Recommendations
Books Like Grishaverse
Dark powers, forbidden romance, and a world that wants to use you
Shadow and Bone introduced millions of readers to the Grishaverse — Alina Starkov's discovery of her powers, the seductive Darkling, and a fantasy Russia built from myth and shadow. These books share the same qualities: a heroine who is special but uncertain, a morally complex villain with charisma, dark magic in a lush historical world, and a romance that burns.
- 1Buy
Six of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo
The natural next step — the same Grishaverse world, but a heist crew of criminals instead of a chosen girl. Kaz Brekker and his crew are among fantasy's most beloved characters. If you haven't read it, start here; if you have, the rest of this list is for you.
- 2Buy
An Ember in the Ashes
by Sabaa Tahir
A military empire, forbidden powers, and an enemies-to-lovers tension that burns. Laia and Elias are as compelling as Alina and Mal, and Tahir's world rivals Bardugo's in richness and brutality.
- 3Buy
The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black
A mortal girl kidnapped to faerie who decides to seize power herself — and a ruthless fae prince who is her most dangerous obstacle. The Darkling's charisma, the political intrigue, and the slow-burn antagonism are all here.
- 4Buy
Children of Blood and Bone
by Tomi Adeyemi
Magic has been stripped from West African-inspired world by a king who fears it. A young woman discovers she can bring it back. The chosen-one energy, the lush magical system, and the stakes are as high as any in Bardugo.
- 5Buy
Red Queen
by Victoria Aveyard
A girl with no powers discovers she has the rarest gift in a world divided by blood — and is forced to pass as one of the ruling Silver elite. The political plotting and the question of who to trust echo Alina's court intrigue.
- 6Buy
Serpent & Dove
by Shelby Mahurin
A witch hiding in a world that hunts her kind is forced to marry a witch hunter. The slow-burn forced proximity, the tension between power and vulnerability, and the lush European setting will feel immediately comfortable to Shadow and Bone fans.
- 7Buy
A Deadly Education
by Naomi Novik
A magic school where the monsters are real and the students die if they're not careful — El, a girl with catastrophic dark powers she refuses to use, narrates with sharp wit. Novik's Scholomance trilogy is the smartest dark fantasy school story since Bardugo.
- 8Buy
The Bear and the Nightingale
by Katherine Arden
A girl in medieval Russia who can see the spirits of her homeland — while the old ways are being suppressed by the church. Arden's Winternight trilogy is the most atmospheric Slavic fantasy in the genre, perfect for readers who loved Shadow and Bone's world-building.
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