19 books you should read if you're a fan of 'Twilight'

By Samantha Grindell Pettyjohn

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Think of "The Selection" as a crossover between "The Hunger Games" and "The Bachelor." It follows America Singer, one of 35 women selected to compete for the love of Prince Maxon, the future leader of Illéa, a country with a rigid caste system. The Selection is one of the few ways to escape the caste into which you were born, which makes it even more important for America, whose family is lower class.

It's a chance most girls dream of, yet courting Maxon is the last thing America wants, as she's already in love with her childhood friend Aspen. Yet when America meets Maxon, she discovers her dreams might be bigger than she thought.

"The Selection" is the first installment in Kiera Cass' epic series, which takes readers on America's journey to find love and freedom for her country. 

There are two kinds of people in Mare Barrow's world: mortals with red blood, and superhero-like people with silver blood who possess magical powers and rule over the reds. 

Mare is prepared to live out her life as a normal human until she discovers that she has magical abilities despite her red blood — in a room full of silvers. The show of impossible supernatural power leads the king to create a ruse in which Mare must pretend to be a lost silver princess and marry one of the king's sons.

The decision sets Mare on a path of deceit and double agency as she works to get information for the Scarlet Guard, a red resistance movement, while she's in the halls of the castle. Things only grow more complicated as she feels herself falling for both of the king's sons in Victoria Aveyard's "Red Queen." 

If you're looking for an adult vampire romance, Ali Hazelwood's bestseller "Bride" might be right up your alley.

Vampyre Misery Lark has never fit in with her kind. After spending her childhood among the humans as a political pawn, an adult Misery is once again becoming a sacrifice for the sake of Vampyres through an arranged marriage — to a Were. Her Vampyre councilmember father has arranged a marriage between Misery and Lowe Moreland, the powerful Alpha of the Southwest Weres.

Misery and Lowe's marriage is supposed to help maintain a tenuous peace between Vampyres, Weres, and humans, and while Misery isn't thrilled at the idea of living among the Weres, she has secret motivations for wanting to immerse herself in their culture. Misery is prepared to deceive the Weres for her own aims, but her plans go awry when she feels a very inconvenient attraction toward Lowe.

"Bride" is fun, fast-paced, and definitely sexy, so if you read it, make sure you're ready for some mature fun.

Laurel Sewell was always different. Eating meat made her sick, saltwater left her dehydrated for days, and spending an afternoon in the sun made her feel more rested than a good night's sleep. 

However, Laurel doesn't realize how different she is until an enormous flower blooms on her back, exposing her as the faerie — a highly evolved plant species — she always has been. It turns out Laurel was placed with her human family to help protect their land from trolls, and her work is just beginning.

On top of it all, Laurel finds herself torn between David, the human boy who helps her realize what she is, and Tamani, the alluring faerie sentry who might be the key to her past and future.

In the first installment of the "Wings" trilogy, Aprilynne Pike tells a story of love, adventure, and self-discovery against the backdrop of a mystical world.

Renée Ahdieh's "The Beautiful" is a cross between a vampire novel and a period drama, taking readers into 19th-century New Orleans controlled by vampires.

The novel follows Celine Rousseau, a 17-year-old who fled Paris and finds herself in the care of the Ursuline convent. Celine stumbles into the city's darker side, and she's quickly drawn to its leader, Sébastien Saint Germain, despite the danger he poses.

Soon, a serial killer targeting young girls takes over the city, and Sébastien is one of the prime suspects. Celine decides to investigate the matter for herself, setting her on a path full of danger and desire.

You're probably familiar with "Divergent" thanks to the film adaptation starring Shailene Woodley, but Veronica Roth's book is worth the read even if you know how the series ends.

In the dystopian world of "Divergent," people are separated into five factions based on their skills. The distinctions keep order, but Beatrice Prior sends shockwaves through her community when she leaves her family's faction for the riskier Dauntless class.

No one knows Tris defected because she is Divergent, not fitting into any of the five categories laid out for her. Throughout the novel, she works to keep her secret, unsure who she can trust as she grapples with what her identity means for herself and the world.

The wolves behind Grace's house are as familiar as the back of her hand. She watches them in winter and even thinks of one yellow-eyed wolf as hers.

Little does Grace know that Sam is staring back at her when he's trapped inside the body of a wolf every winter. During the warm months, he gets to return to his human form, but winter is always waiting for him, ready to bring him back to his werewolf form once again.

Everything changes when Sam and Grace meet one summer, and Grace instantly recognizes his yellow eyes. The duo must figure out how to keep Sam human, or he could be torn away from her just as their lives together are about to start.

The first installment in the "Wolves of Mercy Falls" series, Maggie Stiefvater's "Shiver" will make you question what it means to love and what it means to be human.

In Cassia's world, everyone has a soulmate. Their perfect match is revealed to them when they turn 17 at a Matching Ceremony put on by the Society, and Cassia is shocked when her lifelong friend Xander's face appears on the screen at the ceremony as her match.

However, just before the screen goes dark, another match, Ky Markham, flashes onto the screen. It's just a moment, but it's enough to lead Cassia to question everything the Society has taught her. 

In the debut of Ally Condie's "Matched" trilogy, Cassia finds herself willing to risk it all for a chance at love with Ky, but what she really wants is the chance to choose for herself. 

Grace is human, but she's pretty much the only one at the Academy who is. She can't tell who is good or bad, and she grows desperate to find someone to relate to.

The aloof Jaxon Vega, a vampire who hasn't felt any emotion in a century, shouldn't be the person she's drawn to, but he is. Grace decides to follow her instincts to get to know him anyway, but breaking down Jaxon's hard exterior might put them both at risk.

Clary Fray, 15, is stunned when she witnesses a murder at a New York City nightclub, but she's even more surprised when she finds out she's one of only four people in the room who could see it.

It turns out Clary saw the murder of a demon, and the encounter ushers her into the world of Shadowhunters, warriors sent from heaven to protect humans from sinister demons. It also leads her to Jace, a brooding Shadowhunter that Clary can't help but be drawn to. Soon after they first meet, Clary herself is attacked by a demon, and her mother goes missing.

Clary discovers she's more immersed in the Shadowhunters' world than she could've ever imagined, and book one of "The Mortal Instruments" series introduces readers to a world that's both mesmerizing and terrifying.

A fatal car accident left Ever Bloom with the ability to know everything about a person by touching them, which turns out to be more of a curse than a blessing. Ever does her best never to touch others, growing accustomed to her loneliness despite being ostracized at her new high school. 

Her carefully constructed bubble of isolation pops when she meets Damen Auguste, the only person she's ever met who can deactivate her powers, giving her the peace she desperately craves.

Damen's power scares Ever, but she's willing to put herself at risk to find out what being with him could mean.

In Lauren Oliver's "Delirium," love is illegal. It's been identified as a dangerous disease, and everyone in Lena Haloway's world is given the Cure when they turn 18 to prevent love from taking over their lives.

Lena is ready to have the procedure done and begin her adult life, eager to avoid the same fate her mother suffered at love's expense. Then, just a few months before her birthday, Lena meets Alex, a boy from the wilds who shows her she might be thinking of love the wrong way. 

The first installment of Oliver's bestselling trilogy sets the stage for a story that's equal parts revolutionary tale and romance, urging readers to ask themselves what they would do for love.

In the first installment of Marissa Meyer's "Lunar Chronicles," humans and androids share the city of New Beijing. Cinder, a cyborg and expert mechanic, is ostracized by her stepmother for supposedly causing her stepsister's illness, and she just wants to avoid her mysterious past.

When her path suddenly crosses with the alluring Prince Kai, Cinder will have to face her history to help fight a battle for the world, risking her heart in the process.

"Cinder" is a retelling of "Cinderella" that embraces the best adventures of a sci-fi novel.

In Tally Youngblood's world, no one is pretty until they turn 16. That's when they can have the procedure, which transforms them into a "pretty" and grants them access to the world of the elite, where their only job is to enjoy being beautiful.

Tally can't wait to become a pretty, but things change when her friend Shay runs away from home. The authorities tell Tally that she has to find and return Shay, or she'll have to stay ugly forever.

The first book in Scott Westerfield's four-part saga, "Uglies" follows Tally's journey to decide what being pretty means and what she's willing to do to conform.

The first installment of Lauren Kate's "Fallen" series introduces readers to Luce and Daniel, star-crossed lovers who are destined to hurt one another time and time again.

Luce Price doesn't expect to be excited about much of anything when she starts at the boarding school Sword & Cross. To her surprise, from the moment she arrives, she can't keep her mind off Daniel Grigori, a fellow student Luce already feels like she knows — and who clearly wants nothing to do with her.

Luce is drawn to him nonetheless, and she's willing to follow the instincts that lead her to Daniel, no matter the cost. Soon, she discovers their fates are forever intertwined, and her love for him will always be her downfall.

In 1895, Gemma Doyle isn't excited about attending the posh, English boarding school Spence. However, after her mother's death, she has no choice but to leave her home in India and become a proper lady. 

She hopes Spence will help her ignore the prophecies of the future that come to her — and the man from home who followed her all the way to England and claims he was sent to protect her.

Once she arrives, Gemma quickly realizes the school isn't what it seems. When she falls into a group of friends who dabble in dark magic, she may find the spirit world is more than she is prepared to handle.

The first book in Libba Bray's epic series, "A Great and Terrible Beauty," combines the drama of "Gossip Girl" with the otherworldly energy of "The Chronicles of Narnia." 

You may know Sarah J. Maas for "A Court of Thorns and Roses," but her "Throne of Glass" series is just as enthralling.

The first installment in her eight-book series introduces readers to Celaena Sardothien, an 18-year-old, world-renowned assassin imprisoned for her crimes against the Kingdom of Adarlan, a land that has been leeched of the magic that once ran free in it. 

Celaena thinks she will be stuck in a work camp for the rest of her life, but when the Crown Prince of Adarlan offers her a chance at freedom in exchange for competing in a life-or-death competition against 23 other criminals, she sees a way out. 

Celaena is prepared to fight and kill for a second chance at life, but she isn't ready for the torrent of evil brewing in the Glass Castle — or how both the Crown Prince and Captain of the Guard will make her feel.

"Throne of Glass" is a suspenseful and romantic introduction into Maas' most sweeping series to date.

"The Host" isn't a "Twilight" novel, but Stephenie Meyer's sci-fi romance will hit the spot for fans of the series just the same.

The book tells the story of two creatures: Melanie Stryder, a human who won't let go of her mortal life, and Wanderer, the alien host who has taken over Melanie's body. Melanie fights against Wanderer's hold, showing her memories of her human life, including those of Jared, the man she loves.

To their surprise, Melanie's memories cause Wanderer to fall for Jared, too, and she decides to seek him out despite the danger it poses to her. Meyer tells the tale of a love triangle and a fight for humanity all at once, questioning what it really means to be human.

If your favorite part of the "Twilight" series was the sinister vampire rulers in the Volturi, you will likely be a fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout's adult romance "From Blood and Ash," the first installment in her six-book series.

Poppy has spent her whole life as the Maiden, a gods-blessed sacrifice. When she turns 19, she will be given to the gods to help create the Ascended, immortal beings that rule over her people. Poppy is unable to go out in public without a veil on and can't touch anyone, forced into isolation aside from a few trusted companions.

Poppy knows it's her duty to give herself to the gods, but sometimes, she can't help but long for normalcy. Those urges grow greater when she finds herself drawn to her new guard, Hawke, making her ache for a life where she gets to make her own choices.

As Poppy's birthday looms closer, she feels more confused than ever, especially when she realizes there's information Hawke and the Ascended are keeping from her.