While Harry Potter is credited as the series that got millions of kids reading, which books will keep the spark alive? Click to discover what lies beyond the wizarding world!
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than a decade since the last Harry Potter book debuted. Although J.K. Rowling has done an extraordinary job at providing Potterheads with more insight into the wizarding world with Fantastic Beasts, the Cursed Child, and numerous supplementary text, nothing seems to draw readers into a world of magic and adventure quite like the original series did. So the real question remains: what’s next?
If you’re looking for an extension to the magic, adventure, and feisty young heroes, we might have just the thing for you. Light a candle, warm-up your butterbeer, and snuggle in as you discover the next magical world worth escaping into!
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For Those Who Can’t Quite Let Go: The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
If you were intrigued by the long life lived by Nicolas Flamel, then this is the perfect series to continue your fantasy journey. While the story isn’t a continuation of the close friend of Albus Dumbledore, both J.K. Rowling and Michael Scott drew inspiration from the same historical source, helping to create an unforgettable character.
While records show that Nicolas Flamel died in 1418, his tomb stands empty, and the curious soul can find him quietly tending a bookstore in San Fransisco. The secret to eternal life is discreetly hidden away within the book he protects, the Book of Abraham the Mage, one of the most influential books in the world it has the power to create or destroy. Join Josh and Sophie, Flamels shop assistant and the barista across the street, as they find themselves thrown into a war with Golems, Wereboars, and other extraordinary creatures. Do they have what it takes to fulfill the prophecy and save the world? You’ll have to journey through the series to find out.
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Another Protege but a New World: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Name of the Wind follows the life of Kvothe, a young boy who grows up to be a powerful magician, sound familiar? Well-loved for its use of nested storytelling, this series will draw you in as the main character narrates his own life’s adventure. From being orphaned at a young age when his family, a traveling troupe of players, is murdered by what is thought to be only legendary creatures, to his acceptance into the legendary school of magic, and his life after as a fugitive after killing a king - this story will keep you captivated with its twists, turns, and poetic form.
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Similar Story for an Older Audience: The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Originally marketed as the Harry Potter for grown-ups, this is simultaneously true and very false. While it does have a magical school, Brakebills, this is about where the similarities stop. A senior in high school, Quentin obsesses over the usual things most young men his age do - girls, college, and the occasional fantasy world. Enthralled by a magical land called Fillory, he is taken aback when he gains admittance into the only magical college in the country. While this story may be far from the mythical lands we loved in Harry Potter, it is highly relatable as Quentin navigates college dealing with friendships, sex, boredom, and the realization that what he thought he always wanted might not be what he was meant to do. Dive into your next obsession as Lev Grossman shows us that good and evil aren’t always black and white, true power comes at a true cost, and love and sex are more complicated than the movies make them out to be.
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Hermoine Granger Would Approve: A Thinking Girl’s Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker
If you’ve ever wondered what a story written by Hermoine Granger would be like, then Emily Barker’s A Thinking Girl’s Guide to Real Magic is the next book for you. Nora Fischer finds herself in the unenviable position of being blocked on her dissertation, her ex-boyfriend about to marry another woman, and the dreaded prospect of spending the weekend at another friend’s wedding when she accidentally stumbles through a portal to another universe. What at first seems to be an idyllic fairy tale quickly turns on its head as Nora finds herself in the middle of a feud between humans and fae. Faced with the daunting task of mastering magic, Nora must set aside everything she thought she knew if she is to survive and find a way home.
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What Happens After the Villain Has Won: The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson
Have you ever wondered what the world might have been like if Lord Voldemort had taken power? Well, for those who wonder what happens when the bad guy wins, the Mistborn series is for you. The start of the series focuses on the Final Empire, a world where the Lord Ruler reigns over his subjects with an iron fist and has done so for more than a millennia. Enslaved since the start of the Lord Rulers reign, the Skaa live in utter misery. Despite all the cards stacked against him, a half-Skaa named Kelsier uncovers magical powers buried within himself. With a newfound resolution, Kelsier sets out to remove the Lord Ruler once and for all. With a well-developed magic system that provides far more detail and understanding than anything in the Potter Universe, Mistborn does a beautiful job at making its characters not only relatable in the dystopian world but at crafting a world that is easy to fall into headfirst. If you’re looking for your next magic obsession, look no further.
