If you loved how Elin patiently wins Leelan’s trust and forges a partnership that upends how people see Royal Beasts, you’ll click with Captain Will Laurence’s relationship with the dragon Temeraire. In His Majesty’s Dragon, their bond reshapes military strategy and personal convictions, much like Elin challenging the use of the Silent Whistle and the war-breeding of Toda. You get training, aerial maneuvers, and a heartfelt friendship that tests the limits of loyalty and autonomy.

Elin’s insistence on treating Royal Beasts as beings—not weapons—mirrors Lin’s struggle with bone shard magic, a system that powers constructs at a deadly cost. As Elin debates the ethics of the Yojeh’s control over beasts and the militarization of Toda, Lin confronts the truth of a magic that sustains an empire. The Bone Shard Daughter gives you that same tension between compassion and authority, paired with inventive creatures and wrenching choices.

If the palace factions pressuring the Yojeh—and the way Elin’s work with Leelan becomes political leverage—hooked you, you’ll savor Maia’s navigation of conspiracies and etiquette in The Goblin Emperor. Like the debates over Toda deployments and Royal Beast symbolism, every gesture at court carries risk. You’ll root for a kind-hearted outsider learning to wield influence without sacrificing his values.

Elin’s years of study—observing, caring for creatures, and questioning the rules others take for granted—echo in Ged’s training at Roke. In A Wizard of Earthsea, mastering names and limits matters as much as raw talent, just as Elin’s restraint around Leelan is as crucial as her skill. You’ll appreciate the mentorship, the careful learning of boundaries, and the consequences when power is used without understanding.

If Elin’s journey from uncertain girl to resolute caretaker—balancing heart with responsibility—moved you, The Blue Sword offers a similarly stirring arc. Harry Crewe is swept into Damar, learns demanding skills under watchful eyes, bonds with the warhorse Tsornin, and steps into a role that tests her integrity—much like Elin growing into someone who can protect Leelan and stand up to a realm’s expectations.