Books like 'Persephone'
Readers who enjoyed Persephone by Lev Grossman also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary horror fantasy urban fantasy mystery supernatural dark fantasy action / adventure coming-of-age myths
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Kingdom of the Wicked by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThe seventh instalment in the biggest, funniest, most thrilling comedy-horror-adventure series in the universe…Magic is a disease.Across the land, normal people are suddenly developing wild and unstable powers. Infected by a rare strain of magic, they are unwittingly endangering their own lives and the lives of the people around them... -
Dark Days by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsMeet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, sorcerer, warrior.Oh yes. And dead.Skulduggery Pleasant is gone, sucked into a parallel dimension overrun by the Faceless Ones. If his bones haven’t already been turned to dust, chances are he’s insane, driven out of his mind by the horror of the ancient gods. There is no official, Sanctuary-approved rescue mission. There is no official plan to save him... -
The One Who Eats Monsters by Casey Matthews
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLong ago, before history broke in half, elder gods exiled the vengeful deity Erynis to a far corner of Earth. When Ryn is found weakened after saving the life of an innocent villager, the U.S. military mistakes the battered immortal for a feral teenager and places her in New Petersburg, a decaying city full of monsters... -
The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe third bone-breaking, belly-busting adventure in the series that puts the “funny” back in, um, funny series... -
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The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 72 ratingsA budding dark sorceress determined not to use her formidable powers uncovers yet more secrets about the workings of her world in the stunning sequel to A Deadly Education, the start of Naomi Novik’s groundbreaking crossover series...Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark female-mc high-school paranormal action-adventure audiobook boarding-school -
Faefever by Karen Marie Moning
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 71 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling author of Darkfever and Bloodfever returns to Dublin’s Fae-infested shores in a bold, sensual new novel... -
Lies Ripped Open by Steve McHugh
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsOver a hundred years have passed since a group of violent killers went on the rampage, murdering innocent victims for fun. But even back then, sorcerer Nate Garrett, aka Hellequin, knew there was more to it than simple savage pleasure—souls were being stolen.Nate’s discovery of the souls’ use, and of those supporting the group’s plan, made him question everything he believed... -
Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 71 ratingsI used to think my sister and I were just two nice southern girls who’d get married in a few years and settle down to a quiet life. Then I discovered that Alina and I descend, not from good wholesome southern stock, but from an ancient Celtic bloodline of powerful sidhe-seers, people who can see the Fae... -
Blood is Thicker by Orlando A. Sanchez
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA Broken Pact. An Ancient Enemy. A Bitter Betrayal. What does a vampire fear more than sunlight? The Cazadoras Sangrientas-Blood Hunters. Michiko Nakatomi has led the Dark Council for over a century, maintaining the uneasy truce between humanity and the supernatural. But when an ancient enemy returns the delicate balance is shattered and vampires start dying... -
Prison of Hope by Steve McHugh
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsLong ago, Olympian gods imprisoned the demon Pandora in a human—Hope—creating a creature whose only purpose was chaos and death. Remorseful, the gods locked Pandora away in Tartarus, ruled by Hades.Now, centuries later, Pandora escapes... -
A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsWhen October is informed that Simon Torquill—legally her father, due to Faerie's archaic marriage traditions—must be invited to her wedding or risk the ceremony throwing the Kingdom in the Mists into political turmoil, she finds herself setting out on a quest she was not yet prepared to undertake for the sake of her future.... and the man who represents her family's past... -
Playing with Fire by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsSkulduggery and Valkyrie are facing a new enemy: Baron Vengeous, who is determined to bring back the terrifying Faceless Ones and is crafting an army of evil to help him. Added to that, Vengeous is about to enlist a new ally (if he can raise it from the dead): the horrible Grotesquery, a very unlikable monster of legend... -
The End of the World by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSkulduggery and Valkyrie are back, in an exclusive World Book Day novelette, set after the momentous events of Death Bringer…Hey, punks! Skulduggery and Valkyrie are about to make your day…15-year-old Ryan is running away from home, looking for escape and adventure. But unfortunately, sometimes people DO get what they wish for...Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark female-mc paranormal super-powered action-adventure alpha-mc audiobook -
Kingdom of Lies by Debra Dunbar
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA gemstone might destroy the world before I get the chance to do it myself.Interdimensional rifts are opening, spilling supernatural creatures into the world of the humans. Locating and closing the gateways takes two—an angel and a demon. It’s the opportunity I’ve been waiting for, the common goal that might allow demons and angels to put aside nearly three million years of hate... -
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Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsSmart, sexy, supernatural—the men and women of the Otherworld live and love, fight and die, among us. Unseen and unsuspected, this realm of witches, ghosts, and werewolves is now threatened with exposure by a brutal series of bizarre murders that has left even the supernatural world baffled—and cold with terror... -
Lord of the Shadows by Darren Shan
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsBook 11 of The Saga Of Darren Shan. Darren's going home. Back to where everything started. The town's changed a lot in the years that he's been away -- but then, so has Darren...Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark high-school myths paranormal retellings 21st-century action-adventure -
Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom World Fantasy Award-winning author Charles de Lint, a tale of love, courage, and the transforming power of imagination Isabelle Copley's visionary art frees ancient spirits. As the young student of the cruel, brilliant artist Vincent Rushkin, she discovered she could paint images so vividly real they brought her wildest fantasies to life...Categorized as:
myths paranormal retellings action-adventure anthologies audiobook classics contemporary -
The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction by Neil Gaiman, Marlon James
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAn outstanding array—52 pieces in all—of selected fiction from the multiple-award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman, curated by his readers around the world, and introduced with a foreword by Booker Prize-winning author Marlon JamesSpanning Gaiman’s career to date, The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction is a captivating collection from one of the world’s most beloved...Categorized as:
dark myths paranormal retellings 21st-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook -
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThis fourth entry and prequel tells the story of Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise...Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark female-mc paranormal retellings action-adventure audiobook boarding-school -
Kingdom of Lies by Debra Dunbar
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA gemstone might destroy the world before I get the chance to do it myself.Interdimensional rifts are opening, spilling supernatural creatures into the world of the humans. Locating and closing the gateways takes two—an angel and a demon. It’s the opportunity I’ve been waiting for, the common goal that might allow demons and angels to put aside nearly three million years of hate... -
An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsChangeling knight in the court of the Duke of Shadowed Hills, October "Toby" Daye has survived numerous challenges that would destroy fae and mortal alike. Now Toby must take on a nightmarish new assignment. Someone is stealing both fae and mortal children—and all signs point to Blind Michael... -
Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her world of angelic rulers, vampiric servants, and the woman thrust into their darkly seductive world…Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed—an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn—but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight... -
Unhinged by A.G. Howard, Nathalia Suellen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsAlyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of...Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark female-mc high-school paranormal retellings action-adventure audiobook -
The Lake of Souls by Darren Shan
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 38 ratings"If you step through after Harkat, you might never come back. Is your friend worth such an enormous risk?"Darren and Harkat face monstrous obstacles on their desperate quest to the Lake of Souls. Will they survive the savage journey? And what awaits them in the murky waters of the dead? Be careful what you fish for..Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark high-school myths paranormal retellings 21st-century action-adventure -
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Demon Thief by Darren Shan
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe second novel in this bonechilling series by Darren Shan, author of the New York Times bestselling Cirque Du Freak series is sure to give you goosebumps. Kernel Fleck has always known he's weird. He sees lights. Strange, multi-colored patches of light, swirling through the air. But it's not until a window opens into a demon world, with horrific consequences, that Kernel discovers his powers... -
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsTwin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.This is the story of what happened first…Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline...Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark paranormal retellings action-adventure audiobook book contemporary -
Slawter by Darren Shan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsLights. Camera. Slawter!Grubbs Grady and his half-brother Bill-E are thrilled to join their uncle Dervish as onset consultants for the newest movie by cult horror producer David A Hayms. Shot in a deserted town renamed Slawter, the demon-themed movie is to be Hayms's masterpiece. But as strange incidents disrupt the set, Grubbs begins to wonder whether more than filming is afoot... -
By a Thread by Jennifer Estep
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsWhen killing people is your job, there's no such thing as a vacation. Then again, how often does an assassin live long enough to enjoy her retirement? In this line of work, you either get lucky or you get dead. And since I destroyed my nemesis Mab Monroe a few weeks ago, all of Ashland's lowlifes are gunning to make a name for themselves by taking out the lethal Spider--me, Gin Blanco...Categorized as:
dark female-mc paranormal super-powered action-adventure alpha-mc assassins audiobook -
Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA deliciously dark bubblegum-gothic fairytale from a stunning new Australian talent.‘He's gone the same way as those little birds that bothered me with their awful songs! And you will too, you and your horrible heart-music, because you won't stay out of my woods!'There's a dead girl in a birdcage in the woods. That's not unusual. Isola Wilde sees a lot of things other people don't... -
Ensnared by A.G. Howard, Nathalia Suellen
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsAfter surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . .Categorized as:
dark high-school paranormal retellings action-adventure audiobook book british-isles -
Jealousy by Lili St. Crow, Lilith Saintcrow
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsDru Anderson might finally be safe. She’s at the largest Schola on the continent, and beginning to learn what it means to be svetocha—half vampire, half human, and all deadly. If she survives her training, she will be able to take her place in the Order, holding back the vampires and protecting the oblivious normal people... -
The Haunted by Jessica Verday
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAn impossible truth. An impossible love. After a summer spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with--the boy who must not exist, cannot exist, because she knows that he is dead--Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow, ready to leave the ghosts of her past behind... -
Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsCassandra Palmer may be the all-powerful Pythia now, but that doesn’t mean people have stopped trying to kill her. Most of the supernatural power players don’t want the independent minded Cassie as chief clairvoyant—and they’ll stop at nothing to see her six feet under... -
Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsCirque du Freak is the saga of a young boy whose visit to a mysterious freak show leads him on a journey into a dark world of vampires. Filled with grotesque creatures, murderous vampires, and a petrifying ending, Cirque du Freak will chill, thrill, and leave readers begging for more...Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark high-school paranormal 21st-century action-adventure audiobook book -
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Tempt the Stars by Karen Chance
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsBeing a goddess is a lot less fun than you might think. Especially when you’re only a half goddess, and you only found out about it recently, and you still don’t know what you’re doing half the time. And when you’ve just used your not-so-reliable powers to burglarize the booby-trapped office of a vampire mob boss.Yeah, that part sucks... -
Reckoning by Lili St. Crow, Lilith Saintcrow
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsNobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She's battled killer zombies, jealous djamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a full-fledged svetocha — rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires — the worst is yet to come... -
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 74 ratings"My name is MacKayla, Mac for short. I'm a sidhe-seer, one who sees the Fae, a fact I accepted only recently and very reluctantly.My philosophy is pretty simple - any day nobody's trying to kill me is a good day in my book. I haven't had many good days lately. Not since the walls between Man and Fae came down. But then, there's not a sidhe-seer alive who's had a good day since then... -
Inferno by Amara Rae
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA witch with the gift of fire. A berserker bred in brutality. An immortal world on the brink.WillowI’ll do anything to protect my coven… even if it costs my life. We have far too many enemies, including among our own kind, because our fathers weren’t human. Witches aren’t supposed to mate other immortals.As a coven of hybrids, we have to work twice as hard to survive... -
Crushed by Eliza Crewe
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMeda's back. This time she has a friend. The battle is over; the choice has been made. Meda Melange has officially hung up her monstrous mantle and planted her feet firmly on the holy and righteous path of a Crusader-in-training. Or, at least, she’s willing to give it a shot. It helps that the Crusaders are the only thing standing between her and the demon hordes who want her dead... -
Blood-Kissed Sky by J.A. London
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThere's nowhere left to hide. I thought vampires were our enemies - they controlled our lives, isolated our cities, and demanded our blood - until I met Victor. With Victor taking over as the new Lord Valentine, things were supposed to get better. Instead, they're worse than ever. Day Walkers, a new breed of vampires who can walk in the sun, are terrorizing the city... -
Embrace the Night by Karen Chance
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsRecently named the world’s chief clairvoyant, Cassandra Palmer still has a thorn in her side. As long as Cassie and a certain master vampire - the sizzling-hot Mircea - are magically bound to each other, her life will never be her own …The spell that binds them can only be broken with an incantation found in the Codex Merlini, an ancient grimoire... -
Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsMORGANVILLE IS SUCH A NICE PLACE TO LIVE... AND DIE. IF YOU DON'T MIND THAT SORT OF THING. When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy...Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark female-mc paranormal action-adventure audiobook book contemporary -
Oblivion by Kelly Creagh
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThis electrifying conclusion to the Nevermore trilogy takes one last trip to the dream world of Edgar Allan Poe to reveal the intertwined fates of Isobel and Varen.The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? —Edgar Allan PoeThe fine line between life and death blurred long ago for Isobel Lanley... -
Vita Nostra by Marina Dyachenko, Sergey Dyachenko
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe definitive English language translation of the internationally bestselling Ukrainian novel—a brilliant dark fantasy with "the potential to be a modern classic" (Lev Grossman), combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way.Our life is brief . .Categorized as:
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Betrayals by Lili St. Crow, Lilith Saintcrow
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsShe’s no angel...Poor Dru Anderson. Her parents are long gone, her best friend is a werewolf, and she’s just learned that the blood flowing through her veins isn’t entirely human. (So what else is new?)Now Dru is stuck at a secret New England Schola for other teens like her, and there’s a big problem—she’s the only girl in the place... -
Evil Star by Anthony Horowitz
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsMatt thought his troubles were over when he closed Raven's Gate . . . but in fact they were just beginning. His fate -- and the fate of the world -- is tied to four other kids across the globe. The second is a street kid in Peru. He and Matt have never met; they don't even speak the same language. But destiny is going to throw them together as the evil threat of the Old Ones grows . .Categorized as:
high-school myths paranormal retellings super-powered action-adventure audiobook book -
Hell to Pay by Simon R. Green
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsIn the wake of the war that left the Nightside leaderless, Jeremiah Griffin-one of the last of the immortal human families-plans to fill the power vacuum. But his granddaughter has disappeared, and he wants John Taylor to use his special abilities to find her. Except someone-or something-is blocking Taylor's abilities...Categorized as:
dark myths paranormal retellings action-adventure alternate-universe anti-hero audiobook -
Deadly Little Games by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsHigh school juniors Camelia and Ben have discovered a powerful bond: They both possess the power of psychometry, the ability to see the future through touch. For Ben, the gift is a frightening liability. When he senses a strong threat or betrayal, he risks losing control. Camelia's gift is more mysterious. When she works with clay, her hands sculpt messages her mind doesn't yet comprehend...Categorized as:
coming-of-age dark female-mc high-school paranormal action-adventure book contemporary -
Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA gorgeously illustrated collection of twelve fairy tales by the author of The Hazel Wood and The Night Country!Journey into the Hinterland, a brutal and beautiful world where a young woman spends a night with Death, brides are wed to a mysterious house in the trees, and an enchantress is killed twice―and still lives...Categorized as:
dark myths paranormal retellings action-adventure anthologies audiobook children-books -
Demon Road by Derek Landy
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe mind-blowing new supernatural thriller from bestselling author DEREK LANDY, creator of international sensation Skulduggery Pleasant.Full of Landy’s trademark wit, action and razor-sharp dialogue, DEMON ROAD kicks off with a shocking opener and never lets up the pace in an epic road-trip across the supernatural landscape of America...
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