Embark on a journey where ordinary teens discover extraordinary powers and the fate of the world hangs in the balance! If Richard Paul Evans’ “Michael Vey” series electrified your reading experience with its blend of gripping action, science fiction, and compelling characters, then you’re in for a high-voltage adventure. In this post, we explore a collection of books that capture the same thrilling essence of “Michael Vey.” These novels are packed with action, secret abilities, and heroic challenges.
From clandestine organizations to teens with hidden powers and battles for survival, each book offers a pulse-pounding journey into worlds where being different is your greatest strength. So, gather your courage and prepare for an electrifying ride into stories where every chapter crackles with energy, suspense, and the power of friendship.
10 Books Like Michael Vey (YA Fantasy Adventure)
“Michael Vey” and similar books involve characters with unique superpowers or abilities. Exploring the capabilities of these characters and how they use them can be thrilling and imaginative. Some of these books explore moral dilemmas and ethical choices, prompting readers to consider complex questions about right and wrong.
Here are ten books similar to Michael Vey. These books emphasize hope, perseverance, and the potential for individuals to make a positive difference in the world. Let’s begin!
| Name | Key Focus | Tropes |
|---|---|---|
| Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor | The story of Lazlo Strange, an orphan and librarian, who is obsessed with the mythical lost city of Weep and goes on a journey that leads him into a world of magic, forgotten gods, and unresolved conflicts. | Lost civilizations, dreams and nightmares, forbidden romance, gods and mortals, magic and alchemy, mysterious past, orphan protagonist, quest for knowledge, supernatural abilities, conflict between cultures. |
| The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu | A historical fantasy that explores the complex relationship between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his equally talented sister, Nannerl, as they face a magical world that promises to secure Nannerl’s legacy in a society that doesn’t recognize female musicians. | Alternate history, sibling rivalry and bond, magical realism, historical figures in fantasy, gender roles and expectations, quest for recognition, classical music backdrop, secret magical kingdoms, pact with mysterious forces, the cost of ambition. |
| An Ember in the Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir | A gripping tale of tyranny, rebellion, and star-crossed love set in a brutal, ancient-like world where a military empire rules with an iron fist, and a defiant slave and a reluctant soldier become unlikely allies against oppression. | Military dictatorship, resistance movement, dual perspectives, star-crossed lovers, fantasy world inspired by ancient Rome, prophetic destinies, complex character development, moral ambiguity, trials and tribulations, supernatural elements, espionage and subterfuge. |
| The Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo | A gritty, heist-driven fantasy following a band of outcasts led by criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker in the bustling, criminal underworld of Ketterdam, as they undertake an impossible heist that could make them rich or seal their dooms. | Heist plot, ensemble cast, morally grey characters, complex backstories, high stakes, magical underworld, found family, diverse abilities and powers, slow-burn romance, political intrigue, redemption arcs. |
| Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo | The journey of Alina Starkov, a young soldier who discovers she possesses a rare power that could be the key to setting her war-torn country free from the darkness of the Shadow Fold, leading her into the world of the Grisha, an elite magical military force. | Chosen one narrative, dark fantasy, light versus darkness, magical elite, coming-of-age, forbidden romance, power and corruption, mentorship, military fantasy, personal transformation, political intrigue. |
| Graceling by Kristin Cashore | In a world where certain individuals are born with “Graces,” extraordinary skills, Katsa, graced with killing, rebels against her role as the king’s enforcer and embarks on a journey of self-discovery, challenging societal norms and uncovering dark secrets. | Superhuman abilities, strong female protagonist, tyrannical government, moral dilemmas, journey of self-discovery, rebellion against authority, political intrigue, romance, hidden identities, adventure and exploration, mentor-protégé relationship. |
| The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi | Set in a magical, alternate Paris in 1889, the story revolves around a diverse group of characters led by a wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie, as they engage in a series of heists to recover a lost artifact and uncover hidden secrets, weaving together themes of colonialism, historical fantasy, and complex relationships. | Heist plot, magical artifacts, historical fantasy, diverse cast of characters, complex puzzles and riddles, secret societies, colonial impact, found family, betrayal and loyalty, intertwining personal histories, romance and camaraderie. |
| Monsters of Verity by Victoria Schwab | In a dystopian city where violent acts create actual monsters, two unlikely allies—a monster-hunting musician and a monster who craves humanity—come together to uncover a way to save their divided city and themselves. | Urban dystopia, monsters born from violence, unlikely alliances, moral ambiguity, music as salvation, dual perspectives, antiheroes, redemption arcs, societal division, exploration of violence and humanity, survival in a hostile world. |
| The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski | Set in a richly imagined fantasy world, this story follows Kestrel, the general’s daughter, who buys a slave named Arin with unexpected consequences, leading to a tangled web of lies, love, and rebellion, challenging the boundaries of loyalty and the costs of freedom. | Strategic gamesmanship, forbidden romance, societal hierarchy, military aristocracy, political intrigue, slave and master dynamics, rebellion and revolution, moral dilemmas, strong female lead, cultural conflict, secrets and espionage. |
| The Cruel Prince by Holly Black | The turbulent journey of Jude, a mortal girl living in the treacherous High Court of Faerie, as she faces deadly politics, personal vendettas, and her ambitions to secure power and safety in a realm where humans are despised. | Dark faerie courts, political intrigue, enemies to lovers, mortal among immortals, manipulation and deceit, power struggle, coming-of-age, betrayal, complex family dynamics, survival tactics, antihero characters. |
1. Strange the Dreamer
This whole duology gives me life. Also, it was the most magical experience I have ever had reading a book because this book is told so beautifully and lyrically. But this feels like Atlantis, the Lost Empire. If you’ve ever seen that movie, the main character is very similar to Milo, and so is the situation that he’s in. But it was so enchanting, and I remember ripping through the pages and wanting to know what would happen next. Even though it’s not a fast-paced book, it is slower-paced. But you are getting to know so many characters, and they all have rich backstories and complex emotions.
The story follows our main character, Lazlo Strange, an orphan. He has grown up in the libraries with monks. In addition, he’s always grown up on these stories of this lost city called Weep, and Weep isn’t the real name. It had a different name, but a curse stole away the name. So, Weep is all that’s left. Lazlo has always read stories about this Lost City and wanted to know more about it.
The book jumps to when he’s grown up. A delegation from that city comes to his town, looking for a different expert. So Lazlo jumps on this chance, goes off with the delegation, and heads to the lost city of Weep. Like Michael Vey, this is a book that you need to jump into without knowing anything, and you will love it.
One of the things that I love about this book is that the magical powers in this series are so specific to each character. No one has the same ability, which plays into who that character is. You will love how the world of this book is constructed and the power dynamics. Once you get to the parts in Weep, you start learning so many things, which is mind-blowing. They’re like gods and magical babies. Also, so many secrets are going around. So it’s an incredible book, and I recommend it.
Author: Laini Taylor
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Category: Friendship Fiction & Family Issues
Number Of Pages: 545
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
2. The Kingdom of Back
Marie Lu is the author of The Legend, Warcross, and The Young Elites trilogy. She’s one of my favorite authors. The Legend is the book she debuted with, but it is actually the first book she wrote and intended to publish. However, the book never sold, so she wrote The Legend. She eventually returned to the original story, reworked it, and published it. It is a fantastic take on a historical figure: Mozart and his sister, Nannerl.
So, it is an untold story of Nannerl, Mozart’s sister. Nannerl’s a musician, and she’s always composed music. Her brother was a child prodigy. So this book follows the animal’s journey and her growing up with her brother and being in his shadow. But in the middle of all of that, there are these stories that Nannerl and her brother make up about the Kingdom of Back. Also, they tell these stories as they travel, and those stories start to come to life.
What if that world was real? Because those were stories that the real Mozart, in general, were telling each other. So, the author stumbled upon this fact and wanted to write a book about it. The whole world of looking back is so exciting and magical. Moreover, there are some terrible characters and some good ones. The paranormal superpower and worldbuilding are similar to Michael Vey. Overall, It’s literary, and I enjoyed it.
Author: Marie Lu
Average Rating: 4.3/5
Category: Historical Fantasy, Siblings Fiction (Teacher’s Pick)
Number Of Pages: 336
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle
3. An Ember in the Ashes Series
This is a hard-hitting series. It has some dark moments, but it also has characters trying their best, fighting against so many odds, and still trying to triumph at the end. These are characters who go through so much character growth and many hardships. But you see them get back up again every time. It has complex characters as well.
There are villains in this series who you want to hate. Then, you learn about them and realize they are way more complicated than you think. They’re so three-dimensional. There’s such a rich backstory to the world and magic in it. We have two main characters. When you get to the second one, you get all the POV chapters from them.
Laia is the main character who starts off thinking she’s fragile, and you can relate to her with Michael Vey. So, she is trying her best to become strong and fight for the people she loves. Then we have Elias, who wants to run away from his duty. The fact that he comes from a nation of armed and very horrible people. So it’s these two characters trying to run away from who they are and then finding themselves again.
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Category: Dystopian Fiction, Action & Adventure Fiction
Number Of Pages: 446
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
4. The Six of Crows Duology
Many people love this series on BookTube, and I am one of them. It is a series after the trilogy but entirely separate from it. Also, six different people from different walks of life are coming together to pull off a magical heist. They’re trying to steal this magical drug that creates some horrible and powerful people.
I love the series mainly because of the characters, getting to know their backstories, and seeing how they interact with each other. Like Michael Vey, many characters and couples in this series are learning to be with each other and get what they want. Moreover, there’s so much angst, but I also love how cutthroat some of these characters are, especially Kaz.
Kaz’s a straight-up criminal, but he has a sad backstory as the pillar of the group, and she holds everyone together. Overall, it’s fun, has great dialogue, and unique characters are coming together. By the end of the book, you will care for them so much that you need to know what happens.
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Category: Mystery & Thriller Action & Adventure, Crime Thrillers & Suspense (Best Seller)
Number Of Pages: 465
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
5. Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy)
In this book, we’re in Ravka, one of the nations in the universe, and we’re following Alina. She is one of these soldiers in the army of Ravka. She has always had this crush on her best friend, Mal. The two of them have always been together since they were young. But in this world, people called Grisha have these magical abilities.
There’s a part of Ravka called the Shadow Fold, which is a stretch of darkness within the country. It cuts off the east and west sides of the country. So, her army section is tasked with taking some stuff across the Fold. When that happens, the leader of the Grisha Army, the Darkling, joins. He can control darkness, so he enters, and they go across this Fold.
Like Michael, Alina shows magical powers she never knew she had. She’s whisked away to become a Grisha, even though usually, Grisha are tested when they’re children and then trained as soldiers. Alina missed the original test for some reason, so here she is now. But this story goes in a completely different direction, similar to Michael Vey. I love how the book was crafted with some of the reveals.
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Average Rating: 4.5/5
Category: Young Adult Fantasy
Number Of Pages: 358
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
6. Graceling (Graceling Realm)
This is an old-school fantasy story like Michael Vey. Certain people in this world are Graceling, who have Graces, these magical powers. So Grace can be super specific, like giving someone dreams or being strong in combat. It makes for some magical powers. So, our main character, Katsa, is an assassin for the king. She’s mercenary because her Grace is killing, and she’s good at it. Since she was a young child, this is what she’s been doing.
A prince from a neighboring kingdom visits her kingdom, and he has the ability for combat skills. Then, the two of them start to get close. Katsa starts to change her worldview because she realizes that what she believes about herself might not necessarily be true. So it’s one of those books that you need to experience. This book is a little bit more on the literary side, which is why I love it so much and still, to this day, love it so much.
Author: Kristin Cashore
Average Rating: 4.5/5
Category: Paranormal Adventure & Romance
Number Of Pages: 481
Available: Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
7. The Gilded Wolves
Many readers assumed it was like Six of Crows because it’s also a heist book. But it’s not! It has so many more layers to it. It has many more nuances, and this book is set in Paris. Also, it feels like a larger cast of characters coming together to steal this artifact that holds immense power. In this world, a magic system relies on artifacts and things belonging to culture that have been imbued with power.
So our main characters all have some back story, and things to them where they have had something stolen from them or the effects of colonization have strongly affected them. As it is set in the 1800s, it has a historical aspect. You see how colonization has deeply influenced the world and these people because most characters are people of color or marginalized somehow. So, seeing them come together is magnificent. This book has some interesting twists as well. If you’re a secret Michael Vey and National Treasure fan, you will love this book.
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Average Rating: 4.4/5
Category: Epic Fantasy
Number Of Pages: 416
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
8. Monsters of Verity
The first book of this series is ‘This Savage Song,’ and the second is called ‘Our Dark Duet.’ It is more of a paranormal-ish, more urban fantasy type. So this is set in the near-future version of our world where violence has created these monsters. Every time a human commits an act of violence, these monsters spring from that act. So, depending on the level of violence, you get a different monster strength.
The high strength is the Sunai, who can steal souls. The middle is Malachi, who can steal blood or drink blood. Then the bottom one is Corsai, who eat flesh. So the series falls to the main character, Kate Harker, the daughter of a big crime boss in one of the bigger cities called Verity. She has always wanted to be a monster hunter. That’s the vibe that she’s trying to channel.
Then, our other main character is August Flynn, a monster who doesn’t want to be one. He is one of the Sunai and was spontaneously born from one of these violent acts. But he’s never wanted to be a monster. He can play his violin and magic people into following his will. Then, he steals their souls if they are someone who has committed a crime. So these two characters are different, people who want the opposite thing. The pace of this book is as fun and exciting as Michael Vey.
Author: Victoria Schwab
Average Rating: 4.5/5
Category: Supernatural Mysteries & Thrillers (Teacher’s Pick)
Number Of Pages: 480
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
9. The Winner’s Curse (The Winner’s Trilogy)
This is a unique fantasy series that doesn’t have magic in it! It’s so focused on the book’s political aspects and power dynamics that it is so interesting, like Michael Vey. The story follows a young girl (Kestrel) from a kingdom that has taken over another.
So it’s Valeria who has taken over Heron, and she’s a ballerina. She’s the daughter of the most influential general in the Valerian Army. She has a high status, but she also has many limitations. As a girl in high society, she must become a soldier or get married.
Kestrel is more strategic and thinks she could be good with battle strategy, but she’s not allowed to do that. The book opens with the main character, Kestrel, going to an auction for slaves from her aunt. She goes to this auction and experiences it. This is called the Winner’s Curse. It’s when you pay more for something than you originally intended.
Then, that thing is worth it because the auction drives the price up. That is a metaphor for the entire book because she wins the slave, but he is secretly a spy for the Haran people. They’re trying to take down the evil Orient-occupying army and eliminate the general.
This book takes something slightly problematic- the whole slave thing- but does it tastefully. Some power dynamics flip because Kestrel doesn’t know what she’s getting into. Also, it has a cool romance. Overall, the series has three books, expanding as the conflict grows and taking the story to different locations worldwide.
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Average Rating: 4.4/5
Category: Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Romance
Number Of Pages: 369
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
10. The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air)
This is a fun series that has some hilarious and complex characters. Our main character, Jude, is so cutthroat, but she’s also trying her hardest to survive in a world that doesn’t want her there. So, in this series, the Faerie World is adjacent to our own, and you can travel to it. Jude has an older sister and a twin. Her mother was in love with a fairy and was with him. But then she leaves him, marries someone else, and has four kids.
So that guy she was with comes back and murders her with her husband. Jude is left without her parents. Then he takes Jude and her sisters back to Fairy and raises them as his children. So she’s grown up in fairy as a human and has faced their manipulation. She’s always felt powerless, and she gets this opportunity to become a spy for one of the fairy princes and get her revenge. Then, you see her rise in the ranks. Overall, the series was enjoyable and had some fantastic twists similar to Michael Vey.
Author: Holly Black
Average Rating: 4.5/5
Category: Fiction on Prejudice & Racism, Dark Fantasy
Number Of Pages: 416
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
These stories, surging with action-packed narratives and electrifying characters, remind us of the extraordinary potential within every individual and the unbreakable bonds that form in the face of adversity. They inspire us to embrace our uniqueness and stand strong against our challenges.
So, as you embark on your next reading adventure, may you find the same thrill and camaraderie that Michael Vey brought to life. Until our next adventure into worlds where ordinary becomes extraordinary, happy reading, and may your journey be as invigorating as the stories you delve into!
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