Looking for good books about supernatural characters. Main character not human

[Julie]

Hello, I am looking for books or series in which the main character is not human, but cannot be the only non human. I prefer books where there are more than just witches if those are the main type of supernatural. Shape shifter books are definitely a favorite. Aliens, witches, shape shifters, dragons, werewolves, fey/fairies, necromancers, psychics, maybe vampires, angels, demons, or less common non humans. Young adult is good and adult is alright as long as it isn't every other chapter featuring explicit scenes. By non human I do not mean regular animals (warrior cats, or ratha's creature).

English only please. Can be set anywhere, real world or fantasy world. Main character can be a man or woman. I am ok with main character deaths. I prefer length to be at least as long as Eragon (Paolini).


Examples of favored books:
Moon Called (Mercy Thompson series) by Patricia Briggs
Leopard Moon by Jeanette Battista
Seven Psychics by J. C. Diem
The Night Angel trilogy by Brent weeks
The Night World Colection by L. J. Smith
I am number Four by Pittacus Lore (yes aliens are cool!)
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter
Pale Wolf by Tim McGregor

[Aerulan]

The Cloud Roads is the start of an excellent series, with many types of nonhuman characters.

[SamSpayedPI]

Can you narrow down what you're looking for just a little?

There are thousands of fantasy/science fiction/paranormal books with hobbits/aliens/werewolves as MCs.

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
The Lord of the Rings
The Last Unicorn
The Man Who Fell to Earth
Nor Crystal Tears
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

to name a very few.

[MJ]

Relentless series, demons, vamps, weres, trolls, fairies
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[Julie]

Aerulan - thanks! It looks good so far.

SamSpayedPI - Sorry.
Preferred - Action/Adventure, mystery, humor. Danger magnet characters (always pulled into dangerous or strange situations, strong willed/intelligent characters. Hidden societies of supernaturals. Outcasts. Well developed characters, flaws and all.

Not a fan of: Western, Excessive drama (like P C Cast's Vampire series), Spiritual. Short stories. Vampire-Human relationships. Sparkly vampires. Books that focus more on the romance than the story. Excessive Angst. Last second deus ex machina saves the day. Abusive significant other for MC. 'Perfect' characters or super over powered MC.

I have the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books! Good suggestion as I really enjoyed them. I will look into the others.


MJ - thank you for the suggestion! I'll look into it.

[Crystal]

I absolutely love reading books with supernatural characters so there's a ton of books like this on my list!

Uprooted: A beautiful YA dark fantasy adventure about a girl who is a sorcerer/witch (but she doesn't know it). The village she's in is under attack by a dangerous forest filled with strange creatures. There is romance but it isn't the only focus. One of my favourite books of all time! It's like a dark fairy tale.

The Immortal Rules: YA dark dystopian story about vampires. The MC is a girl who gets turned into a vampire early on into the books. It's a gritty book about the harsh world of vampires and if I remember correctly there isn't any romance in this book at all. A great read!

Children of Blood and Bone: YA fantasy/adventure, seriously action packed and impossible to put down. The main character is a necromancer of sorts and can raise the dead. There are different kinds of magic users in this book too. There is romance, but it's not the main focus.

A Living Nightmare: The Darren Shan books - a dark YA series about vampires. The MC is a boy who gets turned into a vampire midway into the first book. In the later books, he learns how to adapt to the ruthless vampire hierarchy. I read this when I was a teen but I still have lots of fond memories. There's very little romance in this book - nearly non existent.

Halfway to the Grave: The Night Huntress series - an adult paranormal romance series about vampires. The main character is a girl who is a half-vampire, and she meets other vampires in this book too. There is romance and it's quite prominent in this book (but there's plenty of plot & heists as well)

[Gillian]

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison is a 446-page political intrigue novel starring a half-goblin.

The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow by Fuyumi Ono is a 464-page book that is the first in a YA series. The main character is a human, but other main characters include kirins and animal/human shapeshifters. Sadly, the entire series has not been translated, but this book is one of my favorites.

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (yes, that Suzanne Collins) is a 326-page book that is the first in a middle-grade series. Although this series is for younger audiences, there are many non-human creatures such as giant, talking rats and bats.

Un Lun Dun by China Miéville is 432-page YA novel featuring characters such as Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas, and an empty milk carton named Curdle.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is somewhat shorter than you requested at 307 pages. It is a YA novel about a boy that is raised by ghosts.

Dragon and Thief by Timothy Zahn is also somewhat short at 256-pages. It is the first in a YA series about a human boy, Jack, and his K'da, Draycos - a symbiotic dragon-like alien that requires a human host to survive.

[Julie]

Crystal, Gillian - I haven't read any of these yet. I will definitely look for them. Thank you for the good suggestions.

Now I'm off to read some!

[...cats?]

Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff (MC is a witch; also includes ghosts, gods, talking cats, demons, etc.)
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (MCs are a golem and a jinni)
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (MC is an Orogene - has the ability to control elements)
Acorna: The Unicorn Girl by Anne McCaffrey (MC is an alien; includes several alien species)
Space Unicorn Blues by T.J. Berry (MC is a half-unicorn; also includes other alien species)

[Crystal]

Julie wrote: "Crystal, Gillian - I haven't read any of these yet. I will definitely look for them. Thank you for the good suggestions.

Now I'm off to read some!"

:D let us know what you think about the books if you end up finishing any of them!

[Glenna]

Nalini Singh has two series that meet this description.
Guild Hunter series. First book is Angel's Blood, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Psy-Changeling series. First book is Slave to Sensation, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

[Asia | Adventures with Asia Minor]

Maybe any of the following series . . .

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black—fey, magic, merfolk, royals

Zodiac by Romina Russell—MC is human, but there's some supernatural stuff, "psy" network

Cinder by Marissa Meyer—OK, (I know this is a stretch) so there are humans, but there are some different species . . .

Splintered by A.G. Howard—Yeah, she's human (or is she . . . ?), but Wonderland isn't

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty—Although this is kinda a "kid's" book, it's kinda interesting. But I don't know if you'd even like it or if it's what you really wanted. . . .

The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride series) by James Patterson—MCs are human–avian genetically enhanced beings . . . complete with wings

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs—MG book, but creepy and interesting book with weird creatures . . .

Atlantia by Ally Condie—Also MG, but interesting nonetheless

Maybe Stung by Bethany Wiggins or Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard?

Heartless by Marissa Meyer?

The Demon King (Seven Realms series) by Cinda Williams Chima?

The Young Elites by Marie Lu—Humans with enhannced abilities