7 Books to Read in a Post-Game of Thrones World

Game of Thrones is over, everyone is arguing about the ending, we don’t know when we’ll get the next book…HOW WILL WE LIVE?!

Luckily, there are some excellent YA fantasy novels to dive into, each with elements that will help fill that dragon-sized hole in our hearts. Here’s what to read now that our watch has ended.

WARNING: Mild Thrones spoilers ahead for those who haven’t yet caught up.

Eragon

Eragon

By Christopher Paolini

If what you’ll miss most about Game of Thrones is Daenerys Targaryen and her awe-inspiring dragon children, fear not! There’s a YA book that you absolutely must read! The first novel in the Inheritance Cycle series, Christopher Paolini’s epic Eragon, is the tale of an ordinary teen boy who raises a dragon from an egg. (He has no idea it’s a dragon egg when he first finds it. He assumes it’s just a stone.) While Eragon is not from a noble family and is not heir to a throne, he does find himself on a fantastic quest filled with mystery, magic, and fantastical adventure, during which he teams up with his dragon friend Saphira to destroy a powerful tyrant who rules the land of Alagaësia.

The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm

The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm

By Christopher Paolini

If what you love most about Game of Thrones is its lush, complex world-building, this one is a must-read, though we highly recommend reading Eragon first! Set in the world of the Inheritance Cycle series, Christopher Paolini’s The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm is a collection of three short stories full of spells, magic, and, of course, dragons. The book takes us into the mystical world of Alagaësia a year after Eragon departs to find a place to train a new generation of Dragon Riders. Each story tells the tale of a separate event, giving fans much-needed moments with their favorite characters while also introducing them to awesome new ones.

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (Book of Dust, Volume 1)

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (Book of Dust, Volume 1)

By Philip Pullman

If what you love most about Game of Thrones is literally watching it, HBO is already preparing to fill the Game of Thrones void with its upcoming adaptation of the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman. While we wait to binge-watch that show, we can reread the books, including the new spin off, The Book of Dust. It’s about the battle for freedom of speech and thought in a totalitarian world. The first book, La Belle Sauvage, is set twelve years before the original series and tells the story of eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead, who teams up with a village girl named Alice to protect the infant Lyra Belacqua during a huge flood. (Of course, all their dæmons are there, too.) Baby Lyra has become the target of many suspicious people, including lords, enforcement agents, and a beautiful woman with an evil monkey. Malcolm is brave and intelligent, spying and listening closely for threats in a dangerous world.

Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles, Book One)

Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles, Book One)

By Tamora Pierce

The first book in the Numair Chronicles, Tamora Pierce’s Tempests and Slaughter takes place in the magical world of Tortall, and is about a very gifted boy named Arram Draper who is on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. Arram and his two best friends, Varice and Prince Ozorne, attend the Imperial University of Carthak, a similar institution to the Citadel in Game of Thrones. Arram may remind Thrones fans of Samwell Tarly, who was rejected by his noble father and sent to live out his days at the wall. As we all know, Sam ends up using his intellect and bravery to help his friend Jon Snow save the world. Much like Samwell, Arram discovers his own skills and abilities over time, while forging lasting friendships and witnessing the cruel injustices of the world. Much like Samwell, Arram is sensitive and thoughtful and has a strong moral compass. He is a great protagonist, and this is the start of an excellent fantasy series.

Ash Princess

Ash Princess

By Laura Sebastian

We get a lot of awesome court action in Game of Thrones, especially at King’s Landing, home to the Iron Throne itself. The show also has fantastic female characters like Sansa and Arya, the most badass girls out there. They both go through unspeakable trauma and not only survive, but come out stronger, making their 0wn way in a difficult world. In Laura Sabastian’s Ash Princess, we meet Theodosia. When she was just six years old, Theodosia witnessed her mother’s murder and was robbed of her land, family, and name by an evil Kaiser. This will remind fans of Sansa, who witnessed the murder of her father Ned by the malicious King Joffrey when she was only thirteen. Ten years after her mother’s death, Theo decides she will no longer be a passive player and takes charge of her own story, much like Sansa does after taking back her home of Winterfell.

And I Darken

And I Darken

By Kiersten White

Kiersten White’s And I Darken series is all about family lineage and survival, focusing on the journey of a young princess named Lada Dragwlya who, like Arya Stark, learns to be ruthless and brutally violent in order to keep her family and herself safe. After Lada’s younger brother Radu is given to the Ottomans as a hostage by their cruel father, Radu and Lada find themselves helpless pawns in a political game, until Lada decides to make some moves of her own. Like Arya Stark, Lada develops a taste for violence. Bucking tropes of how “proper” ladies behave, both characters are hardened, vicious, and angry, but you can’t help but root for them. If there is an Arya-shaped hole in your heart, Lada will fill it.

Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All

Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All

By M. T. Anderson, Candace Fleming, Stephanie Hemphill, Lisa Ann Sandell, Jennifer Donnelly, Linda Sue Park, Deborah Hopkinson

From the cunning Lannisters and the hardy Tyrells to the scheming Littlefinger and the wizened and mysterious Varys, Game of Thrones is full of fascinating and complex figures. Over the course of the series, there are many attempts to execute complex political schemes under the guise of “serving the realm.” If you loved everything that went on in King’s Landing, you’ll enjoy Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All, an anthology of stories about the infamous Henry VIII and his six ill-fated wives. Each character and their reimagined story is written by a different YA author, so you can watch spellbound as six women attempt to navigate and survive an unpredictable king who is growing more and more obsessed with producing a male heir. And discover how the power-hungry court fanned the flames of Henry’s passions . . . and his most horrible impulses.

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