For today’s post, I will be counting down my five favorite books series that focus on witches! This was a difficult one to rank, and I know there will be some who question why number two is not number one. But without further ado, here is the countdown!
Number 5: Witches of East End Series by Melissa de la Cruz
~This very fun little trilogy by Melissa de la Cruz was the author’s first step out of the Y.A. realm and into fiction for adults. It is set within the same universe as her Blue Bloods Series of novels, which are Y.A. about vampires, making this a perfect universe to delve into witches. These witches are all originally Norse deities trapped in Midgard (which is the human world), and it was made into a short-lived television series as well!
Number 4: Practical Magic Series by Alice Hoffman
~Now, anyone familiar with my writing here on White Rose of Avalon will be unsurprised at this iconic series of novels making this list! I adore all of these books, four in total, and the film based on the first novel is an absolutely iconic 90s movie. The characters are easily relatable and are truly figures that the reader loves to root for!
Number 3: The Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong
~This series of thirteen novels (as well as many short stories) is an epic feat of fantasy! Armstrong began with Bitten, which at the time was a stand-alone werewolf novel, and she ended up incorporating all sorts of supernatural characters over the run. Each novel is narrated by one supernatural woman, and three of them are witches! Well, if I’m getting technical one of the witches was a ghost, but she was a witch (and a half-demon) in life! If you would like clarity on all of this, I suggest reading this phenomenal series of novels! Additionally, I have to mention that this was turned into a great, but ultimately short-lived, series titled Bitten after the first novel.
Number 2: Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
~Ok, so this is the one everyone was waiting for, am I right? Well, like I said in the introduction I know this one will be seriously questioned. How is this iconic, and amazing, series of witchy books only number two? My answer is that I adore Harry Potter, and I grew up with these books. I mean, I got the later ones the day they were published! However, as much as I love these books, and admire the huge world-building (which is what got them ranked over the other three listed above), they are essentially Y.A. novels. To be clear, I have a lot of love for Y.A. However, I appreciate the adult complexity of the series that I ranked as number one, which is why this only got second billing! Now that I have explained my reasoning, I have to say that these novels never cease to delight, and I adore re-reading them to this day! The films are good (for the most part), yet they do not hold a candle to the novels.
Number 1: The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness
~So for any of my readers who do not know which series this is, the first title in the trilogy is A Discovery of Witches! I first read these books when I heard about the upcoming television adaptation, as they had been on my reading list for a while. And I decided reading them before watching the series was ideal. I was blown away by the beauty, romance, complexity, and history utilized in these books! The series is likewise incredible, and honestly one of the best series I have seen in the aspect of being true to the novels. It is not a straight page to screen retelling, as that is nearly impossible for anyone to do (except maybe Rosemary’s Baby). Yet, the producers of the series go to great lengths to preserve the narrative of the novels! I have to say that this one also gets bonus points for being made into a television series my husband loves watching with me.
Special Mention: The Secret Circle Series by L.J. Smith
~I could not complete this list without acknowledging that this sweet series by L.J. Smith, written in the 90s not long after she finished the early Vampire Diaries novels. It is a very layered and fun series to read, and the characters are engaging. Although it was not good enough to make the cut on this list, I do recommend this Y.A. series, as well! Like the others on this list, it was also adapted to screen, this time as a very short-lived television series. The original three books were followed-up by three more books written by a ghost-writer, and they are enjoyable if not as good as the first three!
~I hope you have enjoyed this list. Obviously, my list of further reading and watching would simply contain all of the above-listed titles, so I am forgoing a separate list! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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