Have you heard the news? Rick Riordan is gracing us with a new installment of the Percy Jackson series with The Chalice of the Gods this fall! That’s right, the original Lightning Thief trio—Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood—will be reuniting. The author has described the new book as a thank you to the readers: “I wanted it to be a book you all might actually love, a kind of ‘thank you’ for sticking with me all these years as you waited for a better PJO adaptation.” The new book follows Percy as he tries to make it into New Rome University with three letters of recommendation from the gods. With books that only get more dangerous in quests and challenges, one can only imagine the wonders and excitement that await us!
To keep your anticipation at bay, below is a round-up of compelling titles that give off Percy Jackson vibes. There’s a little bit of everything—romance, magic, secret societies, lore and mythology, dystopian realities, action, and mystery. Get your fill of adventure with these tales that will also satisfy your cravings for fantasy.
8 Books Like Percy Jackson
THAT WILL EXCITE AND ELECTRIFY YOU
1. Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood
Prepare to be swept away! Lies We Sing to the Sea is a Greek mythology-inspired queer story about imbalances of power, violence against women, and feminine rage. Sarah Underwood brings the best of both worlds in her beautiful and complex debut: an engaging plot and fleshed out characters who feel real. In these pages, a well-executed, organic love triangle is brought to life. With lyrical prose that tugs at your heartstrings, this novel will grab you and never let go.
This dazzling sapphic fantasy inspired by Greek mythology will captivate fans of Circe and The Song of Achilles.
Each spring, Ithaca condemns twelve maidens to the noose. This is the price vengeful Poseidon demands for the lives of Queen Penelope’s twelve maids, hanged and cast into the depths centuries ago.
But when that fate comes for Leto, death is not what she thought it would be. Instead, she wakes on a mysterious island and meets a girl with green eyes and the power to command the sea. A girl named Melantho, who says one more death can stop a thousand.
The prince of Ithaca must die—or the tides of fate will drown them all.
2. Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Lore can be described as a hybrid of Greek mythology and The Hunger Games. Add this to your TBR if you like strong female protagonists, enjoy the friends-to-lovers trope, and can relate to “Happiness” by Taylor Swift a bit all too well (no pun intended). It has everything a lover of fantasy could ask for—adventure, a sprinkling of romance, and mystery. This action-packed and blood-soaked story will keep you at the edge of your seat with its turns and twists. The author touches on strong feminist themes regarding the women who’ve often been excluded from ancient Greek lore: “Monsters lived in the shadows. To hunt them, you couldn’t be afraid to follow. And the only way to destroy them was to have the sharper teeth and the darker heart.”
Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths.
Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.
The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.
3. Crown of Oblivion by Julie Eshbaugh
Crown of Oblivion is recommended for lovers of Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, Red Queen, and The Scorpio Races. It touches on themes of social injustice and healthcare inequality. This dystopian story about survival is brought to life through vivid narration, providing a perfect balance of world and character building. The premise is inventive and full of suspense, action, and magic. Your heart will pound from beginning to end and you’ll stay up all night to devour the pages. Fans of enemies-to-lovers romance will be especially pleased.
In Lanoria, Outsiders, who don’t have magic, are inferior to Enchanteds, who do. That’s just a fact for Astrid, an Outsider who is indentured to pay off her family’s debts. She serves as the surrogate for the princess—if Renya steps out of line, Astrid is the one who bears the punishment for it.
But there is a way out: the life-or-death Race of Oblivion. First, racers are dosed with the drug Oblivion, which wipes their memories. Then, when they awake in the middle of nowhere, only cryptic clues—and a sheer will to live—will lead them through treacherous terrain full of opponents who wouldn’t think twice about killing each other to get ahead.
But what throws Astrid the most is what she never expected to encounter in this race. A familiar face she can’t place. Secret powers she shouldn’t have. And a confusing memory of the past that, if real, could mean the undoing of the entire social structure that has kept her a slave her entire life.
Competing could mean death…but it could also mean freedom.
4. Children Of Ragnarok by Cinda Williams Chima
If you’re part of the Percy Jackson fandom, then you’ll love this story full of epic adventure, mystery, and Norse mythology. Children of Ragnarok is a coming-of-age tale in which the characters assemble for an epic battle at the end of the world. This one will be loved by readers who appreciate well written characters and vivid world building.
Sweeping adventure, breathtaking twists of fate, and immersive worlds based in Norse mythology are woven into this first volume of the Runestone Saga, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Seven Realms and Shattered Realms series.
Since Ragnarok—the great war between the gods and the forces of chaos—the human realm of the Midlands has become a desperate and dangerous place, bereft of magic.
Sixteen-year-old Eiric Halvorsen is among the luckier ones—his family has remained prosperous. But he stands to lose everything when he’s wrongly convicted by a rigged jury of murdering his modir and stepfadir. Also at risk is Eiric’s half-systir, Liv, who’s under suspicion for her interest in seidr, or magic. Then a powerful jarl steps in: He will pay the blood price if Eiric will lead a mission to the fabled Temple at the Grove—the rich stronghold of the wyrdspinners, the last practitioners of sorcery.
Spellsinger, musician, and runecaster Reginn Eiklund has spent her life performing at alehouses for the benefit of her master, Asger, a fire demon she is desperate to escape. After one performance that amazes even herself, two wyrdspinners in the audience make Reginn an irresistible offer: return with them to the Temple to be trained in seidr, forever free of Asger.
Eiric’s, Liv’s, and Reginn’s journeys converge in New Jotunheim, a paradise fueled by magic and the site of the Temple. They soon realize that a great evil lurks beneath the dazzling surface and that old betrayals and long-held grudges may fuel another cataclysmic war. It will require every gift and weapon at their command to prevent it.
5. Set Fire to the Gods (Set Fire to the Gods, #1) by Sara Raasch & Kristen Simmons
If you’re looking for a new Percy Jackson-esque series to get addicted to, then look no further than Set Fire to the Gods. You’ll become deeply lost in these pages full of gods, gladiators, and elemental magic. It has everything your heart could desire: slow burn romance, twists and turns, betrayal, and heartfelt moments. Each character is complex and layered, including the side characters and villains.
Ash is descended from a long line of gladiators, and she knows the brutal nature of war firsthand. But after her mother dies in an arena, she vows to avenge her by overthrowing her fire god, whose temper has stripped her country of its resources.
Madoc grew up fighting on the streets to pay his family’s taxes. But he hides a dangerous secret: he doesn’t have the earth god’s powers like his opponents. His elemental gift is something else—something that hasn’t been seen in centuries.
When an attempted revenge plot goes dangerously wrong, Ash inadvertently throws the fire and earth gods into a conflict that can only be settled by deadly, lavish gladiator games, throwing Madoc in Ash’s path. She realizes that his powers are the weapon her rebellion needs—but Madoc won’t jeopardize his family, regardless of how intrigued he is by the beautiful warrior.
But when the gods force Madoc’s hand, he and Ash uncover an ancient war that will threaten more than one immortal—it will unravel the world.
6. Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera
Never Look Back is a powerful contemporary retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice, reimagined with Afro-Latinx characters and told through a dual POV. It explores the stigma of mental health inside the Latinx community, the cycle of emotional abuse, and the power of self-discovery. The author reminds us that we are all deserving of love and happiness.
Eury comes to the Bronx as a girl haunted. Haunted by losing everything in Hurricane Maria–and by an evil spirit, Ato. She fully expects the tragedy that befell her and her family in Puerto Rico to catch up with her in New York. Yet, for a time, she can almost set this fear aside, because there’s this boy . . .
Pheus is a golden-voiced, bachata-singing charmer, ready to spend the summer on the beach with his friends, serenading his on-again, off-again flame. That changes when he meets Eury. All he wants is to put a smile on her face and fight off her demons. But some dangers are too powerful for even the strongest love, and as the world threatens to tear them apart, Eury and Pheus must fight for each other and their lives.
7. The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
Reading The Sunbearer Trials will be the most fun , but it will also play with all your emotions. Aiden Thomas dazzles the reader with storytelling, beautiful descriptive writing, and an enchanting world. This story is action-packed and full of twists, touching on themes of friendship and complicated family dynamics. It’s an ode to the rebel—the perfect addition to your bookshelf if you can’t get enough of loveable, morally gray characters. With an ending like this one, you’ll be left anxious and ready for the next installment.
“Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. I’m just a Jade. I’m not a real hero.”
As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the chaotic Obsidian gods at bay. Sol selects ten of the most worthy semidioses to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all–they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body melted down to refuel the Sun Stones, protecting the world for another ten years.
Teo, a seventeen-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of the goddess of birds, isn’t worried about the Trials . . . at least, not for himself. His best friend, Niya is a Gold semidiós and a shoo-in for the Trials, and while he trusts her abilities, the odds of becoming the sacrifice is one-in-ten.
But then, for the first time in over a century, the impossible happens. Sol chooses not one, but two Jade competitors. Teo, and Xio, the thirteen-year-old child of the god of bad luck. Now they must compete in five trials against Gold opponents who are more powerful and better trained. Worst of all, Teo’s annoyingly handsome ex-best friend and famous semidiós Hero, Aurelio is favored to win. Teo is determined to get himself and his friends through the trials unscathed–for fame, glory, and their own survival.
8. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Legenborn is a spectacular debut that will have you hooked from beginning to end. Bree, the protagonist, is an inspiring lead, and her story unfolds in a world featuring a unique magic system on a campus with some serious dark academia vibes. Keep your tissues handy—this book is an emotional ride thatwill make you laugh and giddy with its sweet romance, too.
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC-Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape–until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
A flying demon feeding on human energies. A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down. And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts–and fails–to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.
The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.
She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets–and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down–or join the fight.