The Silent Companions
Laura Purcell
Average Goodreads rating3.9
- Dark Secrets
- Trauma and Healing
Book trope · 43 books
Ancient & Forbidden Magic Trope
Ancient & Forbidden Magic explores power that civilizations have deliberately hidden, outlawed, or lost to time - magic so dangerous, corrupting, or morally questionable that accessing it carries enormous consequences.
More about the Ancient & Forbidden Magic trope43 Ancient & Forbidden Magic books
5 are tagged with Ancient & Forbidden Magic individually. The others belong to a series tagged with it, which doesn’t mean every book in it features the trope, so they’re marked “Matched via its series”.
Updating books…
43 books found
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Alchemised
SenLinYu
Average Goodreads rating4.6
- Political Intrigue
- Morally Grey Characters
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Skyshade
Alex Aster
Lightlark, book 3
Average Goodreads rating3.7
- Emotional Angst
- Plot Twists
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Torn
Jennifer L. Armentrout
A Wicked Trilogy, book 2
Average Goodreads rating4.3
- High-Stakes Survival
- Morally Grey Choices
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Crowntide
Alex Aster
Lightlark, book 4
Average Goodreads rating3.7
- Reluctant Partnership
- Emotional Angst
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One Dark Window
Rachel Gillig
The Shepherd King, book 1
Average Goodreads rating4.5
Matched via its series
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A Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire, book 1
Average Goodreads rating4.7
Matched via its series
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The Bear and The Nightingale
Katherine Arden
Winternight Trilogy, book 1
Average Goodreads rating4.4
Matched via its series
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Serpent & Dove
Shelby Mahurin
Serpent & Dove, book 1
Average Goodreads rating4.3
Matched via its series
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Eragon
Christopher Paolini
The Inheritance Cycle, book 1
Average Goodreads rating4.6
Matched via its series
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Of Blood and Fire
Ryan Cahill
The Bound and the Broken, book 1
Average Goodreads rating4.4
Matched via its series
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A River Enchanted
Rebecca Ross
Elements of Cadence, book 1
Average Goodreads rating4.2
Matched via its series
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A Forest Of Vanity And Valour
A. P. Beswick
The Levanthria Series, book 1
Average Goodreads rating3.9
Matched via its series
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Ninth House
Leigh Bardugo
Alex Stern, book 1
Average Goodreads rating4.3
Matched via its series
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The Shadow of What Was Lost
James Islington
The Licanius Trilogy, book 1
Average Goodreads rating4.4
Matched via its series
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The Tainted Cup
Robert Jackson Bennett
Shadow of the Leviathan, book 1
Average Goodreads rating4.6
Matched via its series
- Mentor/Mentee
- Magic System with Consequences
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Two Twisted Crowns
Rachel Gillig
The Shepherd King, book 2
Average Goodreads rating4.6
Matched via its series
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A Dance with Dragons
George R. R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire, book 5
Average Goodreads rating4.6
Matched via its series
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A Clash of Kings
George R. R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire, book 2
Average Goodreads rating4.6
Matched via its series
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A Feast for Crows
George R. R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire, book 4
Average Goodreads rating4.5
Matched via its series
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A Storm of Swords
George R. R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire, book 3
Average Goodreads rating4.7
Matched via its series
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Inheritance
Christopher Paolini
The Inheritance Cycle, book 4
Average Goodreads rating4.7
Matched via its series
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Brisingr
Christopher Paolini
The Inheritance Cycle, book 3
Average Goodreads rating4.7
Matched via its series
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Eldest
Christopher Paolini
The Inheritance Cycle, book 2
Average Goodreads rating4.7
Matched via its series
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The Girl in The Tower
Katherine Arden
Winternight Trilogy, book 2
Average Goodreads rating4.6
Matched via its series
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The Winter of the Witch
Katherine Arden
Winternight Trilogy, book 3
Average Goodreads rating4.7
Matched via its series
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Blood & Honey
Shelby Mahurin
Serpent & Dove, book 2
Average Goodreads rating4.2
Matched via its series
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Of Darkness and Light
Ryan Cahill
The Bound and the Broken, book 2
Average Goodreads rating4.6
Matched via its series
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Murtagh
Christopher Paolini
The Inheritance Cycle, book 5
Average Goodreads rating4.6
Matched via its series
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Of War and Ruin
Ryan Cahill
The Bound and the Broken, book 3
Average Goodreads rating4.7
Matched via its series
Often paired with
Tropes that share the most books with Ancient & Forbidden Magic
Series with the Ancient & Forbidden Magic trope
11 series- A Song of Ice and Fire George R. R. Martin
- Alex Stern Leigh Bardugo
- Elements of Cadence Rebecca Ross
- Serpent & Dove Shelby Mahurin
- Shadow of the Leviathan Robert Jackson Bennett
- The Bound and the Broken Ryan Cahill
- The Inheritance Cycle Christopher Paolini
- The Levanthria Series A. P. Beswick
- The Licanius Trilogy James Islington
- The Shepherd King Rachel Gillig
- Winternight Trilogy Katherine Arden
About the Ancient & Forbidden Magic trope
Ancient & Forbidden Magic: The Allure of Dangerous Knowledge
Ancient & Forbidden Magic explores power that civilizations have deliberately hidden, outlawed, or lost to time - magic so dangerous, corrupting, or morally questionable that accessing it carries enormous consequences. These narratives examine humanity's relationship with knowledge we shouldn't possess, the temptation of power regardless of cost, and whether some secrets are forbidden for good reason or merely to preserve existing power structures.
What Defines Ancient & Forbidden Magic?
This trope features magical knowledge that's been suppressed, forgotten, or deliberately destroyed - often for compelling reasons. The magic might require horrific sacrifices, corrupt users inevitably, upset cosmic balance, or threaten reality itself. Characters typically discover ancient texts, artifacts, or knowledge that authorities have deemed too dangerous to exist. The tension emerges from whether to use this power despite prohibitions, whether the forbidden nature reflects genuine danger or institutional control, and whether desperation justifies crossing moral boundaries.
Core Elements
Common features include decaying tomes in forgotten libraries, blood magic or necromancy requiring terrible costs, lost civilizations destroyed by the very magic characters now seek, warnings ignored in pursuit of power, magical techniques that extract heavy prices (sanity, humanity, lifespan), authorities willing to kill to keep secrets buried, and the revelation that forbidden magic was outlawed because it threatens those in power rather than society itself. Characters often face the paradox that forbidden magic might be the only solution to existential threats.
Why It Captivates
Ancient & Forbidden Magic explores timeless questions about knowledge, power, and morality. Should dangerous information be suppressed or studied? Can terrible means justify noble ends? These stories examine our fascination with the prohibited whilst acknowledging that sometimes prohibitions exist for valid reasons.
This trope reminds us that the most dangerous magic isn't necessarily the most powerful - it's the kind that makes us question where the line between hero and monster truly lies.
Ancient & Forbidden Magic Trope FAQs
- What is the Ancient & Forbidden Magic trope?
- Ancient & Forbidden Magic explores power that civilizations have deliberately hidden, outlawed, or lost to time - magic so dangerous, corrupting, or morally questionable that accessing it carries enormous consequences.
- What are the best Ancient & Forbidden Magic books?
- Popular books with the Ancient & Forbidden Magic trope include Skyshade by Alex Aster, Torn by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Crowntide by Alex Aster, Alchemised by SenLinYu and The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell.
- What book series have the Ancient & Forbidden Magic trope?
- Book series featuring the Ancient & Forbidden Magic trope include The Bound and the Broken, The Inheritance Cycle, A Song of Ice and Fire, Shadow of the Leviathan and The Licanius Trilogy.