I grew up with fairytales and bedtime stories about the Fae, so it’s not really a surprise that even as an adult I gravitate towards fantasy fiction. Modern fantasy, in particular, continues to be inflected with fey elements, such as Susana Clarke’s alternate history novel, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell or the popular cozy fantasy, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett , or Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series aimed at a YA audience, filled with court intrigue, delicious romance and faerie lore.
But if your fey-obsessed brain doesn’t quite have the bandwidth for twistingly-long novels or seven-book series with intricate plots, or you’re simply in the mood for something newer (and shorter), you can try reading novellas. Novellas traditionally refer to works that are longer than short stories but shorter than an average novel, roughly between 17,500 to 40,000 words. You can think of it as an “extra-long short story” or a “mini-novel”—something that you can start and finish in a single sitting or two. In the recent years, fantasy novellas have definitely seen a resurgence, particularly series such as Nghi Vo’s breathlessly evocative Singing Hills Cycle or Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children books.
So, if fairytales, folklore and faerie lore are your jam, add these fantastic novellas full of fey shenanigans to your TBR pile!
The Butcher of the Forest
The Butcher of the Forest is a tightly crafted dark fantasy novella wherein Veris, a dispirited woman must race against time to rescue the two children (of a despotic ruler) who have been abducted by the Fae. The woods here are lovely, dark and deep, yes—and filled with terrifying secrets that might even claim your soul.
Mohamed’s prose is rich and luscious, breathing life into the forests of Elmever, as well as to Veris’s world-weariness. While the fey are not quite eager to part with their spoils, Mohamed carefully reminds us that humans, too, can be greedy and monstrous.
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Thornhedge
T. Kingfisher has a knack for balancing delight and darkness in her prose, as seen in Nettle and Bone and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking. In the darkly delightful Thornhedge, she revisits the familiar tale of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the supposedly wicked fairy godmother.
Here, the traditional roles are reversed, for it is the princess who is evil, and Toadling is just a shy changeling who is tasked by the faeries to put the princess into a deep slumber. For many years, the lonely Toadling keeps her vigil until a knight comes to tear down the brambles guarding the tower and break the ancient curse—and might also just steal her heart!
Sweet and compelling, Thornhedge is a lovely novella to get lost in.
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
YA readers often hail Holly Black as the Queen of Faerie. A veteran writer of urban fantasy, most of her books—be it Tithe, The Folk of the Air series, The Darkest Part of the Forest, or The Spiderwick Chronicles—involve fey characters and creatures. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hated Stories is a sort of companion book to The Folk of the Air books that focuses solely on Cardran—the enigmatic High King of Elfame.
Beautifully illustrated like a children’s book, this short volume delves into his boyhood, familiar moments from the series and other adventures, offering a unique insight into one of the most beloved characters from the series.
The Faerie Godmother's Apprentice Wore Green
If you’re in the mood for an even shorter read, try The Faerie Godmother’s Apprentice Wore Green, an ebook by Nicky Kyle that’s just fifty-something pages and has an asexual protagonist (something that you don’t see very often—trust me, dear reader, I’ve looked).
Overall, it’s a fun and cozy high-fantasy story with a focus on the friendship that blossoms between a lesbian and aro-ace woman, set in a quaint village with a dragon problem. Heartwarming and entertaining, this one is best savored while you’re snuggled in a sofa, enjoying a slow cup of coffee or hot chocolate.
When Among Crows
Veronica Roth is the author of the bestselling Divergent series that mixes the Sorting House system with The Hunger Games in an engaging dystopian setting for YA readers. It was all the rage when I was in high school and I was quite surprised and pleased to learn that earlier this year, she published an urban fantasy novella inspired by Slavic folklore. When Among Crows follows the story of Dymitr, a hunter tasked with the slaying of Baba Jaga, and Ala, the cursed zmora he allies with, set in the Chicago underworld. If you’re curious about how creatures from Slavic folklore are getting on in a modern Chicago, you’ll have a great time with this one.
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Iron Legends
The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa
If you like Holly Black, you may also be interested in Julie Kagawa’s enchanting Iron Fey series, filled with romance, magic and of course, faeries. Whether you’re an old fan who read the books as they were published or a new reader, your experience of her rich fantastical world is incomplete without The Iron Legends that collects three novellas set in the same world. The set includes Winter’s Passage, Summer’s Crossing and Iron’s Prophecy—all of which are separately available as ebooks—in one complete volume, filling in the gaps between the main novels with more myth and mystery.
Silver in the Wood
Silver in the Wood is part of The Greenhollow duology by Emily Tesh. It’s a densely atmospheric and engagingly written novella that explores the cycles of rebirth and awakening, set amidst a lush, forested backdrop that feels so real you can almost smell the trees. If you’re fascinated by stories of the Green Man, woodland spirits and plant magic you’ll absolutely adore this slow-burning queer romance and its equally mesmerizing sequel.
