As someone who has never delved into the fantasy genre beyond Harry Potter, I can't express how grateful I am to have stumbled upon your recommendations. Your passion for these books shines through, and your insightful commentary truly piqued my curiosity. Thanks to you, I now have an exciting list of new adventures to embark upon. Keep up the fantastic work, and please continue sharing your literary expertise with the world. You're making a difference for people like me who are eager to explore the enchanting realm of fantasy. Cheers! 🥰
My favourite magic school thing currently is _Alchemy of Souls,_ a Korean cultivation fantasy show. I have watched the first season halfway through, and it became my favourite TV show from the first episode (toppling Stargate) and has so far remained such. I love very much everything in it.
Omg I love alchemy of souls. I still think about the characters and listen to the OST. Could you recommend any other show (or book 🤞🏼) that’s similar? I’ve been trying to find something to fill the void the show created, but no luck :(
Just started The Will of the Many! I haven't gotten to the magical school trope yet but I'm excited to keep reading after seeing this video. I also added Red Sister to my TBR! Take care!
@@PetrikLeo Just finished! Really enjoyed The Will of the Many, took me a little to get into it and then by 1/3 of the way in I was hooked and finished in a single setting 😅. I can’t wait for the sequel!! Thx for the rec!!
For the last 6 months ive been reading Harry Potter to my daughter who is 7. She was 6 when we srarted. We are on the Half Blood Prince. Watching her experience this story i have to say Harry Potter is extraordinary. I know thats not breaking news, but as an avid adult fantasy reader i think we take it for granted. Its a perfectly executed series for what it is
That makes sense! I read Harry Potter during middle school and it did not spark anything for me except being a good read. I totally understand why it continues to be so loved by many to this day, though! I hope your daughter continue to love the series! 😄
Yeah Harry Potter was huge for me, I was on it before it blew up thanks to my great aunt getting me the first book and audiobook on cassette (yeah I'm old I know) and I did the midnight releases for the last five books, and read pretty much each one in a day. I hate JK Rowling as a person, but the story holds a very special place in my heart, that I'll never forget, but it's not even close to a top ten series for me. That being said, if I were to have a kid or be with someone with children I'd absolutely share it with them
@@seanhalpin87 Dude that is amazing! And not gonna lie, despite Harry Potter being nowhere near my list of favorites, there's always a chance I'm going to read that to my kid someday. That and maybe Percy Jackson. :D
@Petrik Leo i owned a first edition of the UK edition of the first book, I don't know what happened to it which sucks cause I could sell that for a nice chunk to buy new books now lmao
Great recommendations. I have read MOL, The Will of the Many and Kingkiller Chronicles from the list; loved these books, so I know I will enjoy the other books you recommended as well.
yes!! i absolutely love the sword of kaigen so much, i was so glad to see you say it's your favorite standalone because it deserves that!! good video btw i've been looking for academic-setting fantasy books and this is a good rec video.
@@PetrikLeo YES I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR IT SINCE I HEARD SHE WAS WRITING A NEW BOOK, EVEN BEFORE THE TITLE WAS CERTAIN! It came out on july 25th, which is my birthday, so it was like a birthday gift lol. (Also i realised that you're the petrik i follow on goodreads so this was a nice coincidence lol.)
I read The Sword of Kaigen earlier this year after watching your video on the most popular books available on Kindle Unlimited. I loved it. It is definitely my favourite stand alone fantasy novel. I read The Poppy War as well. I really enjoyed the first half, but I struggled to finish the second half.
I am so happy to see 'Blood Song' on the list!! I agree about the second and third books but I have read the first at least 3 times now! Definitely my favourite from Anthony Ryan. I feel like it doesn't get the recognition it deserves because the mixed feelings about the rest of the trilogy
Totally agree with you. I didn’t find the other two books in the trilogy as bad as people make out - in fact I quite enjoyed them. Plus there is a second trilogy featuring Vaelin!
Loved the vid, brother! Considering how much I love a school setting, I really need to read some more of these! Only done Jade City and the Kuang ones, which I liked (well, I loved Babel).
I can’t think of many that I’ve read that can be considered a “magical academy,” although there have been a few that can be just academy that I can think of. My top 3 of “magical academy” would be: 1: The Name of the Wind 2: The Will of the Many 3: Harry Potter Harry Potter will always be the series that got me into reading, which is why it will always hold a spot at the top of my lists even if can’t stand well with the others content-wise.
Great recommendations! I read many of these, but you left me intrigued with Red Sister and The Will of the Many--I've been hesitant with both of those, to be honest! Thanks for doing this video, it was great to watch, you are always concise and to the point. Cheers!
Even though I don't like school at all in real life, I LOVE magical school settings. Harry Potter made me fall in love with this trope as a little girl, and I've never looked back from there, haha. NotW and The Poppy War are also definitely on my list, and I can't wait to read The Will of the Many! Thanks for sharing this list, I loved this video :)
Thank you so much, my friend! Magical school settings will always be one of my favorite settings in stories. I hope you will love The Will of the Many! :)
Petrik! I think you would love A Practical Guide to Sorcery by Azalea Ellis. It's an Academia/Slice of Life/Progression (light, no stats or levels) Fantasy series. It's so good. You have the main character visiting the magical university at day and doing crime at night to pay for her tuition. The school part really takes its time with the lessons and interactions with students and teachers and at night you have action and excitement. It's almost like the Persona games. Put this on your radar.
Never heard of this before, but that sounds too interesting to miss. I checked and it's a web novel! I'll put it in my list of web novel series to check out! 😁
I bought the Red Sister trilogy only because Will and Ed are always banging on about it but it sounds like my cup of tea anyway so I'm excited to read it in 2023; they always recommend books that are exactly what I'm looking for. And WOW - that's SUCH a cool cover for Name of the Wind!!
Great video! James Islington said his name in the interview you did with him (sounds like the way you say island). You've been saying it right all along :D.
I'm not a fantasy girl yet but i gave a try to The will of the many. I just finished it last night. After crying my heart out, i gave that book 10 star. And i would sell my soul to james Islington to read the next book right now. What a book what a world that he built. And the magical system is so good.
Woohoo! It's truly special, isn't it? I still can't believe how great it was. I look forward to reading the next book, too. It is very likely I will reread The Will of the Many before the release of The Strength of the Few! :)
Have you read The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan? Great magical university! Amazing magic, brutal bullying unfortunately but great characters. The spinoff series are still based at the school, and the prequel is before it was founded, when magic was different...love her books!
@@PetrikLeo oh yes thats the heart of the series! Hope you like them. As I mentioned, our main girl gets bullied, because shes not of from the upper classes like the rest of the students. So its s lot about that, and later on, about the forbidden dark arts...I need to do a reread soon!
I second this opinion. I love this series ❤ which is surprising because I can's stand YA book, yet this one read more like adult fantasy. It's a great book and even years after reading it I sometimes find myself thinking about it, which is another thing that's rare for me.
I highly recommend Melissa McPhail's A Pattern of Light and Shadow series starting aith Cephrael's Hand. Love how each book significantly expands the scope of the story. All the stuff at the Sormitage school is fantastic. I really want more books from that world :(
I have the first book in that series! Cephrael's Hand. I didn't know there was a magic school trope portion in it, too, though! I hope the last book will be released somehow. I heard the author's best friend is working hard on making sure it gets published!
Great list of books. I read Mark Lawrence's first trilogy then stopped, I actually just picked up Red Sister, Blood Song is also my favorite Ryan book and the first I read from him, since I have read all his books, some series being very good. Rothfuss will it ever be finished???? I picked up the Will of the Many, but will wait for another volume before reading it.
Thank you so much! I think Red Sister is so much better compared to Broken Empire trilogy. If you love Blood Song, I expect you'll love Red Sister, too. As for Rothfuss... yeah I'm not sure it will ever be finished. Sadly. I hope you'll love The Will of the Many when you get around to it!! :)
I'm a huge fan of Robin Hobb's books. But I haven't read her Soldier Son trilogy yet. Heard a LOT of negative things about it. I think I will end up reading them eventually, though!
That trilogy almost killed me. I almost put a bullet in my head it was so insanely infuriating. I legitimately had to fling the book across the room multiple times, and I'm not someone who ever gets angry. I will never ever get over how goddamn annoying Nevare is. Idk if this was intentional autism rep or not but he reminds me A LOT of the boy from The Curious Case Of The Dog In The Night-time about an autistic boy investigating the death of a neighborhood dog. Written by a man who spent his career working with autistic kids. They act extremely similarly. It was the way he would constantly shut down and go mute at any confrontation and he'd get in soo much more trouble because of it. Over and over and over again. The final straw was when he was too dumb to understand why he was in jail, and then his friend told him about the necrophilia accusation and he shut down and decided to die. I've legitimately never hated a book as much as that lmao. 1Q84 brought me pretty close, cause that book is also terrible.
I watched the interview with james islington. And how he introduced himself was actually with silent S . I just double checked it after watching this video . I'm so confused 🙄 Great video btw😅
No you were right. I completely forgot he mentioned it that way, too. I was right all along. I saw "Islington" being pronounced with an S in UK so I thought it would be the same. 😂
The name of the wind and the poppy war will forever be on my list. Tbh I probably wouldn’t include the poppy war, even though that section is great it isn’t a representative of the series as a whole. The name of the wind though is fantastic and inspired another generation of magic schools. I don’t think another series has done as much to inspire the genre since Harry Potter (outside the YA community). Drat, I still need to get to Babble
That's exactly it. That's why I put Poppy War in my honorable mention instead of on the rank. The magic school is definitely not a representation of the book or series!
You would probably like Old Hand Steel, book 1 of The Orewick, by Santana Bazil. Barely anyone has heard of it, but I thought it did the magical academy thing very well.
Such a great trope! Harry Potter is good but it didn't do anything for me except it being a good read. Can't deny there's nostalgia attached to the series, though!
Hi Petrik, if you love the magical school trope, I'd advise you to read The Black Magician series by Trudi Canavan. It's one of the best executions of that trope since the Harry Potter series.
I have to look into this! I've seen this series many times but never bothered to look further. I wish I had known it has the magical school trope in it. 🤣
I was actually Shocked to not find the Black Magician Series on the list...I guess he hasnt read it ....Defintely one ofthe best in this Trope! Also what about Brent Weeks Lightbringer Series ... Another Amazing one tbh
A book I have read recently that would fit into this trope is Ordinary Monsters (The Talents Series) by J.M Miro. It will be a trilogy, and the second book is coming out next year.
Can't wait till Sword of Kaigen to come in as well. I ordered it hoping to get into self pub. Have you read Jade Shards? Can I read this prequel first before getting into Green Bone Saga? I have Red Sister and Babel on my stack. For SciFi battle school how bout Ender's Game? I had to put it on my Top 10 SciFi list I just put out.
The Sword of Kaigen is absolutely amazing. I hope you'll love it. I haven't read Jade Shards yet, but based on what I know, it might be better to read at least Jade City first so you know and understand the characters first! 😄
Since the follow up books on Blood Song and The Hand of The Sun King are not that great if I do not conclude the series can the books stand on their own?
I like the magic school trope, but I tend to prefer YA books with it since they're the ones typically in the school. And I tend to like books that are more fast and fun, so I don't know if these are for you: The Zero Blessing by Christopher Nuttall, about a young girl who everyone thinks is useless, but she has a different kind of talent. Nuttall also did the Schooled in Magic series, Bookworm, and others. And I really enjoyed Shadowspell Academy by Breene and Mayer. It's YA with a adult attitude about a band of misfits who have to save the academy. And Gail Carriger had her Finishing School books which are a school for spies and assassins in a fun steampunk Victorian sort of school for young women. None of these are really serious of dark, but they're not funny either. They're more adventurous I guess. Your recommendation made me just buy the The Will of the Many. It sounds too good to be true but I'll try it.
Lately, it's harder for me to like a magical school trope in a YA fantasy series. That said, I will still look into your recommendations! I do strongly recommend The Will of the Many. I think we are in the presence of something special here! :)
I bought both the books in kingkiller chronicle series and decided not to read them until the third one comes out. That was about 4 years ago. I've given up hope and now I'm wondering if I should just read them now since I already own them...
I've just started A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula L. Le Quin. I think this would definitely fit a category like this. I've never read her books, but I thought I'd give it a go. 👍
@Petrik Leo no one will walk behind you ring & a bell shouting "shame" for you because LeQuin isn't on your "read" list! Lol🤣😂🤣 I crack myself up! The visual in my head!😂🤣🤣
You say Blood Song is your favorite Anthony Ryan novel -- I'm curious to know if you've read any of his Covenant of Steel series and how those books compare. Thanks!
My sentiment remain the same. I've read The Pariah but I haven't read The Martyr, though. But The Pariah was great. I'll say that's my 2nd favorite Anthony Ryan's book! :)
I'm curious about Scholomance by Naomi Novik because of the magical school.. have you read that one? I used to like school settings a lot, but nowadays not so much...
It's not great honestly. If you want a very unique magic school check out Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko. It's extremely creepy and ominous and very philosophical. My fav book, even more than Malazan.
Hi petrik! I bught an indie book on 2021 called Pella by K.thiessen. is a chonker stand alone and it has this trope. Theirs a tetrolagy with all 4 mini books in one! Recomend.
I need help! I want To love the Cradle series by Will Wight I hear so much good but I am 1/3 way through the 4th book and still hate it. Do I keep plugging on or is it time to give up?
As in short fantasy books with magical school tropes? Hand of the Sun King definitely counts as one. The book is about 400 pages and it flies by. If not, I have a great short fantasy book video on my channel. Check that out! :)
The first half of Jade City, on first read, can be a bit difficult. It's a book that worked better on reread imo. The name of the characters, organizations, and terminologies take a bit of time get use to! 😁
The Will of the Many was amazing and is my favorite new release of the year! As someone who likes Babel, I feel that it’s wildly overrated despite actually liking it.
Great book, but the one caution to add is that there's two sequels (I think, there's definitely at least one) that have never been translated from Russian. I guess the book just didn't sell well enough to justify the translation of the whole series, sadly.
@@thelasthandbook6704 So, "Vita Nostra" is part of a series, but the other books that haven't been translated yet are standalone books. "Assassin of Reality" is the direct sequel to "Vita Nostra," which was released earlier this year. There is supposed to be a 3rd book in that series, which would make it a trilogy.
Just finished Jade City last night. One of the things that makes it great is how intentional the prose is. Every once and a while, Fonda Lee dips her hands into the bucket of literary fiction flavored prose and pulls out a few lines. The way she's able to immediately transport you into the mind of any given chapter's perspective character is masterful. Plus, the story is great.
@@PetrikLeo thanks for responding. That is a valid reason for not mentioning the Wizard of Earthsea. I think every fantasy lover should definitely read the Earthsea series. It is one of the more important works in the history of the genre. Btw, I like your channel and watch your videos when the daily schedule allows. I have been an avid fantasy reader for the better part of my life and have a few recommendations for you if you ever need any.
omg which edition of jade city is that??? or did you just remove the dust jacket? i HATE those covers and that one is so much more pleasing to the eyes
Thank you for the list. I am so excited for "Blood Over Bright Haven" by M. L. Wang, a Dark Academia that I hope will be amazing. P. S. I still love Harry Potter, but I made sure to buy the books from charity shop so to not support the author's views.
There's nothing wrong with loving Harry Potter, imo. It's a very important book and series in the genre and industry. I am so looking forward to reading Blood Over Bright Haven!! :D
Interesting how The Magicians by Lev Grossman seems to have fallen out of everyone's memories. It even had a TV series (that I haven't watched) that ran for five seasons. Either that or everyone hates it and is too polite to say so. 🤷♂
I haven't read the book, but I can't even stand the TV show of Magician, which many people said is more tolerable compared to the books. So I'm not sure on it hahah
Also really surprised to see the magicians didn’t get mentioned. The show was absolutely atrocious and did not follow the books at all. But the books are amazing. Very interesting perspective on what would happen if magic was really in the modern world, in the sense that if nothing is unachievable, leisure becomes corruption
My favorites are actually assorted Harry Potter fanfics that delve deep into the political, psychological, economic and ideological aspects of the Wizarding World, the wizarding political system, Hogwarts as a school, the House system etc. They're far better than the originals IMO as they look at the wars, conflicts, characters and institutions from many different angles and are far more comphrehensive, realistic and analytical, plus having really good stories as well. In the Forest of Dean, The Accidental Animagus and Kaleidoscopic Grangers are a few of my favorites. (All 3 are on AO3-that's Archive of Our Own)
@@PetrikLeo Oh, that I can promise. The Forest of Dean in particular is top-notch grimdark fantasy. It's like one of the masters wrote it. It is about the length of an ordinary book trilogy, though. But I promise you it's worth every word.
Um…..the thumbnail is a joke right? HP still great even compared to the many series a I read since, not my favourite anymore but nothing has come close in tee,s of a school setting. It’s a shame people now try and denigrate it because it’s popular but it’s undoubtedly great.
Just saying HP is not in MY list of favorites. I actually genuinely didn't think HP as anything amazing. It did not spark my love for the genre at all. Whether in middle school or as an adult.
@@PetrikLeo you’re kinda missing the point which is that it’s not in keeping with the spirt of the community to, order to big up favourites, denigrate others actively discouraging the reading of certain works with silly thumbnails like that. It’s clickbaity and the height of bad manners. I’m very disappointed.
@@stuart1346 I think I'm definitely missing the point here. All I wanted to convey was to say Harry Potter is not in my list of favorites. Not to say readers shouldn't read Harry Potter. I will work on changing the thumbnail soon.
@@PetrikLeo it’s fine not to be on your favourites list but these types of thumbnails to me infer read book x and don’t read book y and I just don’t agree with that as a premise.
@@stuart1346 Oh! Now that you mention that, I can see how it came across that way. That actually do make sense. Thanks for letting me know! Thumbnail fixed now. I'll try to be more careful in the next videos.
Ended up changing the thumbnail. Seems like there's a misunderstanding with it. Meant to imply Harry Potter isn't in my list of favorites. Not saying it shouldn't be read. 😅
Hey Petrik. Any way to contact you directly? Instagram or Goodreads or anything? Wanted to discuss about publishing conditions and book prices in India.
As someone who has never delved into the fantasy genre beyond Harry Potter, I can't express how grateful I am to have stumbled upon your recommendations. Your passion for these books shines through, and your insightful commentary truly piqued my curiosity. Thanks to you, I now have an exciting list of new adventures to embark upon. Keep up the fantastic work, and please continue sharing your literary expertise with the world. You're making a difference for people like me who are eager to explore the enchanting realm of fantasy. Cheers! 🥰
Well your comment made my day. Thank you so much! So glad to hear this. Hearing my recommendations being useful to reader is always the goal! 😊
My favourite magic school thing currently is _Alchemy of Souls,_ a Korean cultivation fantasy show. I have watched the first season halfway through, and it became my favourite TV show from the first episode (toppling Stargate) and has so far remained such. I love very much everything in it.
Never thought I will hear someone talk about Alchemy of Souls on my TH-cam channel. 😂😂😂 That show is so popular in Asia!
Omg I love alchemy of souls. I still think about the characters and listen to the OST. Could you recommend any other show (or book 🤞🏼) that’s similar? I’ve been trying to find something to fill the void the show created, but no luck :(
Just started The Will of the Many! I haven't gotten to the magical school trope yet but I'm excited to keep reading after seeing this video. I also added Red Sister to my TBR! Take care!
Thank you so much, Audrey! With or without the magical school trope, The Will of the Many is an excellent book! :)
@@PetrikLeo Just finished! Really enjoyed The Will of the Many, took me a little to get into it and then by 1/3 of the way in I was hooked and finished in a single setting 😅. I can’t wait for the sequel!! Thx for the rec!!
For the last 6 months ive been reading Harry Potter to my daughter who is 7. She was 6 when we srarted. We are on the Half Blood Prince. Watching her experience this story i have to say Harry Potter is extraordinary. I know thats not breaking news, but as an avid adult fantasy reader i think we take it for granted. Its a perfectly executed series for what it is
True. Harry Potter defined my teen years and was what propelled me to fantasy. No book can top Harry Potter.
That makes sense! I read Harry Potter during middle school and it did not spark anything for me except being a good read. I totally understand why it continues to be so loved by many to this day, though! I hope your daughter continue to love the series! 😄
Yeah Harry Potter was huge for me, I was on it before it blew up thanks to my great aunt getting me the first book and audiobook on cassette (yeah I'm old I know) and I did the midnight releases for the last five books, and read pretty much each one in a day.
I hate JK Rowling as a person, but the story holds a very special place in my heart, that I'll never forget, but it's not even close to a top ten series for me. That being said, if I were to have a kid or be with someone with children I'd absolutely share it with them
@@seanhalpin87 Dude that is amazing! And not gonna lie, despite Harry Potter being nowhere near my list of favorites, there's always a chance I'm going to read that to my kid someday. That and maybe Percy Jackson. :D
@Petrik Leo i owned a first edition of the UK edition of the first book, I don't know what happened to it which sucks cause I could sell that for a nice chunk to buy new books now lmao
Great recommendations. I have read MOL, The Will of the Many and Kingkiller Chronicles from the list; loved these books, so I know I will enjoy the other books you recommended as well.
You're so welcome! Thanks for the kind words. I hope you'll love the other recommendations too! 😊
yes!! i absolutely love the sword of kaigen so much, i was so glad to see you say it's your favorite standalone because it deserves that!! good video btw i've been looking for academic-setting fantasy books and this is a good rec video.
Thank you so much! I hope you find great books to read from this video. Also you should check out Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang! :)
@@PetrikLeo YES I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR IT SINCE I HEARD SHE WAS WRITING A NEW BOOK, EVEN BEFORE THE TITLE WAS CERTAIN! It came out on july 25th, which is my birthday, so it was like a birthday gift lol.
(Also i realised that you're the petrik i follow on goodreads so this was a nice coincidence lol.)
Great video Petrik. I love Name of the Wind and glad it made the list. I'm surprised Dragon Mage didn't make it to your top list.
Thank you! Wait, I don't remember there being a big magic school portion in Dragon Mage. 😅
I read The Sword of Kaigen earlier this year after watching your video on the most popular books available on Kindle Unlimited. I loved it. It is definitely my favourite stand alone fantasy novel. I read The Poppy War as well. I really enjoyed the first half, but I struggled to finish the second half.
So happy to hear you loved The Sword of Kaigen that much! :)
I am so happy to see 'Blood Song' on the list!! I agree about the second and third books but I have read the first at least 3 times now! Definitely my favourite from Anthony Ryan. I feel like it doesn't get the recognition it deserves because the mixed feelings about the rest of the trilogy
Blood Song is one of my favorites! It's too bad it's difficult to get readers to read it because of the reception of the second and third books. :/
Totally agree with you. I didn’t find the other two books in the trilogy as bad as people make out - in fact I quite enjoyed them. Plus there is a second trilogy featuring Vaelin!
I watched a few of you videos and your content resonates with me. Great work and I look forward to checking out more.
That's wonderful to hear. I hope you find many great books from my recommendations! :)
Loved the vid, brother! Considering how much I love a school setting, I really need to read some more of these! Only done Jade City and the Kuang ones, which I liked (well, I loved Babel).
Thank you so much, brother! Magic or battle school/academy is one of my favorite tropes. Glad to hear you've read Jade City and Babel! :D
I can’t think of many that I’ve read that can be considered a “magical academy,” although there have been a few that can be just academy that I can think of. My top 3 of “magical academy” would be:
1: The Name of the Wind
2: The Will of the Many
3: Harry Potter
Harry Potter will always be the series that got me into reading, which is why it will always hold a spot at the top of my lists even if can’t stand well with the others content-wise.
So happy to hear The Will of the Many is in your list of favorites!! :D
Great recommendations! I read many of these, but you left me intrigued with Red Sister and The Will of the Many--I've been hesitant with both of those, to be honest! Thanks for doing this video, it was great to watch, you are always concise and to the point. Cheers!
Thank you so much, Livia! Definitely read them, especially The Will of the Many! 🤩
Even though I don't like school at all in real life, I LOVE magical school settings. Harry Potter made me fall in love with this trope as a little girl, and I've never looked back from there, haha.
NotW and The Poppy War are also definitely on my list, and I can't wait to read The Will of the Many!
Thanks for sharing this list, I loved this video :)
Thank you so much, my friend! Magical school settings will always be one of my favorite settings in stories. I hope you will love The Will of the Many! :)
I totally agree with you on Red Sister and Blood Song. I read Blood Song 5 times already and it's one of my all-time favorite books
Thank you! I need to read Blood Song again! 😁
@@PetrikLeo was thinking the same 😅
Petrik! I think you would love A Practical Guide to Sorcery by Azalea Ellis. It's an Academia/Slice of Life/Progression (light, no stats or levels) Fantasy series. It's so good. You have the main character visiting the magical university at day and doing crime at night to pay for her tuition. The school part really takes its time with the lessons and interactions with students and teachers and at night you have action and excitement. It's almost like the Persona games. Put this on your radar.
Never heard of this before, but that sounds too interesting to miss. I checked and it's a web novel! I'll put it in my list of web novel series to check out! 😁
I bought the Red Sister trilogy only because Will and Ed are always banging on about it but it sounds like my cup of tea anyway so I'm excited to read it in 2023; they always recommend books that are exactly what I'm looking for. And WOW - that's SUCH a cool cover for Name of the Wind!!
Here's hoping you'll love Red Sister then! And yeah, I can't get enough o this cover art of Name of the Wind. It's beautiful! :)
Great video! James Islington said his name in the interview you did with him (sounds like the way you say island). You've been saying it right all along :D.
Thank you! Oh, wait, YOU'RE RIGHT! Dammit, I've been right all along!! xD
BLOOD SONG. YESSSSSSS!!! This book is in my top 5. It is just one of the best and Vaelin al Sorna such a wonderful lead character.
I absolutely loveee Blood Song. Such an amazing book. I wish the sequels are better but oh well!
I just finished Blood Song and was wondering if it would make this list. So glad it did 🙂
It's such an amazing book. There's no way I'm not including Blood Song in my list! 😄
I'm not a fantasy girl yet but i gave a try to The will of the many. I just finished it last night. After crying my heart out, i gave that book 10 star. And i would sell my soul to james Islington to read the next book right now. What a book what a world that he built. And the magical system is so good.
Woohoo! It's truly special, isn't it? I still can't believe how great it was. I look forward to reading the next book, too. It is very likely I will reread The Will of the Many before the release of The Strength of the Few! :)
I haven't read many magic school books, but so many of these are on my tbr!
I hope you love them when you get around to reading them! :)
I love this trope too!!!
It's a great trope!
Have you read The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan? Great magical university! Amazing magic, brutal bullying unfortunately but great characters. The spinoff series are still based at the school, and the prequel is before it was founded, when magic was different...love her books!
I haven't! I didn't know that series has a magical university. I will look into it. Thanks for the recommendation!! :)
@@PetrikLeo oh yes thats the heart of the series! Hope you like them. As I mentioned, our main girl gets bullied, because shes not of from the upper classes like the rest of the students. So its s lot about that, and later on, about the forbidden dark arts...I need to do a reread soon!
I second this opinion. I love this series ❤ which is surprising because I can's stand YA book, yet this one read more like adult fantasy. It's a great book and even years after reading it I sometimes find myself thinking about it, which is another thing that's rare for me.
I highly recommend Melissa McPhail's A Pattern of Light and Shadow series starting aith Cephrael's Hand. Love how each book significantly expands the scope of the story. All the stuff at the Sormitage school is fantastic.
I really want more books from that world :(
I have the first book in that series! Cephrael's Hand. I didn't know there was a magic school trope portion in it, too, though! I hope the last book will be released somehow. I heard the author's best friend is working hard on making sure it gets published!
I don´t know, My natal idioms is spanish.
Your speaking is so clear. I understock everything what you tell.
Thank you so much! 😊
Great list of books.
I read Mark Lawrence's first trilogy then stopped, I actually just picked up Red Sister, Blood Song is also my favorite Ryan book and the first I read from him, since I have read all his books, some series being very good. Rothfuss will it ever be finished???? I picked up the Will of the Many, but will wait for another volume before reading it.
Thank you so much! I think Red Sister is so much better compared to Broken Empire trilogy. If you love Blood Song, I expect you'll love Red Sister, too. As for Rothfuss... yeah I'm not sure it will ever be finished. Sadly. I hope you'll love The Will of the Many when you get around to it!! :)
Sufficiently Advanced Magic is a great fantasy magic school!
Definitely! Almost made it to this list! 😁
Another book with a magic school trope is: Shaman's Crossing, Book One of the Soldier Son Trilogy by Robin Hobb. I enjoyed this book.
I'm a huge fan of Robin Hobb's books. But I haven't read her Soldier Son trilogy yet. Heard a LOT of negative things about it. I think I will end up reading them eventually, though!
That trilogy almost killed me.
I almost put a bullet in my head it was so insanely infuriating.
I legitimately had to fling the book across the room multiple times, and I'm not someone who ever gets angry.
I will never ever get over how goddamn annoying Nevare is. Idk if this was intentional autism rep or not but he reminds me A LOT of the boy from The Curious Case Of The Dog In The Night-time about an autistic boy investigating the death of a neighborhood dog. Written by a man who spent his career working with autistic kids.
They act extremely similarly. It was the way he would constantly shut down and go mute at any confrontation and he'd get in soo much more trouble because of it. Over and over and over again. The final straw was when he was too dumb to understand why he was in jail, and then his friend told him about the necrophilia accusation and he shut down and decided to die.
I've legitimately never hated a book as much as that lmao. 1Q84 brought me pretty close, cause that book is also terrible.
I watched the interview with james islington. And how he introduced himself was actually with silent S . I just double checked it after watching this video .
I'm so confused
🙄
Great video btw😅
No you were right. I completely forgot he mentioned it that way, too. I was right all along. I saw "Islington" being pronounced with an S in UK so I thought it would be the same. 😂
The name of the wind and the poppy war will forever be on my list. Tbh I probably wouldn’t include the poppy war, even though that section is great it isn’t a representative of the series as a whole. The name of the wind though is fantastic and inspired another generation of magic schools. I don’t think another series has done as much to inspire the genre since Harry Potter (outside the YA community). Drat, I still need to get to Babble
That's exactly it. That's why I put Poppy War in my honorable mention instead of on the rank. The magic school is definitely not a representation of the book or series!
This is one of my fave tropes as well.
It's one of the best tropes in fantasy! 😊
You would probably like Old Hand Steel, book 1 of The Orewick, by Santana Bazil. Barely anyone has heard of it, but I thought it did the magical academy thing very well.
This is the first time I heard of this book. Let's see. 😂😂
I always love this trope. I'd include Harry Potter although it's not perfect by any stretch. :)
Such a great trope! Harry Potter is good but it didn't do anything for me except it being a good read. Can't deny there's nostalgia attached to the series, though!
@@PetrikLeo yeah, there's definitely some nostalgia in there for me too!
Hi Petrik, if you love the magical school trope, I'd advise you to read The Black Magician series by Trudi Canavan. It's one of the best executions of that trope since the Harry Potter series.
I have to look into this! I've seen this series many times but never bothered to look further. I wish I had known it has the magical school trope in it. 🤣
@@PetrikLeo Yes I highly recommend it. Thinking about it now makes me think it's time for me to do a reread, too 😅
I was actually Shocked to not find the Black Magician Series on the list...I guess he hasnt read it ....Defintely one ofthe best in this Trope!
Also what about Brent Weeks Lightbringer Series ... Another Amazing one tbh
A book I have read recently that would fit into this trope is Ordinary Monsters (The Talents Series) by J.M Miro. It will be a trilogy, and the second book is coming out next year.
I heard many great things about this! Will keep an eye out for it. 😊
Can't wait till Sword of Kaigen to come in as well. I ordered it hoping to get into self pub. Have you read Jade Shards? Can I read this prequel first before getting into Green Bone Saga? I have Red Sister and Babel on my stack. For SciFi battle school how bout Ender's Game? I had to put it on my Top 10 SciFi list I just put out.
The Sword of Kaigen is absolutely amazing. I hope you'll love it. I haven't read Jade Shards yet, but based on what I know, it might be better to read at least Jade City first so you know and understand the characters first! 😄
@@PetrikLeo Just got a review copy think I might have to dive. I'll let you know it goes.
Hi 👋 fantastic book list 🔖 I’m currently reading The Wall Of Storm ⛈ by Ken Liu so far a great read!! Thank you for a wonderful video 🎥
Wall of Storms is AWESOME. Enjoy! :)
Since the follow up books on Blood Song and The Hand of The Sun King are not that great if I do not conclude the series can the books stand on their own?
Yes, for Blood Song but not for Hand of the Sun King!
I like the magic school trope, but I tend to prefer YA books with it since they're the ones typically in the school. And I tend to like books that are more fast and fun, so I don't know if these are for you: The Zero Blessing by Christopher Nuttall, about a young girl who everyone thinks is useless, but she has a different kind of talent. Nuttall also did the Schooled in Magic series, Bookworm, and others. And I really enjoyed Shadowspell Academy by Breene and Mayer. It's YA with a adult attitude about a band of misfits who have to save the academy. And Gail Carriger had her Finishing School books which are a school for spies and assassins in a fun steampunk Victorian sort of school for young women. None of these are really serious of dark, but they're not funny either. They're more adventurous I guess.
Your recommendation made me just buy the The Will of the Many. It sounds too good to be true but I'll try it.
Lately, it's harder for me to like a magical school trope in a YA fantasy series. That said, I will still look into your recommendations! I do strongly recommend The Will of the Many. I think we are in the presence of something special here! :)
@@PetrikLeo I'm about halfway through The Will of the Many and IT'S SO GOOD! You have just become my favorite book recommender! :)
I bought both the books in kingkiller chronicle series and decided not to read them until the third one comes out. That was about 4 years ago. I've given up hope and now I'm wondering if I should just read them now since I already own them...
Just read them and get it over with. Book 3 will never be released. 😂
I've just started A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula L. Le Quin. I think this would definitely fit a category like this. I've never read her books, but I thought I'd give it a go. 👍
Yeahhh! I've heard other readers mention Earthsea, too. I haven't read Earthsea yet, though... To my shame. xD
@Petrik Leo no one will walk behind you ring & a bell shouting "shame" for you because LeQuin isn't on your "read" list! Lol🤣😂🤣 I crack myself up! The visual in my head!😂🤣🤣
If there’s one thing you’ve officially sold me on for many videos now: I need to read The Will of the Many!
YES. AND I will not stop talking about it. Sooo awesome. I hope you will love it, too! 😁
You actually pronounced James Islington’s name correctly the first time! 😊
Yeah! I have asked James about it since this video. 😂
My favourite trope in fantasy😊
It's one of the best! :D
You say Blood Song is your favorite Anthony Ryan novel -- I'm curious to know if you've read any of his Covenant of Steel series and how those books compare. Thanks!
My sentiment remain the same. I've read The Pariah but I haven't read The Martyr, though. But The Pariah was great. I'll say that's my 2nd favorite Anthony Ryan's book! :)
I'm curious about Scholomance by Naomi Novik because of the magical school.. have you read that one? I used to like school settings a lot, but nowadays not so much...
I haven't read that one yet! I heard mixed things about it. 😂
It's not great honestly.
If you want a very unique magic school check out Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko.
It's extremely creepy and ominous and very philosophical.
My fav book, even more than Malazan.
Hi petrik! I bught an indie book on 2021 called Pella by K.thiessen. is a chonker stand alone and it has this trope. Theirs a tetrolagy with all 4 mini books in one! Recomend.
Thank for the recommendation. I haven't heard of this one before. I will look into it! :)
I need help! I want To love the Cradle series by Will Wight
I hear so much good but I am 1/3 way through the 4th book and still hate it. Do I keep plugging on or is it time to give up?
By the 4th book and still hate it? Call it quits. Believe me. Not worth it anymore if by that point you still don't like it!
I loved the first binding. It was one of my favourite books last year
I completely forgot about that. I loved it but it was so similar to Name of the Wind. xD
@@PetrikLeo I’ve not read name of the wind, I do own it so maybe I’ll enjoy that one
Master of the 5 magics by Lyndon Hardy is a great book about magic, and so are the sequels
Never heard about this book before, I'll take a look at it!
Any shorter books that you suggest? I want to start a reading habit but I struggle to read when I know I have 600 pages to get through.
As in short fantasy books with magical school tropes? Hand of the Sun King definitely counts as one. The book is about 400 pages and it flies by. If not, I have a great short fantasy book video on my channel. Check that out! :)
I'm still trying to finish Jade City, buy it's really slow for me.
The first half of Jade City, on first read, can be a bit difficult. It's a book that worked better on reread imo. The name of the characters, organizations, and terminologies take a bit of time get use to! 😁
@PetrikLeo I'm pushing through it, because I've heard so many great reviews on TH-cam.
The Will of the Many was amazing and is my favorite new release of the year!
As someone who likes Babel, I feel that it’s wildly overrated despite actually liking it.
Glad you loved The Will of the Many! I think it's absolutely amazing! :)
Petrik needs to read "Vita Nostra" by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko!
I really do have to read that one. I own the book already! :D
Great book, but the one caution to add is that there's two sequels (I think, there's definitely at least one) that have never been translated from Russian. I guess the book just didn't sell well enough to justify the translation of the whole series, sadly.
@@PetrikLeo Be ready to get blown away! Read my reviews of the book!
@@thelasthandbook6704 So, "Vita Nostra" is part of a series, but the other books that haven't been translated yet are standalone books. "Assassin of Reality" is the direct sequel to "Vita Nostra," which was released earlier this year. There is supposed to be a 3rd book in that series, which would make it a trilogy.
IMO, “Blood Song” is the best book on this list. And Book 2 in the trilogy, “Tower Lord”, is the best book of all time.
I absolutely love Blood Song. Not a fan of Tower Lord or Queen of Fire, though. :)
Whatever you do, dont read Magicians by Lev Grossman. I feel like you will develop a hate for the magic school trope after. Aside that, great list!
Oh believe me, I tried that book and hated everything about it. THEN I tried the TV show, and it's more likable, but still awful. xD
A Wizard of Earthsea???
I haven't read it. Ashamedly. 😄
@@PetrikLeo definitely think it pioneered the trope!
Just finished Jade City last night. One of the things that makes it great is how intentional the prose is. Every once and a while, Fonda Lee dips her hands into the bucket of literary fiction flavored prose and pulls out a few lines. The way she's able to immediately transport you into the mind of any given chapter's perspective character is masterful. Plus, the story is great.
Can't disagree with you. I absolutely love Jade City and the entire Green Bone Saga. You'll love Jade War and Jade Legacy! :)
Hey petrik a stupid question have you like ever written a small novel / novella before?
Not a stupid question at all. I've written short stories as practice (that I threw away). 😂 Thinking about it, I probably should've kept them.
One should at least mention the Wizard of Earthsea by U.K. LeGuin, the first book that has the magical school trope.
I can't mention it only because I haven't read the book yet.
@@PetrikLeo thanks for responding. That is a valid reason for not mentioning the Wizard of Earthsea. I think every fantasy lover should definitely read the Earthsea series. It is one of the more important works in the history of the genre. Btw, I like your channel and watch your videos when the daily schedule allows. I have been an avid fantasy reader for the better part of my life and have a few recommendations for you if you ever need any.
pls do a one on dragon rider pls
Already on the list to make! I want to read a few more dragonrider fantasy books before making the video, though! :)
omg which edition of jade city is that??? or did you just remove the dust jacket? i HATE those covers and that one is so much more pleasing to the eyes
This is the Illumicrate edition. The standard cover art is an injustice to the story inside the series!
Surprised no Ash & Sand Petrik?!
Despite loving the trilogy very much, the battle school aspect was evident only in Kings of Paradise, which imo is the weakest of the series. :)
Thank you for the list. I am so excited for "Blood Over Bright Haven" by M. L. Wang, a Dark Academia that I hope will be amazing. P. S. I still love Harry Potter, but I made sure to buy the books from charity shop so to not support the author's views.
There's nothing wrong with loving Harry Potter, imo. It's a very important book and series in the genre and industry. I am so looking forward to reading Blood Over Bright Haven!! :D
Interesting how The Magicians by Lev Grossman seems to have fallen out of everyone's memories. It even had a TV series (that I haven't watched) that ran for five seasons. Either that or everyone hates it and is too polite to say so. 🤷♂
I haven't read the book, but I can't even stand the TV show of Magician, which many people said is more tolerable compared to the books. So I'm not sure on it hahah
Also really surprised to see the magicians didn’t get mentioned. The show was absolutely atrocious and did not follow the books at all. But the books are amazing. Very interesting perspective on what would happen if magic was really in the modern world, in the sense that if nothing is unachievable, leisure becomes corruption
My favorites are actually assorted Harry Potter fanfics that delve deep into the political, psychological, economic and ideological aspects of the Wizarding World, the wizarding political system, Hogwarts as a school, the House system etc. They're far better than the originals IMO as they look at the wars, conflicts, characters and institutions from many different angles and are far more comphrehensive, realistic and analytical, plus having really good stories as well. In the Forest of Dean, The Accidental Animagus and Kaleidoscopic Grangers are a few of my favorites. (All 3 are on AO3-that's Archive of Our Own)
I don't think I've read any fanfic to a completion yet. This do sounds really good, though, as long that it's well written! 😄
@@PetrikLeo Oh, that I can promise. The Forest of Dean in particular is top-notch grimdark fantasy. It's like one of the masters wrote it. It is about the length of an ordinary book trilogy, though. But I promise you it's worth every word.
Um…..the thumbnail is a joke right? HP still great even compared to the many series a I read since, not my favourite anymore but nothing has come close in tee,s of a school setting. It’s a shame people now try and denigrate it because it’s popular but it’s undoubtedly great.
Just saying HP is not in MY list of favorites. I actually genuinely didn't think HP as anything amazing. It did not spark my love for the genre at all. Whether in middle school or as an adult.
@@PetrikLeo you’re kinda missing the point which is that it’s not in keeping with the spirt of the community to, order to big up favourites, denigrate others actively discouraging the reading of certain works with silly thumbnails like that. It’s clickbaity and the height of bad manners. I’m very disappointed.
@@stuart1346 I think I'm definitely missing the point here. All I wanted to convey was to say Harry Potter is not in my list of favorites. Not to say readers shouldn't read Harry Potter. I will work on changing the thumbnail soon.
@@PetrikLeo it’s fine not to be on your favourites list but these types of thumbnails to me infer read book x and don’t read book y and I just don’t agree with that as a premise.
@@stuart1346 Oh! Now that you mention that, I can see how it came across that way. That actually do make sense. Thanks for letting me know! Thumbnail fixed now. I'll try to be more careful in the next videos.
The only magical school trope that was just about bearable to read was Name of the Wind,the rest I find are juvenile and annoying.🤷🏼♂️
That's fair! If you're not a fan of the trope, I doubt many will convince you to like them! :D
Thumbs down for the thumbnail smh
Harry Potter books did nothing for me. 😂
Ended up changing the thumbnail. Seems like there's a misunderstanding with it. Meant to imply Harry Potter isn't in my list of favorites. Not saying it shouldn't be read. 😅
Poppy war is so bad! The series is very overrated!
I had a blast with it despite the infuriating main character. Nothing wrong with not liking it, though!
For me, its my least favourite trope.
Nothing wrong with that! We all have our preferences. :)
@@PetrikLeo I'm not saying I wouldn't read a book with that trope in it, though.
Hey Petrik. Any way to contact you directly? Instagram or Goodreads or anything? Wanted to discuss about publishing conditions and book prices in India.
The way I've talked to him is on twitter
Hey! On Twitter or on Instagram is alright with me. Note that I might not reply quickly at times though. I have many DMs on social media. 😅