Standalones vs Series — Pick Your Next Read

Some days your soul may call for a single story you can devour quickly from beginning to end, while others might have you craving a world you can slowly sink into and disappear within for several books. Whatever you’re ready to commit to, we’ve got you covered!

From witches and vampires to knights and pirates, we’ve paired each of the categories below with two recommendations: a standalone for a short and complete adventure, and a series starter for those ready to be in it for the long haul! Now all you need to do is decide which one will find its way onto your TBR. ⚔️📚

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Isobel is a portrait artist for a dangerous set of clients: the fair folk. But when she receives her first royal patron, she makes a deadly mistake. She paints mortal sorrow into the Autumn Prince’s eyes, a weakness that could cost him his throne. Furious, he spirits Isobel away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime, but something is seriously amiss in his world and they have to depend upon each other for survival.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

In this first book in The Iron Fey series, something has always felt slightly off to Meghan Chase. She has never quite fit in, but she could never have guessed why that was the case — that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face, and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

You can purchase the FairyLoot Exclusive Editions of the spin-off series, Call of the Forgotten, here.

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs, children’s stories and recruiting posters, but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten. Centuries later, failed soldier and struggling scholar, Owen Mallory, falls in love with Una’s tale. Her story takes him to war, to the archives, and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again. But if they want to rewrite Una’s legend, if they want to tell a different story, they’ll have to rewrite history itself.

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

The first instalment in The Stonewater Kingdom series, The Knight and the Moth follows Sybil, who like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens, and from them, she can predict terrible things before they occur. But just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, they begin to vanish one by one, and Sybil has no choice but to seek the help from the rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome knight, Rodrick.

Angel Mage by Garth Nix

More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep still beautiful, looking no more than nineteen, and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

At the beginning of The Mortal Instruments series, Clary is only fifteen when she first meets the Shadowhunters — warriors covered with strange tattoos who are dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary is pulled into this new world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and she herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…

You can purchase the FairyLoot Exclusive Editions of books 4-6 here.

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson

Mackenzie hasn’t had a successful date in months. She’s only a year out of residency, and her grandmother’s obsession with finding the perfect mate threatens to drive her barking mad, so it should be a small thing when she lies about meeting someone . . . until she blurts out the name of the last man she would ever date. Noah, interventional cardiologist and all-round grump, has spent his entire life hiding what he is – an unmated alpha. But when an anonymous tip brings everything to light, he’s left with two choices: come clean to the board and risk his career or find himself a mate.

The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman

In the first book in The Wolf King series, Princess Aurora longs to escape the castle and the marriage that has been arranged for her. On the night before her wedding, at a dog fight where captured werewolves are made to fight for sport, she spares the life of a young wolf. It puts her on the radar of the powerful alpha who was going to kill him and it changes everything. That night the alpha escapes, he kidnaps her and takes her to the rugged lands north of the border where the once warring werewolf clans are beginning to unite, for he thinks that she is the key to winning the war against the humans.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

The Amina al-Sirafi series begins with a notorious pirate, who after a storied and scandalous career in the Indian Ocean retires peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural. But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman, she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: the chance to have one last adventure with her crew to retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Once one of the most powerful witches in Britain, Sera Swan discovers that an old spell book holds the secret to restoring her lost power. Between trying to reclaim her magic, running an inn with quirky guests, and keeping her sassy fox companion in check, Sera realises that the weird and wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.

You can purchase the FairyLoot Exclusive Edition here.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

The first book in The Witchlands series, Truthwitch follows young witches Safiya and Iseult, who have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home. Safiya must avoid capture at all costs as she’s a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so she must keep it hidden – lest she be used in the struggle between empires.

The Swan’s Daughter by Roshani Chokshi

In a kingdom where love can be as dangerous as it is dazzling, Prince Arris enlists the help of Demelza, an enchanted veritas swan. Together, they must navigate glittering balls and hidden truths to discover whether love can truly free them both.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection is the first story in a five-book series. For most girls, The Selection is a chance of a lifetime; the opportunity to escape normal life and be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels, and compete for the heart of Prince Maxon. But for America, being Selected is a nightmare, as it means turning her back on her home and secret love. But then she meets the Prince and starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself…

Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent

Lilith has been slowly dying since the day she was born, and while she may have come to terms with her own imminent death, the death of her loved ones is a different story. As her town slowly withers from a mysterious illness, she makes a dangerous bargain with a vampire to save them all.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

The first instalment of the Vampire Academy series follows Lissa, a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi, the fiercest vampires who never die. Her best friend rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa them, but after two years of freedom they’re caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir’s Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger…

You can purchase the FairyLoot Exclusive Editions of books 4-6 here.