Books you should read while you wait for How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
IT’S HAPPENING. ALL OF OUR DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE. WE’RE GETTING A CARDAN NOVELLA. I NEED TO CALM DOWN BECAUSE I THINK I’M HYPERVENTILATING. ARE YOU HYPERVENTILATING?
Okay, now that my initial freak out is over, I can continue to freak out in a more coherent manner. No, you have not stumbled into a fae dream. Yes, we are getting a Cardan novella told from his point of view. No, I have not read it yet. Yes, the neighbors heard me SCREAM when I found out. No, I don’t know how I’m going to stand the wait. But, here are some books that will hopefully help you cope because I’m hoping they’ll help me cope.
The Folk of the Air
by Holly Black
I mean, duh. Do I need another reason to re-read this series for the fifth time? No. Because lets be real, I was gonna do it anyway.
The Winter Duke
by Claire Eliza Bartlett
If you love Folk of the Air for the political backstabbing, this is the book to soothe you heart while you wait! Set in a fantasy Dukedom situated above a frozen lake that controls the trade of magic with the fae-like mer-people who live Below and where the throne goes to whoever can murder their siblings best, The Winter Duke follows Ekata, who wants nothing more than to escape her murderous family. But when her entire family falls to a bizarre sleeping sickness, she inherits the Dukedom and a target on her back. If she can wake her family, she can be free of a throne she never wanted. But will she live that long?
Never-Contented Things
by Sarah Porter
If you love Folk of the Air for the creepy fae and touches of horror, you should definitely check this one out. Leaning much further on the horror side, Never Contented Things follows foster siblings Josh and Ksenia. After meeting with beautiful strangers in the woods, Ksenia wakes disoriented and Josh is missing. What follows is a descent into the madness of a fae world as Ksenia and Josh must risk everything for their freedom. Creepy and disturbing, this book is about love, codependency, and finding connections with others even and especially when it hurts. Fair warning, this book is not for the faint of heart.
The Darkest Part of the Forest
by Holly Black
I mean, duh. Again. The Darkest Part of the Forest is a standalone story set in the same world as Folk of the Air, and tbh, if you haven’t read it yet, go do that now! It follows Hazel and Ben, who live in Fairfold where humans and the Folk exist side by side, if not in peace. Since they were children, they’ve told each other stories about he boy in the glass coffin, that he is a prince and they are valiant knights. But as they grow up, Hazel puts those stories aside. The horned boy will never wake. Until, one day, he does.
The Bone Houses
by Emily Lloyd-Jones
More creepy fae magic with an undead twist! In the village of Colbren, not everything that dies stays dead. Which makes the job of gravedigger only that much harder. Seventeen-year-old grave digger Ryn is struggling to keep her family’s graveyard afloat, and when Ellis, a mapmaker comes to Colbren, the risen dead known as bone houses start attacking with new vengeance. Together, Ellis and Ryn embark on a journey deep into the mountains to get to the heart of a curse and long forgotten secrets. Also, there’s a bone-goat, and if that doesn’t sell you on this book, I don’t know what will.
Ash
by Melinda Lo
In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed by grief, her only solace is rereading the fairytales her mother once told her and in dreaming of the day when the fairies might take her away. And when Ash meets Sidhean, she believes her wish may be granted. But soon Ash mush make a choice – between her fairytale dreams and true love. If you love Folk of the Air for its fairytale elements and ethereal atmosphere, this queer Cinderella retelling will hit the spot. Plus, the 10th anniversary edition has a forward by Holly herself!