Best Faerie Romance Books: Fae Kings, Courts, and Bargains
June 7, 2026
Few corners of romantasy are as beloved as faerie romance — glittering, treacherous fae courts, morally grey fae lords, and bargains that always cost more than they seem. If you love a dangerous fae love interest, here are the best books and series.
The romantasy juggernaut
A Court of Thorns and Roses — Sarah J. Maas The series that made fae romance a BookTok religion. ACOTAR and its sequels are the genre’s defining text — start here if you somehow haven’t. See the full Maasverse reading order →
The dark and clever
The Folk of the Air — Holly Black The Cruel Prince and its sequels are the sharpest fae fantasy going — a mortal girl scheming her way through a cruel, beautiful faerie court, with one of the genre’s best enemies-to-lovers arcs. See our Folk of the Air reading order →.
The cosy and the bargain-struck
A Deal with the Elf King — Elise Kova A standalone-ish fae romance built on the classic “human chosen to wed the fae king” bargain. Lower stakes, high comfort.
An Enchantment of Ravens — Margaret Rogerson A gorgeous standalone about a mortal painter and the autumn fae prince who commissions her — perfect for readers who want fae romance in one beautiful book.
For the steamy end
A Touch of Darkness — Scarlett St. Clair and From Blood and Ash — Jennifer L. Armentrout sit fae-adjacent and scratch the same dark-romantasy itch. See our From Blood and Ash reading order →.
What makes fae romance work
Faeries are the perfect romance antagonists-turned-love-interests: powerful, amoral, bound by strange rules, and incapable of lying but masters of deceit. The tension between danger and desire — and the high cost of every bargain — is the genre’s beating heart.
Where to start
For the full phenomenon, ACOTAR. For something sharper, The Cruel Prince. Then dive into our broader romantasy reading guide → and best enemies-to-lovers romance →.