The article highlights modern fantasy series that evoke Harry Potter’s sense of wonder, comfort and richly developed magical worlds while establishing distinct identities of their own. It argues that these books succeed by combining immersive settings with themes, mysteries and character journeys that extend beyond a familiar school-of-magic premise.

– Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor series follows Morrigan Crow, a girl rescued from an expected death and taken to a hidden city, where she competes to join the Wundrous Society. Its mythology, dangerous abilities and imaginative world-building increasingly set it apart from Harry Potter.
– Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha trilogy begins with Children of Blood and Bone, in which Zélie seeks to restore magic destroyed by a violent royal campaign. The series draws on West African mythology and Yoruba-inspired culture while exploring ancestry, identity, oppression and power.
– B.B. Alston’s Supernatural Investigations series starts with Amari and the Night Brothers, following thirteen-year-old Amari Peters as she investigates her missing brother and discovers a hidden supernatural world.