8 Diverse Fantasy Reads for Harry Potter fans

Wonder Woman: Warbringer, by Leigh Bardugo
Shocker: Wonder Woman is a Gryffindor. I know, I know, it’s a revelation  you’ll need a moment to digest. But before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, Princess of the Amazons. When a girl named Alia washes up on the shore of her hidden island, Diana will sacrifice everything to do what it takes to save her and change the fate of the world.

Shadow Run, by AdriAnne Strickland and Michael Miller
I love science fantasy—it’s all the best parts of fantasy, but in space!—and Shadow Run delivers. Perfect for fans of Firefly, it follows Qole, the captain of the Kaitan Heritage, and Nev, a prince hiding on her ship, as he first manipulates her for his own ends, then finds himself fighting to save her from those who want to destroy her in order to harness her great abilities. Qole, Nev, and the rest of the crew of the Kaitan Heritage brave dozens of fights and ultimately make the choice to do the right thing, even when it’s the hard one.
 
 
HUFFLEPUFF
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,
And unafraid of toil.

Shadowshaper, by Daniel José Older
Sierra Santiago just wants to have a normal summer in Brooklyn, but discovers she is part of a supernatural order called the Shadowshapers—and now she must use her ability to create sentient, spirit-embodied street art to defeat an anthropologist who wants to use these skills for evil. While Sierra might not herself be a Hufflepuff, the group of friends who loyally stick with her throughout the story make this a must-read for Hufflepuffs.

Wonders of the Invisible World, by Christopher Barzak
Oh my sweet, lovely, adorable, queer Hufflepuff boys. Aidan Lockwood doesn’t feel like life is real until his former best friend Jarrod moves back to town. But visions from the past come unbidden, and it turns out Jarrod could be the key to unraveling a curse plaguing his family for centuries. This beautifully written book is all about loyalty: to friends, to family, and to your own heart.
 
 
 
 
 
RAVENCLAW
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you’ve a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind.

Flame in the Mist, by Renée Ahdieh
The daughter of a samurai, Mariko’s only purpose is to be married off—never mind that she’s a brilliant alchemist and more intelligent than any man. When she’s sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, the journey is cut short after her party’s attack by the Black Clan, a group of bandit assassins hired to kill Mariko. She survives and makes her choice: instead of continuing on to the palace, she will dress as a boy, infiltrate the Black Clan, and hunt down those responsible for the attack. Mariko is brilliant—somebody who values education and intelligence more than ambition or loyalty—and the phoenix on the book’s cover very much matches the bird aesthetic of Ravenclaw. (Fun fact: the Ravenclaw house crest is an eagle, not a raven.)

Every Heart A Doorway, by Seanan McGuire
Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children is home to all of the children who have returned home (mostly unwillingly) from their adventures beyond portals to other worlds, from Fairylands to worlds of Logic. Nancy fell out of the Hall of the Dead and wants to return to the silent place she considers her true home—but when people around her start being murdered, she needs to figure out who’s behind it, as everybody thinks it’s her. Nancy is observant and quiet—think Luna Lovegood, if Luna was less loopy and really wanted to return to the Underworld—and is one of my favorite representations of asexual ladies in fiction. Every Heart A Doorway won the Hugo for best novella, too, so you know it’s good!
 
SLYTHERIN
Or perhaps in Slytherin,
You’ll make your real friends,
These cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.

Iron Cast, by Destiny Soria
Slytherins make the best friends. In 1919 Boston, Corinne and Ada have been besties ever since a gangster recruited them into his circle—but when a job goes wrong, they’re forced to use the blood condition that grants them illusion magic to free Ada from an asylum and reexamine everything they know about the club they performed at and the man they worked for.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, by Julie C. Dao
Look, one of the reasons Slytherins are so often associated with “evil” characters is because that “evil” characters aren’t afraid to be ambitious—and Xifeng from Dao’s debut is certainly willing to “use any means to achieve her ends.” This reimagining of the Evil Queen legend follows Xifeng, destined by the stars to be Empress of Feng Lu—but to reach her destiny, she must embrace the darkness within her, spurn the man who loves her, and exploit the magic that comes from eating the hearts of the recently killed.​
And there’s a snake on the cover. It even matches the Slytherin aesthetic!