The Magisterium Series, by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Does this sound familiar? A child with horrible prophecies hanging over his head attends a magical school, collects two close friends, and has adventures involving improbably advanced levels of magic, wherein he defeats evil villains bent on world domination.

Harry Potter, right? Ah, but it isn’t! It’s the Magisterium series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare!

I know a lot of people might see the similarities between Harry Potter and the Magisterium books and get their noses out of joint, but they’d miss out on some fun reading.

Yes, it has a similar baseline plot. But the rest of it is original, fun and written by two fantastic authors who have the creative chops to take a familiar story line and make it new.

Callum Hunt’s father has told him his entire life that terrible things will happen to him if he succeeds in entering the Magisterium; the magical school that budding mages must attend to learn magic safely. So Callum goes to the entrance trials, determined to fail—and he fails everything, not just because he was trying but because horrible, ridiculous things happen—all of which is followed by the worst failure of all—he fails at his intended goal. To the disgust of the competitive students around him, he is accepted into the Magisterium by the most coveted professor.

Once inside, Callum finds that his own, innocent actions somehow manage to mirror the choices and actions of a former student. That student went on to become the worst dark magician in the world. As Callum finds friends and learns magic, he begins to unravel the mystery connecting him with the genocidal maniac of his parents’ generation.

One more impressive thing: though Holly Black and Cassandra Clare are both known for YA series that stray onto the steamy romance side of things, the Magisterium series keeps it lighter. It’s a fun story. The characters are likeable, the romance is sweet, and the worldbuilding is fantastic. If you want an exciting adventure read for pure enjoyment’s sake, this is it.