39 books like Dark Fae

By Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti,

Here are 39 books that Dark Fae fans have personally recommended if you like Dark Fae. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of A Court of Mist and Fury

Caitriona Drexler Author Of The White Enchantress

From my list on swoon-worthy that take you to a different world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been making up characters and telling myself stories for as long as I can remember. I’m also a mood reader. I’ll read just about anything, but the stories I always yearn for are the ones that take me far away from this world, make me swoon, and devastate my soul. As a mood reader, I also have phases, and I’m in a fantasy phase right now. Magic, romance, adventure. These are just a few of my favorite things to read and write. As I read, I am inspired by the emotions that flood my senses when I read a good book. 

Caitriona's book list on swoon-worthy that take you to a different world

Caitriona Drexler Why did Caitriona love this book?

I was obsessed when I read ACOTAR, but this book brought my obsession to a whole new level. Why am I recommending this book? Rhysand. I love a complex, layered character, and he is one complicated male.

What I loved most about this book is that it started out going in one direction but then spun on its axis and went in a totally different direction than I anticipated. When a book can surprise me in every way, that’s special.

I. Love. This. Book.

By Sarah J. Maas,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked A Court of Mist and Fury as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE SECOND BOOK IN THE #1 BESTSELLING SERIES

'With bits of Buffy, Game Of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series of total joy' - STYLIST
_____________________________
Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court - but at a steep cost. Though she now possesses the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, the mesmerising High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates his dark web of political games and tantalising promises,…


Book cover of The Serpent and the Wings of Night

Emilia Dashfire Author Of The Viper's Library

From my list on vampire novels to sink your teeth into.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always had a wild imagination and have been creative and expressive through various art forms since I was young. After a series of crazy and vivid dreams, I decided to turn them into a story. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I had over 20 projects, each with a different style but all with my voice. I grew up in Cheshire and studied digital media at the University of Bradford, but moved to my paternal home in Spain in 2009, where I now teach English and moonlight as a fantasy author.

Emilia's book list on vampire novels to sink your teeth into

Emilia Dashfire Why did Emilia love this book?

Imagine if Rapunzel was kidnapped by a vampire king but then hunted the people who could kill her with one bite.

This is a fantastic book with vampires, magic, wings, and a female main character that’s realising not everything is as she was led to believe. There wasn’t a moment that I doubted it would be 5 stars. 

One of my favourite things is how she struggles to accept the truth about the people she thought were her family. She also has to ally with a vampire who has a dangerous curiosity for her, and I loved trying to work out why.

By Carissa Broadbent,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Serpent and the Wings of Night as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always-always-guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won't be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an…


Book cover of Death

J.D. Astra Author Of The Chimera Bounty

From my list on dark romantasy with winged book boyfriends.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a smut connoisseur for many years, as well as a lover of well-done sci-fi/fantasy worlds that feel real. I would list my qualifications as a smut connoisseur, but it’s probably not appropriate for this site 😉. I have a number of books under my belt that include sweeping fantasy world building that’ll make you hallucinate vividly. After resisting deeper romance plots in my writing for so long, I finally surrendered. I’m just starting my journey as a dark romantasy smut peddler but can’t wait to share all my winged book boyfriends with you!

J.D.'s book list on dark romantasy with winged book boyfriends

J.D. Astra Why did J.D. love this book?

This is a post-apocalyptic first world fantasy that was so, so dark it scared my friends.

I loved every book in the series, but Death has a special place in my heart for that dark-winged angel boyfriend.

The unique part of Death too was that in all the other books of the series, the girls are the horseman’s captive, but in this one, she hunts him back.

It makes for a thrilling enemies to lovers moment when we realize just how much Death has fallen for this girl who pursues and murders him frequently.

Seriously, be warned. This series is dark.

By Laura Thalassa,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Death as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

He’s known by many names: Thanatos. Horseman. God’s last angel. And then, of course, there's the one I’m all too familiar with—

Death.

The day Death comes to Lazarus Gaumond’s town and kills everyone in one fell swoop, the last thing he expects to see is a woman left alive and standing. But Lazarus has her own extraordinary gift: she cannot be killed—not by humans, not by the elements, not by Death himself.

She is the one soul Death doesn’t recognize. The one soul he cannot pry free from her flesh. Nor can he ignore the unsettling desire he has…


Book cover of One Savage Knight

J.D. Astra Author Of The Chimera Bounty

From my list on dark romantasy with winged book boyfriends.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a smut connoisseur for many years, as well as a lover of well-done sci-fi/fantasy worlds that feel real. I would list my qualifications as a smut connoisseur, but it’s probably not appropriate for this site 😉. I have a number of books under my belt that include sweeping fantasy world building that’ll make you hallucinate vividly. After resisting deeper romance plots in my writing for so long, I finally surrendered. I’m just starting my journey as a dark romantasy smut peddler but can’t wait to share all my winged book boyfriends with you!

J.D.'s book list on dark romantasy with winged book boyfriends

J.D. Astra Why did J.D. love this book?

This is a first world post-apocalyptic dark romantasy that is the fluffiest of the bunch.

It’s not going to make you think too hard, but it’s loaded with spice, fun action scenes against a horde of demons, and heartwarming character growth.

You’ll definitely be able to relate to the FMC’s struggles with this huge hunk flaring his wings and unaliving everyone who touches her.

By Holly Roberds,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One Savage Knight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Christiane F.: Autobiography of a Girl of the Streets and Heroin Addict

Tom Hansen Author Of American Junkie

From my list on drug addicts and lost souls.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've always been interested in books about lost souls and broken people. Before I got clean it was the story of my life and they’re stories that continue to resonate with lots of readers. I think my being drawn to those kinds of stories was a reaction to the stories I read and tv and movies I saw growing up. The image-conscious suburban American Dream stuff. I grew up without all those illusions and naturally gravitated to gritty realism because it mirrored my experience. My book is less interested in the day-to-day mechanics of the lives of drug addicts and lost souls, but rather how they came to be what they are. 

Tom's book list on drug addicts and lost souls

Tom Hansen Why did Tom love this book?

In the 70’s, two journalists from a prominent Berlin newspaper went to Zoo Station, a section of the city where hookers and junkies hung out where they met Christiane F. Over months they documented her story and helped her get it into book form. It’s a typical tale, abusive and/or indifferent parents, marijuana at 12, heroin addict and prostitute by 13. Her story is compellingly told and more tragic than most as we get to know the other 13-year-old boys and girls she hangs out with who also sell themselves for their next fix. The original mass market paperback came out in 1982 and was never reissued. Used copies are over $100. Fortunately, a new translation came out a few years ago under the title Zoo Station a memoir by Christane F that is readily available. 

By Christiane F., Susanne Flatauer (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Christiane F. as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

1 POCKET-SIZE SOFTCOVER BOOK


Book cover of Safe and Sound

B.K. Leigh Author Of Promise Me Always

From my list on to guide you from past abuse to new love.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an avid reader by day and a passionate writer by night. I found myself writing the stories I couldn’t seem to find. This topic is one I know from first-hand experience. I’ve dealt with drug abuse and domestic abuse in my family from a young age and although painful to speak about it’s helped shape my career and help my readers find healing through my characters. I want my readers to be pulled in by a work of fiction while still having the knowledge that for me, it wasn’t. Abuse comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes, and I’ve realized it’s not forever. Even in the worst storms, the sun will always shine. 

B.K.'s book list on to guide you from past abuse to new love

B.K. Leigh Why did B.K. love this book?

When I first started reading I stumbled into this story about loss, love, and longing. I was amazed how the characters were able to survive through their ordeals and yet come out stronger with love and happiness on the other side. The emotion is real, and the imagery of a broken, yet strong heroin is phenomenal. I read this story more than five years ago but it’s one of the first I recommend to anyone looking for an exceptional storyline. Lola and Jack met under the most unfortunate circumstances, but together they manage to get through everything thrown against them.

By Lindy Zart,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Safe and Sound as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is Lola's story. She has a secret no one can know. Once a safe haven, her home has turned into a prison, and she fears if she doesn't somehow escape, she will lose herself completely. She finds her escape in Jack; a troubled young man with a cynical smile and eyes that see all Lola tries to hide. But even Jack can't save her from the evil at home.


Book cover of How to Stop Time: Heroin from A to Z

Henriette Ivanans Author Of In Pillness and in Health: A memoir

From my list on getting inside the addict’s mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a two-time kidney-transplanted author and occasional actor. Born in Toronto, LA-raised and currently living in Winnipeg with my husband, Kevin, I love dogs, books, and being sober. When my father died of alcoholism at 38, I did not understand it was a disease. 11 years ago, my addiction escalated to the point of overdose during the year my husband gave me a kidney. When I went into rehab, writing became vital to my healing, and my memoir was born. I am passionate about enlightening readers to the world of chronic illness and pain and the spiritual component to recovery. (Warning: I will interrupt you mid-sentence if I see a dog.)

Henriette's book list on getting inside the addict’s mind

Henriette Ivanans Why did Henriette love this book?

The book pushed all my buttons. Marlowe has brief-ish relationship with heroin in NYC in the ’90s and apparently, can “just stop.” Her studied reflections on heroin and its culture are cemented in absolute resistance to the idea that addiction is a disease. For me, this is a dangerous concept that makes me cringe, as much of her book did. But her resolute intelligence and ego make for fascinating reading. With a frown, I reflected on phrases like, “Living in an eternal present is not good for us, no matter how much we want it.” Her book reminded me of the many ways people define addiction. It inspired me to get crystal clear on my viewpoint before I took pen to page.

By Ann Marlowe,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How to Stop Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a coolly dispassionate voice, Ann Marlowe has created a mock dictionary in order to dissect her addiction to - and her eventual rejection of - heroin. Each entry, varying from the anecdotal to the analytical, describes the allure and the degradation of the drug, set against the story of her own life. Without glamorizing it, she explores the seduction of the drug and honestly reveals heroin's temporary deep satisfaction, before finally casting the drug aside as a failed, even abusive, lover, a negligent spouse, a one-way ultimately doomed relationship. Her journey through heroin is a cerebral tale grounded in…


Book cover of The Girl in the Sequined Dress

Cassandra Joy Author Of Death & Chaos

From my list on spicy paranormal romance you’ve never read.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always loved both the fantasy and romance genres. (CS Lewis may or may not be directly responsible.) Discovering paranormal romance was the best day of my life. Since then, many years ago, I’ve read thousands of PNR books, both popular and less well-known, and love sharing my favorites with anyone who will sit still for five seconds. I even worked on a degree in English Literature for a while before switching to a more “practical” major. Blah. Because of those years of analyzing why some books are truly loved, I know you’ll enjoy these titles as much as I do.

Cassandra's book list on spicy paranormal romance you’ve never read

Cassandra Joy Why did Cassandra love this book?

This is an “episode”; three episodes make a “season”. Yep, this series is patterned off of a tv show. What else would you expect from a series that was inspired by two different monster hunting shows: Supernatural and Scooby-Do?

Humor. Epic levels of teamwork… and drama in the team. A revolving door of baddies. Moments that make you want to just wrap our hero/heroin up and hold them forever.

The Hunter Chronicles series has all of that. This first episode is an excellent introduction to Val and all of her guys… Some of whom aren’t human. The whole team’s delightful.

And sexy. Don’t forget sexy.

These shorter stories—that make a much longer one—are like rich little snacks that I love to savor.

RH: Monster Hunters

By Leslie Ayla,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Girl in the Sequined Dress as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Hunting ghosts was never so sexy…

So there I am, minding my own business, trying to exorcise a ghost who likes to take her unsuspecting victims for a joyride, when said ghost sets her eyes on me. Now I’m faced with fighting off an unwanted spirit and I have to deal with my four teammates, my four best friends, pushing for more.

Can we make it through to the other side unscathed or will our relationship fall casualty to the girl in the sequined dress?

The first episode in The Hunter Chronicles, The Girl in the Sequined Dress kicks off…


Book cover of Righteous Dopefiend

Johannes Lenhard Author Of Making Better Lives: Hope, Freedom and Home-Making among People Sleeping Rough in Paris

From my list on understanding poverty today, from the bottom up.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an anthropologist and studied homelessness in Paris and London for the last decade. I was drawn into the world of people on the streets when I moved to London and started observing their parallel world. I spent almost a year with people on the street in London and two years in Paris. I volunteered in day centers, safe injection facilities, and soup kitchens and slept in a homeless shelter. Since I finished my first book on my observations in Paris, I have advised both policymakers on homelessness and written countless journalistic articles. My goal is always to provide a clearer picture of homelessness through the eyes of the people themselves. 

Johannes' book list on understanding poverty today, from the bottom up

Johannes Lenhard Why did Johannes love this book?

Bourgois’ and Schonberg’s accounts opened up the ‘parallel world’ of homelessness for me and inspired me to do my own research on homelessness.

They spent years trying to understand people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco, following them on their daily journeys through institutions and city landscapes; they intimately understood their struggles, from mental health and addiction to systematic exclusion.

Their long, in-depth, and grassroots accounts of people on the street made me grasp their varied experiences for the first time.

By Philippe Bourgois, Jeffrey Schonberg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Righteous Dopefiend as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This powerful study immerses the reader in the world of homelessness and drug addiction in the contemporary United States. For over a decade Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg followed a social network of two dozen heroin injectors and crack smokers on the streets of San Francisco, accompanying them as they scrambled to generate income through burglary, panhandling, recycling, and day labor. "Righteous Dopefiend" interweaves stunning black-and-white photographs with vivid dialogue, detailed field notes, and critical theoretical analysis. Its gripping narrative develops a cast of characters around the themes of violence, race relations, sexuality, family trauma, embodied suffering, social inequality, and…


Book cover of Jesus' Son

Michael Keenan Gutierrez Author Of The Swill

From my list on bars where I'd like to get a drink.

Why am I passionate about this?

I loved bars before I could drink. Maybe it was a steady diet of Cheers reruns as a child. Or perhaps it was growing up in Los Angeles, a city without a center, a city of cars, a city that seemed—at least when I was a child—to lack real community. Bars, in my imagination, provided that. So when I started actually finding myself in bars—and often working in them—I also found myself writing fiction, and those bars ended up in that fiction. In each of my novels, a bar is a gathering place for those wanting a church sans theology, a place, where, yes, everyone knows your name.  

Michael's book list on bars where I'd like to get a drink

Michael Keenan Gutierrez Why did Michael love this book?

On any given day, this is my favorite book with one of my favorite bars, The Vine, a dive that Johnson describes as “like a railroad club car that had somehow run itself off the tracks into a swamp of time where it awaited the blows of the wrecking ball.” Is it a nice place? No. Would you take a date here? Not if you wanted them to respect you. Could you find yourself in mortal danger? Absolutely. But amongst the addicts and runaways, the small-time crooks and ne’er do wells, you’ll find moments of beauty that transcend the pain of everyday life, becoming, in its best moments, like reading scripture.

By Denis Johnson,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Jesus' Son as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Jesus' Son is a visionary chronicle of dreamers, addicts, and lost souls. These stories tell of spiralling grief and transcendence, of rock bottom and redemption, of getting lost and found and lost again. The narrator of these interlinked stories is a young, unnamed man, reeling from his addiction to heroin and alcohol, his mind at once clouded and made brilliantly lucid by these drugs. In the course of his adventures, he meets an assortment of people, who seem as alienated and confused as he; sinners, misfits, the lost, the damned, the desperate and the forgotten. Our of their bleak, seemingly…


Book cover of A Court of Mist and Fury
Book cover of The Serpent and the Wings of Night
Book cover of Death

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