There is no denying the mighty force that is Sarah J. Mass. Anyone who has joined TikTok (or more precisely BookTok) in recent years need not scroll long before someone suggests one of her prolific series. This year, the third installment of her Crescent City series released. So whether you’re eagerly awaiting book three, are a hard core fan of ACOTAR or you’re looking for something in a similar vein, this list is for you.

Gild by Raven Kennedy

Gold is everywhere: the floors, the walls, the furniture, and even the clothing. Even Auren is made of gold. In Highbell, a castle wedged into the icy mountains, that’s all there is. By digging her out of the slums and lifting her high, King Midas saved Auren. She is his precious, his favored, his prized possession that he Gold-Touched to show everyone that she belongs to him. In exchange for all of this, she gave him her heart. Even though she never goes outside the palace, she’s completely safe. But then war enters the kingdom, causing a deal to be made. Suddenly, Auren loses her trust, and her love for Midas is questioned. She begins to wonder if everything she knows is wrong because although the bars she’s behind are gilded, they are still only a cage. But the monsters beyond might make her wish she stayed put.

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Lady of Darkness by Melissa K. Roehrich

Scarlett Monrhoe and her two sisters have been trained to torture and kill since they were young. That’s what happens when you’re owned by a merciless Assassin Lord, after all. Although the trio is wild and erratic, they are also greatly feared on the continent. However, a catastrophic night causes Scarlett to be trapped in a noble’s household until she begins obeying authority. One day, she is offered a job, and if she completes it successfully, she will receive something she has always longed for: the chance to get revenge on the Fae Fire Prince who viciously took her mother’s life ten years ago. But her plans suddenly change when children begin disappearing from her home, causing Scarlett to try and save them. Along with some old friends, a forsaken lover, and a stranger who claims the mortal lands can possess Fae magic, Scarlett journeys to the darkest parts of the world. As long-lost secrets begin to reappear, she will soon realize the darkness travels much farther than she thought.

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Reap & Sow by Charlotte B. Plumb

Sell your body or sell your soul. Those are the only options the impoverished have in Blackbridge. And sales are soaring thanks to Miss Eda Shaw. Enslaved to Mr. Night, the unpredictable demon, Eda and her brothers have the job of arranging forbidden Pacts for his benefit, enticing the city’s most pressing residents into trading many years of their lives for their heart’s most desired wish. When a Pact goes amiss and Eda’s brothers are arrested, Eda discovers that she needs her own fiendish friend: Kit’rath, an enraging demon who has an interesting curiosity for humanity, and the only being in Blackridge who seems to frighten Mr. Night. As they quickly try to rescue Eda’s family and the entire city, an indisputable connection ignites between the mortal and the demon. But Kit’s help isn’t free, causing Eda to risk abandoning her heart to the demon who claims her years. Saving herself may be the most grueling task of all. 

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The Night Ends With Fire by K. X. Song

Forced to marry a violent man so her father can collect her dowery, Meilin leaves the world she knew behind to join the Three Kingdoms Army disguised as a man responding to her father’s conscription. The fierce training and battle preparations are designed to break even the strongest soldiers, but Meilin prevails and becomes well respected as they all ready for war. On the cusp of this battle, Meilin starts have dreams of a wise seadragon promising her ultimate freedom and power, but it will come at a terrible price.

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The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

This dark fantasy trilogy begins with a tale of scorned witches, curses, and resurrection. A young witch named Tea possesses the power of necromancy, the ability to raise the dead. As Tea learns to harness her unique abilities, she faces ostracism and fear from her community.

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The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison

New York Times bestselling author and Hugo-award winner N.K. Jemison’s trilogy The Fifth Season, is not one to be missed. At the end of the world, a mother must hide her power and find her daughter in an environment filled with treachery and danger. Earth is a weapon in this desolate place and no one escapes its fury.

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Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

From the bestselling author Kerri Maniscalco comes a gripping tale that unfolds with two sisters, a gruesome murder, a quest for vengeance, and an alluring romance. Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are secretive witches living amongst humans. When Vittoria is brutally killed, Emilia seeks retribution, even if it means delving into forbidden dark magic and forming an unexpected alliance with Wrath, one of the enigmatic Wicked princes of Hell.

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Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Lou is a witch who fled her coven for a community of people who seek to end her kind. Reid is a hunter who will stop at nothing to eliminate witches. When an event occurs that forces them into marriage, they must contend with their impossible circumstances while fight feelings they both can’t deny. Lou will have to decide if who she is and who she loves can ever coexist.

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Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri

Empire of Sand is set in a world reminiscent of Mughal India, where the story revolves around Mehr, a governor’s illegitimate daughter with magical heritage from her exiled Amrithi mother. In an empire where the Amrithi, descendants of desert spirits, face oppression for their innate powers, Mehr becomes a target for the emperor’s mystics. She must draw on her strength, cunning, and inherited magic to defy them, or risk provoking the wrath of gods seeking retribution.

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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

If you haven’t taken a deep dive into the Grishaverse, take this as your sign. Especially with the unfortunate cancellation of Netflix’s Shadow & Bone, the only real place to get your fix is by going back to the source. A deadly heist. A band of outcasts. And magic abounds in this unforgettable duology that dives head first into an entire body of Bardugo’s brilliant work.

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Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Maia Tamarin aspires to be the greatest tailor but faces the limitations imposed by her gender. Disguising herself as a boy, she replaces her sick father to compete in a fierce contest against eleven other tailors for a prestigious court position, risking her life if her true identity is revealed. Maia’s ultimate challenge is to create three magical gowns from the essence of the sun, moon, and stars, leading her on an extraordinary journey that uncovers far more than she anticipated, including forbidden romance and dazzling magic.

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Ash by Malinda Lo

For ACOTAR fans craving another familiar fairytale retelling, this one is a bit of a throwback that was recently re-released. Ash is a captivating, queer and can’t-put-down Cinderella story for a new generation.

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Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

The Emperor’s demand for necromancers sets the stage for a universe filled with intense swordfights, political intrigue, and heart-pounding action. Gideon, raised among unkind nuns and skeletons, seeks freedom from her life of servitude. However, her plans are thwarted by Harrowhark, a powerful bone witch and her childhood rival, who needs Gideon’s swordsmanship for a lethal challenge posed by the Emperor. This trial promises immortality and immense power to the victor, but success is impossible without a partner. As the story unfolds, it questions whether some powers are best left undiscovered.

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Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

In this Caribbean-inspired fantasy world, Sigourney Rose is the sole survivor of her family’s massacre by colonizers. When a childless king announces he’ll choose his successor, powerful people start getting murdered in the bid to rule. Sigourney must find allies and avoid suspicion while trying to stay out of harm’s way and identify the killer.

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