Trips for 2027 and 2028

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Ireland · Romantasy

Fae romance books, and the Irish and Scottish myths behind them

Ten fae romance books, with the author, year and series, and the old story each one draws on.

By Stacy Earl, licensed travel advisor and trip host
Updated

Most famous
A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas, 2015
Most Irish
Daughter of the Forest (1999), Darkfever (2006), A Feather So Black (2024)
Scottish source
Tam Lin, a Scottish Borders ballad known by 1549
Young adult titles
The Cruel Prince, Wicked Lovely, The Scorpio Races
Lower heat
The Cruel Prince (closed door), Emily Wilde
Read them in Ireland
Midsummer in the Burren, June 2028
Fae romance books, and the Irish and Scottish myths behind them

The short answer

The best fae romance books are A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2015), The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (2018) and A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene (2024). Most fae romance borrows from Irish and Scottish folklore: the Scottish ballad Tam Lin, changeling stories, and the Tuatha Dé Danann, the old gods of Ireland who became the fairy folk.

Fae romance books are the biggest corner of romantasy, and most of them borrow from the same place: the fairy folklore of Ireland and Scotland. Fairy courts, changelings, a hidden Otherworld, a mortal who has to win her lover back from the fairies: all of it comes from stories told in those two countries long before anyone said “romantasy.” This list gives ten of the best fae romance books for adults (plus a few young adult titles adults love), with the author, year and series checked for each. Under each book we name the myth or folklore it draws on, but only where the author or a reliable source says so. No guessing.

For a wider list of romantasy, including dragons, vampires and cozy books, see our guide to the best romantasy books.

Who are the fae?

In the Irish stories, the Tuatha Dé Danann, the old gods of Ireland, went into the hills and became the Sídhe, the fairy folk. Our guides to the Tuatha Dé Danann and fairies in Irish folklore cover this in detail. Scotland gives us the ballad Tam Lin. Modern fae romance mixes both, and rarely tells you which bits came from where. That’s what this page is for.

Fae romance books at a glance

BookAuthorYearSeriesThe myth behind it
A Court of Thorns and RosesSarah J. Maas2015ACOTAR #1Tam Lin; Beauty and the Beast; East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Daughter of the ForestJuliet Marillier1999Sevenwaters #1”The Six Swans”; often linked to the Children of Lir
A Feather So BlackLyra Selene2024Fair Folk #1Swan Lake, rooted in Celtic myth
DarkfeverKaren Marie Moning2006Fever #1The Tuatha Dé Danann; Seelie and Unseelie
The Cruel PrinceHolly Black2018The Folk of the Air #1British and Irish fairy courts (YA)
Rosemary and RueSeanan McGuire2009October Daye #1Changelings; the series uses Tam Lin and Medb
Wicked LovelyMelissa Marr2007Wicked Lovely #1Fairy courts of summer and winter (YA)
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of FaeriesHeather Fawcett2023Emily Wilde #1Faerie folklore studied by a scholar
QuicksilverCallie Hart2024Fae & Alchemy #1A frozen fae realm
Dark WitchNora Roberts2013The Cousins O’Dwyer #1Irish witches in County Mayo

Fae romance books based on Scottish myth

A Court of Thorns and Roses — Sarah J. Maas (2015). Book 1 of the ACOTAR series, published by Bloomsbury. A human girl kills a wolf that turns out to be a faerie and has to go into Prythian, the land of the fae, to pay for it. Maas told BookPage in 2015 that the book started as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, East of the Sun, West of the Moon and Tam Lin. Tam Lin is a ballad from the Scottish Borders, mentioned as early as 1549. In it, a young woman named Janet rescues her lover from the Queen of the Fairies on Halloween by holding on to him while the fairies change him into one shape after another. (Hold on, whatever happens. It’s still decent romance advice.)

The series also borrows a name from Irish myth. In book 2, A Court of Mist and Fury (2016), readers meet Morrigan, called Mor, third in command of the Night Court. The Morrigan is an Irish war goddess; read about the Morrigan. The series was first published as young adult and is now classed as new adult.

Rosemary and Rue — Seanan McGuire (2009). Book 1 of the October Daye series, from DAW Books. Toby Daye is a half-fae changeling in the San Francisco Bay Area, pulled back into faerie to investigate a murder. Later books bring in figures from older stories, including Titania, Janet from Tam Lin, and Maeve (Medb), the queen of Connacht in Irish legend.

Fae romance books based on Irish myth

Daughter of the Forest — Juliet Marillier (1999). Book 1 of the Sevenwaters series, set in early medieval Ireland. Sorcha’s six brothers are turned into swans by their stepmother, and she must stay silent until she has freed them. Marillier’s own site calls it a reimagining of “The Six Swans,” the tale in the Brothers Grimm collection. It is also often described as loosely based on the Irish legend of the Children of Lir, another story of children turned into swans. It is low heat. Content warning: it includes sexual violence.

A Feather So Black — Lyra Selene (2024). Book 1 of the Fair Folk trilogy, published by Orbit. Fia is a changeling, left among humans by the Fair Folk, who goes through a hidden gate into the Otherworld. Selene describes the trilogy as a Swan Lake reimagining rooted in Celtic myth, and her publisher lists it under Celtic mythology. The Otherworld and the changeling are both straight out of Irish folklore; our guide to Irish fairies explains what a changeling was believed to be. It’s a spicier adult romance.

Darkfever — Karen Marie Moning (2006). Book 1 of the Fever series, from Delacorte Press. Mac Lane goes to Dublin to find out who murdered her sister and finds that the Fae are real. Moning’s Fae are the Tuatha Dé Danann, split into the Seelie and Unseelie courts, with the Seelie ruled by a queen named Aoibheal. Penguin Random House sums the book up as a mix of Celtic mythology and danger. It’s an adult series, and the romance builds slowly over several books.

Dark Witch — Nora Roberts (2013). Book 1 of the Cousins O’Dwyer trilogy. Iona Sheehan leaves America for County Mayo and learns that she and her cousins Connor and Branna have inherited a gift from an ancestor called the Dark Witch. Roberts based the setting on Ashford Castle, once called the Castle of Cong, and the falconry school on its grounds. It’s witches rather than fae, but it’s one of the few romantasy books set in the real west of Ireland, which is why it’s on our list.

Fae romance books based on British and Irish fairy courts

The Cruel Prince — Holly Black (2018). Book 1 of The Folk of the Air, from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Jude, a mortal girl, is raised in the High Court of Faerie. It is enemies to lovers and closed door. It is young adult, but many adults read it. Black has been writing about faerie courts since Tithe (2002).

Is The Cruel Prince based on Irish mythology?

Not directly, and it’s worth being straight about that, because the internet often says otherwise. The Cruel Prince doesn’t retell an Irish myth, and Elfhame isn’t Ireland. What it takes is the rulebook of British and Irish fairy folklore: the fae can’t lie, so they twist the truth; they love a bargain; they steal and swap human children; and mortals need protecting from their glamour. Black told BookPage in 2018 that she went back to the original faerie folklore, which she said is much darker than most people realize. If that’s the part you liked, the Irish source is fairies in Irish folklore, changelings and all.

Romantasy books like The Cruel Prince

  • Tithe — Holly Black (2002). Her first faerie-court novel; start here if you want more Black.
  • Wicked Lovely — Melissa Marr (2007). Another young adult fae court (below).
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses — Sarah J. Maas (2015). Older, spicier, same human-among-the-fae setup.
  • A Feather So Black — Lyra Selene (2024). A changeling heroine and an Otherworld with Celtic roots; adult.
  • Quicksilver — Callie Hart (2024). If it was the enemies-to-lovers you liked; adult.

Wicked Lovely — Melissa Marr (2007). Book 1 of the Wicked Lovely series, from HarperTeen. Aislinn can see faeries, and Keenan, the Summer King, wants her as his queen. Each chapter opens with a quote from a book of folklore. It is young adult.

Fae romantasy books for adults with a lighter touch

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries — Heather Fawcett (2023). Book 1 of the Emily Wilde series, from Del Rey. Emily, a Cambridge scholar, travels to a remote snowbound village to finish the first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. The book is full of changelings and faerie kings and reads like a field guide with a slow romance. The series was a 2026 Hugo Award finalist for Best Series.

Quicksilver — Callie Hart (2024). Book 1 of Fae & Alchemy. Saeris Fane, a thief in a desert city, is carried into Yvelia, a frozen land of the fae, and bound by mistake to a fae warrior called Kingfisher. It was self-published in June 2024, then picked up by Forever in the US and Hodderscape in the UK, whose editions came out in December 2024. It is enemies to lovers.

One novel and one folklore guide sit just outside fae romance but use the same sea folklore. The Scorpio Races — Maggie Stiefvater (2011), from Scholastic, is a young adult novel about a race on deadly water horses; Kirkus calls it a retelling of the legend of the water horse, with romance. And if you like the idea of a lover from the sea, read our guide to selkies in Irish and Scottish folklore.

Which fae romance books is our trip considering?

Our June 2028 trip to the Burren is built around fae romance and the Irish myths behind it. From January to May 2028, a group of up to 15 women reads together online, with two picks each month, one closed door and one spicier. The books we’re considering include Daughter of the Forest, The Cruel Prince, A Feather So Black, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Dark Witch. The final list isn’t announced yet. Then we spend eight nights at Gregans Castle Hotel in County Clare, 17 to 25 June 2028, visiting places like Poulnabrone, a tomb built about 3500 BC, after reading the stories of the Tuatha Dé Danann. See Midsummer in the Burren for the plan, and browse books set in the west of Ireland.

From Tam Lin to Quicksilver

Fae romance is new; the fairies are not. The Scottish ballad behind ACOTAR was known by 1549, the Victorians filled Britain and Ireland with fairy books, and the modern genre took shape in the 2000s, around the time Twilight was making vampires romantic.

  1. Victorian 1837–1901
  2. Tam Lin retold 1985–2005
  3. Fae romance 2006–2024

The story Ireland and Britain The wider world Other writers

  1. 1549 Ireland and Britain The Complaynt of Scotland lists "The Tayl of the Ȝong Tamlene," the first known mention of Tam Lin.
  2. 1796 Ireland and Britain Robert Burns's version of "Tam Lin" is printed in the Scots Musical Museum.
  3. 1812 The wider world The Brothers Grimm's first volume includes "The Six Swans," the tale behind Daughter of the Forest.
  4. 1850 Other writers William Allingham publishes "The Fairies" ("Up the airy mountain").
  5. 1862 Other writers Christina Rossetti publishes Goblin Market.
  6. 1888 The story Yeats edits Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.
  7. 1895 Ireland and Britain Bridget Cleary is killed in Tipperary by a husband who believed she was a changeling.
  8. 1904 Ireland and Britain J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan opens in London. Fairies shrink to the size of Tinker Bell.
  9. 1976 Other writers Katharine Briggs publishes An Encyclopedia of Fairies, a standard guide to British fairy lore.
  10. 1985 The story Diana Wynne Jones publishes Fire and Hemlock, a modern Tam Lin.
  11. 1991 The story Pamela Dean publishes Tam Lin, set at a Minnesota college.
  12. 1999 The story Juliet Marillier publishes Daughter of the Forest.
  13. 2002 The story Holly Black publishes Tithe.
  14. 2005 The wider world Stephenie Meyer's Twilight comes out and becomes a huge bestseller.
  15. 2006 The story Karen Marie Moning publishes Darkfever.
  16. 2007 The story Melissa Marr publishes Wicked Lovely.
  17. 2009 The story Seanan McGuire publishes Rosemary and Rue.
  18. 2011 The story Maggie Stiefvater publishes The Scorpio Races.
  19. 2013 The story Nora Roberts publishes Dark Witch, set in County Mayo.
  20. 2015 The story Sarah J. Maas publishes A Court of Thorns and Roses.
  21. 2018 The story Holly Black publishes The Cruel Prince.
  22. 2023 The story Heather Fawcett publishes Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
  23. 2024 The story Lyra Selene's A Feather So Black and Callie Hart's Quicksilver.

Questions people ask

What are fae romance books?

Fae romance books are romantasy novels where one of the lovers is one of the fae, or Fair Folk. Most borrow the rules of British and Irish fairy folklore: fairy courts, bargains, changelings and a hidden world next to ours.

What is the best fae romance book for adults?

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2015) is the best known. For a book rooted in Irish myth, try A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene (2024), a Swan Lake story set among the Fair Folk, or Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (2006), set in Dublin.

What myth is A Court of Thorns and Roses based on?

Sarah J. Maas told BookPage in 2015 that the book began as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, East of the Sun, West of the Moon, and Tam Lin. Tam Lin is a Scottish Borders ballad in which a young woman rescues her lover from the Queen of the Fairies.

Are there romantasy books set in Ireland?

Yes. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier (1999) is set in early medieval Ireland, Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (2006) is set in Dublin, and Dark Witch by Nora Roberts (2013) is set in County Mayo.

Are there fae romance books based on Irish mythology?

Darkfever makes its Fae the Tuatha Dé Danann, the old gods of Irish myth. A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene draws on Celtic myth, and Daughter of the Forest is set in early medieval Ireland and is often linked to the Irish tale of the Children of Lir.

Is The Cruel Prince adult or young adult?

The Cruel Prince (2018) is young adult, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. It is closed door, and many adults read it as a lower-heat fae romance.

What are good romantasy books like The Cruel Prince?

Start with Holly Black's own Tithe (2002), then Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (2007) for another young adult fae court. For adult fae romance with the same scheming and bargains, try A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015), A Feather So Black (2024) or Quicksilver (2024).

Is The Cruel Prince based on Irish mythology?

Not directly. It doesn't retell an Irish myth, and its world, Elfhame, isn't Ireland. But its rules come from British and Irish fairy folklore: the fae can't lie, they bargain, they steal and swap human children, and mortals need protection from their glamour. Holly Black has said she went back to the old faerie folklore, which is much darker than most people think.

Sources

← All Ireland guides