April 2026
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    I’m looking for a Harry Potter like book or series. I’ve tried Outlander, The Night and it’s Moon, and ACOTR; didn’t work. No spice, so very not interested in spice.

    by aunawags

    19 Comments

    1. My top favorite series
      Red Rising
      Stormlight archives
      Dresden files
      He who fights with monsters
      The lies of Lock Lemora
      Name of the wind.

      None have spice but all are great!

    2. Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
      Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne

      Possible ideas

      Winternight trilogy Katherine Arden
      Shadowfell series by Juliet Marillier
      Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta
      Twelve Houses by Sharon Shinn
      Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
      Night Angel Series by Brent Weeks

      I’d love to recommend Name of the Wind, which I’ve always described as Harry Potter for adults, but I don’t think Rothfuss is ever going to write the third book so it will be an unfinished series which is frustrating.

    3. {{Eye of the World by Robert Jordan}}

      Not really an “adult” series, but really good world building and characters.

    4. Dresden files is kind of fun as a modern fantasy although not Harry Potter like it does follow a wizard named Harry living in the modern world.

      I found Name of the Wind had Harry Potter vibes when at the university and liked the classroom scenes and magic system more than Harry Potter. It’s still a lot darker than Harry Potter though in overall vibe. The first book has ~no smut. The second book has a couple chapters with some awkwardly written love making thrown into an info dump, the third book may never exist.

      If you want to sample the writing/universe there is “the narrow road between desires” which I don’t think spoils anything and is only 200 pages.

    5. The Scholomance books by Naomi Novik
      The Alex Stern books by Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House and Hell Bent)

    6. The only series I’ve read as an adult that really got me interested in the same way as HP is The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir, but it’s not cozy the way Hogwarts is. It’s incredible though.

    7. There’s an ad in Reddit with these precise title. Zodiac Academy, romantasy something Harry Potter for adults

    8. Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake for sure. J.K. Rowling heavily borrows from this.

      Also, at least for me, the Abhorssen series by Garth Nix has similar vibes. Dark, gothic, magic infused, turn of the century European/English influences etc.

      Cities of the Weft trilogy by Alex Pheby. It’s pretty dark but is also in this vein.

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