What to read next
10 books like A Dance with Dragons
Jon and Daenerys discover that ruling requires compromises heroism never prepared them for, while Theon receives the series' most painful reconstruction of identity. If that is what you want more of after A Dance with Dragons, these recommendations preserve that appeal in different ways, without pretending every similar book offers the same experience.
Start with our A Dance with Dragons review by George R. R. Martin.
Choose by reading mood
Where to start
For the fastest read
A Storm of Swords
BalancedFor the gentlest option
Nettle & Bone
GentleFor the strongest romance
The Lion & the Deathless Dark
CentralFor the easiest entry
Wind and Truth
AccessibleThe full shortlist
Why each book belongs here
Each match is judged against A Dance with Dragons, not merely placed beside it because the books share a broad genre label.
1
A Feast for Crows
- Shared ground
- Both books treat power as a system of competing interests rather than a single villain.
- What changes
- Feast covers parallel regions and should be read before or alongside Dance for the full postwar picture.
- Best for
- Patient series readers interested in aftermath, gendered power, religion, and unreliable self-justification more than rapid conquest.
- Pace Measured
- Darkness Gentle
- Romance Minimal
- Difficulty Moderate
2
A Storm of Swords
- Shared ground
- Both books treat power as a system of competing interests rather than a single villain.
- What changes
- Storm provides far stronger structural payoff and shows how much the later series has expanded.
- Best for
- Readers invested in the first two volumes and prepared for extreme violence, betrayal, war, and transformative character turns.
- Pace Balanced
- Darkness Moderate
- Romance Minimal
- Difficulty Accessible
3
Wind and Truth
- Shared ground
- Both books treat power as a system of competing interests rather than a single villain.
- What changes
- Wind and Truth is also enormous and continuity-heavy, but delivers the end-of-arc climax Dance withholds.
- Best for
- Readers current with all preceding Stormlight volumes and ready for a very long, continuity-heavy end-of-arc event.
- Pace Balanced
- Darkness Gentle
- Romance Minimal
- Difficulty Accessible
4
A Clash of Kings
- Shared ground
- Both books treat power as a system of competing interests rather than a single villain.
- What changes
- A Clash of Kings has a similar overall reading load, but changes the emphasis. Tyrion's defense of King's Landing, Arya's captivity, and the multiplying kings show power operating at radically different social levels.
- Best for
- Series readers ready for broader war, darker magic, court maneuvering, and slower movement across many fronts.
- Pace Balanced
- Darkness Moderate
- Romance Minimal
- Difficulty Moderate
5
Fire and Blood
- Shared ground
- Both books treat power as a system of competing interests rather than a single villain.
- What changes
- Fire and Blood is easier to enter than A Dance with Dragons. The Dance of the Dragons gains scale from disputed testimony, political marriages, succession law, and the chronicler's inability to settle motive.
- Best for
- Targaryen enthusiasts and readers who enjoy dynastic pseudo-history, unreliable sources, and political succession more than close viewpoint fiction.
- Pace Balanced
- Darkness Gentle
- Romance Minimal
- Difficulty Accessible
6
A Game of Thrones
- Shared ground
- Both books treat power as a system of competing interests rather than a single villain.
- What changes
- A Game of Thrones is easier to enter than A Dance with Dragons. The rotating viewpoints reveal how the same marriage, rumor, or appointment changes meaning across households, while each chapter keeps a strong personal objective.
- Best for
- Readers wanting adult epic fantasy, family politics, moral consequence, violence, and a large cast with conflicting loyalties.
- Pace Balanced
- Darkness Moderate
- Romance Minimal
- Difficulty Accessible
7
Ruthless Vows
- Shared ground
- Both books treat power as a system of competing interests rather than a single villain.
- What changes
- Ruthless Vows is more romance-led and easier to enter than A Dance with Dragons. Separation, memory, divided loyalties, and renewed writing keep the relationship active under direct political and divine pressure.
- Best for
- Divine Rivals readers wanting direct continuation, wartime separation, recovered intimacy, and complete duology closure.
- Pace Balanced
- Darkness Gentle
- Romance Significant
- Difficulty Accessible
8
Nettle & Bone
- Shared ground
- Both books treat power as a system of competing interests rather than a single villain.
- What changes
- Nettle & Bone is easier to enter than A Dance with Dragons. Marra succeeds through sewing, patience, graveyard knowledge, and the willingness to ask limited people for help.
- Best for
- Readers who want an adult fairy tale about sisters and found family, with gallows humor and only a light romantic element.
- Pace Balanced
- Darkness Gentle
- Romance Minimal
- Difficulty Accessible
9
The Lion & the Deathless Dark
- Shared ground
- Both books treat power as a system of competing interests rather than a single villain.
- What changes
- The Lion & the Deathless Dark is more romance-led and easier to enter than A Dance with Dragons. The deathless threat, court power, and central attraction make desire inseparable from survival and trust rather than decorative beside the fantasy plot.
- Best for
- Readers wanting adult dark romantasy, dangerous bargains, court conflict, explicit attraction, and mythic stakes.
- Pace Balanced
- Darkness Gentle
- Romance Central
- Difficulty Accessible
10
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Shared ground
- Both books treat power as a system of competing interests rather than a single villain.
- What changes
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has a similar overall reading load, but changes the emphasis. Umbridge turns paperwork, curriculum, punishment, and polite language into credible authoritarian tools, while Dumbledore's Army gives resistance a practical communal form.
- Best for
- Committed series readers prepared for the longest, angriest volume and a sustained conflict with political authority.
- Pace Balanced
- Darkness Moderate
- Romance Minimal
- Difficulty Moderate
Side-by-side
Pace, darkness, romance, and difficulty
Use these labels as directional guidance. The individual notes above explain the tradeoffs.
| Book | Pace | Darkness | Romance | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Dance with Dragons | Balanced | Gentle | Minimal | Moderate |
| A Feast for Crows | Measured | Gentle | Minimal | Moderate |
| A Storm of Swords | Balanced | Moderate | Minimal | Accessible |
| Wind and Truth | Balanced | Gentle | Minimal | Accessible |
| A Clash of Kings | Balanced | Moderate | Minimal | Moderate |
| Fire and Blood | Balanced | Gentle | Minimal | Accessible |
| A Game of Thrones | Balanced | Moderate | Minimal | Accessible |
| Ruthless Vows | Balanced | Gentle | Significant | Accessible |
| Nettle & Bone | Balanced | Gentle | Minimal | Accessible |
| The Lion & the Deathless Dark | Balanced | Gentle | Central | Accessible |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Balanced | Moderate | Minimal | Moderate |
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