77 books like Outcast

This book is brain candy. Rick’s writing style immediately pulled me into the story. First-person is hard to do right without going overboard, but Rick set the perfect balance of action and internal voice. It also helps that the relationship between Percy’s stepfather and mine was as close to identical as a fantasy novel can get.

And while I know it’s not the first to do it, this was the first middle-grade book I read where the main character was neurodivergent and dealing with a lot of the same issues that I did and that many of my students do as well.

I loved this book because it involved a female main character who learns she has a unique ability and is swept into a world of magic and myth. I read this book as a teenager and read it again when I was older because I still think about its storyline to this day. The MC’s gift is unique and something I still have not seen in any other book.

This story also includes some of my favorite paranormal/mythical creatures: vampires, werewolves, fae, etc. Although the setting is not an actual academy, I liked how the camp she goes to is set up to teach her how to use her gifts just like an academy would. I also loved the element of mystery in this story and the series. 

This book was the first time I saw elements and mythical creatures mentioned together, and I grew up loving both. Although I read this as a kid, I still think about this series frequently.

The main character is unique because she is a companion to all mythical creatures and regular animals instead of just one type, and I found that super cool. The descriptions and storyline of her power made me wish I had it, too. I liked how many mythical creatures I got to read about in this book, and it helped spur my interest in them even more.

I also like it when the MC in books is oblivious to the magical world but gets dragged into it because I get to learn about it alongside them.  

This was the first book series I read with an academy that included magic and mythology, and it sparked my interest in those kinds of books. I also love learning about Nike, the goddess of Victory, and psychometry magic, which I have never read about anywhere else. I wish I could touch something and learn its history as the MC does.

I like the romance in the story and how the main character, who is an outcast, slowly starts to find long-lasting friends. I also like how she learns about and develops her unique power and becomes a goddess’ champion. I have read the series about three times. 

As the late 1970s popularity of fantastic creatures continued to spread, professor Malcolm South edited a research guide that follows twenty imaginary animals and creatures through time. The substantial 1987 book is highly schematic in South’s earnest attempt to sum up what was known about particular mythical beasts and imaginary creatures during their recent surge in popularity. Illustrations, a glossary, and even a taxonomy supplement specialists’ articles and bibliographies about creatures from the unicorn and other major mythical animals to the vampire and werewolf, giants, and fairies. 

All my previous recommended books are cited in South’s sourcebook. I’ve been much indebted to it for research leads over the years and highly recommend it as a standard source for any reader following mythical beasts and other creatures.

I adore it when characters name inanimate objects, be it weapons or their cars; take my money, I’m all in. London, the kickass knight at the heart of this series, is the heroine I needed. Armed with her trusty axe, Babe, and an unwavering moral compass, London isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty in the name of what is right.

I love everything about this book, including the phenomenal world-building and a kick-butt female protagonist to root for. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the sun is forever obscured, allowing vampires to reign supreme, London captured my attention from the very first page.

I love her courage, strength, and determination, all of which make her an unforgettable character. And I loved Babe, the axe. 

I’ve always been a fan of vampire stories and the related lore. From Dracula to Buffy to Anne Rice, I love all the different takes on vampire mythology, so The Incurables was a really neat book to discover. It takes a different approach to vampire lore, making it a viral disease that affects certain people based on their biology. The main character, Eveleen, contracts the disease and is put in an underground bunker with other infected, as the government tries to cure them, but there are much darker forces at play, and conspiracies to uncover and escapes to plan. The story was dark and twisty with threads of romance and really high stakes, and basically everything I love about vampire stories. 

K.F. Breene is one of those authors that once you read one of her books, you need to binge on the rest. Her heroines are strong, sassy, deeply flawed, and honestly don’t give a crap.

The dialogue in these is great, and there are laugh-out-loud moments that keep you turning pages.

In Grey, Gabrian doesn’t believe in magic. She’s a psychologist, and proud to be one. She bases her life on logic, but when things start to happen that she can’t explain, she finds herself in a whirlwind of magic. The way that Gabrian slowly comes to the truth is probably my favorite part of this book. As a Borrower, she’s considered not just a magical being, but a dangerous one. At first, she doesn’t handle this well and takes on the role of an anti-hero, nearly villain which was an interesting way to not only build Gabrian’s character but to introduce the truth of the magical world as well.

I listened to this series on audiobook a few years ago and it had me in stitches the whole time. 

The characters are funny, well rounded and the steam is A+. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy these as much as I did, but I think I giddily consumed at least 8 of them before I came up for air.