Fans pick 74 books like Prison Fae

By Drake Mason, Marisa Mills,

Here are 74 books that Prison Fae fans have personally recommended if you like Prison 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 Divergent

Lyndi Alexander Author Of Windmills

From my list on fantasy with female underdogs.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to cheer for underdogs, and young women who are in this category have my special devotion. As a child of the 1960s, I remember a time when women didn’t have the same rights and opportunities as men, and we still seem to be fighting it today. Coming from a trauma-based childhood myself, I find myself comparing and contrasting coping mechanisms. Luckily, I haven’t found it necessary to kill anyone with dragon stone or jacked-up hornets so far. It delights me when these girls win, whether they game the system or fight their way with guns and knives.

Lyndi's book list on fantasy with female underdogs

Lyndi Alexander Why did Lyndi love this book?

I loved these books. The mystery of this society and its strict divisions fascinated me. I related to Tris immediately and her need for more excitement than her Abnegation family could provide. The detachment felt by so many of the characters in their daily roles resonated in my soul as something I have felt as well when confined by societal definition.

As I reflected in our own society, those at the top scheme to gain power for themselves, regardless of the effect on the rest of the people. I was proud of Tris and her colleagues, who joined together to create a better, more just society.

By Veronica Roth, Nicolas Delort (photographer),

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked Divergent as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

The explosive debut by No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth.

DIVERGENT - a major motion picture series.

For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.

Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead....

A debut novel that will leave you breathless.


Book cover of The Scarlet Thread

Fiona Faith Ross Author Of Far Out

From my list on keeping people you love close.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write about aloneness and individuals, what it takes to connect to family and community, and how to hang on to the people we hold dear. This means I think a lot about points of view and personal perception. We often wonder: Have I got this right? Did they get my meaning? Does everybody feel this? And more often than not, everybody does. These interpretations are both personal and universal at the same time. We all fear loss; we all have to be brave to hold onto people we love and principles we value.

Fiona's book list on keeping people you love close

Fiona Faith Ross Why did Fiona love this book?

Book 1 in a 4-book series, and our hero is Kaidance Monroe. I love the world the author has created and I really connected with Kaidance and the challenges she faces. This story is a modern-day take on the ancient Greek myth about The Fates who control our lives, and I love this retelling because the core message holds true for each and every one of us, that we can only control so much of our lives, that there are forces bigger than us that we have to deal with, but it's how we cope that's important. I’ve read the entire series. The author doesn’t drop the pace. I loved experiencing this fantastical world on a rollercoaster ride, clinging on until the end. 

By D.S. Murphy,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

My name is Kaidance Monroe, and sometimes when I touch people, I see how they die.

"Love, betrayal, mythology, mystery, you name it this has it! Hold onto your horses and Minotaurs people as this ride is definitely going to get bumpy." ★★★★★

After I saw my little brother's death but failed to stop it, my parents abandoned me to a juvenile detention facility. I don't let people touch me anymore. Not my fingertips, not my skin, not my heart. Just before I turned 18, I got a visit from a cute guy, who tricked me into giving up my…


Book cover of Shadow of the Minotaur

Fiona Faith Ross Author Of Far Out

From my list on keeping people you love close.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write about aloneness and individuals, what it takes to connect to family and community, and how to hang on to the people we hold dear. This means I think a lot about points of view and personal perception. We often wonder: Have I got this right? Did they get my meaning? Does everybody feel this? And more often than not, everybody does. These interpretations are both personal and universal at the same time. We all fear loss; we all have to be brave to hold onto people we love and principles we value.

Fiona's book list on keeping people you love close

Fiona Faith Ross Why did Fiona love this book?

This book is about being brave. You know when a problem grows into a huge scary monster, right? It’s got you cornered and you don't think you'll ever get out alive, but with the right attitude, you can. Our hero Phoenix is braver than his years, but in some ways he’s more grown-up than his dad. In this retelling of the ancient Greek story of the minotaur, who crushes mortals and eats them for breakfast, we step into a monstrous virtual world created by Phoenix’s dad. I wanted to run, but most of all I wanted to stay and see what happened next. Will the minotaur eat Phoenix alive? I related to Phoenix trying to survive and trying to work out his issues with his dad, because every one of us has to face the same difficult world and be courageous about it.

By Alan Gibbons,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'Real life' or the death defying adventures of the Greek myths, with their heroes and monsters, daring deeds and narrow escapes - which would you choose?

For Phoenix it's easy. He hates his new home and the new school where he is bullied. He's embarrassed by his computer geek dad. But when he logs on to The Legendeer, the game his dad is working on, he can be a hero. He is Theseus fighting the terrifying Minotaur, or Perseus battling with snake-haired Medusa. It feels as though he's really there ? The Legendeer is more than just a game. Play…


Book cover of Justin Thyme (Tartan of Thyme 1)

Fiona Faith Ross Author Of Far Out

From my list on keeping people you love close.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write about aloneness and individuals, what it takes to connect to family and community, and how to hang on to the people we hold dear. This means I think a lot about points of view and personal perception. We often wonder: Have I got this right? Did they get my meaning? Does everybody feel this? And more often than not, everybody does. These interpretations are both personal and universal at the same time. We all fear loss; we all have to be brave to hold onto people we love and principles we value.

Fiona's book list on keeping people you love close

Fiona Faith Ross Why did Fiona love this book?

I absolutely love this book. I read it years ago and it stays with me. I love it because the characters are completely batty and the story is so quirky, yet somehow it’s the truth and I wonder, are we Scots really like that? I fell for 13-year-old Justin quicker than falling off a slippery log over a stream when you're trying to fish out your soggy hat which you just dropped in the water. The world Justin inhabits is so crazy and yet he somehow manages to keep his head when his family and servants are losing theirs. It's another form of being brave, in this timeless world where time carries a curse, and of course, the story is really about saving people that we realize are precious to us. 

By Panama Oxridge,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Justin Thyme (Tartan of Thyme 1) as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Justin Thyme is a self-made billionaire living in a castle overlooking Loch Ness. The day he turns thirteen, he receives an anonymous gift: a fabulous watch with a puzzling message hidden on it. When he tells his father of his plans to build a time machine, the Laird of Thyme reveals tantalising fragments of past espionage and warns his son of a ruthless enemy keeping him under constant surveillance. At first, Justin fails to take Sir Willoughby seriously, but when a stranger arrives claiming to be his long-lost grandfather, Justin is wary - especially after his beloved Nanny insists the…


Book cover of Tithe

Angela Guajardo Author Of Mia Evers and the Demon's Curse

From my list on YA fantasy full of rich alternate worlds and characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former middle school teacher and high school athletics coach. I’ve spent so much time trying to nurture many students as they try to navigate growing up and figuring out who they are. I draw from their tragic stories in hopes of showing students that they’re not alone in their struggles. I also draw snippets from my challenging childhood that, in recent years, I realized I had to cut my father and stepmother out of my life because of how psychologically abusive and manipulative they are. The upside is my self-worth has significantly improved. I hope to empower others through my books.

Angela's book list on YA fantasy full of rich alternate worlds and characters

Angela Guajardo Why did Angela love this book?

This series grabbed me from page one. I don’t make a habit of reading books including the Fae, but I absolutely fell in love with everything she’s written after that.

You can tell she does her research on fae mythology, yet adds her own touches to it, including blending their world with ours.

By Holly Black,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Tithe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the realm of very scary faeries, no one is safe.

Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces the sixteen-year-old back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms—a struggle that could very well mean her death.

Holly Black's enormously powerful voice weaves teen angst, riveting romance, and capriciously diabolical faerie folk into an enthralling, engaging, altogether original reading experience.


Book cover of A Dictionary of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures

Nina Antonia Author Of Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood

From my list on decadence & the supernatural.

Why am I passionate about this?

A cult author who has survived by the skin of her wits. Nina has spent her adult years in London though many believe she is from New York, which sounds like a lot of travelling for someone who has spent the majority of her life in the dream land of writing. What does being a cult author entail? It is to be a literary Will o’ the Wisp, possessing a gem like glimmering in a mist of obscurity, loved by the rarified few. After writing many critically acclaimed books on various nefarious rock n’ rollers, her ardor dimmed with the passing years as those she had loved were no more and so she returned to her first love, which is the strange and supernatural.

Nina's book list on decadence & the supernatural

Nina Antonia Why did Nina love this book?

There is a world of difference between the fairies of folk-lore and the ‘airy-fairy’s’ to use one of Katherine Brigg’s descriptions that infest popular media. Disney’s depiction of Peter Pan & Tinkerbelle as ordinary kids who happen to have wings bears no relation to the fairies of folklore. The moment a fairy character is absorbed into capitalist entertainment, their magic is lost. The unsurpassable fairy lore of Katherine Briggs 1898-1980, takes up an entire shelf on my bookcase and includes The Anatomy of Puck, The Fairies in Tradition and Literature, The Vanishing People, and A Dictionary of Fairies. The one-time president of the English Folklore Society, her books are so authoritative and imaginative, they bring to life the incredible inhabitants of the otherworldly realm. All the best books on the subject were written before 1970, the later ones tending to be cribbed from Briggs and that other great…

By Katharine M. Briggs,

Why should I read it?

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


Book cover of Hex Hall

Chris Cannon Author Of Going Down in Flames

From my list on supernatural kick-butt girls who don’t take crap.

Why am I passionate about this?

Being a petite person, I can’t move furniture by myself or lift heavy boxes. It’s freaking annoying. I dream of having a magic wand or some sort of power that would make me stronger. If there was a potion to turn me into a Buffy the Vampire Slayer, kick-butt type of girl I’d drink it in a second. Since there is no such potion, I write and read books about supernatural girls who don’t take crap from anyone, especially the guys in their lives. 

Chris' book list on supernatural kick-butt girls who don’t take crap

Chris Cannon Why did Chris love this book?

Sophie tries to hide the fact that she’s a witch, but when one of her spells goes wrong she finds herself shipped off to reform school for witches and shifters. She didn’t grow up in this life which means she has a lot of catching up to do. She has no intention of letting the other mean girl witches tell her what to do. Too bad her roommate is suspected of killing off their classmates. 

By Rachel Hawkins,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In the wake of a love spell gone horribly wrong, Sophie Mercer, a sixteen-year-old witch, is shipped off to Hecate Hall, a boarding school for witches, shapeshifters and faeries. The traumas of mortal high school are nothing compared to the goings on at "Freak High." It's bad enough that she has to deal with a trio of mean girls led by the glamorous Elodie, but it's even worse when she begins to fall for Elodie's gorgeous boyfriend, Archer Cross, and frankly terrifying that the trio are an extremely powerful coven of dark witches. But when Sophie begins to learn the…


Book cover of Lament

Jackie Dana Author Of The Favor Faeries

From my list on YA faerie novels.

Why am I passionate about this?

Tales of magic have captivated me since I was a small child, and I started writing fantasy stories in high school. But it was only when I discovered the YA faerie subgenre several years ago that I truly found my niche. As my book recommendations will demonstrate, there’s a delicious connection between faerie magic and teenage angst, and it’s the tension that arises that makes for fantastic worldbuilding and storytelling. I hope that you enjoy my top books in the genre and find a new favorite for yourself!

Jackie's book list on YA faerie novels

Jackie Dana Why did Jackie love this book?

In the first of two books, Stiefvater introduces us to Deirdre, an accomplished teen musician who has just met the mysterious Luke—who just happens to be a faerie that none of her friends or family can see. Oh, and he’s also an assassin. Caught between a mundane life of music recitals, school, and her family on one side, and the dangerous world of faerie on the other, what’s a girl to do? As a nerd and a loner growing up, what I wouldn’t have given for a secret faerie friend who dragged me into a world of magic and danger! Although Stiefvater has gone on to write more complex novels, her faerie duology will always have a place in my heart.

By Maggie Stiefvater,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING NOVEL SHIVER

"Vibrant and potent, YA readers searching for faerie stories will be happy to find this accomplished debut novel."
–Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

"This beautiful and out-of-the-ordinary debut novel, with its authentic depiction of Celtic Faerie lore and dangerous forbidden love in a contemporary American setting, will appeal to readers of Nancy Werlin's Impossible and Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series."
–Booklist
(starred review)

"Part adventure, part fantasy, and wholly riveting love story, Lament will delight nearly all audiences with its skillful blend of magic and ordinary life."
―KLIATT (starred review)

Sixteen-year-old…


Book cover of Jade

S. A. Gibson Author Of In the Horde's Way

From my list on where different cultures mix in a fantastical world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am fascinated by how people communicate. I enjoy when different cultures clash and cooperate. Coming from another country and growing up in California exposed me to my first taste of different groups. Traveling around the country and the world has allowed me to see the vast variety of people and I continue to wonder how we can get along together.

S. A.'s book list on where different cultures mix in a fantastical world

S. A. Gibson Why did S. A. love this book?

Jade is a being of mysterious power who has traits of shifter, witch, fae, and others. She serves the police force in Winston, in a world in which supernatural beings are everywhere, but are discriminated against. She must solve a mystery and fight to protect herself and her friends. I enjoyed this story. I think you will enjoy it if you like fantasy.

By Rose Montague,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Meet Jade Smith, a magical mutt with a mission. A detective partnered with a shifter named Rolfe, she’s on the case to solve a slew of murders: Vamps are killing humans, and nobody knows why. When London Jane, the most powerful vamp in town, is implicated in the murders, Jade knows something isn’t right. Together with Jill, the Winter Queen of Faerie, Jade and Jane take their investigation underground. On the run, with nowhere to hide, they uncover a secret that could destroy Faerie, as well as the human realm. Will Jade stop the killer in time? Or will she…


Book cover of Kin

Helen M. Pugsley Author Of The Tooth Fairy

From my list on learning the old legends.

Why am I passionate about this?

I remember being gifted a copy of a fairy tale book for children by someone my dad worked with as a kid. "Wow, these are really close to the originals," Mom murmured under her breath.
"Wait, there are originals?" That set off a chain reaction of a lifelong love of fairy tales, myths, legends, and folk stories. Writing The Tooth Fairy forced me to double-check my lifetime of accumulated knowledge. Plus, being trapped indoors with audiobooks during a global pandemic left me a lot more time to learn! In short: I simply love the old legends.

Helen's book list on learning the old legends

Helen M. Pugsley Why did Helen love this book?

Holly Black co-wrote the Spiderwick Chronicles and knows her stuff. I found this series of graphic novels extremely entertaining, and chillingly true to the old legends. Black takes old legends from several Eurocentric cultures and has them coexisting in one single city, as just people, trying to make it. Poor Rue, the main character, is only half-human. When she finds out her mother is one of "the good neighbors"-- a fairy princess, she has to venture to her grandfather's realm to find her, meanwhile, a swan maiden is murdered up the street, and nixies steal her boyfriend. The drama of the series was riveting, as were the legends she called upon.

By Holly Black, Ted Naifeh (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kin as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

From the amazing imagination of bestselling author Holly Black, a mysterious and wonderful teen graphic novel masterpiece.

Rue Silver's mother has disappeared . . . and her father has been arrested, suspected of killing her. But it's not as straightforward as that. Because Rue is a faerie, like her mother was. And her father didn't kill her mother -- instead, he broke a promise to Rue's faerie king grandfather, which caused Rue's mother to be flung back to the faerie world. Now Rue must go to save her -- and must also defeat a dark faerie that threatens our very…


Book cover of Divergent
Book cover of The Scarlet Thread
Book cover of Shadow of the Minotaur

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