Leave Hogwarts Behind for These 9 Iconic Alternatives

The Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire

For the Portal Fantasy Fanatic

Maybe for you, the most exciting part of Harry Potter was the idea of a magical world existing right alongside ours, and you yearned for the day you got your letter from Hogwarts. In that case, check out Wayward Children, a series that asks: what happens to the kids that fell into magical worlds, only to be thrust back into normalcy against their will? If they’re lucky, they may end up at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, a boarding school for homesick teen heroes, united by a yearning to rediscover the magical Door that’ll take them back to where they truly belong, whether that’s a glimmering marble underworld or a chaotic candy kingdom.

An ongoing series, each title explores a new facet of the world – or a new world entirely, complete with its own rules, magic, and quirks – with a colourful, lovable cast of characters, gorgeous, outright poetic prose, a fascinating underlying plot about the mechanics of Doors themselves, and a fresh, subversive take on the portal fantasy story you won’t be able to get enough of. The books are also short and quick to read, making them easily bingeable – and a great way to fall back in love with reading if it’s been a while.

The Last Binding Series by Freya Marske

For the Anglophile

Did reading Harry Potter make you yearn for the streets of London, and the magic you hoped was hidden within them? Is a trip to England on your bucket list? Are you utterly enamored with the British accent? If so, The Last Binding series may be for you! 

Through an administrative error, Robin Blyth has been employed as a government liaison for the secret magical society of Edwardian England. To make matters worse, his precursor disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving Robin to contend with curses, conspiracies, and a workplace crush, all while navigating the strange world of the magical families of Britain, where even the estates themselves are alive with power. 

Despite its historical setting, The Last Binding feels undeniably fresh – its magic creates an urban fantasy world unlike any other, sparkling but still grounded in its thrilling and thorough magic system, and the characters’ relationships to that magic, and each other, are deeply enjoyable to watch unfold. 

With a unique magic system, an intriguing mystery, and several charming queer romances, The Last Binding is the full package.

Babel by R.F. Kuang

For the Britain-Obsessed (in a much more critical way)

Did reading Harry Potter make you yearn for the halls of Oxford and Cambridge, where you could live out your dark academia fantasies? Did you subsequently have to come to grips with the British Empire’s violent colonial history and the ways its violence continues to be perpetuated today, including in academic spaces? If so, Babel may be right up your alley. 

On the surface, Robin Swift’s story is one of triumph: rescued from his birthplace in Canton after his parents succumb to cholera, years of language training equip him to enroll in Oxford University, where he can study silver working–a form of magic powered by translation and its inherent imperfection. However, the more time Robin spends at Oxford, the more it feels things are not so straightforward–he faces racism from peers and professors alike, and witnesses the brutal imperialism the British Empire enacts against his homeland. As the racist slights add up and Britain’s colonial conflicts escalate, Robin must choose between the life he was granted and the life that was taken from him. 

With a magic system built around translation that interrogates colonialism at its core, Babel is a must-read for any disillusioned dark academic, expertly subverting the image of the ivory tower from within, equal parts poetic and unflinching. 

The Dead Djinn Stories by P. Djeli Clark

For a Fun and Fresh Fantasy Setting

Maybe, actually, you don’t want anything to do with Britain anymore, critically or otherwise – or, for that matter, urban fantasies where magic is somehow kept secret. How about coming to 1910s Cairo, with a story that’s equal parts fun and fantastical, and a snazzy steampunk aesthetic?

In A Master of Djinn, the veil fell decades ago, and every manner of magical being from djinn to an Egyptian deity is able to make an appearance. Clark’s worldbuilding seamlessly integrates all sorts of magic and myth into this Cairo, one that’s beautiful and thrilling in equal measure. 

Additionally, the protagonist, Fatma el-Sha’arawi, is a breath of fresh air – she’s experienced in handling the supernatural, has a sarcastic streak, and is probably one of the best-dressed protagonists in the steampunk genre (though that may be my bias to women in suits speaking). She also has delightful relationships with both her fellow detective Hadia and her love interest Siti, and overall, the book just generally feels good to read – sure, the inciting event is a murder and even in this magical alternate history, colonialism and misogyny still exist, but the cast is endearing and there’s a consistent note of humor and hope that ties everything together, alongside some really fun and fascinating worldbuilding. 

Lobizona by Romina Garber

For a Fresh New Take on Magic Schools

If you want to leave Britain behind entirely but stick with schools of magic, Lobizona is worth checking out. Manuela Azul is a nerdy teenager with mysterious golden eyes who loves astronomy and a good book – and she happens to be an undocumented immigrant from Argentina. Because of her status, she lives out her days in a Miami apartment, hiding with her mother for fear of being deported or pursued by the criminal family of her missing father. When her mother is detained by ICE, Manu discovers the truth: her father belonged to a hidden world of witches and werewolves, and she carries that magic in her blood. She soon enrolls in a school of magic, but, as a half-human hybrid, her very existence is marked as illegal, not unlike her residency in America. 

El Laberinto, the book’s magic school, sets itself apart with its vivid, gorgeous aesthetic, a shifting labyrinth hidden in the Florida Everglades alive with magical herbs and a living library. It also has flaws as an institution, with Manu finding herself endangered in both the magical and mundane settings. The world of Lobizona creates its own rules on who is and isn’t allowed to exist, and then allows for its protagonist to tear those rules apart. 

The Locked Tomb Series by Tamsyn Muir

For the Fans of Brain-Melting Meta

If you’re someone whose fondest Harry Potter memories have more to do with reading fanfiction or essay-length meta posts, you just might enjoy The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. 

Gideon Nav is eighteen, good with a sword, and sick of living on the Ninth House – a cold, lonely planet at the edge of the Empire, which has kept her as an indentured servant since her mysterious arrival as a child. Surrounded by skeletal nuns–and plenty of literal skeletons – the only person Gideon’s age is Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of The Ninth House and an incredibly skilled necromancer. When the Emperor calls for necromancers from each house to compete in a mysterious trial, Gideon finally gets her chance to escape–but must play the part of Harrowhark’s cavalier.

Often pitched as “lesbian necromancers in space,” I think this description does the books a disservice–under all the grandiose worldbuilding and a flashy magic system are incredibly complex, fleshed-out characters and a narrative that’s even more so. Fan-favorite tropes get fresh subversions, everything from A Secret History to Evanescence to Harry Potter itself is referenced, and at times, the unreliable narrators will feel like they’re actively gaslighting you. This is not a bug, this is a feature. Plus, there’s a vibrant online community dedicated to thorough analysis of pretty much every aspect of the story, with how much there is to unravel and theorize about. So, enter The Locked Tomb knowing you might never come out. 

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

For the Slowburn Sweethearts

If you’re looking for another story where you get to watch the protagonist grow up over several years, In Other Lands may scratch that itch. It’s a standalone, but it manages to pack years of story into one title, without ever feeling rushed or forced. 

Like many other magic school stories, it begins with protagonist Elliot Schafer discovering the magical realm of the Borderlands, and promptly enrolling in its military school. However, unlike these other stories, Elliot has no interest in wielding a sword or marching into battle – rather, he questions (and snarks about) everything, and soon finds his talent rests in treaties and negotiations for peace, preventing wars rather than perpetrating them. Along the way, he makes some friends, and some more-than-friends, too. 

Follow this ragtag bunch of kids through the Borderlands as they grow and laugh and change across several years of magical education, with a hero that snarks his way through all of his problems and a delightful, queer slowburn romance. Genuinely, Elliot is such a breath of fresh air as a protagonist – he’s a pacifist, but kind of a jerk, but with a heart of gold … and he’s bisexual! Really, what more do you need?

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

For a Good, Old-Fashioned Wizard School Story

If you’re looking for something that simultaneously feels familiar and fresh, just a wizard school story played straight but with incredible grace, A Wizard of Earthsea is for you. Whether you know Le Guin from her incredible societal commentary in the Hainish Cycle series, the incomparable short story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, or have simply heard her touted as one of the greats of genre fiction, Earthsea is a must-read. 

As the title implies, the series takes place on an archipelago, and strikes a masterful balance as equal parts fantasy epic and coming-of-age story. Our wizard protagonist, Ged, inherits a knack for magic from his aunt, and soon becomes eager to use it. In fact, maybe a bit too eager–he quickly proves too impatient for his elderly mentor, enrolls in a prestigious magic school, and his resulting hubris unleashes a shadow into his world, which seeks to kill him. 

Despite its age and the seemingly straightforward plot, A Wizard of Earthsea is deeply insightful and it’s easy to get lost in the world it creates, one with true names and dragons and shadow selves. 

Discworld by Terry Pratchett

If You’re a Sucker for Satire and Subversion

Finally, I want to close this list off with another older title: the Discworld books, by the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett. Don’t be intimidated by the forty different titles: it’s more like a collection of sub-series and standalones, all taking place in the same universe – a world where the Earth is flat and rest on the back of a turtle. It’s also a world that runs on the element of narrativium, which ensures stories “hang together,” but not without its own humorous twists. The lost heir to a fallen kingdom? He’d rather just be a working-class member of The City Watch. The grim reaper? He sometimes gets bogged down by his job, and takes vacations–much to the chagrin of his granddaughter, who wants nothing to do with the family business. 

Discworld thrives on playing with the expectations of typical fantasy tropes, particularly when they can be employed for satire. The archetypal wizard school is no exception – Equal Rites, for example, interrogates the common, essentialist magical binary of the male wizard and female witch, with its young protagonist, Esk, being a female wizard. When her magic doesn’t gel with that of her mentor, the witch Granny Weatherwax, the two of them set off for the prestigious, all-male wizard school, Unseen University, where shenanigans ensue. And that’s just the beginning – later titles go on to interrogate everything from gun control, journalism, and jingoism to the well-trodden narratives of fairy tales, Shakespeare, and operas. Genuinely, every Discworld book I read blows me away with its evergreen themes and remarkable wit.