So maybe the final season wasn’t everything you wanted and more, and now you feel sorry for young girls named Khaleesi. But despite its flaws, there was no show like Game of Thrones before it premiered. What other show will give you conniving politics between warring families, gory zombie battle scenes, shocking deaths that inspire YouTube reaction videos, dangerous and awesome pets like direwolfs and dragons, plus characters as nuanced as Tyrion, Arya, and Brienne? None. So that’s why you should read a book instead! These incredible books will fill the Westeros-sized hole in your heart and give you something new to obsess about.
10 Books to Read If You Miss Game of Thrones
1. Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
Do you love the complicated sibling relationships in Game of Thrones? Whether it was the power struggle between Jon and Sansa, Tyrion and Cersei, or Yara and Theon, were you always yearning for more? If so, then Crown of Feathers is what you need to read ASAP. This book has a complicated sibling rivalry for the ages, and is perfect for your love of sibling power dynamics!
In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.
2. The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett
Is your favorite character Arya Stark? Then The Lady Rogue is the perfect book to fill the Game of Thrones hole in your soul. Like Arya, Theodora doesn’t take no for an answer, and is unfailingly loyal to her family, she isn’t interested in the role society has deemed appropriate for young women. She dreams of adventure, of danger, but she doesn’t have her father’s permission. Instead of taking her on his journeys, her father takes his nineteen-year-old protégé, Huck Gallagaher, and leaves Theodora behind. But when Huck returns from an expedition without her father, he enlists Theodora’s help to rescue him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him. Her journey with Huck will give you serious Arya and Gendry vibes, and you will have a new favorite ship to root for. Pick up The Lady Rogue if you’re missing your favorite Stark, and find a new awesome heroine to love.
3. Cursed by Thomas Wheeler and Frank Miller
Do you often think of Brienne and the Hound’s epic fight scene in the season four finale? Or the Cleganbowl in the series finale? Or Arya’s EPIC stabbing of the Night King? If you answered yes to all of these questions, then Cursed is the Game of Thrones-inspired book for you.
Nimue grew up an outcast. Her connection to dark magic made her something to be feared in her Druid village, and that made her desperate to leave…That is, until her entire village is slaughtered by Red Paladins, and Nimue’s fate is forever altered. Charged by her dying mother to reunite an ancient sword with a legendary sorcerer, Nimue is now her people’s only hope. Her mission leaves little room for revenge, but the growing power within her can think of little else. Nimue teams up with a charming mercenary named Arthur and refugee Fey Folk from across England. She wields a sword meant for the one true king, battling paladins and the armies of a corrupt king. She struggles to unite her people, avenge her family, and discover the truth about her destiny. But perhaps the one thing that can change Destiny itself is found at the edge of a blade.
4. Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells
If you came to Game of Thrones for the dragons and badass female characters, then Shatter the Sky is perfect for you! Just like Game of Thrones, this book has a strong female dragon rider, and a woman who is hell bent on her mission to succeed. Raised among the ruins of a conquered mountain nation, Maren dreams only of sharing a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia—until the day Kaia is abducted by the Aurati, prophetic agents of the emperor, and forced to join their ranks. Desperate to save her, Maren hatches a plan to become an apprentice to the emporor’s mysterious dragon trailer in order to steal one of the emperor’s coveted dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold. But Maren is unprepared for the dangerous secrets she uncovers: rumors of a lost prince (cough cough Jon Snow cough), a brewing rebellion, and a prophecy that threatens to shatter the empire itself. Not to mention the strange dreams she’s been having about a beast deep underground…
5. The Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black
Do you love Game of Thrones, but wish that it had a modern twist? If so, then The Modern Faerie Tales is perfect for you! This series still has all the fantasy elements you love, along with a strong female protagonist, and it has a modern angle that brings a new perspective to this genre.
Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother’s rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself as an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms—a struggle that could very well mean her death.
6. Alanna by Tamora Pierce
Is your favorite character in Game of Thrones Brienne of Tarth? Was the moment that Jaime knighted her one of your favorites in the whole series? If yes, then Alanna: The First Adventure, is perfect for you! Just like Brienne of Tarth, Alanna wanted nothing more than to be a knight, but unfortunately, women are forbidden to be warriors. Disguised as a boy, Alanna begins her training as a page at the palace of King Roald. But the road to knighthood, as she discovers, is not an easy one. Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna’s first adventure begins—one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and make her a legend in the land.
This book is absolutely perfect if you’re missing Game of Thrones because it has the medieval setting, the strong female characters, and the deception and intrigue so quintessential to the series. Alanna will remind you of Brienne of Tarth in all the best ways, and is the perfect book to pick up if you’re missing her!
7. Slayer by Kiersten White
If you love Game of Thrones because of the vast world building, then you will love Slayer. Set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Slayer introduces a new slayer as she grapples with the responsibility of managing her incredible powers that she’s just beginning to understand. Like Game of Thrones, the Slayer universe is complicated and fascinating, and filled with diverse and fascinating characters. Similar to Thrones universe, you’ll never completely understand or know the Buffyverse, and that’s partly what makes it so exciting!
8. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power. Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
Although all of the characters in Sorcery of Thorns are complicated, there is no one more tortured and layered as Silas, Nathaniel’s demonic servant. Silas is a demon, and Nathaniel gave years of his life to him in order to use magic. But despite this dynamic, Silas cares for Nathaniel, and Nathaniel cares for him. Their relationship is beautiful and difficult to describe, and Silas’s character perfectly aligns with the other morally ambiguous characters so beloved within the Game of Thrones universe. This book is perfect if the characters are what you’re missing most from Game of Thrones!
9. The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine
Sixteen-year-old Elli was a small child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic. Since then, Elli has prepared for the day when the Valtia perishes and the magic finds a new home in her. But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found. Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between the love she has for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must align with the right side—before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed.
The Impostor Queen is perfect for Game of Thrones fans, because its premise resembles one of the the main plot lines in series, Joffrey Baratheon’s parentage and his claim to the throne. Just like Game of Thrones, the entire series revolves around this question, and ultimately asks us, does it really matter? If you loved the reveal of Jon Snow’s parentage and how that conflicted with Dany’s claim to the throne, then this book is perfect for you!
10. The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
If you found Theon Greyjoy’s complicated relationship with the Starks and the Greyjoys endlessly fascinating, then The Scorpion Rules is for you. Similar to how Theon was a ward to the Starks as a child, Greta is a hostage held by the de facto ruler of the world so that her family won’t begin a war. This creates a complicated dynamic, and one you know well as a Game of Thrones fan! Greta will be free if she can make it to her eighteenth birthday. Until then she is prepared to die with dignity, if necessary. But everything changes when Elian arrives at the Precepture. He’s a hostage from a new American alliance, and he defies the machines that control every part of their lives—and is severely punished for it. His rebellion opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the rules they live under, and to the subtle resistance of her companions. And Greta discovers her own quiet power.
Then Elian’s country declares war on Greta’s and invades the prefecture, taking the hostages hostage. Now the great Talis is furious, and coming himself to deliver punishment. Which surely means that Greta and Elian will be killed…unless Greta can think of a way to break all the rules.