Cover of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

5 book recommendations

Books Like “Clockwork Angel” by Cassandra Clare

If you fell in love with the misty Victorian streets, heart-pounding romance, and clockwork magic of Clockwork Angel, you are not alone. Cassandra Clare’s spellbinding mix of gothic intrigue and supernatural danger left readers longing for more. Explore our handpicked list below to find your next unforgettable historical fantasy obsession.

  1. Cover of The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

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    The Dark Days Club

    by Alison Goodman

    "Captivates with a mix of history and fantasy. [An] immersive, action-packed narrative." --USA Today's Happy Ever After

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Eon and Eona; a Regency adventure series starring a stylish and intrepid Buffy-esque demon-hunter

    London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall's presentation to the queen, one of her family's housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?

    Why it's similar

    Both feature an orphaned young woman in historical London who discovers her supernatural heritage and is drawn into a clandestine society sworn to combat demonic entities.

    What's different

    Set in Regency-era 1812 rather than Victorian London, it focuses more heavily on strict period social etiquette and meticulous historical realism with a slower, investigative pace.

  2. Cover of A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

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    A Great and Terrible Beauty

    by Libba Bray

    The first book in the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling Gemma Doyle trilogy, the exhilarating and haunting saga from the author of The Diviners series and Under the Same Stars.

    It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one.

    To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?

    “A delicious, elegant gothic.”—PW, Starred

    “Shivery with both passion and terror.”—Kirkus Reviews

    "Compulsively readable." --VOYA

    Why it's similar

    Both are Victorian-era YA gothic fantasies revolving around an orphaned heroine who relocates to England and must navigate dangerous hidden magic while burdened with mysterious visions.

    What's different

    Bray's story centers on a secluded boarding school and explores psychological horror through mystical portal realms, rather than an urban combat guild battling clockwork automatons.

  3. Cover of The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

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    The Gilded Wolves

    by Roshani Chokshi

    Set in a darkly glamorous world The Gilded Wolves is full of mystery, decadence and dangerous but thrilling adventure. Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can't yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much. Together, they'll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

    Why it's similar

    Both are late-19th-century historical fantasies centered on secret magical organizations, intricate clockwork mechanisms, and a tight-knit found family tackling occult mysteries.

    What's different

    Set in 1889 Paris, this book is structured as a multi-perspective heist novel confronting themes of imperialism and colonialism, contrasting with Clare's London-focused gothic melodrama.

  4. Cover of Soulless by Gail Carriger

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    Soulless

    by Gail Carriger

    Buffy meets Jane Austen in the first book of this wickedly funny NYT bestselling series about a young woman whose brush with the supernatural leads to a deadly investigation of London's high society.
    Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
    Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
    With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
    SOULLESS is the first book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.
    The Parasol ProtectorateSoullessChangelessBlamelessHeartlessTimeless

    Why it's similar

    Both are supernatural adventures set in a steampunk-inflected Victorian London, combining witty banter, paranormal politics, and romance amid a hidden world of vampires, werewolves, and other creatures.

    What's different

    It is aimed more at adult readers, with stronger comedy-of-manners vibes, a heavier focus on romance and social satire, and a more self-consciously humorous tone than the earnest YA drama of Clockwork Angel.

  5. Cover of Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

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    Stalking Jack the Ripper

    by Kerri Maniscalco

    INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    A deliciously creepy horror novel with a story line inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion...
    Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

    Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

    The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

    Why it's similar

    Both are YA historical fantasies set in Victorian-era London featuring a brave heroine navigating danger, social constraints, and a dark underbelly of crime and horror alongside a charming, sarcastic male counterpart.

    What's different

    While it includes romantic elements, its primary focus is on forensic investigation and serial murder in a grim, grounded historical mystery, with less overt magic and elaborate worldbuilding than Clockwork Angel.

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