The fae are some of the most versatile creatures in urban fantasy. They can be noble or malicious, elegant or creepy. Some are gorgeous and alluring, others tiny and cute, and some are just plain disturbing. They’re equally at home lounging in a magnificent palace or lurking under an old bridge. And with so much folklore to draw on, their magic can involve anything from illusions to shapeshifting.
If you like the fae as much as I do, then you’ll want to check out these urban fantasy books.
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Bad Girls Drink Blood
by S.L. Choi
Book Description
Part sun fae, part blood fae, all abomination.
After a life spent dodging slurs, threats, and assassination attempts, Lane Callaghan gave her past the one finger salute and ditched her former fae home for good.
The detective agency she and her sisters run on the edge of Las Vegas continues to limp along, with Lane doing more debt collecting and intimidating than investigating, but anything to pay the bills. Between working for low-lifes to bring down even lower-lifes, eating cheesy poofs by the bucket, and flirting with the criminally attractive bartender where she conducts business, life is good.
That ends when a routine job goes sideways leaving Lane with a sack full of stolen sun shards—the source of sun fae power. Without the shards, the sun fae face giving up their magic completely, or risk death if they use their power.
As far as Lane’s concerned, good riddance, considering they would rather see her dead—except her father and adopted sister are sun fae. Lane must choose to return home to save the fae bastards that almost killed her…or let them burn.
Mini Review
This is an action-packed urban fantasy read with a tough, well-rounded heroine who’s flawed but likeable. The highlight of the book is her relationship with her two adoptive sisters, who are a blast together whether they’re on a covert mission or just hanging out and eating snacks.
To read an excerpt and learn more, check out Everything you need to know about Bad Girls Drink Blood by S.L. Choi.
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Court of Shadows
by C.N. Crawford
Book Description
Rags to riches is supposed to be a nice fantasy. Going from a cheap London hovel to an elite fae institute should be amazing, especially when it involves a medieval castle.
It’s just not so great when the aristocratic jerks in the Tower want to crush you.
It starts when a lethally gorgeous fae–Ruadan–hunts me down. He’s known as the Wraith, and he’s taken a vow of silence to snuff out illegal magic. Fae magic that I possess. The Wraith lets me live on one condition: I have to earn my place at the Court of the Shadow Fae. I’m a survivor. I think I can manage the competition.
Too bad the posh recruits have it in for me. Worse, I’m forced to share a room with the silent Wraith, who is as sinister as he is hot. All it takes is one slip up, and I’m out. And at the Court of the Shadow Fae, failure means death.
Mini Review
Court of Shadows is full of mystery and intrigue, with villains you’ll love to hate and a snarky, resourceful heroine you’ll be rooting for. Its climax has an epic battle, but enough questions are left unanswered to draw you into the next book in the series.
Fae Away
by Rose Garcia
Book Description
Princess Celyse has two rules she must obey— never touch a portal, and never kiss a human.
Despite being born into the most powerful house in the faerie realm, Celyse dreads her life of duty and obligation. But everything changes when she finds a shimmery portal that offers a glance at the forbidden human realm. If discovered with the portal, it could mean her death. Yet she dares to peek anyway and finds herself face to face with a gorgeous human. Soon, she is visiting her would-be enemy nightly. Until a malicious suitor threatens her life and her kingdom.
Julio can see spirits— it’s in his blood as the son of a powerful curandera.
With spirits drifting in and out of his life, Julio thinks having visions of an ethereal girl with silver hair is another part of the otherworldly weirdness that happens to him. But when the very real girl shows up in the flesh, she brings a dire plea for help. Her faerie realm and his human realm are in danger, and only he can help. His head blares a warning against this deadly path while his heart urges him to do anything to save her. Including risk his own life.
Mini Review
If you like YA fiction, then this is the fae urban fantasy for you. The interaction between the fae and human worlds is intriguing, and the romance between the two main characters is super cute. Just beware: it ends on a cliffhanger.
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Edge of Magic
by Jayne Faith
Book Description
My name is Tara Knightley, and I’m on the Fae mafia’s hit list. My childhood crush just rode back into town, too, and that may spell even bigger trouble . . .
My talent for sensing magical objects has made me a damn good professional thief for the past decade. But it’s also what got me into a blood oath with notorious Fae mob boss Grant Shaw.
My relationship with Shaw is rapidly souring, and I need to break free before it turns deadly. The solution? I must steal a magic skull from Shaw’s biggest rival and deliver it to him, and then he’ll nullify our blood oath.
Just as I’m set to go after the skull, my childhood best friend and crush, wolf shifter Judah McMahon, shows up asking for help. It’s been ten years since the falling out that ended our friendship, and I know I shouldn’t get involved.
But Judah’s life is threatened. How can I say no? The catch is, helping Judah will cost me the chance at freedom from Shaw . . . and possibly my life.
Edge of Magic by Jayne Faith is perfect for fans of Kim Harrison, Kevin Hearne, Seanan McGuire, Patricia Briggs, Keri Arthur, Ella Summers, and Shannon Mayer. The Tara Knightley Series features action, magic, vivid world-building, a mystery involving Fae bloodlines, and a shifter-Fae romance subplot.
Mini Review
Tara is such a sympathetic protagonist. She’s stuck in an inescapable oath with a ruthless fae mob boss and is desperately trying to earn enough money to support her family before they get evicted. And despite the terrible hand life dealt her, she’s a tough heroine who’s skilled at her job. While I wish this book’s climax had a bit more of a bang, I was cheering for Tara the whole way.
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The Wicked and the Dead
by Melissa Marr
Book Description
Half witch, half killer, wholly unprepared for a Faery Bargain…Geneviève Crowe makes her living beheading the dead in near-future New Orleans. But now, her magic’s gone sideways, and the only person strong enough to help her is the one man who could tempt her to think about picket fences: Eli Stonecroft, a faery bar-owner in New Orleans.
When human businessmen start turning up as draugr, both the queen of the again-walkers and the wealthy son of one of the victims, hire Geneviève to figure it out. She works to keep her magic in check, Eli Stonecroft out of her bed, and the dead from crawling out of their graves.
Neither her heart nor her life are safe now that she’s juggling a faery, murder, and magic.
Mini Review
This book has really cool worldbuilding and a fascinating take on the undead in addition to the faery stuff. The heroine is a total badass, her love interest swoon-worthy, and their romance is sizzling and full of conflict.
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What’s your favorite urban fantasy book featuring the fae? Shout it out in the comments.
If you love the fae, then check out my urban fantasy ebook Poison and Honey. It’s currently FREE at most retailers!
The Shadow Journals 