturbing story about the injustices still facing indigenous peoples today and the importance of knowing where we came from that readers of all ages will enjoy. And although there is no love triangle like in dusk, To be advised features truly spectacular ace performance and some of the most terrifying vampires in YA literature.

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle

On the cover of Graphic Novel Squad, a group of girls face forward (while one looks back at the reader), in front of them three silhouettes of wolves howling against the moon.

What do you get when you cruise mean girls With teenage wolf? The answer is Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle’s beautiful and nostalgic graphic novel YA, squad.

Located in the affluent suburbs of San Francisco, squad introduces readers to Becca, who, like most teenagers, wants nothing more than to find a group of friends she fits in with. To Becca’s surprise, she is quickly adopted by a group of popular girls at school. Only when the moon is full does Becca find out the truth: her new friends are werewolves.

squad is a gripping, neon vigilante tale about the dangers of peer pressure, love (both the platonic and the romantic) and how all of those things can bring friends together as easily as they tear them apart.

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl

A young girl wearing a studded choker has blood dripping from her fangs on the cover of The Lost Girls

If you’ve ever seen one of the Twilight movies and wished Alice had more screen time (or you sent Bella with Alice instead of Edward), then The Lost GirlsSonia Hartl’s Sapphic Vampire Novel could be the perfect book for you.

Immortality isn’t all it’s supposed to be. When 16-year-old Holly Liddell is turned into a vampire by her boyfriend in 1987, the last thing she expects is to be stuck with frizzy hair forever. Thirty-four years later, Holly meets Rose and Ida, two vampires who, like Holly, were transformed by their ex and left for un(dead). Rose and Ida are out for revenge, but things get complicated when Holly meets the new girl her ex is targeting.

That Lost Girls is an absolutely charming variant John Tucker must die with a sapphic twist. It’s a wild ride from start to finish and a great reminder that girl gangs are not to be trifled with.

Graveyard Boys by Aiden Thomas

The cover art for Aiden Thomas' Cemetery Boys, featuring two young brown men, candles, headstones, and a skeleton figure in the background.

Despite what Twilight may have led you to believe that not all slow-burning supernatural romances are between a human and a vampire. Sometimes it’s between a human and the ghost of the bad boy that lives in their school. As it happens, that’s exactly what happens in Aiden Thomas’ adorable and incredibly tender YA debut. graveyard boys.

Yadriel, a 16-year-old Latino gay boy, wants nothing more than for his family to accept his gender. After Yadriel successfully performs a ritual to prove to his family that he is a brujo, two things happen: he accidentally unleashes his powers and accidentally summons the spirit of Julian Diaz, the school’s recently deceased troublemaker. In death, Julian is endearing and full of warmth in a way that seems at odds with the rumors surrounding his troubled past. Determined to find out what really happened before moving on, Julian convinces Yadriel to help him.

needless to say graveyard boys is an emotional roller coaster ride of a book. Aiden Thomas leaves nothing to be desired when Yadriel is (at least initially) hugged at arm’s length by his family. The road to acceptance and self-discovery is bumpy, but Yadriel gets help along the way and learns that you don’t need anyone’s permission to be yourself.

Fangs by Sarah Andersen

Cover photo for Sarah Andersen's Fangs, featuring a young woman wearing a black dress and bat wings. The book is kept in a strong red.

I challenge you to find a slice-of-life graphic novel about a vampire and a werewolf falling in love that’s as witty, charming, or downright funny as fangs by Sarah Anderson.

Originally a webcomic, fangs tells the story of Elsie, a 300-year-old vampire looking for love, and Jimmy, a supremely charming, flannel-wearing werewolf. Each page is a stand-alone comic strip, giving readers a glimpse into Elsie and Jimmy’s life together as their affection for each other grows. They watch horror movies, go out to dinner, and learn to deal with each other’s quirks (Jimmy hates the postman, while Elsie struggles to take selfies and avoids the sun on the beach).

The combination of Andersen’s beautiful, gothic illustrations and her signature wry sense of humor highlights the twists and turns of modern relationships and brands fangs a must read if you’re a fan of supernatural romance.

Such sharp teeth by Rachel Harrison

Cover art for Rachel Harrison's Such Sharp Teeth, which promises to be a werewolf novel. A silhouette of a werewolf appears in a red circle that drips like blood. The title is written in large pink letters in the style of a felt-tip pen or highlighter.

If you were Team Jacob rather than Team Edward, Such sharp teeth by Rachel Harrison could be just the book for you. You are guaranteed to enjoy reading Harrison’s books (see The return once you’re done Such sharp teeth). Harrison is a master at making horror fun, and her feminist and physical take on werewolves is no exception.

Like many people, Rory Morris isn’t thrilled with the idea of moving back to the small town she grew up in, but she does when her pregnant sister asks her for help. Leaving her dream job and ambitious social life, Rory returns to the town she grew up in and the rumor mill she left behind. Things get complicated when Rory, after getting drinks with an old Fast-Flame, crashes her car into a large, red-eyed animal. Her investigation leads to a violent attack in the woods, and not long after, Rory develops an unusual craving for red meat, is suddenly super strong, and has a sudden dislike for silver.

With the next full moon fast approaching, Rory must learn to deal with her new predicament, supporting her sister as best she can and having a potential love interest while also trying to prevent another attack.

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

Cover photo for Alexis Henderson's House of Hunger, featuring a young woman in a red dress with blood dripping down her neck.

Unlike the vampires in Twilight, those in Alexis Henderson’s sexy goth novel, house of hunger, do not sparkle. Henderson has become an author to watch for when it comes to cosmic horror, dark fantasy, and things that swirl in the night. in the house of hungershe deconstructs the hedonistic, blood-soaked vampire lore we’re all familiar with and turns it on its head.

Marion Shaw has longed to leave the city and slums she’s lived in all her life, and when the opportunity arises to work as a bloodmaid in the infamous House of Hunger, she jumps at the chance for a fresh start. Upon arrival, Marion discovers a lavish and dissolute world where the rich drink the blood of those in their service. Taking center stage is the terrifying and seductive Countess Lisavet, and while Marion would do anything to please her new mistress, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that her fellow combatants have disappeared into the night.

As seductive as it is unforgiving, this gory and gripping novel is not to be missed.

The Enterprise of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Cover art for Megan Bannes The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. It is a light blue cover with yellow drawings of skulls, flowers and candles. In the center, two skeleton hands form a heart that is shaded pink. Two white silhouettes can be seen next to a tombstone in the heart.

If you’re a fan of romance novels and somehow haven’t heard of it Hart and Mercy’s company by Megan Bannen then you should stop reading this and get your copy now.

The title Hart is a Marshal (think Timothy Olyphant in Justified), steadfast and earnest, tasked with patrolling the magical land of Tanria. He’s also incredibly lonely. Desperate for a connection, Hart writes an anonymous letter that ends up in the hands of his nemesis, Mercy Birdsall. The last thing Hart expects is for Mercy to reply to his letter or, worse, develop romantic feelings for her.

Set in a world that features old gods, new gods, talking animals, the undead, and pretty much everything in between, it’s essential reading for anyone grappling with the mere thought of a slow-burning, epistolary, enemies-to-lovers conspiracy faints.