After The Cruel Prince left us with that cliffhanger, I about drove myself crazy trying to think of what to read next while waiting for The Wicked King (book 2) to release next year.
So I did the only sane thing for a bookaholic to do and browsed through the past several years of YA books in search of reads to sate my bookish appetite until I can get my hands on a copy of book 2.
(I also added books that came to mind as I browsed, so there are some older reads present as well.)
Following is the list that I compiled.
If you’ve read any of these books or have recommendations to add to the list, please shout them out in the comments below!
Books to Read after The Cruel Prince
More Fey
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
The Iron King Julie Kagawa
The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst
The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams
Tithe by Holly Black
More Dark Magic / Creatures
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Heartless by Marisssa Meyer
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
More Politics & Adventure
Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
And I Darken by Kiersten White
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Roar by Cora Carmack
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
More Strong Heroines
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (or any of her other books)
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
Talon by Julie Kagawa
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
* Many of the above books feature strong heroines as well
Other Reads
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Chat with Me
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Dani @ Perspective of a Writer says
WOW!! This is a super fun list Crystal!! ❤️ I see a bunch of books I love… The Golden Compass, Mistborn, Nevernight, Truthwitch, And I Darken!! And some ones that I will need to look at. I love that you broke the list into sections. Give me magical creatures any day!!
Crystal says
I’m so glad to hear that, Dani! ❤️ I totally agree with your opinion on magical creatures!! If I hear that a book has magical creatures in it, then I’m bound to check it out. I hope that you find some new books to love from this list!
Erin @ The Inky Bookworm says
Wow! What a list. I’m going to have to dig some of these out. I’ve only read a couple out of all of these.
Crystal says
I hope that you find some that you love, Erin!
Iris @ Hoard of Books says
Oh my gosh, I loved The Cruel Prince SO MUCH, and I need The Wicked King RIGHT NOW!!! I might have to give some of these a try…!
Also can I suggest The Darkest Part of the Forest (also by Holly Black)? It has very much the same vibe as The Cruel Prince, and it was also soooooo good!
Crystal says
Same. I want to read The Wicked King right now!! I have The Darkest Part of the Forest on my shelf. I’ll have to bump it up my TBR list now 🙂
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight says
I haven’t actually read The Cruel Prince yet, but I want to, and I can never resist fantasy book recs! Rebel of the Sands, And I Darken, and ACOTAR are all on my tbr as well, so I’m glad to see you’ve rec’d those! (Btw I love how you sorted these.) The only one here I’ve read is Coldest Girl in Coldtown, and I loved it, so I definitely need to try more Holly Black 🙂
Crystal says
I love fantasy books as well! I’m glad the sorting helps. I’ve also read and loved White Cat by Holly Black, but Coldest Girl in Coldtown is the one that made me decide to read more from her.
I’d love to hear what you think of The Cruel Prince once you’ve read it. If you end up loving it, I’ve heard that you should read Holly Black’s Tithe series as well since characters from there make an appearance in TCP. (Found this out after I made this post!)
Kimberly @ Book Swoon says
What a great selection of books! I’m a big fan of this series but it can’t hurt to have some back-up books in between—thanks for all the ideas.
Crystal says
You’re welcome. I hope you find some good reads!
Angelica @ Paperback Princess says
That’s a fantastic compilation with so many awesome books!!! Currently reading The Cruel Prince nearly 3/4 into it and thoroughly enjoying it thus far.
Crystal says
I’m glad to hear that, Angelica. I’d love to hear what you think about The Cruel Prince when you’re done 🙂
Ethan says
I hate the waiting game, but it is great to know there are other books to read to help fill that void!
Crystal says
Yeah, I find it’s always good to have a list of books to reference!
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer says
What great list of books. I have read and loved a few of these, like Maas, Kristoff, Sanderson, and Pierce Brown. I love the Red Rising Saga.
Crystal says
I haven’t read the Red Rising saga yet, but I’ve heard great things about it. I’m looking forward to starting it!
Jenea's Book Obsession says
So many amazing book in your list. Some i havent had the opportunity to read yet too.
Crystal says
Thanks, Jenea. I’m looking forward to reading some of these books this summer! 🙂
Sophia Rose says
I’ve read none. 🙁 But I do have three of those series on my TBR pile. I love how you broke up your list with those categories to be even more helpful.
Crystal says
Thanks, Sophia. I’m glad the categories are helpful!
What series do you have on your TBR pile?