Books like 'Lyra's Oxford'
Readers who enjoyed Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy action / adventure high fantasy alternate history mystery supernatural steampunk industrial-era children
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First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsFor Gaius Octavian, life has been one long battle. Now, the end of all he fought for is close at hand. The brutal, dreaded Vord are on the march against Alera. And perhaps for the final time, Gaius Octavian and his legions must stand against the enemies of his people. And it will take all his intelligence, ingenuity, and furycraft to save their world from eternal darkness... -
![The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner]()
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsBy scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making.Then he drags a naive young guard into the center of the political maelstrom. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but his contempt for Eugenides slowly turns to grudging respect...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction magic action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book disability -
![Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher]()
Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 55 ratingsIn his acclaimed Codex Alera novels, bestselling author Jim Butcher has created a fascinating world in which the powerful forces of nature take physical form. For millennia, the people of Alera have used their unique bond with these elementals for protection. Now, as enemies become allies, and friends become bitter foes, a danger beyond reckoning looms. . .Categorized as:
magic witches-wizards action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age epic -
![Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher]()
Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsThe power-hungry High Lord of Kalare has launched a rebellion against the aging First Lord, Gaius Sextus, who with the loyal forces of Alera must fight beside the unlikeliest of allies-the equally contentious High Lord of Aquitaine...Categorized as:
magic witches-wizards action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age epic -
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![The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson]()
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 56 ratingsMore than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles... -
![Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey]()
Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsMighty Kushiel, of rod and wealLate of the brazen portalsWith blood-tipp'd dart a wound unhealedPricks the eyen of chosen mortalsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The inhabiting race rose from the seed of angels and men, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child... -
![The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner]()
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsRevengeWhen Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, stole Hamiathes's Gift, the Queen of Attolia lost more than a mythical relic. She lost face. Everyone knew that Eudenides had outwitted and escaped her. To restore her reputation and reassert her power, the Queen of Attolia will go to any length and accept any help that is offered... she will risk her country to execute the perfect revenge...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction magic action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book disability -
![Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart]()
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsWhen the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox sought a wiseman to save them. He found master Li Kao, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character. Together, they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure... -
![The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones]()
The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsHis father and uncles are enchanters, his mother a powerful sorceress, yet nothing seems magical about Christopher Chant except his dreams. Night after night, he climbs through the formless Place Between and visits marvelous lands he calls the Almost Anywheres. Then Christopher discovers that he can bring real, solid things back from his dreams...Categorized as:
animals children classics magic witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history -
![Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey]()
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsImriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phèdre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions.Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty, and desire...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age -
![The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman]()
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 89 ratingsLost in a new world, Lyra finds Will—a boy on the run, a murderer—a worthy and welcome ally. For this is a world where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and witches share the skies with troops of angels.Each is searching—Lyra for the meaning of Dark Matter, Will for his missing father—but what they find instead is a deadly secret, a knife of untold power...Categorized as:
alternate-universe animals children classics dystopia female-mc industrial-era magic -
![Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers]()
Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsI lean forward, pushing my body out past the battlements. The wind plucks at my cloak, buffets against me, as if it would carry me off in flight, just like the birds or the knight's soul. Let go, it cries, I will take you far, far away. I want to laugh at the exhilarating feeling, I will catch you, it whistles seductively.The convent has returned Sybella to a life that nearly drove her mad...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction magic religion spirituality abuse action-adventure alpha-mc -
![The Celestial Globe by Marie Rutkoski]()
The Celestial Globe by Marie Rutkoski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAfter stealing her father’s eyes back from Prince Rodolfo, Petra Kronos lives in constant danger. She and her tin spider, Astrophil, end up hiding out in London, where she learns more about her magical abilities. London has its charms (like Petra’s attractive fencing master), but Petra needs to get back to Bohemia and her father... -
![The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas]()
The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAfter spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in... -
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![The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman]()
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 81 ratingsWill is the bearer of the knife. Now, accompanied by angels, his task is to deliver that powerful, dangerous weapon to Lord Asriel - by the command of his dying father.But how can he go looking for Lord Asriel when Lyra is gone? Only with her help can he fathom the myriad plots and intrigues that beset him...Categorized as:
alternate-universe animals children classics dystopia female-mc industrial-era magic -
![The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler]()
The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsKing Severn Argentine’s fearsome reputation precedes him: usurper of the throne, killer of rightful heirs, ruthless punisher of traitors. Attempting to depose him, the Duke of Kiskaddon gambles…and loses. Now the duke must atone by handing over his young son, Owen, as the king’s hostage. And should his loyalty falter again, the boy will pay with his life...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction magic action-adventure alternate-history assassins audiobook book -
![Flora's Dare by Ysabeau S. Wilce]()
Flora's Dare by Ysabeau S. Wilce
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFlora Fyrdraaca wants nothing more than to be a ranger, and for that she must master the magickal—and dangerous—language of Gramatica. But before she can find the ideal teacher, her aspirations are put to the test... -
![Grass for His Pillow by Lian Hearn]()
Grass for His Pillow by Lian Hearn
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsPraised for its epic scope and descriptive detail, Across the Nightingale Floor, the first book in the Tales of the Otori series, was an international bestseller and critical success, named by the London Times as "the most compelling novel to have been published this year... -
![Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers]()
Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAnnith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent... -
![Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn]()
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsIn his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the warlord Iida Sadamu surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard.The youth Takeo has been brought up in a remote mountain village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people who have taught him only the ways of peace... -
![Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey]()
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 63 ratingsThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good... and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction magic action-adventure alternate-history angels audiobook book -
![Eight Skilled Gentlemen by Barry Hughart]()
Eight Skilled Gentlemen by Barry Hughart
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsOnce again World Fantasy Award-winner Barry Hughart blends folklore and fantasy to create a work of enchantment set in an ancient China that never was…but should have been. Master Li and Number Ten Ox—heroes of Bridge of Birds and The Story of the Stone—return to solve the mystery of how and why respected mandarins are being mysteriously murdered... -
![The Palace of Lost Memories by C.J. Archer]()
The Palace of Lost Memories by C.J. Archer
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsFrom the author of the USA Today bestselling GLASS AND STEELE series comes this captivating new fantasy. The king's magnificent palace was built in a matter of weeks. No one saw the builders, no villagers are allowed beyond the gilded gate, and only one servant has ever left...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book epic family -
![King Kelson's Bride by Katherine Kurtz]()
King Kelson's Bride by Katherine Kurtz
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“Kurtz’s strengths lie in her patient accumulation of telling detail, well-articulated plots, and believable magics. Should bring the fans flocking, and attract newcomers too.”—Kirkus ReviewsSpeculation runs rampant throughout the kingdom of Gwynedd as to when, and to whom, King Kelson will finally be wed...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic religion spirituality action-adventure adult alternate-history angels -
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![All the Paths of Shadow by Frank Tuttle]()
All the Paths of Shadow by Frank Tuttle
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“Walk warily, walk swiftly, walk away.”The king’s orders were clear enough. “Move the tower’s shadow,” he bellowed. “I refuse to deliver my commencement speech from the dark.”As the newly appointed mage to the Crown of Tirlin, Meralda Ovis has no choice but to undertake King Yvin’s ill-conceived task... -
![Wyrde and Wayward by Charlotte E. English]()
Wyrde and Wayward by Charlotte E. English
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratings‘If you had not already realised it, this is a very strange house you are come to.’ The Scions of the House of Werth are all born normal. It is what happens afterwards that sets them apart. It is not easy being the most supernatural family in England... -
![Aerie by Mercedes Lackey]()
Aerie by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIn the fourth and final novel of Mercedes Lackey's Dragon Jousters series, Kiron, the man who had once been a dragon-boy called Vetch, has united the dragon riders and managed to rid their world of both war and magical domination...Categorized as:
magic spirituality action-adventure alternate-history anthologies audiobook christian dragons -
![The Harsh Cry of the Heron by Lian Hearn]()
The Harsh Cry of the Heron by Lian Hearn
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe Harsh Cry of the Heron is the rich and stirring finale to a series whose imaginative vision has enthralled millions of readers worldwide, and an extraordinary novel that stands as a thrilling achievement in its own right... -
![Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones]()
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsCat doesn't mind living in the shadow of his sister, Gwendolen, the most promising young witch ever seen on Coven Street. But trouble starts brewing the moment the two orphans are summoned to live in Chrestomanci Castle. Frustrated that the witches of the castle refuse to acknowledge her talents, Gwendolen conjures up a scheme that could throw whole worlds out of whack...Categorized as:
children classics magic witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure alternate-history audiobook -
![The Midnight Sea by Kat Ross]()
The Midnight Sea by Kat Ross
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThey are the light against the darkness.The steel against the necromancy of the Druj.And they use demons to hunt demons….Nazafareen lives for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King's elite Water Dogs is that they leash wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction magic abuse action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history audiobook -
![Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen]()
Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsWhen Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing the lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds much more than gold and gemstones: He discovers an ancient bulla, an amulet that belonged to the great Caesar and is filled with a magic once reserved for the Gods -- magic some Romans would kill for... -
![Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey]()
Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsOn Wilde Island, there is no peace between dragons, fairies, and humans.Wilde Island is in an uproar over the recent death of its king. As the uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans begins to fray, the royal witch hunter with a hidden agenda begins a vengeful quest to burn girls suspected of witchcraft before a new king is crowned...Categorized as:
animals historical-fiction magic witches-wizards action-adventure alternate-history book dragons -
![Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers]()
Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsDeath wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning…Sybella has always been the darkest of Death’s daughters, trained at the convent of Saint Mortain to serve as his justice. But she has a new mission now...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction magic action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history assassins audiobook -
![The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner]()
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsThe king’s scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king’s prison. The magus is interested only in the thief’s abilities. What Gen is interested in is anyone’s guess...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction magic action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book crime -
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![Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede]()
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
Rated: 3.85 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsEff was born a thirteenth child. Her twin brother, Lan, is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means he's supposed to possess amazing talent -- and she's supposed to bring only bad things to her family and her town... -
![Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers]()
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Rated: 3.85 of 5 stars · 70 ratingsWhy be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction magic action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history assassins audiobook -
![Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard]()
Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsYear One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. The end of the world is kept at bay only by the magic of human sacrifice. A Priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. Acatl, High Priest, must find her, or break the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic religion spirituality action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
![The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker]()
The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker
Rated: 3.74 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsThe magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice... -
![Winterwood by Jacey Bedford]()
Winterwood by Jacey Bedford
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSet in 1800 in Britain, Mad King George is on the throne with Napoleon Bonaparte knocking on the door. Unregistered magic users are pursued to the death, while in every genteel home resides uncomplaining rowankind bondservants who have become so commonplace that no one can recall where they came from... -
![Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix]()
Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix
Rated: 3.61 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOn her eighteenth birthday, Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt,” will inherit her family’s treasure: the Newington Emerald. A dazzling heart-shaped gem, the Emerald also bestows its wearer with magical powers.When the Emerald disappears one stormy night, Newt sets off to recover it... -
![Fox and Phoenix by Beth Bernobich]()
Fox and Phoenix by Beth Bernobich
Rated: 3.37 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"One cool, lively, exciting book set in a unique new world-more, please!" - Tamora PierceThe king of Long City is dying. For Kai Zu, the news means more than it does for most former street rats in the small mountain stronghold, because he and the king's daughter are close friends... -
![Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan]()
Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Viking King Authun leads his men on a raid against an Anglo-Saxon village. Men and women are killed indiscriminately but Authun demands that no child be touched. He is acting on prophecy. A prophecy that tells him that the Saxons have stolen a child from the Gods. If Authun, in turn, takes the child and raises him as an heir, the child will lead his people to glory...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magic witches-wizards action-adventure alternate-history book dark dark-fantasy -
![Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman]()
Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman
Rated: 3.64 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsImagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise... -
![The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett]()
The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
Rated: 3.58 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsRaised in a genteel but impoverished household, Ivy Lockwell, eldest of three daughters, is desperate to save her father, a former magician, from the madness that has overwhelmed him and finds the key to saving both him and the entire land from darkness lies in the secrets she uncovers while serving as governess to the wards of the enigmatic Mr. Quent. A first novel. 30,000 first printing... -
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![The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory]()
The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory
Rated: 3.57 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe tiny nation of Swansgaard is a lovely place with abundant natural resources, including the royal family, which has been blessed with twelve daughters and a son...
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