Rory Power is known for gripping young adult fiction that pairs eerie atmosphere with intense emotional stakes. Her debut novel, Wilder Girls, delivers a haunting story of isolation, survival, and tangled relationships, and it has resonated strongly with both readers and critics.
If you enjoy Rory Power’s work, these authors are well worth adding to your reading list:
Mara Rutherford writes young adult fantasy with immersive worldbuilding and characters forced into impossible choices. Her novel The Merciful Crow, centers on Fie, a girl from a caste of mercy killers who becomes entangled in royal secrets while a deadly disease sweeps the kingdom.
With a hidden prince, constant danger, and difficult questions about loyalty, the story has the same dark pull that makes Rory Power’s fiction so compelling. Readers who enjoy grim settings balanced by strong emotional bonds may find Rutherford a great fit.
Claire Legrand writes dark, emotionally charged novels that often slip between the real and the uncanny. In Sawkill Girls , three girls—Marion, Zoey, and Val—live on a sinister island where girls have vanished for generations.
Beneath the island’s beauty lies something monstrous, and each of the girls is tied to its secrets in a different way. As their paths converge, they must confront both the horror around them and the truths they have been avoiding.
Legrand blends friendship, fear, and resilience into a story that feels unsettling long after the final page.
Katherine Arden crafts stories steeped in folklore, history, and quiet magic. Her novel The Bear and the Nightingale, set in a remote Russian village, follows Vasya, a girl who can see the spirits that linger around her home.
When her stepmother rejects the old ways, the village’s fragile balance begins to break, allowing darker forces to rise. Arden’s mix of fairy-tale atmosphere and emotional realism gives the novel a haunting, immersive quality.
If Rory Power’s vivid settings and sharp character work appeal to you, Arden’s writing is likely to do the same.
Emily A. Duncan is best known for dark, atmospheric fantasy with high stakes and morally tangled characters. In Wicked Saints, the first book in the Something Dark and Holy series, Nadya can speak to gods and channel their power.
As war rages between nations, she becomes caught between faith, violence, and dangerous alliances. A conflicted prince and a mysterious boy with unsettling magic make her path even more perilous.
The result is a brutal, moody fantasy that explores ambition, devotion, and the price of power.
Nova Ren Suma is known for atmospheric fiction that blurs the boundaries between memory, reality, and the supernatural.
Her novel The Walls Around Us is a haunting story of friendship, betrayal, and buried truths set between a juvenile detention center and the demanding world of ballet.
Told through the voices of Amber, who is locked away, and Violet, a ballerina with a disturbing connection to the past, the novel unfolds in eerie and surprising ways. If you like unsettling stories that slowly reveal their secrets, Suma is an excellent choice.
Courtney Summers writes fearless, emotionally raw stories that confront pain head-on. In Sadie , a teenage girl sets out to find her sister’s killer after the authorities stop paying attention.
The novel alternates between Sadie’s perspective and a true-crime podcast investigating her disappearance, creating a tense and distinctive narrative structure. It’s gripping, devastating, and hard to forget.
Readers who appreciate Rory Power’s intensity and emotionally complex characters may find a lot to love here.
Kendare Blake is known for dark, imaginative fiction that combines the supernatural with deeply human conflict. In Three Dark Crowns , three sisters are raised to become queens, but only one can claim the throne.
Each possesses a different magical gift, and their bond is overshadowed by a deadly rivalry they cannot escape. Blake builds tension skillfully, turning sisterhood into something both intimate and dangerous.
For readers drawn to Rory Power’s chilling atmosphere and high-stakes relationships, Blake’s work is an easy recommendation.
Erin A. Craig writes dark, gothic-leaning stories with a strong sense of mystery. Her novel House of Salt and Sorrows, follows Annaleigh, a young woman living in a seaside manor haunted by a string of family tragedies.
Several of her sisters have already died under strange circumstances, and Annaleigh begins to suspect that something sinister—perhaps even supernatural—is behind it all. The novel’s fairy-tale elements and creeping dread make it especially appealing for fans of eerie, lush storytelling.
Rin Chupeco writes atmospheric fantasy filled with memorable characters and unsettling magic. In The Bone Witch, a girl named Tea accidentally raises her brother from the dead and learns that she is a bone witch, a feared wielder of dark power.
From there, the story follows her training, her growing strength, and the heavy expectations placed upon her. Chupeco explores ambition, identity, and the burden of dangerous gifts in a richly imagined world.
V. E. Schwab creates dark, inventive worlds populated by morally complicated people. In Vicious, former college friends Victor and Eli discover a way to gain superhuman abilities through near-death experiences.
What begins as curiosity turns into obsession, and eventually into a bitter feud. The novel examines power, vengeance, and the fine line between hero and villain with relentless energy.
If you like tense stories driven by flawed characters, Schwab is an excellent author to try next.
Christina Henry is known for dark reimaginings of familiar tales, often with a strong horror edge. In The Girl in Red, she gives Little Red Riding Hood a dystopian twist.
Red, armed with a red hoodie and an axe, travels through a world ravaged by plague as she makes her way toward her grandmother’s house. Along the way, she faces dangers that are both brutally human and deeply unsettling.
Henry’s version feels fierce, bleak, and unnervingly fresh.
Maggie Stiefvater writes lyrical, atmospheric fiction where magic quietly threads through everyday life.
In The Raven Boys, Blue Sargent, the daughter of psychics, has always been told that if she kisses her true love, he will die. Her life changes when she becomes involved with four boys from a nearby private school who are searching for a lost Welsh king.
The novel combines friendship, longing, mystery, and the supernatural in a way that feels intimate and enchanting. Readers who enjoy moody, character-driven stories may be especially drawn to Stiefvater’s work.
April Genevieve Tucholke writes atmospheric fiction with a dark edge and a lingering sense of unease. In The Boneless Mercies, a band of young women work as mercy killers, offering death to the suffering.
Determined to find something more than the grim lives they’ve been given, they set out to kill a monster terrorizing nearby villages. The story blends friendship, fate, and fierce determination into a bleak but rewarding journey.
Fans of Rory Power may especially appreciate Tucholke’s moody settings and emotionally grounded characters.
Francesca Lia Block is celebrated for blending modern life with mythic, magical, and dreamlike elements. In Weetzie Bat, she creates a whimsical version of Los Angeles where romance, heartbreak, and wonder exist side by side.
The story follows Weetzie and her friends as they build their own unconventional sense of family. Beneath the book’s airy, luminous style are real emotions and poignant moments that give it lasting power.
Laini Taylor writes with rich imagination and a lyrical sense of wonder. Her novel Strange the Dreamer, follows Lazlo Strange, a librarian fascinated by the lost city of Weep.
When he finally gets the chance to travel there, he finds mysteries far stranger and more dangerous than he ever imagined. Taylor balances dreamlike worldbuilding with deeply felt characters, creating a story that is both fantastical and emotionally grounded.
For readers who love haunting, beautifully written fiction, she is a natural next pick after Rory Power.
