72 books like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

J.R.R. Tolkien's masterful storytelling is unmatched, and The Lord of the Rings weaves together moral dilemmas and profound philosophical ideas seamlessly, encouraging me to contemplate the nature of power, the importance of preserving the natural world, and the significance of individual choices.

The book's themes of heroism, friendship, sacrifice, and the struggle between good and evil resonate deeply. In addition, each of his characters feels like an aspect of oneself; the introspection it inspires is brilliant!

The Lord of the Rings instills a sense of wonder, ignites the imagination, and imparts timeless wisdom, which heavily transformed my perspective on life, my values, and my understanding of the human condition.

This book was recommended by a creative writing teacher as a perfect example of how a plot should develop – the three-act structure, the perfect arc of the story, the pace, with rising and falling tension and edge-of-the-cliff plot points. 

But I love it because of the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, surely one of the most endearing heroines in literature. It’s a classic story of a character overcoming all the odds, and while it’s widely perceived as a dystopian novel for young adults, I found it much more than that.

I was gripped by Katniss and her challenges – all of which she finds a way to overcome – as well as the enormous themes of poverty, oppression, war, and survival. She’s young but steely, resourceful, clever, and feisty. 

This first book in The Dresden Files gets everything right straight out of the box, grounding this urban fantasy series with a likable and believable protagonist—despite the fact that he’s a professional wizard—as well as a terrific supporting cast that ranges from a chillingly urbane mob boss to a zany, pizza-obsessed fairy helper. 

Harry Dresden’s snappy, irreverent narration makes every scene pop, and—best of all—Jim Butcher’s conception of magic works. Its mechanics are easily understood, allowing its uses and limitations to drive the plot forward and ratchet up the tension. An old-fashioned hero in a modern setting, Harry Dresden set my personal bar for how to make magic feel real.

The recommendation might seem out of place because Leviathan Wakes is sci-fi rather than fantasy, but James S.A. Corey’s incredible series has all the elements of an unforgettable D&D campaign – strangers thrown together to solve a mystery that threatens the very fabric of life and non-stop action full of twists.

This series is a master-class in world building and storytelling.

Whilst the Lord of the Rings trilogy should be read as one story, my favourite of the series is the second book, The Two Towers.

I loved the separation of our characters and the focus on one narrative concerning one group in its entirety before we see what happens to the other group. It was a new way of reading when I first read The Two Towers.

Prior, my encounter with books containing multiple storylines saw intercut sections, switching from one set of characters to the other.

I particularly enjoyed the overarching dread surrounding the story of Frodo, Sam, and Gollum. For me, there were many gut-wrenching moments when hope fizzled away. The character building in these moments is exquisite.

Beautifully written and well worth a read.

The reason I fell in love with George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire goes hand in hand with why I love J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. GRRM’s series builds upon the work of his classic contemporary, layering a darker, grittier veil over the genre of epic fantasy. A Dance with Dragons, in my opinion, further builds upon the subject of power and politics as well as duty and honour. The “relativity of evil” is something that particularly stands out in this fifth installment, which is constructed so brilliantly and so effectively, it has completely changed the way I build grey and morally ambiguous characters. Its soft magic system, featuring things such as “greensight”, “shadow-binding” and “face-changing” is one of my favourite magic systems in ages.

It jerked back, and there was a sickening feeling in her stomach as the stick curved away towards the mountains.

There are five books in the Tiffany Aching series, but this one, Book 2, is my favorite because it’s when Tiffany really rolls up her sleeves as a witch—it also marks her first time riding a broom, but, in a delightful twist, Tiffany doesn’t like it. It’s not because she’s afraid of heights, it’s because she’s afraid of falling. Not to worry, even though she’s not an expert broom flyer, Tiffany has plenty of magical friends to rely on throughout the series: a lawyer who has been permanently transformed into a toad and has a penchant for cursing (“croap”), Horace the cheese, Miss Level (a witch of two bodies and one mind), and the ever-delightful Wee Free Men (they can escape from anywhere . . . except a pub).… show more.

Yup. ACOTAR. At first, I wasn’t going to add this to my list because of its popularity and how many people already know about its awesomeness, but I can’t help myself.

Feyre is the queen of getting it done—no matter what “it” is. I specifically like A Court of Mist and Fury more, but again, this is a series that builds on itself so starting with ACOTAR is a must. I love Maas’s world and the romance that unfolds, and she was a big inspiration for me because I have been writing fantasy romances for years.

So, to see one out there in the world getting the traction it does (with a heroine who has agency, no less), I was thrilled.

As a former teacher, I loved the idea of the aptitude test, but of course this test is different.

Divergent follows the story of Tris, who has a choice to make among the different factions of her nation. I love this plot. I also enjoyed the twist and turns of the day of her choosing. I might not have been brave as her. LOL.

Also, I appreciate that Tris and Four had a slow-burn romance. The world felt believable, and Tris learns her decisions can bring consequences, not just to herself but also to those she cares about. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that as well.

This novel is so much more than a funny and heart-breaking mystery involving three very different women with kids attending the same kindergarten.

Celeste is a victim of gaslighting and sexual abuse by her wealthy husband and she demonstrates only too well how difficult it is for victims to leave their abusers who have convinced them that how they see the world is wrong and their abuser is right.

Jane, a reclusive and timid single mom, is the victim of a rape that changed her life and personality. She has kept the rape a secret and it haunts her, until she finally confronts the man who did it. These very moving themes are offset by the humorous tone of the novel. It’s a joy to read.