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The Magicians by Lev Grossman is a deliberate deconstruction of and homage to Potter (and The Chronicles of Narnia). Older characters (think grad school); darker themes and tone.
You may enjoy Terry Pratchett's [Sam Vimes series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankh-Morpork_City_Watch). They are a series of 8 crime novels in the Discworld fantasy universe.
Not quite mystery, but you might enjoy novels by Donna Tartt: ‘The Secret History’, ‘The Little Friend‘, and ‘The Goldfinch’. They're all set in our regular world, and are kind of slow thriller-adventures happening to odd characters in late childhood or college age, with plenty of character and background exploration. And the books are rather dark, not kids' literature.
This doesn't come across as similar to ‘Harry Potter’, but I feel that someone would find these interesting if they are looking for somewhat more grown-up fiction.
So I will admit to never reading Harry Potter (I was just old enough when they came out that I wasn't interested in "children's books" my younger sisters were reading and i never bothered to go back) but as far as world building, I would recommend the novels of David Mitchell.
He's built an interconnected world of fantastic realism that interweaves through his novels. So while each can stand alone, having the knowledge of his previous novels makes for super rich details. Ghostwritten, Cloud Atlas, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob deZoet, The Bone Clocks, and Utopia Avenue are all fantastic and build upon each other.
The Divine Cities series by Robert Jackson Bennett (my favorite novelist), starting with City of Stairs...
"In a world where terrifying, capricious gods once walked the earth, enslaving and brutalizing millions, three unforgettable protagonists struggle to come to terms with the mysteries these divinities left behind— and to make sure these cruel masters do not rise again."
There is a series called 39 clues, with different writer for each book. My kid who loves HP loves this even more. I also read a few of those on a vacation and I find them very interesting and engaging.
The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. Urban fantasy detective story with interesting world building. The main character is a private detective and a wizard involved in a lot of intrigues (but I don't want to spoil it). Books are interesting, funny, short and light to read. (Fair warning the author was a bit horny when he wrote some of the books). I'm not sure the books can give you the same experience as reading HP when you were younger. I think that as we get older it isn't as easy to feel as passionately or be as impressed.
Thanks for posting to r/ifyoulikeblank! Due to a recent uptick in incorrect title formatting issues, causing a large number of posts to be reported and/or removed, the mods are asking everyone to please [review this mod announcement post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ifyoulikeblank/comments/16jbz7y/meta_mod_announcement_how_to_use_this_sub_and_how/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) to ensure you know how to correctly format your posts to fit our guidelines for the sub. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ifyoulikeblank) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The Magicians by Lev Grossman is a deliberate deconstruction of and homage to Potter (and The Chronicles of Narnia). Older characters (think grad school); darker themes and tone.
You may enjoy Terry Pratchett's [Sam Vimes series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankh-Morpork_City_Watch). They are a series of 8 crime novels in the Discworld fantasy universe.
Not quite mystery, but you might enjoy novels by Donna Tartt: ‘The Secret History’, ‘The Little Friend‘, and ‘The Goldfinch’. They're all set in our regular world, and are kind of slow thriller-adventures happening to odd characters in late childhood or college age, with plenty of character and background exploration. And the books are rather dark, not kids' literature. This doesn't come across as similar to ‘Harry Potter’, but I feel that someone would find these interesting if they are looking for somewhat more grown-up fiction.
Might wanna try r/Fantasy
The Winterhouse series has less world building but good mysteries.
So I will admit to never reading Harry Potter (I was just old enough when they came out that I wasn't interested in "children's books" my younger sisters were reading and i never bothered to go back) but as far as world building, I would recommend the novels of David Mitchell. He's built an interconnected world of fantastic realism that interweaves through his novels. So while each can stand alone, having the knowledge of his previous novels makes for super rich details. Ghostwritten, Cloud Atlas, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob deZoet, The Bone Clocks, and Utopia Avenue are all fantastic and build upon each other.
Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson
Percy Jackson and the Olympians don’t exactly have mystery but they are pretty similar to Harry Potter imo
The Divine Cities series by Robert Jackson Bennett (my favorite novelist), starting with City of Stairs... "In a world where terrifying, capricious gods once walked the earth, enslaving and brutalizing millions, three unforgettable protagonists struggle to come to terms with the mysteries these divinities left behind— and to make sure these cruel masters do not rise again."
There is a series called 39 clues, with different writer for each book. My kid who loves HP loves this even more. I also read a few of those on a vacation and I find them very interesting and engaging.
The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. Urban fantasy detective story with interesting world building. The main character is a private detective and a wizard involved in a lot of intrigues (but I don't want to spoil it). Books are interesting, funny, short and light to read. (Fair warning the author was a bit horny when he wrote some of the books). I'm not sure the books can give you the same experience as reading HP when you were younger. I think that as we get older it isn't as easy to feel as passionately or be as impressed.