19 Epic YA Fantasy Books "His Dark Materials" Fans Will Love

Finished The Book of Dust already? These magical novels should keep you going.

We hope you love the books we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales from the links on this page.

1. Mortal Engines – Philip Reeve

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Mortal Engines is set in a postapocalyptic steampunk version of London that has transformed into a giant, mobile, predatory city that can chase and hunt down weaker towns. Such a cool idea. The teenage protagonists have a lot in common with Will and Lyra too. Get the paperback here for £6.49, or the Kindle edition here for £4.27.

2. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms – N.K. Jemisin

Instagram: @sarinalangerwriter

This excellent book follows Yeine Darr, a young outcast who is summoned to the majestic, floating city of Sky where gods' and mortals' lives are intertwined. She's named as one of the king's heirs, which puts her in danger, so she's forced to fight for her life and display incredible courage. Get the paperback here for £8.98, or the Kindle edition here for £4.99.

3. A Pocketful of Crows – Joanne M. Harris

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This stunning, original, and romantic fairy tale follows a nameless, wild Faërie girl who defies her people and follows her heart after falling in love with a human. As the story goes on she develops and changes, becoming stronger and more defiant. It's a really gripping read. Get the hardback here for £9.09, or the Kindle edition here for £6.99.

4. The Amulet of Samarkand – Jonathan Stroud

Instagram: @bookovertime

This gripping fantasy series is set in an alternate, dystopian version of London ruled by powerful, ruthless magicians who constantly plot against each other. One day, junior magician Nathaniel accidentally summons a shrewd 5,000-year-old demon, and everything changes. Get the paperback here for £7.99, or the Kindle edition here for £3.99.

5. Sabriel – Garth Nix

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Sabriel, the first book in Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series, is set in an elaborate and divided fantasy world, with a giant wall dividing a 1910s-style, English-speaking country from the magical Old Kingdom, where necromancers regularly venture into the world of the dead. Get the paperback here for £6.86, or the Kindle edition here for £2.48.

6. The Girl of Ink & Stars – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Instagram: @rebecccaalice

Isabella lives on the island of Joya, but isn't allowed to leave her township...until her friend Lupe disappears into the Forbidden Forest. Isabella sets out to find Lupe, and her quest takes her to the "world beyond the walls": a wasteland filled with monsters and demons. Get the paperback here for £5.24, or the Kindle edition here for £2.25.

7. Wolf Brother – Michelle Paver

Instagram: @pigeonthewizard

This is the first book in Paver's Chronicles of Darkness series. It's set thousands of years ago when the land was one great forest, which in turn hides a terrible demon in the form of a horrifying bear. When 12-year old Torak's father is killed by the bear, he vows to rid the world of its evil. Get the paperback here for £6.94, or the Kindle edition here for just 99p.

8. The Dark Is Rising – Susan Cooper

Instagram: @firstandfinebooks

In this classic work of children's literature, 11-year-old Will learns he's one of the "Old Ones": warriors who protect the world from evil. Although this book is the second in the series, it's a good starting point, as the first is more of a prequel and written for younger readers. Get the paperback here for £5.24, or the Kindle edition here for £3.99.

9. Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor

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This unique, magical book has been described as a cross between The Passage and Philip Pullman. In it, we meet Karou, a 17-year-old art student and secret errand-girl to a monstrous creature from "Elsewhere", who's also (weirdly) the closest thing she has to family. Get the paperback here for £5.59, or the Kindle edition here for just £1.99.

10. A Skinful of Shadows – Frances Hardinge

Instagram: @bookstella

This fantasy set during the time of the English civil war follows a young character called Makepeace, illegitimate daughter of the aristocratic Fellmotte family. Her hereditary gift is the the capacity to be possessed by ghosts, but she's not too keen on that idea, so she runs away. Get the paperback here for £7.99, or the Kindle edition here for £7.12.

11. The Alchemyst – Michael Scott

Instagram: @jorgesbiblioteca

This first novel in the fantasy fiction series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel features 15-year-old twins Sophie and Josh Newman, who are suddenly thrust into a secret world of immortal alchemists, shadowrealms, and the elixir of life. What more could you want? Get the paperback here for £7.99, or the Kindle edition here for £4.99.

12. The Wizards of Once – Cressida Cowell

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This book by How to Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell is aimed at a slightly younger audience than His Dark Materials, but it's still well worth a read. It's about a wizard boy named Xar and a rebellious warrior girl named Wish who have to team up to defeat an ancient, evil threat. Get the paperback here for £6.99, or the Kindle edition here for £8.99.

13. The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

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This poignant, "phantasmagorical" love story is set in an alternate version of Victorian London, where a wandering magical circus called Le Cirque des Rêves (the Circus of Dreams) charms people with enigmas like a floating cloud maze, and acrobats who can fly. Get the paperback here for £6.24, or the Kindle edition here for £4.99.

14. The Weirdstone of Brisingamen – Alan Garner

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This amazing 1957 children's novel is a must-read for all fans of British folklore. It tells the story of two children, Colin and Susan, who are staying with family friends in Cheshire when they're pulled into a world of dark spirits, wizards, and shape-shifting sorceresses. Get the paperback here for £5.45, or the Kindle edition here for £3.99.

15. Neverwhere – Neil Gaiman

Instagram: @tragicvillain

If you're looking for a great, accessible fantasy book, you can't go wrong with Neil Gaiman. In Neverwhere, he imagines a hidden world beneath the streets of London: a city full of monsters and saints, murderers, an Angel called Islington, and pale girls in black velvet. Get the paperback here for £5.39, or the Kindle edition here for £4.99.

16. The Chronicles of Amber – Roger Zelazny

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If you like books about people who can move between infinite parallel worlds (of course you do), you'll love this fantasy series about a man who wakes up in New York with amnesia, only to discover he can cross to the "one true world" of Amber, moving through the multiverse as he goes. It's awesome. Get the paperback here for £14.83.

17. Labyrinth Lost – Zoraida Cordova

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Alex is a powerful witch, the most powerful in a generation in fact. The only problem is she hates magic. When a spell she performs goes wrong and sends her family into another world, she has to team up with a young boy and travel to the "land in between" to save them. Get the paperback here for £10.99, or the Kindle edition here for £5.39.

18. These Broken Stars – Amie Kaufman

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This YA sci-fi romance is a rollercoaster from start to finish. It features two literal star-crossed teenage lovers, who end up fighting for survival when their luxury spaceliner crashes into a strange, creepy planet where weird and chilling whispers follow their every move. Will they escape unscathed? Get the paperback here for £8.99.

19. The Ruby in the Smoke – Philip Pullman

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The Ruby In The Smoke is the first of four Victorian mysteries featuring a determined young female detective called Sally Lockwood. They're as gripping as they are well-written, and Sally is one of Pullman's very best characters (apart from Lyra Belacqua, of course). Get the paperback here for £5.59, or the Kindle edition here for £4.69. They'll hopefully keep you going until The Book of Dust Volume 2 finally comes out.

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