There exists, dear reader, a particular sort of magic that occurs when mortal hearts become entangled with the Fair Folk. It is a magic that requires no wand nor incantation—only the turning of pages and the willingness to believe. If you have come seeking tales of faerie courts and forbidden romance, of dangerous bargains sealed with a kiss, then you have found what you were looking for.
The books gathered here are not merely stories. They are doorways, each one leading to realms where the beautiful is often deadly and the deadly is frequently beautiful. Shall we peek through?
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
One cannot speak of fae romantasy without first paying tribute to the tale that launched a thousand daydreams. When young huntress Feyre slays a wolf in the frozen woods, she cannot know that this creature was no ordinary beast, but one of the immortal faeries from beyond the wall.
Dragged to the magical land of Prythian as payment for her crime, Feyre discovers that her captor Tamlin is not the monster she expected. What begins as icy hostility melts, by degrees, into something altogether more dangerous. Yet shadows gather in this faerie realm, and before all is said and done, Feyre must become something more than she ever imagined possible.
This is the book that made countless readers fall irrevocably in love with faerie courts, morally complex immortals, and romance that burns as brightly as any magic.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Now here is a tale for those who prefer their faeries with rather more teeth. When Jude was but seven years old, her parents were murdered and she was spirited away to the High Court of Faerie alongside her sisters. Ten years later, she has grown into a young woman who wants nothing more than to belong to this world that was never meant for her.
But belonging is a treacherous thing when you are mortal among immortals. The wickedest of them all is Prince Cardan, who delights in reminding Jude of her human fragility. What unfolds between them is not a gentle romance but something far more interesting—a battle of wills wrapped in court intrigue and deception.
Holly Black has been rightfully called the Queen of the Faeries, and this book demonstrates why. Her Elfhame is magnificent and terrible in equal measure.
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
Fresh from the press in 2025, this instant bestseller follows Sybil, known only as Six, one of the diviners at Aisling Cathedral. She has spent nearly ten years drowning and dreaming to learn the fates of pilgrims who visit the cathedral—but she can remember nothing of her life before.
When her fellow Diviners begin vanishing one by one, Sybil abandons her sacred duty to search for them. What she discovers is a gothic romance full of feminine fury, mysterious knights, and an absolutely delightful talking gargoyle who calls everyone Bartholomew. Reviewers have proclaimed the gargoyle alone worth the price of admission, and they are not wrong.
Rachel Gillig delivers an atmospheric tale where flowing water and stone motifs create a world that feels tangible enough to touch.
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
In a desert world where water is rationed and thieves are common, Saeris survives by her wits and nimble fingers. But fate has grander plans for this young woman when she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior with secrets aplenty.
This BookTok sensation features a magic system quite unlike any other—a sentient substance called Quicksilver that drives those who seek to control it quite mad. The dialogue crackles with wit, and the romance between Saeris and Kingfisher layers complexity upon tension upon desire.
Particularly notable is how the book handles the fated mates trope—done here in a fashion that feels entirely fresh and wonderfully intricate.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
For readers who prefer their faerie encounters served with a cup of tea and scholarly footnotes, this gem offers something altogether more cozy. Professor Emily Wilde is Cambridge’s foremost expert on faerie lore, though she is decidedly not an expert on making friends.
When she travels to a remote Scandinavian village to complete her encyclopaedia, she encounters not only the fae she came to study but also her insufferably handsome academic rival, Wendell Bambleby. What follows is a delicious slow-burn romance wrapped in genuine academic inquiry and genuine danger.
This is the book for those who dream of cottage-core aesthetics, crackling fires, and faeries that are properly terrifying even whilst being studied.
The Robin on the Oak Throne by K.A. Linde
The second book in K.A. Linde’s addictive Oak & Holly Cycle, this 2025 release finds Kierse wrestling with the revelation that she belongs to an ancient race of Fae. The job seems simple enough: steal a goblin-made bracelet from the Queen of the Nymphs.
But nothing is simple when Graves is involved—enigmatic, devilishly handsome, and always helpful in ways that come with strings attached. Their dynamic has matured from manipulation into something resembling partnership, though the electricity between them remains positively crackling.
Linde weaves Celtic mythology through modern monster politics with tremendous narrative energy, creating a page-turner that refuses to be set aside.
These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
Brie possesses an unusual gift: she can blend with shadows and move through the night unseen. When her sister is sold to the wicked Unseelie King to pay a debt, Brie makes a desperate bargain—steal three objects from the rival Seelie Court in exchange for her sister’s freedom.
To accomplish this heist, she must pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan. The complication? She finds herself falling for him even as she accepts help from Finn, the mysterious leader of a band of Unseelie misfits. Caught between two dangerous courts and two even more dangerous men, Brie must decide where her loyalties truly lie.
This is The Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses, with fairy tale influences woven throughout like golden threads.
The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa
What becomes of the fae in a world of smartphones and automobiles? Julie Kagawa answers this question brilliantly through Meghan Chase, who discovers her true heritage when she enters the Nevernever—a faerie realm threatened by a new court born of human technology.
This series offers one of the most creative takes on faerie lore in recent memory, blending traditional mythology with modern innovation. And for readers who have already devoured the original quartet, the Evenfall trilogy finally gives beloved trickster Puck his own story to tell.
Every reader who meets Grimalkin, the magnificently smug Cait Sith, will understand why he has become one of fantasy’s most beloved supporting characters.
Gild by Raven Kennedy
King Midas could turn all he touched to gold—but what of the woman he gilded? Auren lives as a precious possession, her skin and hair turned to gleaming metal, kept in a cage of golden bars. This dark reimagining of the classic myth explores what it means to be treasured as an object rather than loved as a person.
The worldbuilding draws from faerie lore, connecting the realm of Orea to Annwyn, the land of the Fae, through history and magic. Auren’s journey toward freedom is compelling and complex, particularly as the series continues through subsequent books.
This is romantasy for readers who prefer their fantasy with sharper edges and more difficult questions.
Eternal Ruin by Tigest Girma
The second book in the Immortal Dark trilogy plunges deeper into darkness with Kidan Adane, a heroine who has finally embraced her shadows. She has killed without remorse, lied without hesitation, and broken Uxlay University’s most sacred law.
Now trapped with a violently unstable vampire and reeling from her sister’s return, Kidan wields her anger like the weapon it has become. This is Ethiopian-inspired fantasy that weaves Black stories with the dark and fantastical, featuring enemies-to-lovers romance and political intrigue that will leave readers desperate for the conclusion.
Tigest Girma writes heroines who lean into their anger rather than apologizing for it, and the result is utterly compelling.
Heir of Illusion by Madeline Taylor
Coming in February 2026, this anticipated debut features every romantasy trope readers adore: a female assassin, a shadow daddy, touch-her-and-die protectiveness, and delicious slow burn.
Iverson “Ivy” Pomeroy possesses the power of illusion, but an enchanted collar at her throat binds her as assassin and mistress to a king she despises. When the mysterious reaper Thorne arrives seeking the same artifact that could free her, enemies must become allies in ways that simmer with tension.
Early readers praise the worldbuilding and fast-paced plot, calling it “brutally violent, sizzling with tension, and utterly addictive.” This is one to pre-order immediately.
Finding Your Perfect Fae Romance
The beauty of this flourishing genre lies in its variety. Whether you desire the grandeur of faerie courts or the coziness of academic study, the sweetness of slow-burn romance or the intensity of enemies who cannot resist each other, there exists a perfect book waiting for you.
These are stories that remind us why we first fell in love with reading—that magical feeling of being transported somewhere impossible and wonderful. The Fair Folk have been capturing mortal hearts for centuries, and in these pages, they continue their enchanting work.
Now go. Choose your doorway. Step through. The faeries are waiting, and they do so hate to be kept.
