The Lunar Chronicles

Marissa Meyer's four-book series takes the Cinderella story and puts it in a future Earth threatened by a ruthless moon queen and a devastating plague. Cyborg mechanic Cinder leads a growing ensemble of fairy-tale-inspired heroines working to bring down an authoritarian regime — and the books move fast, with genuine heart and a clear moral framework built around dignity, resistance, and loyalty. It's one of the more inventive YA premises of the last decade. Parents of younger readers should know that later books include PG-13 battle violence, and there is romantic content that stays at passionate kissing. Overall appropriate for most teens; the anti-totalitarian themes give the adventure real weight.