If you liked
Books like Children of Blood and Bone
by Tomi Adeyemi
Children of Blood and Bone is Tomi Adeyemi's blockbuster debut, a West-African-inspired fantasy where a teenage girl fights to bring magic back to a kingdom that outlawed it. Big magic, big stakes, big feelings. If you want more epic YA fantasy with a heroine and a rebellion, read on.
The shortlist
What to read next
Six of Crowsby Leigh Bardugo
“Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo 2015 review. A crew of six outcasts attempts an impossible heist in the corrupt city of Ketterdam. The YA fantasy heist novel that defined the contemporary Grishaverse and made Bardugo the major YA fantasy writer of her generation.”
The Cruel Princeby Holly Black
“The Cruel Prince by Holly Black 2018 review. Jude Duarte, a human raised in the High Court of Faerie, navigates Prince Cardan's cruel politics. Canonical contemporary YA romantasy.”
Fourth Wingby Rebecca Yarros
“Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 2023 review. Violet Sorrengail, a fragile scribe, is forced into the brutal dragon-riding war college. The first book of the Empyrean series and the romantasy novel that defined the 2023-2024 BookTok moment.”
The Priory of the Orange Treeby Samantha Shannon
“The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 2019 review. A standalone epic fantasy across four kingdoms preparing for the return of a banished ancient dragon. Canonical contemporary literary epic fantasy.”
A Court of Thorns and Rosesby Sarah J. Maas
“A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 2015 review. A human huntress is taken to the faerie kingdom of Prythian after killing a wolf in the woods. The first ACOTAR book and the romantasy series that set the table for the genre's BookTok-era explosion.”
The Fifth Seasonby N. K. Jemisin
“The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin 2015 review. On a continent where seismic activity defines life, three women's stories converge as a fifth season begins. Hugo Best Novel 2016, the first volume of the Broken Earth trilogy, and the most important fantasy debut of the 2010s.”
FAQ
Common questions about Children of Blood and Bone read-alikes
- I want another found-family adventure.
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo drops a crew of teenage criminals into an impossible heist, each with a distinct voice and a wound to hide. It is the go-to next read for the ensemble-and-stakes energy of Children of Blood and Bone.
- I want the romance and the courts.
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas bring the intrigue and the slow-burn romance. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros adds dragons and a lethal war college. All three keep the propulsive pacing.
- I want to grow into adult epic fantasy.
- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon and The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin are the next rungs up: bigger worlds, more political weight, magic systems with real depth. Jemisin especially channels the same anger at injustice that drives Adeyemi.
- Is the magic system a big part of the appeal?
- Yes, and if that is what you loved, The Fifth Season builds its power on tectonic control with rigorous rules, while The Priory of the Orange Tree runs a rich classical high-fantasy system. Both reward readers who read for the magic.
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