u/Noxyz__

Hey everyone ! First time posting here 😁

When I was in middle school, I (26 M today) discovered the Percy Jackson series, and it helped me through a really tough time back then. I read Harry Potter before, and loved it but this felt different.

First of all because I felt like the characters in PJO weren’t « movie children ». The growing pains of adolescence weren’t kind to me and I found comfort in reading about stuff I could relate to. Secondly, in that series, the fantasy is way more intertwined with our day to day world than in HP for example.

I like the idea that fantasy is around us, just hiding around. When things feel bleak or sad, it’s nice to imagine having a bit of magic just around the corner. So yeah, I love that series and going through it again last summer now that I’m grown up was something I kinda needed right now.

I was wondering if you had recommendations for other adventure books or series with that trope of fantasy secretly intertwined with the real world, but for a more adult audience. By that I don’t mean necessarily edgy or violent (actually kind of the contrary, I like hopecore stuff), but with protagonists that have problems and lives that feel more relatable as an adult.

I think I simply want an way to keep feeling like there’s some whimsy hidden around, to believe that this hopeful day dreaming mood isn’t bound to childhood.

Thanks in advance, take care !

TL;DR: looking for a series that mixes modern world with fantasy/magic with protagonists with adult issues, not kids or teenagers.