Whether it is Mardi Gras season or not, books set in Louisiana are top tier in terms of atmospheric reads. There is just something about a story being set in the the bayou that adds character and charm along with an element of spooky and otherwordlyness to it.
Here are 21 YA Books Set in Louisiana to read this year.
This post is all about 21 YA Books set in Louisiana.
You know all of these young adult books are going to be full of colorful sights and sounds of Cajun country and Louisiana culture. Plenty are set in the city of New Orleans, but they are also set in places such as the exquisitely named places like Bienville parish, Claiborne parish and Terrebonne Parish.
From Historical Fiction of the civil war to stories inspired by the vampires of Anne Rice or Charlaine Harris, these stories set in the French Quarter to Baton Rogue and beyond are perfect to immerse not only young readers, but all readers, in the wonderful culture of Louisiana.
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21 Atmospheric YA Books Set In Louisiana
Check out these 21 amazing YA books to add to your TBR!
When Natasha’s sister disappears, Natasha desperately turns to Della, a local girl rumored to be a witch, in the hopes that magic will bring her sister home. But Della has her own secrets to hide. She thinks the beast who’s responsible for the disappearances is her own mother—who was turned into a terrible monster by magic gone wrong. Natasha is angry. Della has little to lose. Both are each other’s only hope.
This eerie YA thriller follows the mysterious disappearance of Natasha’s sister, setting the story in a rural Louisiana swamp. Full of Southern Gothic elements and dark magic, it showcases the supernatural side of Louisiana.
Something happened to Ava. The curving scar on her face is proof. Ava would rather keep that something hidden—buried deep in her heart and her soul. But in the woods on the outskirts of town, the traces of someone else’s secrets lie frozen, awaiting Ava’s discovery—and what Ava finds threatens to topple the carefully constructed wall of normalcy that she’s spent years building around her.
Secrets leave scars. But when the secret in question is not your own—do you ignore the truth and walk away? Or do you uncover it from its shallow grave and let it reopen old wounds—wounds that have finally begun to heal?
In this psychological thriller, Ava discovers a dark secret hidden in the Louisiana woods, bringing to life the eerie beauty and haunting mysteries of the state.
It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, 17-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.
Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.
Set in 1950s New Orleans, this historical novel follows Josie Moraine, a young girl navigating the city’s French Quarter with dreams of leaving behind her challenging circumstances. Sepetys’ richly drawn setting captures both the allure and the grit of New Orleans.
In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans is a safe haven after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent, Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city becoming embroiled in the glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's enigmatic leader, Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in Sébastien's own lair--the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks--Celine must battle her attraction to Sébastien and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.
Set in 19th-century New Orleans, this novel by Renee Ahdieh follows Celine Rousseau as she’s drawn into the dark underworld of New Orleans, where supernatural creatures lurk in the shadows.
Heir to two lines of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah yearns for magic of her own. Yet she fails at bone magic, fails to call upon her ancestors, and fails to live up to her family’s legacy. Under the disapproving eye of her mother, the Kingdom’s most powerful priestess and seer, she fears she may never be good enough. But when the Kingdom’s children begin to disappear, Arrah is desperate enough to turn to a forbidden, dangerous ritual. If she has no magic of her own, she’ll have to buy it - by trading away years of her own life. Arrah’s borrowed power reveals a nightmarish betrayal, and on its heels, a rising tide of darkness that threatens to consume her and all those she loves. She must race to unravel a twisted and deadly scheme… before the fight costs more than she can afford.
This fantasy novel set in a Southern-inspired landscape has themes of voodoo and dark magic, with Louisiana-inspired magic and mystery woven into the story.
Kate Marino's senior year internship at the District Attorney's Office isn't exactly glamorous—more like an excuse to leave school early that looks good on college applications. Then the DA hands her boss, Mr. Stone, the biggest case her small town of Belle Terre has ever seen. The River Point Boys are all anyone can talk about. Despite their damning toxicology reports the morning of the accident, the DA wants the boys' case swept under the rug. He owes his political office to their powerful families. Kate won't let that happen. Digging up secrets without revealing her own is a dangerous line to walk; Kate has personal reasons for seeking justice. As she gets dangerously close to the truth, it becomes clear that the early morning accident might not have been an accident at all-and if she doesn't uncover the true killer, more than one life could be on the line including her own.
A gripping murder mystery set in the deep South, following a group of teens involved in a hunting accident that turns sinister. The Louisiana backdrop gives it that slow-burn mystery vibe.
After the storm of the century rips apart New Orleans, sixteen-year-old Adele Le Moyne and her father are among the first to return. Adele wants nothing more than to resume her normal life, but with the silent city resembling a war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normal needs a new definition. Strange events―even for New Orleans―lead Adele to an attic that has been sealed for three hundred years. The chaos she accidentally unleashes threatens not only her but also everyone she knows. Caught in a hurricane of myths and monsters, Adele must untangle a web of magic that weaves the climbing murder rate back to her own ancestors. But who can you trust in a city where everyone has secrets and keeping them can mean life or death? Unless…you’re immortal.
This paranormal romance follows Adele, a girl returning to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, only to discover the supernatural secrets her city holds. It dives deep into New Orleans’ mystical side.
Dane is a bully with two rules: don't hit girls and don't hit special kids. Billy D has Down syndrome. When Dane doesn't hit him, Billy sees a sign of friendship and reaches out for help. Billy is sure the riddles his missing father left in an atlas are really clues to finding him. Together, Billy and Dane piece them together, leading to unmarked towns and secrets of the past. But they're all dead ends. Until the final clue . . . and a secret Billy shouldn't have been keeping.
In Dead Ends, the main characters are Dane and Billy D. Billy has Down syndrome, and their friendship forms the heart of the story as they embark on a journey through their Louisiana town.
Lanie Stones, the daughter of crown-appointed killers, was born with a gift for necromancy—and a literal allergy to violence. For her own safety, she was raised in isolation in a crumbling mansion by the family’s mouldering revenant. When Lanie’s parents are murdered, she and her psychotic sister Nita must settle their extensive debts or lose their ancestral home. When Liriat’s ruler, too, is murdered, it throws the whole nation’s future into doubt. Hunted by Liriat’s enemies, terrorised by family ghosts and tortured by a forbidden love for a childhood friend, Lanie will need more than luck to get through the next few months—but when the goddess of Death is on your side, anything is possible.
Set in New Orleans, this horror novel tells the story of a young girl who has grown up surrounded by death in Louisiana’s iconic cemetery-studded landscape. It’s both a coming-of-age tale and a celebration of the gothic atmosphere
When Louisiana Elefante’s granny wakes her up in the middle of the night to tell her that the day of reckoning has arrived and they have to leave home immediately, Louisiana isn’t overly worried. After all, Granny has many middle-of-the-night ideas. But this time, things are different. This time, Granny intends for them never to return. Separated from her best friends, Raymie and Beverly, Louisiana struggles to oppose the winds of fate (and Granny) and find a way home. But as Louisiana’s life becomes entwined with the lives of the people of a small Georgia town — including a surly motel owner, a walrus-like minister, and a mysterious boy with a crow on his shoulder — she starts to worry that she is destined only for goodbyes.
Though technically middle-grade, this book captures a profound coming-of-age story set in rural Louisiana. It’s the story of a young girl navigating her past and discovering the meaning of home and belonging against a vividly drawn Louisiana landscape
It’s been almost a year since Makani Young came to live with her grandmother from Louisiana and she’s still adjusting to her new life in rural Nebraska. Then, one by one, students at her high school begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the body count rises and the terror grows closer, can Makani survive the killer’s twisted plan?
This suspenseful thriller unfolds in rural Louisiana, where Makani Young is hiding a secret past. As a mysterious killer begins targeting students in her school, Louisiana’s eerie backwoods add to the unsettling atmosphere.
The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act…different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?
Set in the late 1980s in a small town in Louisiana, this horror novel follows Abby and her best friend Gretchen, who begins acting strangely after a mysterious incident. Abby’s journey to save Gretchen dives into local superstitions and voodoo-inspired elements.
One week. That's all Jessie said. A one-week break to get some perspective before graduation, before she and her boyfriend, Chris, would have to make all the big, scary decisions about their future -- decisions they had been fighting about for weeks. Then, Chris vanishes. The police think he's run away, but Jessie doesn't believe it. Chris is popular and good-looking, about to head off to college on a full-ride baseball scholarship. And he disappeared while going for a run along the river -- the same place where some boys from the rival high school beat him up just three weeks ago. Chris is one of the only black kids in a depressed paper mill town, and Jessie is terrified of what might have happened.
Set in a small Louisiana town, this emotional YA mystery follows Jessie, who is determined to find her missing boyfriend Chris. The story captures both the intensity of young love and the mysterious, swampy backdrops unique to Louisiana.
The swamp in Sterling's small Louisiana town proves to have a power over its inhabitants when her brother disappears and no one but Sterling even remembers that he existed. Now Sterling, with the help of brooding loner Heath, who's had his own creepy experience with the swamp, must fight back and reclaim what—and who—the swamp has taken.
Set in Louisiana, this paranormal thriller features a cursed swamp that “swallows” the protagonist’s brother. Parker creates an eerie Southern Gothic atmosphere that pulls readers into the haunting landscape of the bayou.
Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White's sleepy, seaside town . . . until River comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet's crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet's grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery . . . who makes you want to kiss back. Violet's already so knee-deep in love, she can't see straight. And that's just how River likes it.
In this Southern Gothic novel set in Louisiana, Violet White lives in a crumbling old house with a dark family history. When a mysterious stranger arrives, she is drawn into a tale of mystery and intrigue, fitting Louisiana’s gothic legacy.
Zoe, Jake, Mia, Gregor, and Whitney meet at freshman orientation. At the end of that first day, they make a promise to reunite after graduation. But so much can happen in those in-between years. . . . Zoe fears she will always be in her famous mother’s shadow. Jake struggles to find the right connections in friendship and in love. Mia keeps trying on new identities, looking for one that actually fits. Gregor thought he wanted to be more than just a band geek. And Whitney seems to have it all, until it’s all falling apart around her.
This contemporary novel takes place in the heart of Louisiana, where five high school friends make a pact to reconnect in four years. The Louisiana setting provides a rich, realistic backdrop as the characters navigate the joys and challenges of growing up..
Something is wrong with Marianne.
It's not just that her parents have finally split up. Or that life hasn't been the same since she quit dancing. Or even that her mother has checked herself into the hospital.
She's losing time. Doing things she would never do. And objects around her seem to break whenever she comes close. Something is after her. And the only one who seems to believe her is the daughter of a local psychic.
But their first attempt at an exorcism calls down the full force of the thing's rage. It demands Marianne give back what she stole. Whatever is haunting her, it wants everything she has―everything it's convinced she stole. Marianne must uncover the truth that lies beneath it all before the nightmare can take what it thinks it's owed, leaving Marianne trapped in the darkness of the other side.
In this atmospheric horror story, Louisiana’s mystical swamps and eerie landscapes play a major role. As the main character Marianne struggles with supernatural occurrences, the haunting Louisiana scenery intensifies the suspense and mystery of her journey.
For Ivy, summer means roller-coaster season, spinning cotton candy at the Fabuland amusement park, and hanging out with her best friend, Morgan. But this summer is different. One morning, Morgan finds a dead body. It's their former classmate and coworker Ethan. To make matters worse, Morgan is taken to a hospital psych ward only days later, and she's not saying much--not even to Ivy.
The police claim that Ethan simply took a bad fall, but Ivy isn't convinced and realizes it's up to her to get answers. What she finds is unsettling--it's clear that some people aren't being honest about Ethan's last night at Fabuland. Including Morgan. And the more secrets Ivy uncovers, the closer she gets to unraveling dark truths that will change her life forever.
This YA mystery is set in a small Louisiana town where Ivy’s best friend dies under suspicious circumstances at a theme park. Ivy investigates, diving into the town’s dark secrets and complicated relationships.
Fifteen-year-old Therese watches her parents die. While in a coma, she meets the twin sons of Hades—Hypnos, the god of sleep, and Thanatos, the god of death. She thinks she's manipulating a dream, not kissing the god of death and totally rocking his world. Than makes a deal with Hades and goes as a mortal to the Upperworld to try and win Therese's heart, but not all the gods are happy. Some give her gifts. Others try to kill her.The deal requires Therese to avenge the death of her parents. With the help of Than’s fierce and exotic sisters, the Furies, she finds herself in an arena face to face with the murderer, and only one will survive.
This fantasy book mixes Louisiana settings with Greek mythology. When Therese meets Thanatos, the god of death, her life in a small Louisiana town changes forever.
14-year-old Heath Lambert is spending his summer at Camp Harmony in the picturesque Cascade Mountain Valley. It's the perfect place to enjoy the soothing calm of nature as he weighs a heavy decision. The camp offers distractions: his friends, Cricket and Dunbar, always up for trouble; his reluctant crush on Emily, one half of the beautiful Em & Em Twins; and hulking bullies Thumper and Floaties, who are determined to make him their punching bag for the summer. But no one rattles Heath like his creepy cabin mate, Will Stringer. Brilliant, cold and calculating, Will views the world as one big chess game, and he's always three moves ahead of everyone else. Heath soon learns there's a much bigger threat to contend with. Something's wrong with the animals in the surrounding forest. A darkness is spreading, driving them mad with rage. Wolves, bears, mountain lions-even the chipmunks are infected, spurred on in droves by one horrific goal: hunt and kill every human they find. Heath and a ragtag band of campers are faced with a choice: follow Will's lead and possibly survive, or follow the camp staff and die. But how do you trust a leader when you suspect he's more dangerous than the animals you're running from? Heath came to Camp Harmony to be surrounded by nature. He's about to get his wish.
A horror novel set in the Louisiana backwoods, this YA thriller follows groups of campers who must survive against monstrous forces, using the swampy, tense backdrop of Louisiana to add to the atmosphere.
The Kingdom of Faerie has been sleeping for centuries, through the ages of iron and metal and glass. But now technology has failed, the digital world is over and, finally, something has disturbed the fae from slumber…Or should I say someone? Tabitha didn’t mean to start it all. She didn’t know what it was that she interrupted when she stumbled across the ritual in the woods. But that night everyone felt something shift, when she unleashed a force so powerful that it echoed across worlds…
Now the little folk have begun wreaking havoc, something old and terrible has woken up in the river, and a mysterious thief has come looking for Tabitha. Forced to leave her village in search of the fabled Iron City, home to the only humans who still have any memory of the fae, Tabitha’s only guide to this strange new world is A Compendium of Faerie, a book of fairytales left to her by her mother.
Will a simple book of stories be enough to defend Tabitha against this new world of magic?
Based in the Louisiana bayous, this fantasy novel tells the story of magical beings and river witches, featuring a lush setting with deep ties to Louisiana’s mystical landscape and folk traditions..
21 Atmospheric YA Books Set In Louisiana
If you are like us, we can’t get enough of books set in Louisiana. No matter your age, both adult and YA books set in Louisiana have amazing atmospheres.
From the lively streets of New Orleans, with its bustling Bourbon Street and festive Mardi Gras atmosphere, to the quieter charm of Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, these tales capture the spirit of Louisiana in so many ways.
You’ll find everything from thrilling murder investigations to heartfelt friendships, all set against the beautiful backdrop of the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River.
If you want to find more books, check out our books from the blog storefront.
21 Atmospheric YA Books Set In Louisiana
Whether you’re ready to do a deep dive into a gripping historical fiction piece, enter a haunted house, or enjoy a lighthearted tale of teenage girls navigating high school, there’s something for every young reader on this book list.
So, get ready to head to the big easy and let the enchanting stories of Louisiana transport you to a world filled with rich history, deep friendships, and unforgettable adventures!
If you are looking for more book recommendations, check out our book section of the blog.
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