There’s a single fraught moment in any book nerd’s life where they have to face the deepest satisfaction, anxiety, dread, and bittersweet tears they’d ever known: finishing Harry Potter.
Leaving J.K. Rowling’s magical, fantastical world is a huge burden to bear, but there is some comfort in knowing you’re not alone. All of us Potterheads have been there. And whether we’re finishing the series for the first time or are on our 100th re-read, the emotions that come with its end just don’t go away. So, we banded together to come up with the perfect solution to fill that lightning scar-shaped hole in your heart—start a new magical read!
While it will be forever daunting to try and recapture the wonder of Hogwarts, there are quite a few series out there today that are compelling, funny, and will teach you some important things about life—AKA everything we love about Harry Potter!
8 Series Like ‘Harry Potter’:
1. Divergent by Veronica Roth
If you’ve always wanted to put the sorting hat on and take personality quizzes like it’s your job, you need to read the Divergent series!
Beatrice is just your average girl trying to live in a post-apocalyptic world. Her society is broken down into five factions, each with a distinct personality: Abnegation (selfless), Amity (peaceful), Candor (honest), Dauntless (brave), and Erudite (intelligent).
Most people choose to stay in the faction that they’re born into, but Tris has never been one to follow the crowd, and she decides to leave her faction to try something different. Forced to leave her family behind, Tris will have to learn the rules of her new home while also hiding a dark secret that could bring her fragile society to its knees.
2. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
If you have an affinity for Slytherins, you’ll do well in the Faerie court from Holly Black’s Folk of the Air series.
Jude’s parents were murdered when she was just a child, after which she was whisked away to the sinister Court of Faerie, and that’s the least of her problems. Jude desperately wants to join the Court, but mortals are despised by the Faerie world, particularly the cruel Prince Cardan. To win her place and secure her future, Jude will need to play a dangerous game of deception, and defy the prince for whom she has some very complicated feelings.
3. Nocturna by Maya Motayne
If you love the idea of being the Chosen One, you need to dive into Nocturna, the sweeping Latinx debut fantasy we’ve been waiting for—and the first in a trilogy!
Finn Voy is a loner by choice, not to mention being a master of disguise, thanks to her magical shape-shifting powers. Unfortunately, even the most skilled magician can make mistakes, and one day she finds herself captured by the mob and faced with an impossible mission: use her abilities to steal a treasure from the royal palace or lose her life. When Finn runs into Prince Alfie, a royal fascinated by her forbidden magic powers, they’ll accidentally unleash an ancient evil that threatens the entire world.
4. The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
Alternatively, if the idea of being the Chosen One makes you break out in a cold sweat, you should check out this irreverent novel by award-winning author Patrick Ness.
Mikey is a regular guy who wants to make it to graduation without trouble, but that’s kind of tricky with a genius kid sister, an older sister dealing with a serious disease, and a best friend who considers himself a cat whisperer. The Rest of Us Just Live Here is about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary and discovering that maybe you’re more important than you think, even if you aren’t a boy wizard destined to save the world.
5. The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman
If you’ve had daydreams of what it would be like to attend a magic school and live in a world filled with fantastic beasts, witches, and wizards, then you’re a lot like Quentin Coldwater, the sometimes-hero of The Magicians series, who’s a lot like our old pal Harry.
Quentin is a high school math wiz who has no interest in taking his skills to college. Instead, he’d rather pine after his best friend and imagine what life would be like in Fillory, a magical world from his favorite children’s book series. When Quentin aces a mysterious examination with flying colors and is granted entrance to Brakebills, a college of magic, his life turns upside down, and he soon learns that Fillory is all too real — and much more sinister than he’d ever imagined possible.
Combining elements of both the Harry Potter and Narnia series, the Magicians trilogy is a must-read for fantasy fans everywhere. And who knows? You just might find yourself imagining life at Brakebills as often as you imagined studying at Hogwarts.
6. The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney
Have you ever imagined going to battle against the forces of evil like Harry did with Voldy? Read this series if you want to read another series that will have you dreaming of unbelievable feats of heroism, where you save your friends and family using mystical powers.
Tom Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son, which means he’s been chosen by fate to become a Spook, a master of the supernatural arts who constantly struggles against The Dark, an evil force that uses witches, goblins, and ghouls to wreak havoc across the world.
But before Tom can fulfill his destiny, he’ll have to survive the tutelage of John Gregory, the current Spook, whose previous apprentices have met less-than-desirable ends. Over this 14-book series, Tom will master his powers, battle against the minions of The Dark, and get help along the way from the mysterious assassin Grimalkin, and Alice Deane, a young woman who will prove that not all witches are bad.
7. Killer Unicorns by Diana Peterfreund
If you’re an absolute die-hard Harry Potter fan like we are, then you’ve probably spent YEARS pondering what you’d do if you ever met a unicorn in the woods. In the Killer Unicorns duology, the answer is to flee like you’re being chased by a Death Eater. The two volumes in this series take everything you thought you knew about unicorns and flip it on its head. In fact, after you finish these books, you may find yourself running away screaming at the mere mention of the word unicorn!
Astrid Llewelyn is just your typical teenage girl. Oh yeah, except for the fact that she’s a descendant of Alexander the Great and has been trained her entire life to kill unicorns. In this frightening world, unicorns are as tall as elephants, are virtually invulnerable, and have a poisonous horn that they love to use on unsuspecting humans.
When Astrid’s boyfriend decides to leave the cloisters where she was raised and her best friend’s powers vanish without a trace, our heroine will finally get the chance to prove her mettle in a world filled with monsters and magic. On a quest for the mysterious Remedy, Astrid will have to challenge everything she thought she knew, including whether unicorns are actually as evil as she’d been led to believe.
8. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
If you’ve just finished the Harry Potter series, you’re well aware that in the last book it seems like evil just might triumph over good. If you’ve wondered what you would do in a situation where the forces of darkness have managed to take over, you’re going to love the first entry in the Legacy of Orïsha series by Tomi Adeyemi.
Magic and tragedy are two things Harry Potter and Zélie Adebola have in common. At one time, Orïsha was filled with the magic of the maji, who could wield the powers of nature and even held command over life and death. But the power of the maji threatened the king, and one fateful night, he ordered them all killed, including Zélie’s mother.
Years have passed since the maji were killed and magic wiped from the face of Orïsha. Life has grown steadily harder for Zélie and her remaining family, but hope, as always, cannot be extinguished. There is one last chance that magic can be restored, the maji reborn, and the wicked king defeated so Orïsha may thrive again. Zélie must race against time to bring back magic to her land before the king’s son is able to erase it for good.
Are there any books we missed that all Harry Potter fans should read? Let us know in the comments below!