Alternatives to Harry Potter
Between the author's atrocious behavior, vocal support of backwards beliefs, statement that she perceives support of her work as support of her actions[1], and the confirmation that she uses her fame and wealth to restrict people's rights[2], we have an obligation to let go of this series, regardless of what it meant to us.
I recognize that this is mostly just a personal distancing out of associative disgust, and that is has no actual political impact. Still, this is a story that has touched many people deeply. The betrayal and sorrow caused by the author's actions is very real, even if the political impact of those feelings is not. And while the world is still blinded by the nostalgia and aesthetics of the series, it's difficult to talk about the harm the author is causing. In the worst case, the more obsessive, gullible fans may even follow her social media accounts and parrot her nasty rhetoric out of the naive belief that art they found good must have been made by a morally good artist.
I've compiled various recommendations that should scratch the same itch the Harry Potter series did. I'll do my best to provide more details if it's a media I know.
Generally, it should be an urban fantasy with a focus on magic, preferably with a magic school (and all the drama and shenanigans of school life). The biggest appeals of the series were its immersive aesthetics and seamless self-insert potential - it was a very good escapist portal, and had enough world-building to tease the reader with something more, but not enough to easily shut down a child's imagination. While Harry Potter eventually takes a darker, more mature turn, it is at its core a coming-of-age story following the protagonist's growth. Young adult genres usually hit the sweet spot of immersive self-insertion, and with themes of finding your place in the world and discovering yourself, much like a coming-of-age story.
Any media that deviates too much from that formula but has been a hit with the same crowd goes under #Other Genres.
Links: 1 2 3
Plus suggestions from friends.
Group: Magic School
Little Witch Academia Franchise
- Little Witch Academia (2013) (short film)
- Little Witch Academia (2013) (one-shot manga)
- Little Witch Academia: The Midnight Crown (2015) (manga series)
- Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade (2015) (short film)
- Little Witch Academia (2017) (animated series)
A short and sweet series about the adventures of three very distinct witches trying to prove themselves in a magical academy.
- Magical girl stories
- Short, simple, cute, and cozy feel-good stories
- Whimsical magic and world-building
Tongari Boushi no Atorie / Witch Hat Atelier (2016-present)
(WIP)
Fantasy seinen manga series written and illustrated by Kamome Shirahama.
A gorgeously illustrated manga about a young girl named Coco who accidentally finds out the witches' most dangerous secret: magic is not a talent one is born with, but a field that can be studied. Her first attempt at magic ends tragically. A witch, recognizing that the leak of the secret was the work of a shady group - practitioners of forbidden magic called "Brim Hats" - that was responsible for his own traumatic past, takes her in as one of his students to prevent the state from removing her memories (and thus preventing him from following after his new lead). Coco resolves to study magic to undo her mistake without resorting to forbidden magic, all while the Brim Hat's plans put her and her new friends into danger, and she learns of the true wonders and horrors of magic.
Features geometric magic, wonderfully developed characters, reasonable adult figures (and some reprehensible, some over-bearing), amazing art, and a more detailed history on both the good and bad of magic.
While categorized as a seinen as it delves into more complicated topics such as censorship, technological responsibility, and authoritarian control vs. risky progress, the manga is free from explicit gore or sexual scenes. However, it does NOT shy away from nuance and from pointing out the horrors magic can do when it's misused.
- More medieval cottagecore-esque vibes.
- Fairytale-like art.
- Unique fashion choices that feel more fantasy-medieval, as opposed to modern styles, Victorian-esque clothing, or English medieval.
- Stationery.
- Geometric magic, magic circles, runes.
- Simple but logical magic systems that is learned instead of inherited
- Tackling how magic and its gatekeeping affect society.
- Better defined differences between acceptable and forbidden magic, and a history and reason to justify forbidding it.
- Adult authority figures that run the spectrum of reasonable, flawed, and overbearing.
- Platonic but profound teacher-student relationships
- Magic being passed down through genetics.
- Hand-waved reasons for magic to be kept from non-magical people.
- Poorly defined differences between "light"/acceptable magic and "dark"/forbidden ones.
- Casual use of memory-altering spells to preserve secrecy.
The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968-2001)
- A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)
- The Tombs of Atuan (1971)
- The Farthest Shore (1972)
- Tehanu (1990)
- Tales from Earthsea (2001)
- The Other Wind (2001)
Related Short Stories
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss (2007-present)
- The Name of the Wind (2007)
- The Wise Man's Fear (2011)
Related Novellas and Short Stories
- How Old Holly Came to Be (2013)
- The Lightning Tree (2014)
- The Slow Regard of Silent Things (2014)
- The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023)
An autobiographical account of Kvothe's life, from his youth spent in a travelling troupe, to his schooling at a magical university, and eventual notoriety as the arcanist known as the "Kingkiller".
- Beautiful, song-like prose.
- A more abstract and mental but still 'harder' system of magic.
- Magic school that feels more like secondary education.
- Unreliable narrators.
- Swords-and-sorcery type of fantasy.
- Highly simplistic magic school curriculum.
- Middle school to high school level of social drama.
- Highly reactive protagonist with no ambitions, goals, or opinions of their own.
- Any and all forms of purple prose.
- Gifted protagonists that come off as arrogant.
- Unexamined misogyny from the author that was common in the 90s to early 2000s.
- Ongoing series on a massive hiatus.
Group: Fantasy/Adventure with Magic/Witchcraft and Some Thriller/Mystery
Mahou Tsukai no Yome / Ancient Magus Bride (2013-present)
Adaptations
- Anime
- OVAs
A dark fantasy shounen romance manga written and illustrated by Kore Yamazaki.
Does not focus on formal academic settings in general, but does have a magic school arc.
- Cottagecore and nature
- Faeries and spirits.
- English folklore and mythology
- Maltreatment of ghosts, spirits, and other magical creatures.
- Overly simple and shallow relationship with magic.
- ANY form of romance, especially ones involving teenagers, especially human and non-human relations, especially student-teacher relations.
- Themes of death, abandonment, suicide ideation, abuse.
- Body horror.
- Grey moralities, blue-and-orange moralities, non-human ethics.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004)
Fantasy historical fiction novel by Susanna Clarke.
The characters aren't in school, but academia is a huge theme both in the narrative and in the presentation.
Adaptations
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015) (TV series)
- Many long footnotes
- Arcano-babble
- Books and libraries
- Dark academia aesthetics
- 19th-century English literature
- Scholarly literature
- Large-scale operation and strategic magic
- How magic felt like just a background setting instead of being awe-inspiring or a huge plot point.
- Magic battles just being small skirmishes where people with wands speak gibberish and shoot lights
Tiffany Aching Series (2003-2015)
Young adult fantasy novel series by Sir Terry Pratchett. Follows the titular character's growth from a young farm girl into a witch who watches over the people in her steading.
- The Wee Free Men (2003)
- A Hat Full of Sky (2004)
- Wintersmith (2006)
- I Shall Wear Midnight (2010)
- The Shepherd's Crown (2015)
Tie-ins
- Tiffany Aching's Guide to Being a Witch (2023) by Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent
- The rest of the Discworld series
- Concise and witty prose
- Footnotes
- Strong women in fantasy with varied characterization
- Genre pingpong
- People who can do magic interacting with people who don't
- "Softer", more varied magic that involves psychology and social skills
- Witches and wizards being highly gendered terms and ONLY referring to gender
- Nearly all magic being wands or potions
- Protagonist mostly reacting to other's plans instead of being proactive
Bartimaeus Sequence (2003-2010)
(WIP)
Novel series by Jonathan Stroud. Very action shounen in tone.
- The Amulet of Samarkand (2003)
- The Golem's Eyes (2004)
- Ptolemy's Gate (2005)
- The Ring of Solomon (2010)
Group: Cozy and Cute
Hooky (2015-2020)
A webtoon written and illustrated by Miriam Bonastre Tur.
Flying Witch (2012-present)
Cozy slice-of-life (iyashikei) and comedy manga series written and illustrated by Chihiro Ishizuka.
- Cottagecore-esque vibes that veer into more urban spaces, or fantastical ones.
- Chill stories with very little tension and conflict.
- Comedy that isn't too aggressive, high-energy, or of the slapstick kind.
- Very stereotypical "good" fantasy witch aesthetics: flying brooms, cloaks, hats, cauldrons, and cats.
- Lack of domestic, day-to-day, and recreational applications of magic.
- Lack of focus on magical career path that are not about magical martial arts.
- Passionate rivalry between different groups of witches.
Kiki's Delivery Service
Unread
- Young Wizards - Diane Duane
- Charlie Bone series - Jenny Nimmo
- The Worst Witch
- The Magisterium
- The Sweep Series - Cate Tiernan
- The Scholomance trilogy - Naomi Novik
- Keeper of the Lost Cities series - Shannon Messenger
- Septimus Heap series
- A Discovery of Witches
- Howl's Moving Castle - Dianna Wynne Jones
- Chrestomanci - Dianna Wynne Jones
- Fablehaven
- The Magicians - Lev Grossman
- Shades of Magic - VE Schwab
- Shadow and Bone Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
- The Valdemar series - Mercedes Lackey
- Protector of the Small - Tamora Pierce
- The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune
- The Akata Witch series - Nnedi Okorafor
- Mage Errant series - John Bierce
- Dark is Rising series - Susan Cooper
- The Tapestry series - Henry Neff
- Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
- Lockwood & Company Series by Jonathan Stroud
- The Medoran Chronicles by Lynette Noni
- Nevermoor series
. - Mary and the Witch's Flower
- Earwig and the Witch
- Tweeny Witches
Other Genres
Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan (2005-present)
Original Series
- The Lightning Thief (2005)
- The Sea of Monsters (2006)
- The Titan's Curse (2007)
- The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008)
- The Last Olympian (2009)
The Senior Year Adventures
- The Chalice of the Gods (2023)
- Wrath of the Triple Goddess (2024)
Adaptations
- Graphic Novels (2010-2019)
- DS Video Game (2010)
- Film series (2010, 2013)
- Musical (2017)
- TV Series (2023-present)
Related Series
- The Heroes of Olympus (2010-2014) (sequel)
- The Trials of Apollo (2016-2020) (sequel)
- The Kane Chronicles (2010-2012)
- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (2015-2017)
W.I.T.C.H. (2001-2012)
Artemis Fowl series
Lord of the Rings
Narnia
Unread
- The Murderbot Diaries
- Morgana and Oz
- Redwall series
- Roald Dahl titles
- His Dark Materials
- Children of the Lamp
- The Last Dragon Chronicles
- Series of Unfortunate Events
- Children of the Red King
- Six of Crows
Other Lists
Enjoyment of someone's work is NOT an endorsement of the creator's actions and beliefs. But that no longer applies when she says that's how she views any form of engagement with her work. ↩︎
Many things have been said about the separation of art from artist, but it's impossible to do the separation when the artist themselves use their art to create malicious impact on the world. ↩︎