Love The Hunters? Here Are Your Next Favorite Book Series

March 14, 2026by Chrestos Plácida

If you’re craving more books with the perfect mix of heart-pounding action and heartfelt “found family” bonds, you’ve come to the right place. I loved The Hunters series for that exact reason, and I’ve found several other series that capture that same exciting, team-focused magic.

This article will walk you through my top suggestions for what to read next, all sharing that core spirit of a tight-knit group facing impossible odds. My personal favorites include:

  • Series with unforgettable squads and supernatural mysteries.
  • Books where the friendships are just as important as the quest.
  • Stories that blend modern settings with ancient, hidden worlds.

What Made the Hunters Series Click for You?

Finding your next favorite book series starts with understanding what hooked you in the first place. The Hunters series often grabs readers with a powerful mix of elements.

Maybe it was the found family of hunters, that feeling of a makeshift squad becoming closer than blood. Perhaps it was the relentless monster-hunting action, the gritty, sometimes dangerous world they operate in, or the electric character dynamics that kept you turning pages.

When you search for terms like ‘books like guild hunter series’ or ‘books like dark hunter series’, you’re often looking for that same potent cocktail. Pinpointing which part of the blend you loved most is your best compass for choosing your next read.

Your Next Read: A Curated Comparison Table

Use this table to quickly match the series element you crave most.

Book Series Author Core Genre Why You’ll Like It
Monster Hunter International Larry Correia Urban Fantasy, Action If you loved the tactical, high-stakes monster slaying and team banter, try this. It’s like the Hunters series with bigger guns and workplace humor.
Guild Hunter Series Nalini Singh Paranormal Romance If the supernatural politics and simmering romantic tensions captivated you, this angel-and-vampire filled world will feel deeply satisfying.
The Mortal Instruments Cassandra Clare Young Adult Urban Fantasy If the found family of hunters in a hidden supernatural world was your favorite part, this iconic series is a perfect, action-packed fit.
Kate Daniels Series Ilona Andrews Urban Fantasy If you adored a gritty, post-magic apocalypse world and a fiercely independent, smart-mouthed protagonist, Kate’s journey is for you.
October Daye Series Seanan McGuire Urban Fantasy If the intricate fae politics and a hero navigating between worlds intrigued you, Toby’s complex cases offer a similar deep, folkloric feel.
Super Powereds Drew Hayes Superhero, Progression If the team dynamics and training of young hunters was a highlight, this series about college students mastering their powers delivers that same gripping, year-by-year bonding.

Diving Deeper Into Your Top Matches

A person climbing a ladder to reach high shelves in a busy, well-lit bookstore filled with rows of books

For the Love of Gritty Teams and Monster Slaying

This is for readers who live for the mission. The focus here is on professional crews, the crunch of tactical planning, and the visceral thrill of the hunt. The bond forms in the field, forged in fire and banter.

Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia

Imagine a world where monster hunting is a licensed, hazardous profession with a corporate HR department and insurance policies. This series delivers over-the-top action with a heavy dose of workplace humor. It’s about a team of specialists using every weapon imaginable to tackle legendary creatures.

Time Investment Verdict: The action starts on page one. You’ll know if this relentless, gun-heavy vibe is for you by the end of the first chapter.

Caveat: It features more graphic, detailed violence than many hunter tales and has a noted libertarian political slant that shapes its world.

Direct Comparison: Think of the Hunters series’ professional ops, but turned up to eleven with a more modern, militarized, and sometimes satirical tone.

Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

In a world where magic and technology crash in waves, Kate is a mercenary with a secret, a sharp sword, and an even sharper tongue. The ruined urban landscape of Atlanta is a character itself, filled with shapeshifters, necromancers, and ancient powers.

Time Investment Verdict: The unique world-building grabs you fast, but Kate’s guarded character and the central mystery truly sink their hooks in by the second book.

Caveat: The first book throws you into the deep end with its magic systems. It finds its perfect stride in book two.

Direct Comparison: If you loved the gritty, survive-at-all-costs atmosphere and a capable, loner heroine who slowly builds her own crew, Kate is your next great read.

If You Crave Supernatural Romance and Epic Worldbuilding

Here, the hunt is often personal, wrapped in immortal politics and intense romantic tension. The world-building is vast, focusing on societies of angels, vampires, and fae, where love and power are forever intertwined.

Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh

This series builds an opulent, deadly world where archangels rule, create vampires, and Guild Hunters retrieve those who break their contracts. The heart of the first arc is the intense, slow-burn romance between the archangel Raphael and hunter Elena.

Time Investment Verdict: The first book carefully builds the romantic connection and the stunning rules of this world. The emotional and plot payoff really sweeps you up in the second half.

Caveat: This series is decidedly more romance-forward than action-centric hunter tales. The relationship is the primary engine, especially in the early books.

Direct Comparison: It captures the grandeur of supernatural societies and the powerful, sometimes dangerous romances that can define them, perfect for ‘books like guild hunter series’ searches.

October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire

Toby Daye is a knight errant and a private investigator in the San Francisco fae realms. Each book is a gritty, folkloric mystery where Toby untangles complex fae politics, risking her life and her hard-won peace.

Time Investment Verdict: The deep, Celtic-inspired world is immersive from the start. The series gains incredible momentum as Toby’s found family grows, with many fans feeling truly committed by book three or four.

Caveat: The first book is darker in tone and Toby starts in a very hard place. The series grows more hopeful as it progresses.

Direct Comparison: It offers that same feeling of navigating a hidden, rule-bound supernatural society, swapping guns for folklore and knightly oaths.

Found Family and Coming-of-Age Journeys

Sometimes, the heart of the story isn’t just the hunt, but who you become along the way. These series focus on young heroes training, stumbling, and growing together, creating unbreakable bonds, often seen in epic fantasy series with deep character development.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

When Clary Fray discovers she can see the hidden world of Shadowhunters, angel-warriors who hunt demons, she’s pulled into a New York filled with danger, magic, and a group of fellow hunters who become her new family.

Time Investment Verdict: The fast-paced plot and immediate mystery are hugely engaging from the first chapters. For fans asking for ‘book series like shadowhunters’, this is the origin point.

Caveat: As a cornerstone of YA fantasy, its tropes are now widely familiar, but its emotional core and world remain powerful.

Direct Comparison: This series is a masterclass in the “found family of hunters” trope, offering that same blend of urban fantasy action and heartfelt character connections you loved. If you’re wondering what fantasy romance urban fantasy to read next after finishing your current series, this can guide your next pick. It suggests fresh reads that blend action, romance, and tight-knit bonds.

Super Powereds by Drew Hayes

Follow five college students-former “Powereds” who couldn’t control their abilities-as they enter a secret program to become certified Heroes. The story unfolds over their four years of grueling classes, personal drama, and deadly trials.

Time Investment Verdict: The lengthy first book is about building the team and the school setting. If you enjoy the detailed character development and training sequences, you’ll be invested by the first major crisis.

Caveat: The books are very long and detail-oriented, focusing heavily on daily life and relationships between big action set pieces.

Direct Comparison: It perfectly captures the feeling of a specialized team training and growing together, mirroring the camaraderie and shared purpose of a hunter squad.

Meet the Authors: Styles and Signatures

Finding a new series often means connecting with a new author’s voice. If you enjoyed the team dynamics and high-stakes action of the Hunters series, these authors craft worlds you might love.

Brandon Sanderson for Inventive Systems

If the methodical monster-hunting and team tactics in the Hunters series hooked you, Brandon Sanderson is your next stop. He is a master of “hard magic” systems, where the rules of power are clearly defined and cleverly exploited. His worlds feel like intricate puzzles.

His writing is intensely plot-driven, with action sequences that are strategic ballets, much like a well-coordinated hunt. You’ll find that same thrill of a team using their unique skills to overcome impossible odds. Start with the Mistborn series. It features a crew of uniquely powered rebels planning a seemingly impossible takeover, filled with heist-like teamwork.

A stylistic note: Sanderson’s books are typically long and dense. The focus is slightly more on the epic world and its rules than on deep, internal character reflection in the early going. It is similar to some other fantasy books that emphasize epic worldbuilding and hard magic systems.

Patricia Briggs for Character-Focused Urban Fantasy

For the found family and gritty, personal stakes you might have loved, Patricia Briggs excels. Her Mercy Thompson series is a cornerstone of urban fantasy. The protagonist is a mechanic who can turn into a coyote, navigating a world of werewolves, vampires, and fae.

Briggs writes character-focused stories where the supernatural action is deeply tied to personal relationships and survival. The sense of community, protection, and the cost of violence will feel very familiar. The pacing is steady, blending everyday life with sudden, dangerous threats.

The key difference is the setting. This is our world, just with monsters hidden in it. The scale is often more personal and city-based than epic or kingdom-spanning.

Great for Your Book Club: Discussion Starters

These questions are designed to spark great conversation, whether you’re talking about the Hunters series or any of the books recommended here. They help you look closer at the themes that make this genre so compelling.

  1. Where is the line between a hunter and the monster they chase? Look at a protagonist’s methods, their anger, or the powers they use. When do they risk becoming what they fight? This question pushes past simple good vs. evil and gets to the heart of moral conflict in these stories.

  2. How does a character’s unique ability or curse define their role in a team? Do they see it as a gift, a tool, or a burden? Discuss how this self-perception changes over time. This explores identity and belonging, which are central to stories about specialized squads or found families.

  3. Examine a moment where the team fails or fractures. Was the cause an external threat, or an internal flaw like pride, secrecy, or fear? What did this failure reveal about what the group truly needs to survive? Analyzing conflict shows what the author values most in teamwork and trust.

Your Reader’s Roadmap: Finding the Perfect Fit

Sometimes, a search for “books like” can lead you somewhere unexpected. Let’s clear up a few common paths that branch away from The Hunters, so you can find the trail that’s right for you.

When Your Search Takes a Different Turn

You might see results for books like Hunt, Gather, Parent. That’s a fantastic nonfiction book about parenting philosophies, but it’s a completely different genre. If you loved the found family and survival aspects of The Hunters, you’re likely craving more fictional adventure, not parenting advice. Let’s steer back to that exciting, character-driven fiction—especially if you appreciate stories with deep emotional bonds and complex traumatic backgrounds, much like those found in A Little Life.

Another search you might try is for “books like Hunter x Hunter.” That’s a popular anime and manga series. While it shares a name with “The Hunters,” the stories are different. Fans of that anime are often looking for specific shonen manga tropes: tournament arcs, intricate power systems, and long-form storylines. If that describes what you loved, your path leads to manga shelves. If you loved the tense, real-world stakes and close-knit team dynamic of The Hunters book series, stay with me. If you’re drawn to complex characters and twisty, suspenseful plots, some of the best young adult mystery psychological thriller books are worth a look. I’ll highlight a few in the next steps.

What Fellow Readers Are Recommending

In reader communities and forums, fans of series like The Hunters consistently recommend a few other titles. These suggestions come from people who felt exactly what you’re feeling now—that need for another series that captures a similar magic. But to find these recommendations for specific titles, you need to look beyond just the popular picks.

Here’s a summary of what those dedicated fans often suggest, and why they might click for you.

Recommended Series Why Fans Suggest It Perfect For You If You Loved…
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken A group of teens with extraordinary abilities on the run from a hostile government. It pulses with the same urgency, loyalty, and high-stakes chase that defines The Hunters. The relentless pace and the “us against the world” bond between the main characters.
Legend by Marie Lu This duology follows a brilliant criminal and a prodigious military investigator in a dystopian future. Fans recommend it for its cat-and-mouse tension, dual perspectives, and smart, capable protagonists. The strategic mind games and the feeling of two formidable forces colliding.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo A crew of skilled outsiders attempts an impossible heist. This is a top recommendation for its found family, intricate plotting, and characters with distinct talents and haunted pasts. The specialized skills each Hunter brings to the team and the complex, layered missions.
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey After an alien invasion, a girl fights to survive and find her brother. It’s recommended for its gritty, first-person survival narrative and the paranoia of not knowing who to trust. The raw, immediate danger and the solitary fight for survival in The Hunters.

Your Instincts Are Your Best Guide

All these recommendations are maps drawn by other readers. The best compass, though, is you. Take a quiet moment and ask yourself what stuck with you most from The Hunters. Was it the heart-pounding action scenes? The deep trust between characters? The clever way they solved problems? Perhaps your favorite moments echo a treasure-hunt instinct—maps that lead to hidden artifacts and clues that spark the next quest. If you’re drawn to adventure, these threads connect you to the best book series for fans of treasure-hunt stories, maps, clues, and hidden artifacts.

Your answer is the truest signpost for what you should read next. A love for fast-paced chase scenes points you in one direction. A craving for more emotional depth and character bonds points you in another. Both paths are filled with incredible stories waiting for you.

Trust that feeling. Your reading instinct, that little spark of excitement when you read a good book’s description, is almost always right. Pick up the book that makes that spark glow. Your next favorite series is out there, and you are perfectly equipped to find it. You just need to choose the right one for you.

Your Next Chapter Awaits

The best next series for you mirrors what you loved most about the Hunters books, whether that’s the team dynamics, relentless suspense, or a world hiding in plain sight. Trust that feeling you’re chasing, and let it guide you straight to your next favorite read. If you’re curious about great book series that chronicle similar vibes to the most popular titles you’ve already read, we’ll point you toward comparable favorites in the next steps.

Written by Chrestos Plácida. Chrestos is an avid book reader and enthusiast. He reads and reviews countless books every year and has started multiple book clubs around his community where he helps the readers decide on which book to read next based on his personal reading experience. He also has a degree in literature and an interest in the classics and history and has written many books reviews for online blogs and review sites.