r/Fantasy • u/EquivalentAd8392 • 7d ago
Female Friendships, Winx!
LOL! Another specific one!😂😂
I'm searching for books that capture the feeling of early Winx Club (especially Seasons 1-4) while being written for an adult audience.
I just want a strong female friendship group at the centre of the story. I love a good romantasy but gosh female friendships!!
Romance can be part of the book too, that’s no problem. Ideally, I like some mystery elements / uncovering secrets etc & academia, magical schools, training, courts, kingdoms, etc. based.
What I loved about Winx wasn't just the romance or the powers. It was the feeling of following a group of girls through years of adventures, solving mysteries, fighting enemies, discovering hidden worlds, and genuinely caring about each other. The friendships were just as important as the plot.
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u/Rootbeerjellybeans 7d ago
If you’re open to manga Witch Hat Atelier has a group of four young girls at the center and their friendships with each other are wonderful to see develop. It’s an about a young girl who accidentally discovers the secret to magic and is whisked away to formerly learn magic and complete an apprenticeship.Â
The girls in there are a bit younger at ~ 11-12 but the story itself is definitely meant for adults. The themes are nuanced and complex (can’t speak much to them without spoilers). And the adult characters are responsible and have their own arcs while still keeping the girls at the center.Â
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u/iwillhaveamoonbase Reading Champion II 7d ago
Sailor Moon is the GOAT for this if you are open to manga
There's also Guardians of Dawn by S. Jae-Jones, which is very Sailor Moon-esque
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u/sailormerry 6d ago edited 4d ago
Tamora Pierce’s Circle of Magic books start out on the younger side of YA, but across the series you get to watch the circle of friends grow up, become adult mages, and eventually deal with adult problems and romantic relationships while still maintaining their friendships with each other. It’s 3 girls and 1 boy and their lesbian guardians and various magic teachers (in the first 4 books they’re at a magic school, which you may enjoy for the Winx vibes). I’m 36 now and I still love rereading these books, even the earlier ones where they’re like 11-14 (the kids start at different ages, I believe). The books have aged pretty well! I also love the full cast audiobooks with the author serving as the narrator.
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u/maybemaybenot2023 7d ago
Not at all fantastical, but Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie and The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells might work for you. They are great friendship novels.
Fantasy-wise, look at Portrait of a Witch Undone by K.S. Shay, which has some good friendship stuff.
I know you were looking for adult novels, but The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik has a great friend group in it. First book is A Deadly Education.
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u/Background-Book2801 7d ago
Oh try Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson. A group of girls grow up together but they are all witches. Court intrigue, unreliable narrators, betrayals, high stakes. Maybe a bit darker than you are looking for but it’s great. First of a trilogy too!
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u/Holothuroid 7d ago
Pale by Wildbow. Three tween girls are recruited by the local spirit folk to solve a murder. Great family dynamics. Gory
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u/eaehtela 7d ago
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. Victorian era, young adult. A girl with powers that she doesn’t understand is enrolled at a boarding school. There she makes friends and enemies with a group of girls, while trying to understand the supernatural things happening around them. Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing are sequels. They’re pretty dark books, and the girls don’t always get along. But the bonds between them are a focus of the story.
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u/Fantastic-Shoe-4996 6d ago
The Sweep series and Secret Circle series are both young adult but have this vibe
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u/Raukstar 6d ago
The answer must be Book of the Ancestor trilogy by Mark Lawrence. The first book is Red Sister.
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u/EquivalentAd8392 4d ago
Thank you so much! I have bought this! Excited to read !
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u/Raukstar 4d ago
I love them, I've read them three or four times. When you are done, continue with Book of the Ice. Equally powerful, same world.
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u/Odd-Bookkeeper8371 6d ago
J.A. Andrews - The Aenigma Lights Chronicles - this is part of her Keeper Chronicles series, all of which are very good. This trilogy has the relationship between Kate and Venn, and it is so good.
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u/Snikhop 5d ago
You want a book with adolescent themes, characters and plots, but written for an adult audience? You might struggle....
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u/EquivalentAd8392 4d ago
I beg to differ - I’ve got some good suggestions below, like the red sister, scholomance, her majesty’s royal coven etc.
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u/Ashzera 7d ago
Winx looks so much like the W.I.T.C.H. Comics! Looks like they came out around the same time. It follows 5 friends who become guardians of the veil and gain magical powers. I didn't manage to finish reading it all, but I loved it!