Anyone who has spent any amount of time on the bookish side of social media—better known as BookTok, BookTube, or Bookstagram—probably knows Sarah J. Maas and her Crescent City series.
And because every book Maas has ever put out absolutely burns through the Internet the second it’s released into the world, the fact that the latest Crescent City installment, House of Flame and Shadow, was published at the end of January 2024 should also come as no surprise.
The series started in 2020 with House of Earth and Blood and continued in 2022 with House of Sky and Breath. It should be the final book of what is supposed to be a trilogy, even though Maas has hinted that there might actually be another book in the works—what with each novel being named after one of the Houses in the Crescent City world and there being one house missing, the House of Many Waters.
So in the meantime, here’s a reading guide if you’re looking for something once House of Flame and Shadow is over, before that potential next book. Assembled here is a collection of fourteen titles, all in random order and in various shades of fantasy—and all, I have to admit, books that I’ve liked much more than Crescent City. Let’s get into it.
A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas
The most obvious choice if you’re looking for a new series to read after finishing Crescent City is, of course, another series by the same author—even though it’s highly unlikely that anyone who has dived into the neighborhoods of Lunathion hasn’t toured the fae courts of Prythian before, especially with how beloved this particular saga is.
In any case, here’s a rundown for anyone who has never heard of the Archeron sisters or the infamous bat boys. A Court of Thorns and Roses is Sarah J. Maas’s second series, chronologically, and her most popular one. It currently consists of four main novels—A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin and A Court of Silver Flames—and one novella, A Court of Frost and Starlight, sandwiched between the last two books, even though the story is definitely far from over.
The plot starts when Feyre Archeron, a human girl, gets swept off into the world of the fae, filled with curses to break, incredibly aesthetic courts, and stupidly beautiful men. If you haven’t picked it up before, ACOTAR is definitely the series to read after Crescent City. It has all the Maas hallmarks, both when it comes to the storytelling and to the relationships, but it’s also slightly more coherent as a whole.
Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass was actually the first series that Maas published, a story that started out as a Cinderella retelling and then expanded into an adventure that covers seven books—namely Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, and Kingdom of Ash—and one novella, The Assassin’s Blade.
The story is more high fantasy-flavoured than either Crescent City or ACOTAR, even though you’ll still find the by-now usual Maas hallmarks when it comes to characters, relationships and plot. The plot kicks off when famed assassin Celaena Sardothien is released from a prison camp to compete in a deadly contest—but of course, there’s a massive Pandora’s Box of backstory waiting to be revealed that starts with Celaena not really being who she claims to be.
The Shadowhunter Chronicles, Cassandra Clare
If you want some more urban fantasy and love that your characters fight monsters while living among skyscrapers, then sooner or later you will inevitably land on Cassandra Clare’s The Shadowhunter Chronicles.
A massive fictional world spanning six main sagas and a number of companion books, it tells the story of a version of our world where demons and fairytale creatures are very much real—and so are the half-human half-angel warriors known as shadowhunters, tasked with fighting them and keeping humanity safe.
In its in-universe chronological order, the sagas go from The Infernal Devices to The Last Hours to The Mortal Instruments to The Eldest Curses to The Dark Artifices to The Wicked Powers—the latter of which, together with the last book of the Eldest Curses trilogy, has been announced but not published yet.
So if you like modern urban fantasy, you should start from The Mortal Instruments and work your way down, going from the early 2000s of the very first book, City of Bones, to the mid-2010s of the announced The Last Shadowhunter. If you prefer some period drama to be sprinkled in as well, then the first two sagas are the ones you should start with, since they take place from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor
Another urban fantasy classic of the young adult inclination, the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy—consisting of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Days of Blood and Starlight and Dreams of Gods and Monsters—is set in Prague and follows protagonist Karou, who has distinct blue hair and works as a collector of teeth for half-human, half-animal creatures.
She becomes entangled in a war of biblical proportions—quite literally, since it involves angel-like beings called Seraphim that aren’t really the good ones—that spills into our world from a parallel universe, forever changing our own reality. And of course, one of those Seraphim warriors is also the one she’ll form a relationship with.
Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor
The first installment of author Nnedi Okorafor’s Nsibidi Scripts Series—which continues with Akata Warrior and Akata Woman—Akata Witch is an urban fantasy novel steeped in Nigerian folklore and magic. The story follows tween Sunny Nwazue, who was born in the United States but is growing up in Nigeria and who discovers that she has peculiar magical abilities that make her part of a community of individuals known as the Leopard People.
Of course, she first has to understand the ins and outs of this community, as well as learn to control and expand her powers—and when you throw a magical serial killer in the mix, you know you’re in for a true adventure.
Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros
Looking for more tall dark and patronising brooding love interests and quippy one-liners in a world that is technically fantasy but also incredibly modern? Then look no further than Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing and its sequel, Iron Flame—the first two installments of what is supposed to be a five-book saga.
The story follows Violet Sorrengail as she enrolls in the most dangerous division of the already lethal Basgiath War College—the rider quadrant, where cadets learn how to ride dragons and fly them into battle in the ongoing war between their kingdom and their neighboring country. Of course, Violet will soon discover that not all is as the government tells her, and that the college’s resident shadow-wielding bad boy doesn’t seem very inclined to kill her but rather protect her and cherish her.
Legendborn, Tracy Deonn
The first book of the Legendborn series by Tracy Deonn—which continues with Bloodmarked and will conclude with a yet-unnamed book to be published in 2025—follows our protagonist Bree Matthews as she tries to deal with the grief of her mother’s passing by burying herself in work at a college residential program for bright high schoolers.
That is until she witnesses a monster attack and discovers a whole secret society of people that call themselves Legendborn and are actually descendants of King Arthur’s knights—a society to which she finds out she belongs. If you’re looking for another book with undiscovered powers, otherworldly threats and unlikely partnerships, then you should definitely give Legendborn a try.
The Lunar Chronicles, Marissa Meyer
Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles stands at the intersection of urban fantasy, sci-fi, and fairytale retelling, and while it’s not very recent—published between 2012 and 2016—it remains a staple of the young adult genre.
Each of the series’ four main novels—Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter—follows the protagonist of the same name who are none other than reimaginings of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White as they navigate their world, from the ultra-technological New Beijing to the Kingdom of Luna. Eventually, they all come together to defeat an evil queen and restore a long-lost princess to her rightful throne—all while finding romance and forging lifelong bonds of friendship, of course.
Labyrinth Lost, Zoraida Córdova
In Labyrinth Lost, author Zoraida Córdova tells us the story of Alex, an incredibly powerful bruja—the most powerful of her generation, actually, except that she wants nothing to do with magic and would try anything to rid herself of it. But of course, the spell she prepares to do just that backfires spectacularly, and her whole family vanishes into thin air. To get them back, she has to team up with a brujo that she doesn’t particularly trust but whose help she definitely needs.
The book is the first installment in the Brooklyn Brujas series, which continues with Bruja Born and Wayward Witch.
A Darker Shade of Magic, V.E. Schwab
If you want to read about more traveling between worlds, then you should definitely pick up V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series, consisting of novels A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Darkness, and A Conjuring of Light.
The story follows Kell, one of the last of a particular type of magicians who possess the ability to travel between parallel Londons—Red London, brimming with magic; White London, with its bloody and cutthroat government; Grey London, where George III rules and there’s no magic left; and also the lost Black London.
After an encounter in Grey London with street thief Delilah Bard, the two find themselves entangled in a plot that could destroy not just Kell’s Red London but all of the worlds—adventure, heartbreak, and magic ensue.
Warbreaker, Brandon Sanderson
A household name in the fantasy world, Brandon Sanderson is well known for his intricate worldbuilding and incredibly detailed magic systems. Warbreaker, a standalone novel that’s still part of his wider Cosmere narrative universe, might be the perfect entry point for anyone who would otherwise feel a bit scared by Sanderson’s massive sagas.
The story follows two sisters, who are princesses of the land of Idris—with one of them sent on a forced betrothal to the God King of their world and the other determined to save her sister from such a fate. Add magic based on each individual’s personal essence, reluctant gods returned to life after a glorious death in battle, and a plot to spark a war, and you have all the elements you need for a grand fantasy adventure.
The Hurricane Wars, Thea Guanzon
If you want some good old-fashioned enemies-turned-reluctant allies-turned-eventual lovers, then the recently-published The Hurricane Wars—the first installment of a series of the same name—by author Thea Guanzon should definitely earn a spot on your TBR. The story follows young Talasyn, a rebel fighter against the might of the fearsome Night Empire and wielder of light magic long believed to be forgotten. Her powers and her mysterious past will lead her to an inevitable clash with the Night Emperor’s heir, Prince Alaric, armed with Shadow Magic that is the exact mirror of Talasyn. A sweeping romance, obviously, ensues.
The Mirror Visitor, Christelle Dabos
The four books of The Mirror Visitor series, by French author Christelle Dabos—A Winter’s Promise, The Missing of Clairedelune, The Memory of Babel, and The Storm of Echoes—tell a story of love and courage and unique magic in an incredibly peculiar fantasy world.
It all starts with Ophelia, who lives in a place where objects have souls and who has the power to communicate with those souls, as well as travel through mirrors. Her somewhat peaceful life as a museum curator screeches to a halt when her family informs her she has been betrothed—her intended is Thorn, serious and stern and hailing from the freezing Pole. And that’s how Ophelia finds herself hurtling through court intrigues, long-lost magic, and tales of generational trauma, all while she discovers she might actually have feelings for her husband.
Magic Knight Rayearth, CLAMP
Finishing off this list is a manga, by the collective of authors known as CLAMP. The six volumes of Magic Knight Rayearth—divided into two series—tell the story of three normal schoolgirls in Tokyo who, one day, fall through space and onto the magical realm of Cephiro, which only they can save.
That’s because they can transform into three powerful Magic Knights, complete with elemental powers and legendary swords. Through a series of battles—both against monsters and their inner demons, as every good hero’s journey should have—they will indeed restore Cephiro, and then come back to do it all again.
(featured image: Bloomsbury)
