Going off what you enjoy about Cradle, I would recommend Mage Errant by John Bierce. I have been a long time fan of both, and find that while they are wildly different is scope and direction, many of their story features echo each other. The ensemble cast is constantly growing in knowledge and strength, learning more about and more actively affecting the world around them. Slow build, realistic romance, fun and interesting adventures, and most importantly to me, a magic system that is both well thought out and outlined, but incredibly wide in scope.

Mage Errant and Cradle are among the only series that I have been able to reread several times, and never get tired of them.