These Battle School Books Are Perfect for Fans of Ender's Game

Readers might have dreamed about receiving a Hogwarts letter, but 19-year-old Elyra feels nothing but dread when she receives her recruitment letter to Skyborne. Trained in deadly magic to fight a rival kingdom, Elyra also finds herself drawn to two of her fellow soldiers: noble Caspian and stoic Kael.

School of Combat kicks off a five-book series that ends with Arcane Throne. It spans the five years of training at Skyborne and is meant for young adult readers of Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black.

Darrow was never meant to enter The Institute. He was never even meant to see the surface of Mars. As a Red, the lowest caste of society, Darrow has been deceived into mining the depths of the red planet. He only discovers the truth after the death of his wife… and somehow all of this happens in the first few chapters. Swearing revenge, Darrow and his new, shadowy allies forge a new identity for him that allows him to enter high society and compete against the most privileged sons and daughters on the planet. 

Pierce Brown's bestselling series-starter has grown into a seven-book masterpiece. The finale will likely be published in the next year or two, so you have time to catch up before the release!

If you like the vengeance angle offered by Red Rising, you're sure to love James Islington's The Will of the Many. In this Roman-inspired fantasy, Vis is a refugee of a conquered nation. Adopted by a powerful lord, he must enter the Catenan Academy with three goals. First, he must finish the year at the top of his class, though he has only a fraction of the training and must enter at the bottom of the totem pole. Second, he must discover what happened to the lost brother of his new patron. Last, he must ensure that no one discovers his true motives or identity.

A Deadly Education kicks off the fantastic Scholomance trilogy from bestselling author Naomi Novik. Part battle school, part dark academia, the students at the Scholomance must contend with hordes of monsters and cursed artifacts just to survive.

Because of her powers, most of El's fellow trainees expect her to become the next dark queen, but she just wants to make it out in one place. She has no intention of slaughtering thousands… though Orion Lake is annoying enough to tempt her into killing one.

Marketed as Game of Thrones meets Gladiator, Evan Winter's debut takes place in a world trapped by everlasting war. The talented are trained to become killing machines, and some can call down dragons. Everyone else are mere pawns to be sacrificed, including Tau. He plans to get injured on purpose so that he can bow out of the fight with some honor and live his life. But when those closest die, he vows to become the most dangerous man alive.

The Poppy War introduced readers to R. F. Kuang, who's shot up the ranks of speculative authors in no time flat. Of course, it helps when your debut novel is named as one of Time Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. 

When Rin aces the Empire-wide test and finds herself admitted to Sinegard, the most elite military school in a Chinese-inspired fantasy. It's supposed to be an escape from her abusive adopted family, but a battle academy is anything but a safe haven. Not only must Rin adapt to the brutality of war, but she must wrestle with her training in shamanism that opens her up to deadly deific influences.

Violet Sorrengail is both a prototypical recruit to Basgiath War College and its most vulnerable student. Born with a condition that makes her physically fragile, Violet doesn't really know how she's meant to survive bonding a dragon and fighting off the trainees who want her dead because of her family ties. But in this BookTok phenomenon and romantasy favorite, she will find her own hidden power that far outstrips anyone's expectations.

Meryn Cooper always hated the elite warriors bonded to vicious direwolves. She certainly never wanted to become one. But when her little sister is kidnapped, Meryn enlists in the army to save her. She'll need four months of training, and she'll have to do it with a direwolf that might just be her undoing. If that weren't bad enough, the other trainees (and instructors) are out for blood.

This spicy, series-starting romantasy is marketed as Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games, and the sequel is set to publish later this year.

Spensa has always wanted to be a pilot, just like her father was. The only problem? Her father is infamous for abandoning his wingmates, making Spensa an outcast. Barred from the Defiant Defense Force by an admiral holding a grudge, she must find a new way to get her training and take to the skies. 

Aimed at a younger audience than some of the other titles (aged 12 and up), Skyward kicks off a four-book series from bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.