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What to read after Harry Potter: 5 fantasy books for every age
Five magic-school and coming-of-age fantasy openers, from middle grade to grown-up.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
A boy finds out he is the son of a Greek god and sets off on a quest across America.
+ Draws cleverly on Greek mythology without spelling everything out, and the underlying puzzle keeps the story moving.
− The road-trip set pieces get trite and repetitive, and descriptions, especially of monsters, are shallow and vague. (summed up from Stephen Reid Case)Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
A cursed girl is whisked away to a magical city and must pass four trials to stay.
+ Has everything to enchant young readers: hidden talents, unlikely friendships and curious inventions, and it's easy to get hooked.
− Some descriptions run longer than needed, a few anecdotes are irrelevant, and several villains are merely annoying. (summed up from LatinAmerican Post)A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
A magic school with no teachers, where monsters hunt the students and only alliances keep them alive.
+ The overall story and the dynamic between the two leads are fun, and El grows likable as you understand her.
− El's narration is packed with long infodumps about the school, magic and monsters that overshadow the story. (summed up from Fantasy Cafe)The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
A gifted orphan tells how he talked his way into a university of magic.
+ An absorbing, cosy long fantasy with excellent worldbuilding, intriguing mysteries and a great narrative voice; very hard to put down.
− You must like the arrogant, too-talented Kvothe; few women appear, and the love interest feels like a plot device. (summed up from Reactor (Tor.com), Jo Walton)The Magicians by Lev Grossman
A grown-up, darker take on a college of magic and a beloved children's fantasy world.
+ Dark, scary and very satisfying fantasy for grown-ups, with deft emotional tangles and big magical battles.
− Bleak, with no easy answers. (summed up from Kirkus Reviews)
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