Next Read Club15 Books Like Harry Potter for Adults
You want magic, an immersive world, characters worth hundreds of pages — but you've grown up a little since your first trip to Hogwarts.
There is a very specific feeling Harry Potter creates.
You want magic. You want an immersive world. You want characters you can spend hundreds of pages with.
But maybe you've grown up a little since your first trip to Hogwarts.
If you're looking for fantasy with some of that same sense of discovery but more mature themes, here are fifteen books to explore.
1.
The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss
A legendary story about a gifted musician, magician, and storyteller.
Explore this book →2.
The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern
A mysterious magical competition set inside a traveling circus. Atmospheric, romantic, and beautifully strange.
Explore this book →A Darker Shade of Magic
V.E. Schwab
3.
A Darker Shade of Magic
V.E. Schwab
Multiple versions of London, magic, adventure, and a world that is much bigger than it first appears.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
V.E. Schwab
4.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
V.E. Schwab
A young woman makes a supernatural bargain and lives through centuries of history.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Susanna Clarke
5.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Susanna Clarke
Historical fantasy about magic, ambition, and two very different magicians.
The Poppy War
R.F. Kuang
6.
The Poppy War
R.F. Kuang
Much darker fantasy inspired by Chinese history and military conflict.
7.
Mistborn: The Final Empire
Brandon Sanderson
An accessible epic fantasy featuring a fascinating magic system and a rebellion against an apparently unbeatable ruler.
Explore this book →The Priory of the Orange Tree
Samantha Shannon
8.
The Priory of the Orange Tree
Samantha Shannon
Dragons, political intrigue, magic, and an enormous fantasy world.
The Once and Future King
T.H. White
9.
The Once and Future King
T.H. White
A classic Arthurian fantasy exploring power, leadership, and morality.
10.
Circe
Madeline Miller
Greek mythology reimagined through the perspective of Circe.
Explore this book →
11.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Neil Gaiman
A short, atmospheric fantasy about childhood, memory, and strange supernatural forces.
Explore this book →The Golden Compass
Philip Pullman
12.
The Golden Compass
Philip Pullman
A brilliant fantasy adventure involving parallel worlds, magic, and questions about authority.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Scott Lynch
13.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Scott Lynch
Fantasy with elaborate schemes, friendship, crime, and plenty of humor.
The City of Brass
S.A. Chakraborty
14.
The City of Brass
S.A. Chakraborty
A richly imagined fantasy involving djinn, politics, magic, and an ancient city.
15.
The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien
If what you really miss is the feeling of going on an adventure in a magical world, start here.
Explore this book →Which one should you read first?
If you want romance and atmosphere: The Night Circus. If you want epic fantasy: Mistborn. If you want something dark: The Poppy War. If you want mythology: Circe. If you want pure adventure: The Hobbit.
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