“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” Shakespeare.

Star-crossed lovers. Many stories have been written about them. The trope originally referred to a relationship that was destined to fail as in the case of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Many forbidden love situations keep couples apart like different social classes, wealth, race, religion, etc. Over the years, the trope has morphed to include happily ever after endings.

I’m thrilled to share my list of favorite star-crossed stories in the teen fantasy genre today.

1. Katniss and Peeta — The Hunger Games. With their “fake” romance during the game, they get the title, “The Star Crossed Lovers from District 12” because only one of them can survive. Though Katniss isn’t in love, or isn’t aware she is, with Peeta, the reader feels their connection and how Katniss grows to care for Peeta and the ending leaves us hopeful for their doomed future.

2. Clary and Jace — City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. With the television series starting this month, I couldn’t skip having these two lovers on my list. Clary is thrusted into a secret world, which is full of … secrets … about her and her family. She meets the swoon-worthy Jace and slowly falls for him. How sweet is that birthday scene, right? But of course, a revelation at the end tears them apart and I couldn’t wait to read the next book.

3. Rose and Dimitri — The Vampire Academy by Rachelle Mead. It’s a classic tale of the student and teacher relationship that is forbidden. Add, that being dhampirs, they must keep their heads straight to guard Lissa, a Moroi royal and Rose’s close friend, there’s no time for love between these two. Or is there?

4. Tris and Four — Divergent by Veronica Roth. Their attraction is evident as Tris struggles to become a Dauntless. The tension is amazing. We want Tris and Four together. Heck, who wouldn’t love a wounded bird like Four? Swoon. Okay, I’m going off thought here. But with their world changing around them and dangers mounting, they must put their romance aside and focus on stopping Erudite’s attack on Abnegation.

5. Katy and Daemon — Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The tension between these two is so hot, I felt like I had a fever. Their banter and Katy not putting up with his crap just made me love them more. Daemon is an alien and his kind isn’t supposed to be with humans. She’s a liability to him and his people. But oh we so want them to get together.

I hope you enjoyed my list. I have many more favorite star-crossed lover stories that I enjoyed reading, but if I included them all, this post would become a book. So what is your favorite one?

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Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, suddenly disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels—magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books—rescue them from a demonic hound.

Jumping into some of the world’s most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds. Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard, and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik’s world and her own, before both are destroyed.

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Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up are of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. So it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her family, she haunts libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or reads someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Brenda-Drake.com.