Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved The Raven Boys, try The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, The Raven King, Call Down the Hawk, Six of Crows and We Were Liars. Each one has a magical small-town setting, found family and a mystery that pulls a group of friends together.
Maggie Stiefvater's novel follows Blue Sargent, the daughter of a family of psychics, who has been told that if she kisses her true love he will die. She becomes entangled with four boys from a private school who are searching for a lost Welsh king buried in the Virginia hills. Readers love its atmosphere, friendships and slow-burning romance. These books share the same eerie charm.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dream Thieves | Maggie Stiefvater | 14+ | readers who want more of the Raven Cycle |
| Blue Lily, Lily Blue | Maggie Stiefvater | 14+ | readers continuing the series |
| The Raven King | Maggie Stiefvater | 14+ | readers finishing the series |
| Call Down the Hawk | Maggie Stiefvater | 14+ | readers who love Ronan |
| Six of Crows | Leigh Bardugo | 14+ | readers who like found family |
| We Were Liars | E. Lockhart | 14+ | readers who like wealthy friends with secrets |
| The Secret History | Donna Tartt | 16+ | older readers |
| Ninth House | Leigh Bardugo | 17+ | older readers |
| Practical Magic | Alice Hoffman | 15+ | readers who like witchy families |
| The Scorpio Races | Maggie Stiefvater | 13+ | readers who want a standalone Stiefvater |
| Shiver | Maggie Stiefvater | 13+ | readers who like romance |
| The Graveyard Book | Neil Gaiman | 10+ | younger readers |
| Cemetery Boys | Aiden Thomas | 13+ | readers who like ghosts |
| A Deadly Education | Naomi Novik | 15+ | readers who like dark schools |
| Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase | Jonathan Stroud | 11+ | readers who like ghost hunters |
1. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
Ronan discovers he can pull objects out of his dreams.
Best for: readers who want more of the Raven Cycle.
2. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
Blue's mother has disappeared, and the group searches for her.
Best for: readers continuing the series.
3. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
The search for Glendower reaches its climax.
Best for: readers finishing the series.
4. Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
Ronan Lynch returns in this spin-off about dreamers.
Best for: readers who love Ronan.
5. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Six outcasts plan an impossible heist.
Best for: readers who like found family.
6. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
A girl spends summers with her rich family and friends on a private island.
Best for: readers who like wealthy friends with secrets.
7. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A group of classics students commit a murder.
Best for: older readers.
8. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
A dropout monitors Yale's occult secret societies.
Best for: older readers.
9. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Two sisters raised by witch aunts try to escape a curse.
Best for: readers who like witchy families.
10. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
A girl competes in a deadly race on water horses.
Best for: readers who want a standalone Stiefvater.
11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
A girl falls for a boy who is a wolf in winter.
Best for: readers who like romance.
12. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
A boy is raised by ghosts.
Best for: younger readers.
13. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
A trans boy summons the wrong ghost.
Best for: readers who like ghosts.
14. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
A student with dark magic survives a deadly school.
Best for: readers who like dark schools.
15. Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Teens run a ghost-hunting agency.
Best for: readers who like ghost hunters.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with The Raven Boys: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
Continue with The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King, then the Dreamer trilogy starting with Call Down the Hawk. For more Stiefvater, try The Scorpio Races or Shiver. If you love wealthy boys with secrets, choose We Were Liars. Older readers can try The Secret History or Ninth House. If the ghosts and psychics drew you in, Cemetery Boys and Lockwood & Co. share that spooky warmth, while Practical Magic offers another family of women with gifts. Stiefvater's books reward slow, attentive reading, so the best follow-ups are atmospheric stories where friendship matters as much as the mystery.
Related: 15 Books Like The Boys in the Boat You’ll Love: Sports History and Underdog Triumphs · The Boys in the Boat Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes)
Frequently Asked Questions
What age is The Raven Boys for?
It is usually recommended for ages 14 and up.
How many Raven Cycle books are there?
There are four, followed by the Dreamer trilogy.
Is The Raven Boys a romance?
It has a slow-building romance, but friendship and mystery are at its heart.
Is it scary?
It has eerie moments, ghosts and a dark subplot, but it is mostly atmospheric.
Where is The Raven Boys set?
In the fictional town of Henrietta, Virginia.
Who are the Raven Boys?
Gansey, Ronan, Adam and Noah, students at the private Aglionby Academy, whose school crest features a raven.