The best books to indulge your love of Fae

Holly Black is the queen of fairy tales, but not the happily ever after kind. The world building is lush, from the exotic fruits, foreign, but gorgeously detailed landscapes and lush parties with Fae royalty to the variety of magical creatures: Beautiful women with horns and cloven feet, princes with tails and kissable lips, and humans who find themselves immersed in the Fae games, which could very well result in life or death.

I could choose many of her books, but Wicked King is my absolute favorite. Yes, it’s the last book in a trilogy, and sometimes that is a letdown. Not true here. There is tension, passion, intrigue, and nonstop action all the way to the end, which I won’t spoil for you, but I will say left me completely satisfied.

Moon Called is the first book in the Mercedes Thompson series. Mercedes, or Mercy to her friends, is a shape shifter who takes the form of a coyote. She was raised by a pack of werewolves, but she’s also an auto mechanic who works for a powerful Fae lord. She is a sarcastic, kick-butt, and take-no-nonsense heroine who manages to get herself in trouble quite often, but just as quickly and scrappily fights her way out of it. She is one of the most confident females I have ever read in fantasy, and she makes me laugh out loud constantly. Overall, this is my favorite urban fantasy series of all time, and the series is going strong with book thirteen coming out in August 2022.

Before I read this book, I’d never heard of a necromancer, or someone who could raise the dead. In this alternate reality, Anita Blake is a necromancer who lives in St. Louis and raises the dead mostly to finish unsettled business. What a fascinating idea! Imagine if you could ask your grandmother what happened to a lost family heirloom, or settle a legal dispute that would otherwise go unsolved? 

As you can imagine, someone who can control the dead would not be beloved by the undead, and there are plenty of vampires in this world, as well as werewolves, shifters, and other magical folks. The series gets grittier and becomes quite erotic as it goes on, but the first few books are some of my favorites.

This book can be described in one word: Fun. From a ship crewed by female pirates to a quest for treasure, it has all the witty dialogue and adventure to match the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but instead features a fierce, female captain named Alosa who has mad skills and a way of looking at the world that will make you laugh out loud and cheer her on. 

This is the first in a duology, so it’s also not too much of a commitment to read, unlike some longer series. Both books are equally fast-paced and enjoyable. If you’re like me, you’ll be ready to grab your pirate hat and strap on your sword by the end of this book.

Oh, how I love my Shadowhunters and Downworlders! I’m definitely Team Jace, although I have a deep love of Magnus Bane, too. Cassandra Clare won my heart in this first installment in the Mortal Instruments series, starting with Clary, an ordinary girl who sees something unworldly at a dance club, which thrusts her into the world of humans with angel blood, vampires, werewolves, Fae, and other magical beings. The world building is gripping, the story grabbed me and I could not put the book down. You know a book is great when it was not only made into a movie but a television series as well. Cassandra has an almost cult following and it’s no wonder, her books are addictive and unforgettable.