26 Fantasy Books Like “A Court of Thorns and Roses”

Complicated romance, brave adventures, and danger lurking around every corner are all key elements of “ACOTAR,” and they’re all part of what makes “Six of Crows” one of Leigh Bardugo’s most beloved novels. In the merchant city of Ketterdam, a crew of criminal misfits team up for a heist that could make them rich beyond measure or cut their lives short. There’s plenty of thrilling adventure and shifting loyalty, plus three different love stories to get invested in.

Sabaa Tahir takes inspiration from ancient Rome for the fantasy series that launches with “An Ember in the Ashes.” When Laia’s brother is arrested for treason against the ruling Empire, she makes a deal with a group of rebels: they’ll rescue her brother if she promises to go undercover and spy for them inside the elite Empire military academy. There, she clashes with Elias, a rising star in the military who is secretly just as disillusioned with the Empire as she is.

The original “ACOTAR” book is loosely inspired by “Beauty and the Beast,” just like “A Curse So Dark and Lonely” by Brigid Kemmerer. Rhen, the prince of Emberfall, is cursed to repeat the autumn of his 18th year over and over and to turn into a vicious, uncontrollable beast at the end of each season. By the time Harper – a girl from “our” world – gets drawn into Rhen’s enchanted world, he’s given up hope. But the more time they spend together, the more Rhen dares to think that he and his kingdom could be saved, but even breaking his curse might not save Emberfell anymore.

If the faerie lore in “ACOTAR” has you interested in exploring other myths and fairytales, “Skin of the Sea” by Natasha Bowen is a great selection. Inspired by “The Little Mermaid” fairytale and West African history and mythology, the novel follows Simi, a mermaid who serves the gods by collecting the souls of those lost at sea. When she saves the life of one boy instead, she is sent on a journey to make amends to the gods, lest her entire community pay the price for her choice.

The richness of Persian mythology, plus the epic romance you love from “ACOTAR” and other romantic fantasy novels – that’s what drives “This Woven Kingdom” by Tahereh Mafi. Alizeh, the deposed heir to the ancient and magical Jinn throne, hides in plain sight as a servant girl. Her path soon crosses with that of Kamran, the prince of the kingdom that conquered hers, who is himself burdened by a devastating prophecy. Their connection is undeniable, but neither of them could imagine the chaos that is about to be unleashed on them all.

Tracy Deonn’s “Legendborn” combines epic fantasy and a new spin on classic mythology with a contemporary setting, perfect for “ACOTAR” fans looking for a new adventure. When Bree, a teenager dealing with family tragedy, witnesses a magical attack on campus, she’s drawn into a secret society of students who hunt monsters. She soon realizes that they have some connection to her mother’s mysterious death, so she infiltrates the Legendborn group, with the help of a disillusioned former member. As a magical war approaches, Bree must decide who to trust, where her loyalties lie, and what she knows about the depths of her own power.

“Incendiary” by Zoraida Córdova features many of the tropes you love from “ACOTAR”: a deadly dangerous royal court, plenty of magic, a girl with unusual gifts, and a forbidden, fierce romance. Years ago, Renata was forced to use her powers on behalf of the crown, resulting in the deaths of thousands of her people. Now, she’s a rebel spy, mistrusted by even her own people for her role in the past tragedy. When her secret love is captured by the prince, Renata infiltrates the royal court, only to discover that there’s more to the story of her past than even she knows.

Dive into another enemies-to-lovers, magical romance like “ACOTAR” with “Serpent & Dove,” the first in a trilogy by Shelby Mahurin. Louise is a witch in hiding, trying desperately to conceal her powers from the Church’s hunters. When a dangerous situation goes wrong, she finds herself in the worst possible position: forced into marriage with Reid, an equally unwilling huntsman. Even as the attraction between them grows, one fact remains: by their very nature, they’re on opposite sides of a deadly conflict.

In “This Vicious Grace” by Emily Thiede, a young woman struggles to both contain and use her magical gift. Alessia holds a rare gift from the gods, meant to be used to protect her island from swarms of demons, but she has a problem: her magic needs a partner to channel it, but that same magic has accidentally killed all three of the boys offered up to fight alongside her. Facing the threat of assassination, she hires Dante, a mysterious outcast, as her bodyguard. The bond between them slowly grows into love, all while Alessia tries to find a way to control her powers before the next invasion comes.

Lore, the heroine of Hannah Whitten’s “The Foxglove King” (which releases on March 7), lives in the catacombs beneath her city, trying to conceal her powerful death magic and eke out a living as a poison runner. When a job goes wrong, she’s captured and taken to the court of the King, who sets her on a mission instead of condemning her to death. She’s embedded at his glittering and dangerous court, tasked with figuring out who among them is the traitor responsible for a string of deaths. Along the way, she comes up against Bastian, the King’s careless heir, and is aided by warrior-monk Gabriel, but the dangers that lurk could be more than any of them are prepared for.

Luanne G. Smith’s “The Vine Witch” is a bit more grown up than “ACOTAR,” but it’s packed with the same evocative world-building and magical conflicts. After years of struggling to break a terrible curse laid upon her, vine witch Elena is finally able to return to the vineyards, where the magic of witches like her has created some of the most famous wine in the world. When she returns, she learns that her beloved vineyard has been inherited by a skeptical stranger, and, even worse, there’s a hex on the vines that she’s not sure how to break.

“A Court of Thorns and Roses” fans will find another complicated heroine to root for in “Storm and Fury” by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Blind teenager Trinity has a gift: the ability to communicate with the spirit world. She’s been in hiding in a compound guarded by elite warriors to keep demons from discovering her, but when an outsider arrives with the news of a strange force that’s killing both demons and Wardens, Trinity’s secret can no longer be kept – and a war is inevitable.

Just as “ACOTAR”‘s Nesta is reluctant to take up the leadership she’s fated for, “Descendant of the Crane” by Joan He centers on a princess reluctantly elevated to queen after a tragedy. Determined to find her father’s killer, the new queen Hesina hires a soothsayer – something illegal in a kingdom where magic has been banned. When she takes that information to a mysterious investigator, Hesina starts to uncover more secrets about her kingdom and her family than she ever dreamed she’d encounter.

Cassandra Clare’s “The Last Hours” series kicks off with “Chain of Gold,” a historical YA fantasy with a lot of the same elements as “ACOTAR.” The Carstairs and Herondale families intersect again in this story, when rebellious young woman Cordelia teams up with her longtime friends, James and Lucie Herondale, to fight demons and try to clear her father’s name after he’s accused of a terrible crime. All the while, she’s trying to hide a very emotional secret: she’s in love with James, who’s already promised to marry someone else.

Love the forbidden romance and factional drama of “ACOTAR”? Chloe Gong’s “These Violent Delights” is your next must read! It’s a loose retelling of “Romeo and Juliet,” but set in 1920s Shanghai, where two rival criminal gangs have been fighting a blood feud for generations. Flapper Juliette returns to her home to take charge of her family’s gang, forcing her to face off against Roma, her first love and greatest betrayer. When a strange (or magical) disease starts driving members of both clans mad, the ex-lovers have to work together or risk total destruction.

For a different spin on epic fantasy and forbidden romance, pick up Nina Varela’s” Crier’s War.” Set in the aftermath of an interspecies war, human servant Ayla works in the royal household and dreams of avenging her family by murdering the sovereign’s daughter. The royal daughter, Crier, however, is starting to have doubts about her family and her faction’s history. As rebellion looms, Ayla and Crier grow closer, but love has no place in war.

V. E. Schwab’s “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” is a subtler kind of fantasy, one where the magic blends into the real world. Centuries ago, Addie made a deal with Luc, who may or may not be a devil: eternal life, but at the cost of being forgotten by everyone she meets. She moves through the world for hundreds of years, lonely, until one day, she meets an unassuming man in a bookstore – and he remembers her. As Henry and Addie fall deeper in love, Addie’s past closes in on them, but what she doesn’t know is that Henry has a secret too.

“A Discovery of Witches” by Deborah Harkness is definitely targeted more at adults, but “ACOTAR” readers will appreciate its sweeping mythology and angsty romance. Diana, a scholar and a descendant of witches, is shocked when a mysterious alchemical manuscript presents itself to her in her university library. The manuscript’s appearance also draws Matthew, a geneticist and vampire, to her side. As the pair dig deeper into the text’s origins and meanings, more supernatural beings close in on them, pushing them closer and closer together.

Sisterhood, rather than romance, is the driving relationship of Kerri Maniscalco’s “Kingdom of the Wicked.” Emilia and Vittoria are secret witches in Sicily, living quietly among nonmagical humans. When Emilia finds her sister’s body, she sets out to discover who killed her and get revenge. In her desperation, she turns to dark, forbidden magic, and the assistance of Wrath, a Prince of Hell, who claims to want to help her but has his own agenda.

“ACOTAR” readers will love the darkly glamorous and romantic vibes of “Where Dreams Descend” by Janella Angeles. Kallia, a magical circus performer, finally breaks free of her dark and controlling master and enters into a magical competition. There, she meets Demarco, a powerful magician and judge of the contest, whose own past hides a devastating tragedy. Kallia and Demarco are forced to work together when strange things begin happening, and neither of their pasts are as far behind them as they’d thought.

If it’s the faerie mythology you love, try Jenna Black’s “Glimmerglass.” When Dana runs away from her alcoholic mother, she flees to Avalon, an intersection of worlds, to try to find her father. Dana’s arrival throws Avalon into unexpected chaos: she’s a rare Faeriewalker who can transition between the fae and human worlds and bring the best of both into the other. As Dana finds herself drawn into fae politics, it seems like danger lurks around every corner, and she’ll need everything she’s got to stay alive and find out where she really belongs.

Inspired by West African folklore, Roseanne A. Brown’s “A Song of Wraiths and Ruin” puts a new spin on the classic YA fantasy. Malik wants to escape his war-torn home with his younger sister, but when she’s abducted by a spirit, he strikes a deal: kill the crown princess Kiran in exchange for his sister’s freedom. Kiran, however, has plans of her own, and they involve dark and deadly magic to revive her murdered mother. Malik and Kiran’s purposes collide, and although they can’t deny the attraction between them, only one of them can achieve their goals and survive.

If you love a good twisted fairy tale, Kalynn Bayron’s “Cinderella Is Dead” is for you. Centuries after the first Cinderella, teenage girls are required to appear at a ball where the men of the kingdom select brides – and the girls who aren’t selected are never seen again. Sophie, who is already in love with her best friend Erin, flees the ball and hides in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Cinderella’s last known descendant, and they team up to bring down the kingdom once and for all.

The myth of Hades and Persephone gets a new spin in “A Touch of Darkness “by Scarlett St. Clair. Persephone is a failed goddess of spring, unable to bring flowers to life, so she moves into the mortal world to live a life in disguise. In that world, she discovers that Hades is running a gambling empire, and she winds up tied to a contract with him. To get free, she must make life grow – and as she tries, her feelings grow too.

“ACOTAR”‘s reluctant Chosen One has much in common with Poppy, the heroine of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s “From Blood and Ash.” Poppy has been chosen from birth as the Maiden, an untouchable, solitary woman who must one day ascend to a higher calling. Despite her isolation, she falls in love with Hawke, one of the guards who is meant to assure her Ascension. As Poppy works to hold her faltering kingdom together, she’s torn between her love and her duty, as well as her fears of being rejected by the gods themselves.

Naomi Novik’s “Spinning Silver,” like “ACOTAR,” follows a young woman with extraordinary powers. Miryem, a moneylender’s daughter, can turn silver into gold, but her arrogance draws unwelcome attention from the king of a fey land. Her future, as well as the fates of the human and fey kingdoms alike, will rest on what Miryem and her unlikely friends can discover about a long-buried and dangerous secret.

Amanda Prahl is a freelance writer, playwright/lyricist, dramaturg, teacher, and copywriter/editor. Amanda has also contributed to Slate, Bustle, Mic, The Mary Sue, and others.