Toto, I don't think we're in Hogwarts anymore.
Hogwarts is over, for a variety of reasons (i.e. J.K. Rowling's political views, and the fact that it's been a minute since Harry Potter was novel). The books are distant childhood memories and the movies are outdated and overplayed (especially around Christmas--have you noticed?). Regardless of how we may feel about the upcoming HBO reboot of the series, Potter fans hanker for their magic school fixes, for which The Harry Potter universe undoubtedly set the standard. Perhaps you're an original Potter-ite, someone who grew up with the books and waited in line for new releases (as nature intended). Perhaps you miss magic school, but are ready to graduate to more adult themes, i.e. more danger, sexuality, and complexity. These five books like Harry Potter for adults make the grade to scratch that itch. But reader beware: happy endings aren't guaranteed.
In this adult urban fantasy novel, our "Harry Potter" prototype is a man named Quentin Coldwater who accidentally discovers a secret college of magic called Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy in New York City, while trying to get to his Princeton interview. While magic school is the backdrop, the novel is much more of a meditation on depression, escapism, and the search for self as a young adult navigating the disappointments of life than it is a "wizard" book. Far removed from Hogwarts, Brakebills offers a setting where young adults work out sexual relationships, navigate love and friendship, and use booze to cope. As the characters pivot to post-college life, magic becomes a vehicle for selfish desires and emotional volatility.
This gothic, witty, and subversive take on "magic school" follows a half-Welsh, half-Indian sorceress named Galadriel "El" Higgins who struggles to the finish line of graduation while battling her destructive gifts. In the novel, all students are transported magically to the Scholomance to study in complete isolation without adults. The school that serves as the novel's setting is notably an homage to a place called Scholomance from Norwegian folklore that serves as a school of dark magic. In A Deadly Education, students are forced to learn magic from lessons spelled out in flames that appear out of thin air. Folklore lovers will appreciate the depth of Novik's richly layered world filled with threats.
With hints of classic fantasy, The Name of the Wind is a high-action narrative of the childhood of a gifted young man who becomes the world's most elite wizard. While the novel's narration feels more lyrical and sweeping compared to the Potter universe, the coming-of-age theme and school setting earn comparisons to more mainstream wizard novels. Beginning with young Kvothe's time in an orphanage, there's a richness in the way Rothfuss comments on how perceptions from others shape who we are. The novel's university arc speaks to the search for self-discovery and knowledge. The "unhappy ending" of this book is that the series was never finished, but don't let that deter you: the read of the two existing books is a worthwhile journey.
This dark academia thriller with literary leanings centers on six gifted magicians admitted into the prestigious, secretive Alexandrian Society. Offering a more intellectual spin on "magic school" novels, The Atlas Six splits open a dark and elite subculture where members of the Alexandrian Society secure lives of wealth and power as caretakers of the lost knowledge of Alexandria. With six candidates invited into this cutthroat competition, only five will make the final round in what is a battle based on wit, talent, and drive. The novel examines the ethics of elitism, the moral sacrifices required to reach the upper echelons of society, and the nature of trust.
Set at Yale, Ninth House is a dark fantasy horror novel that tells the story of a high-school dropout named Galaxy "Alex" Stern who sees ghosts. After unexpectedly being offered a full ride at Yale, Stern is recruited into an elusive organization called the Ninth House that draws her into a world of secret societies that practice the dark magic of the occult. Full of shocking twists, the novel's realistic portrayal of Yale is owed to the fact that Bardugo drew inspiration from her time as a student at the university.
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