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6 Must-Read Fantasy Books for Fans of Harry Potter
An entertainment article discusses fantasy novels that satisfy readers who have completed Harry Potter but are seeking something beyond the typical magical school premise. While such readers often search for similar castle-and-classroom stories, the author identifies a deeper appeal: the experience of encountering previously unknown magical rules, spotting peril within enchantment, witnessing personal transformation in young characters, and seeing magic enhance—rather than diminish—the vulnerability of youth. The six recommendations vary significantly in tone and approach.
Two prominently featured selections demonstrate this range. The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy offers an earlier template for the magical academy narrative, focusing on an imperfect protagonist struggling with routine school pressures and social discomfort rather than prophetic heroism. The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani takes a different route by deliberately inverting conventional tropes: the protagonist expecting goodness attends the evil school whilst her unlikeable peer enters the good school, creating a framework that questions societal judgments about morality, appearance, and destiny.
In short
- Collider article recommends fantasy novels for readers who want more than Harry Potter sequels
- Featured books include The Worst Witch and The School for Good and Evil, offering different perspectives on magical education
- The recommendations explore themes of self-discovery and challenge assumptions about identity and belonging
Explained simply
The phenomenal success of the Harry Potter series created a vast audience of young readers seeking similar fantasy experiences. When these readers finish the seven books, they typically search for their next magical adventure, often gravitating towards stories set in enchanted schools with comparable settings and characters. However, what truly engages fans of the series extends beyond mere location and premise.
The appeal of fantasy fiction for this readership encompasses several elements beyond the familiar magical academy setting. Readers find satisfaction in encountering fresh magical systems with their own internal logic, recognising hidden dangers within enchanted worlds, watching young characters undergo genuine transformation, and seeing how magic interacts with the vulnerabilities of adolescence rather than removing them. Different fantasy authors approach these themes in markedly different ways.
Two examples illustrate the range of options available. The Worst Witch, written by Jill Murphy decades before Harry Potter, presents a magical school narrative centred on an ordinary protagonist dealing with everyday school struggles and social anxiety rather than destiny-defining prophecies. The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani deliberately subverts genre conventions, sending a character expecting to be "good" to an institution of evil whilst placing her seemingly undeserving peer in the good school, thereby questioning how society defines morality and character.