Raise your hand if you are one of the many Shadow and Bone fans. This trilogy is one of my top ten favorites. I devoured it as a delicious mix of magic, intrigue, romance, adventure and bravery. Let’s just move beyond the beautiful yet relatable writing style of Leigh Bardugo and focus on the fact that in Shadow and Bone, she crafted a thrilling plot, multi-dimensional characters that inspire, and a magic system both well-planned and unique. At the time of posting this blog article, Shadow and Bone fans are rejoicing due to the release of the new Netflix series based on this series and its companion duology, Six of Crows. But even the best shows come to end, and then what is a book lover supposed to do? Find more books to read of course. That’s why I’m here. If you are one of the many Shadow and Bone fans searching for your next fantasy series to fall in love with, look no further than the list below.
An Ember in the Ashes
By Sabaa Tahir
Why you’ll love it: Much like Shadow and Bone, the An Ember in the Ashes series goes beyond your typical fun fantasy escape. It tells a compelling story that touches you on a deep level.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother eking out an existence in this brutal world. But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for a promise from rebels to rescue her brother, she risks her life to spy for them from the inside. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier. But Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
Three Dark Crowns
By Kendare Blake
Why you’ll love it: Reading Three Dark Crowns is like reading a story with three Alina’s. Each sister has their own strengths and weaknesses, but they share the same determination to persevere. Plus, the series has a slightly darker side to, much like the Shadow and Bone trilogy.
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions. But to become the Queen Crowned, the sisters have to fight each other in a life or death game. The last queen standing gets the crown.
Caraval
By Stephanie Garber
Why you’ll love it: For those who loved the magical world building of Shadow and Bone, may I introduce the Caraval series? This series feels like it was born from magic. Vivid imagery, descriptions that are a treat for all the senses, and colorful settings that make your imagine run wild.
You’ve been invited to Caraval. It’s the invitation of a lifetime, which is why Scarlett Dragna is ecstatic when she receives one. The only problem, this game that, remember, is only a game, feels way too real and way too dark. As Scarlett works with the charming and dangerous Julian to save her sister, sees Caraval for what it really is.
Strange the Dreamer
By Laini Taylor
Why you’ll love it: Anyone else think that sometimes reading Leigh Bardugo is like reading a song? If lyrical writing the evokes strong, deep emotions are your thing, then you’re next read should be the Strange the Dreamer duology.
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange always feared his dream chose poorly. Since he was a child, he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep. When an opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer, he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. The answers to Lazlo’s questions await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams.
The Blood Spell
By C.J. Redwine
Why you’ll love it: Beautiful love story, intriguing magic and potions, and a heart-pulsing plot. These are just a few juicy features The Blood Spell shares with the Shadow and Bone Series.
Blue de la Cour must hide her magic while trying to turn metal into gold so she can help her city’s homeless. But when her father is murdered and a cruel woman claims custody of Blue, one wrong move could expose her. The only one who can help? The boy she’s loathed since childhood: Prince Kellan. Kellan must find a bride among the kingdom’s head families. But he’s surprised to discover that the one person who makes him feel like he can breathe is Blue, the girl who once ruined all his best adventures. When mysterious forces lead to disappearances, Blue and Kellan must work together to find the truth. What they discover leads them to the darkest reaches of the kingdom, and to the most painful moments of their pasts.
Fable
By Adrienne Young
Why you’ll love it: One of my favorite things about Shadow and Bone is also one of my favorite things about Fable: immersive world building. This book transports you into its world so much so you feel like you’ve visited it on vacation.
For Fable, the sea is the only home she has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown. The next day her father abandoned her on an island filled with thieves. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father, and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father. But the dangers of her father’s trading enterprise have multiplied. Together, Fable & West will have to survive more than treacherous storms if they’re going to stay alive.
Flame in the Mist
By Renee Ahdieh
Why you’ll love it: The Shadow and Bone series is littered with amazing females who are brave, intelligent and strong-willed. If you want more of the same, Flame in the Mist will be your cup of tea as it centers on a young woman willing to do whatever it takes to live her own life.
Mariko was raised for one purpose: to marry. Never mind her cunning or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. When Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits hired to kill Mariko. She narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, Mariko is appreciated for her intellect and abilities and finds herself questioning everything she’s known.
Uprooted
By Naomi Novik
Why you’ll love it: Uprooted is the perfect mix of so many of the things I’ve already mentioned in my above suggestions. Plus, Shadow and Bone has The Darkling…Uprooted has The Dragon…could there be a more perfect match?
Every year The Dragon, a mysterious sorcerer, demands one young maiden from the village come to live with him as payment for the protection he provides against the dangers in the nearby woods. This year, Agnieszka gets the creepy honor of being that girl. But as she shows The Dragon she’s not like the past girls, he shows her he’s not who she thought he was.
The Winner’s Curse
By Marie Rutkoski
Why you’ll love it: Much like almost every thing in Shadow and Bone being dripped in mystery and secrets, so to is The Winner’s Curse. On top of that, you get the joy of a slow-burn romance.
As a general’s daughter in an empire that revels in war, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys Arin—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.
The Gilded Wolves
By Roshani Chokshi
Why you’ll love it: Like the later books in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, The Gilded Wolves features a stunning ensemble cast with a full cast of characters and personalities that make the story engaging and fun.
It’s Paris, 1889 . Treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie is coerced by the elite Order of Babel to help them find an ancient artifact, and in return, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined. Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood. Together, they explore the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history–but only if they survive.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
By Roseanne A. Brown
Why you’ll love it: Dark intrigue mixed with fascinating world building centered around folklore from a culture not common in YA Fantasy right now. Have I got you hooked yet? A Song of Wraiths and Ruin shares many characteristics with Shadow and Bone, not least of which is a dark threat adding tension from page one.
Malik and his sisters seek a new life at the Solstasia festival in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, Malik agrees to kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom. Karina’s mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic requiring the heart of a king, so she offers her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition. When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?
Crown of Feathers
By Nicki Pau Preto
Why you’ll love it: The main reason I added this one to my list is not because it has heart-warming, relatable characters with a great plot, but because of the animals. If you loved the magical creature parts of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, then you will LOVE this series that centers on the fiery phoenix.
In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart. Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider. After a shocking betrayal from her sister, Veronyka leaves to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks. Meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.
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