What is a fairy?
Honestly, that is not an easy question to answer in general terms. Fairies don't have a single point of origin, they are more like a collection of folk lore beliefs from many different European cultures. This makes it difficult to say exactly what a fairy is. For some, fairies are a sort of overall term for everything magical, so that it also includes goblins, elves, gnomes and such.
For this list of books, I focus on the fairies that are also given the name 'fae/fey'. In popular culture, fae/fey have a particular set of idiosyncrasies that are pretty much accepted by all. They are often viewed as tricksters, that you have to ward yourself against. These wards can either be a four leaf clover, turning your clothes inside out and such. Often they are described as not being able to lie (though they can omit and twist things around) as well as being allergic to iron.
As for how they look... again, accounts vary. Still, most people agree that fairies are human in appearance. Often they are described as being extremely beautiful and with pointed ears. Sometimes fairies are depicted with wings, often butterfly or dragonfly wings - hardly ever feathered wings, those are usually reserved for angels. As to their size - well, some would say they are human size. Others would claim that they are the size of your thumb (though some would argue that these small fairies are more aptly described as pixies).
Fairies are complicated - and that makes them exceedingly interesting to read about!
The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Something has always been different about Meghan Chase. Ever since her father disappeared when she was six she has been the odd one out. Only her trickster best friend, Puck, stuck by her. When a dark stranger comes to town, the true extend of Meghan's otherness is revealed - she is actually the daughter of the Iron King and a pawn in her father's mythical war.
The Iron Fey series tackles the idea of how our human world affects the fairy world in ways we are completely blind to. It draws on the original Fae story, A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare but gives it a new spin with the new arrival of the Iron Fey.
Read it if you like: Urban fantasy, Shakespearean references, Alice in Wonderland-esque whimsy
A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Feyre is dependent on her ability to hunt and kill, but one day she kills something far more dangerous than a deer. For the murder of a faerie she is brought to the kingdom of a cursed faery prince, who hides his face beneath a jeweled mask, but still has the most piercing eyes. It soon becomes clear that Feyre must either break the curse or lose him forever.
The first in this series is a sort of retelling of Beauty and the Beast but with faeries, and I love it for it. Feyre is fierce and loveable and her prince is gallant. However, the rest of the series was disappointing to me for its similarities to Mass' other series Throne of Glass.
Read it if you like: Beauty and the Beast retellings, strong, independent female characters, bad guys who aren't all bad
The Falconer series by Elizabeth May
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
The sìthíchean is a murderous faery race and 18-year old Aileana i one of the few, who is able to see them - and stop them. By day she must pretend to be a highborn lady, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas. But by night she hunts faeries.
This series is very different from most of the others on this list. Here, the faeries are the bad guys who must be destroyed. The story takes place in Edinburgh in 1844 and revolves around Aileana and her mysterious mentor, who spends every night training her to be become a killer. It has it all - and it get better with every book.
Read it if you like: Historical YA, Steampunk, mystery guys
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Isobel is a prodigy painter, and human, who makes a living painting the fair folk, who do not posses the ability to create themselves. One day Isobel breaks a cardinal rule - she paints emotions in the eyes of a patron, the Autumn Prince, Rook. Now Isobel must use every ounce of her gift to save not just herself but also the alluring prince.
This book takes you through so many different fey aspects that it is almost the epitome of fey literature. It is essentially a there-and-back-again story which makes this a great mix af fae lore and classical fantasy. And the chemistry between Rook and Isobel is undeniable and captivating.
Read it if you like: Dark but humorous, great banter between the main characters, extensive fey lore
The Folk of Air series by Holly Black
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she was taken away with her sisters to live at the treacherous High Court of Fae. Since then she has struggled to fit in, to find her place in this alluring new world - and to do that, she has to stand up to the cruel prince, Carden, who despises humans and her in particular.
For me this series has one major advantage over most other YA series - the central plot is not the romance between two teenagers. Instead the story focuses on Jude's drive to belong and the intricate workings of this foreign court of fae.
Read it if you like: characters who stand up for themselves, wicked, trickster fairies, will-they-won't-they chemistry
The Hollow Kingdom series by Clare B. Dunkle
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
For centuries women have gone missing around Hallow Hill, but when Kate and her sister Emily arrive here in 1815 they are blissfully unaware of this. At least, until Emily goes missing. Now, the one one who can help Kate get her back is the goblin Marak Sixfinger, who, incidentally, have also decided that Kate is to be his new wife.
Ok, this book is not actually about fairies, it's about goblins. But, because goblins are sometimes described as fairies, I included it anyway. This has a Beauty and Beast feeling to it, but Marak, the Beast, is gentle, fair, considerate and not at all cursed. He's just ugly.
Read it if you like: Beauty and the beast with a twist, dark YA, J.R.R. Tolkien elves
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