Morally Gray Books
The love interest (or the heroine) has done terrible things and will probably do more. You root for them anyway.
Spiciest here: Haunting Adeline. Darkest: Haunting Adeline.
Last updated
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It doesn't change what we recommend. How we make money.
The books
-
Haunting Adeline
The book that made dark romance go viral. A stalker, a gothic manor and a lot that's legitimately disturbing. Read every warning before you start. It earns its reputation.
- Stalker Romance
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
- Villain Gets the Girl
Content warnings
Stalking, Dubious or non-consent, Sexual assault, Human trafficking, Murder, Gore
-
From Blood and Ash
Poppy is the Maiden, veiled and untouchable, and her new guard Hawke is far too interested in her. Very talky, very horny, and the twist lands if you don't see it coming.
- Vampires
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping
-
Hooked
Peter Pan, except Hook runs a criminal empire and Wendy is the daughter of the man he wants dead. Each book in the series is a different villain. Great entry point if you want dark romance that isn't relentless.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Mafia
- Revenge
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
-
The Blade Itself
A torturer, a barbarian and a vain nobleman walk into a war. Abercrombie is funny, which is the only reason the darkness goes down so easily.
- Grimdark
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Torture, Graphic violence, War
-
The Cruel Prince
A mortal girl raised in Faerie after the man who murdered her parents adopted her. Jude wants power, Cardan wants her gone, and nobody in this court is nice. No spice, all knives.
- Fae
- Enemies to Lovers
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
-
The Serpent and the Wings of Night
A human girl raised by the vampire king enters a deadly tournament where the prize is a goddess's favor. Hunger Games energy, gorgeous writing and a rival who's very hard not to like.
- Vampires
- Deadly Trials
- Enemies to Lovers
- Gods and Mythology
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
-
Quicksilver
Saeris is a thief who touches the wrong thing and gets hauled into the fae realm by a very rude fae warrior. Long, crude in a fun way and properly spicy once it gets there.
- Fae
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Murder
-
A Cursed Kiss
Keelynn's sister died from a Gancanagh's cursed kiss, so she teams up with a witch and the half-fae Tadhg to bring her back. Irish folklore all the way down. There's a lot of miscommunication, but Tadhg carries it.
- Fae
- Curses
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Murder, Graphic violence
-
A Darker Shade of Magic
Four Londons, one magician who can travel between them and a thief who wants to be a pirate. Lighter than most on this list but White London is properly nasty.
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Assassins
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Torture
-
A Dowry of Blood
Constanta, Dracula's first bride, writes to him about how she came to want him dead. Short, gothic and lush. It's really a book about getting out of an abusive relationship.
- Vampires
- Why Choose
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Murder, Gore
-
A Fate Inked in Blood
Viking romantasy. Freya is a shield maiden with a prophecy on her head and a jarl's son who is very much not her husband. Feels like Vikings meets a political chess game.
- Gods and Mythology
- Slow Burn
- Forbidden Love
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
-
A Game of Thrones
The Starks go south to serve a king who is drinking himself to death, and the Lannisters smile at them the whole time. Even if you've seen the show, the book is worth it for the chapters inside Ned's and Tyrion's heads. And yes, still waiting on book six.
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
- Arranged Marriage
- Dragons
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Graphic violence, Murder, War, Harm to children
-
A Shadow in the Ember
Sera was raised to seduce and kill the Primal of Death, who was promised her as a bride and then never came to collect. When Nyktos finally shows up, the plan gets messy fast. Long and repetitive in the middle, and a prequel world for Blood and Ash readers.
- Gods and Mythology
- Arranged Marriage
- Assassins
- Enemies to Lovers
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse, Murder
-
A Tempest of Tea
Arthie runs a tearoom by day and a blood bar for vampires by night, and saving it means pulling off a heist with a crew of misfits. Her history with Jin simmers in the background. Ornate prose and a slow first act.
- Vampires
- Found Family
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
-
Babel
Robin is taken from Canton as a child and raised to study at Oxford's translation institute, where silver bars powered by mistranslation run the British Empire. Long, footnoted and furious about colonialism. The friendship at the center is the part that hurts.
- Dark Academia
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Revenge
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one, Physical or emotional abuse
-
Blood of My Monster
Sasha hides as a man to work security for a Bratva boss, and Kirill figures out a lot faster than she'd like. Classic Rina Kent: violent, obsessive and very spicy. The trilogy has to be read in order.
- Mafia
- Captor and Captive
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Torture, Dubious or non-consent
-
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
Three women turned into vampires across five centuries: María in 1500s Spain, Charlotte in 1800s London, Alice in modern Boston. Their stories wind together slowly. Addie LaRue's structure with much more blood and some genuinely toxic sapphic relationships.
- Vampires
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Murder, Gore, Physical or emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide or suicidal thoughts
-
Butcher & Blackbird
Two serial killers meet at a crime scene and start competing over who can take out the worst men. Funny, gory, and secretly sweet. The ideal first dark romance for horror fans.
- Morally Gray
- Found Family
- Revenge
Content warnings
Gore, Murder, Torture, Physical or emotional abuse
-
Caraval
Scarlett finally gets her invitation to Caraval, a magical week-long game, and her sister vanishes the night they arrive. Julian the sailor is her very unreliable partner. Dreamy and purple, and you won't know what's real, which is either the point or the problem.
- Deadly Trials
- Deals and Bargains
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping
-
Certain Dark Things
Atl is a vampire on the run from a rival clan in Mexico City, where vampires are banned and the narcos are worse. Domingo, a sweet street kid who collects trash, offers to help. A noir with fangs, short and mean.
- Vampires
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Gore, Murder, Drug or alcohol abuse, Graphic violence
-
Crow
Crow is an Irish mob enforcer in Boston, and Mack is a woman with no options left who ends up owing him. Gritty and sad in places, with a hero who's a killer and doesn't apologize. Heavy warnings, including an on-page assault.
- Mafia
- Morally Gray
- Possessive Hero
- Touch Her and Die
Content warnings
Human trafficking, Sexual assault, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
Darkfever
Mac goes to Dublin to find out who killed her sister and finds out she can see the fae. They're nothing like the stories. The romance with Barrons takes several books and gets very dark. This was dark fae before dark fae was a shelf.
- Fae
- Morally Gray
- Slow Burn
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
-
Deliver
Liv Reed is taken and handed to Van Quiso, whose job is training captives to be sold. As dark as captor romance gets, with a slow, strange turn toward something like love. For seasoned readers only.
- Captor and Captive
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Human trafficking, Sexual assault, Dubious or non-consent, Kidnapping, Torture
-
Deviant
Dr. Sloane Romera goes looking for her missing best friend and ends up needing Zeth Mayfair, a Seattle criminal with very particular tastes. Readers who came from Quicksilver are often shocked by how dark it is. Collected now as Blood & Roses Volume 1.
- Morally Gray
- Possessive Hero
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Human trafficking, Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse, Drug or alcohol abuse
-
Deviant King
Aiden King decides Elsa is his target at their elite British prep school, and he is relentless about it. A bully romance with a buried childhood mystery underneath. Early Rina Kent, so tamer than her college books but still dub-con heavy.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Possessive Hero
- Revenge
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Dubious or non-consent, Harm to children, Physical or emotional abuse
-
Does It Hurt?
Sawyer is a con artist on the run, and Enzo Vitale is the man she tries to steal from. Then things go very wrong for both of them. Less stalker than Haunting Adeline, but the backstories are brutal, so read the warning list first.
- Captor and Captive
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Harm to children, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Torture, Murder
-
Empire of the Vampire
The sun hasn't risen in 27 years and vampires rule. Gabriel de León, the last silversaint, tells his life story to a vampire historian the night before his execution. Huge, swaggering and very gory. Kristoff's style is a lot, in the best way if it works for you.
- Vampires
- Grimdark
- Revenge
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Gore, Graphic violence, Torture, Death of a loved one, Harm to children
-
Fall of Ruin and Wrath
Lis is an orphan with a knack for seeing things she shouldn't, and she uses it doing jobs for dangerous people, until she crosses paths with Thorne, a very powerful immortal. Classic Armentrout: banter, heat and a lot of internal monologue. The sequel is a long time coming.
- Forbidden Love
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse
-
Flock
Cecelia moves to Triple Falls for one summer and gets tangled up with two men and the secret society they run. Robin Hood vibes, a slow first half and a love triangle readers still fight about.
- Love Triangle
- Slow Burn
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Drug or alcohol abuse, Graphic violence
-
Fortuna Sworn
Fortuna is a Nightmare who can see the fears of anyone she touches, and when her brother goes missing she ends up a prisoner of the Unseelie Court. Getting out costs her something very fae. Bleak, messy, and the love interest debate is half the fun.
- Fae
- Captor and Captive
- Deals and Bargains
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, Human trafficking, Graphic violence
-
Gardens of the Moon
Erikson drops you into the middle of an empire's war with zero explanation and expects you to swim. Sorcerers level cities, gods meddle in Darujhistan's politics, and the Bridgeburners just want to survive. Book one is the roughest. It gets much better.
- Grimdark
- Gods and Mythology
- Morally Gray
- Assassins
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
Gild
Auren is King Midas's gilded favorite, living in an actual birdcage and calling it love. Then raiders grab her on the road and a fae commander named Rip becomes her problem. Gild is slow and mostly setup. Glint is where the series takes off.
- Captor and Captive
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Human trafficking, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder
-
Godblind
The Red Gods' followers are planning to invade Rilpor, and a dozen narrators get caught up in it. Short chapters, a huge cast and some of the most graphic torture in the genre. Know that going in.
- Grimdark
- Gods and Mythology
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Torture, Gore, Sexual assault, War, Graphic violence
-
Godkiller
Kissen kills gods for a living, which is a good trade in a kingdom that banned worship. Then she's stuck escorting a girl bound to a tiny god of white lies. Grumpy found family, small sharp book, easy entry into darker fantasy.
- Gods and Mythology
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one, Harm to children
-
Her Soul to Take
A demon named Leon is summoned to hunt Rae down, and he likes his work a little too much. Horror-adjacent, very kinky and full of CNC and blood play. Laroux posts a thorough warning list, use it.
- Demons
- Possessive Hero
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Torture, Graphic violence, Gore, Dubious or non-consent
-
House of Earth and Blood
Urban fantasy Maas: phones, clubs, angels and a half-fae party girl hunting whoever killed her best friend. The first 200 pages are a slog and the last 200 are a sprint.
- Fae
- Demons
- Morally Gray
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Murder, Drug or alcohol abuse, Death of a loved one
-
Hush, Hush
Nora's new lab partner Patch is a fallen angel, though she doesn't know that yet, and he's frankly a creep about it. This was the dark paranormal YA boyfriend of 2009. It hasn't aged well, and lots of readers still remember it fondly.
- Forbidden Love
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
- Stalker Romance
Content warnings
Stalking, Murder, Graphic violence
-
Immortal Rose
Viola is the illegitimate Rosebourne heir and a perfumer, roped into making the one scent that could save Albion's king while a royal spymaster watches her every move. Regency gloss with some grit underneath. Ends on a cliffhanger, fair warning.
- Court Intrigue
- Forced Proximity
- Morally Gray
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence
-
Interview with the Vampire
Louis tells a reporter how Lestat made him a vampire in 1791 New Orleans, and how they turned a dying five-year-old into a daughter. Lush, mournful and very homoerotic for 1976. Louis whines a lot, and Claudia is the real horror.
- Vampires
- Morally Gray
- Found Family
Content warnings
Murder, Harm to children, Gore, Death of a loved one
-
It Ain't Me, Babe
Salome escapes a religious cult and lands in the compound of the Hades Hangmen, whose mute president Styx has never forgotten her. Biker romance with some of the heaviest backstory in the genre. The cult material is hard going.
- Forbidden Love
- Touch Her and Die
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Harm to children, Sexual assault, Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
-
Jade City
The Godfather with martial arts magic. The Kaul family's warriors draw power from jade, a rival clan wants their territory, and a new drug lets anyone use it. Slow start while it builds the city, then the clan war hits and it doesn't let up.
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
- Revenge
- Found Family
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Drug or alcohol abuse, Death of a loved one
-
Kushiel's Dart
Phèdre is a courtesan and spy who finds pleasure in pain, sold into a world of political betrayal. Dense and long, with real kink, and it was doing romantasy 20 years before the word existed.
- Court Intrigue
- Gods and Mythology
- Morally Gray
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Dubious or non-consent, Torture, Sexual assault, War, Graphic violence
-
Lady of Darkness
Scarlett Monrhoe and her sisters were raised to torture and kill on command, and she is very good at it. Book one is long and stingy with the romance. Readers who push on say the later books are where it catches fire, in every sense.
- Assassins
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Found Family
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Murder, Torture, Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
-
Lights Out
Josie has a masked-stalker fantasy, and a hacker named Aiden makes it real. The twist is that she's into it and he keeps checking in. Funny, filthy, and a soft landing if Haunting Adeline sounds like too much.
- Stalker Romance
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
- Touch Her and Die
Content warnings
Stalking, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one, Graphic violence
-
Ninth House
Yale's secret societies do real magic, and Alex can see the ghosts who watch them. Bardugo for adults: grimy, angry and a lot darker than Grisha.
- Dark Academia
- Revenge
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Drug or alcohol abuse, Murder, Harm to children
-
Once Upon a Broken Heart
Evangeline Fox makes a deal with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, to stop the wedding of the boy she loves. The price is three kisses, collected whenever he likes. Sugary fairy-tale prose with a hero who is absolutely not a hero.
- Deals and Bargains
- Curses
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Murder, Death of a loved one
-
One Dark Window
There's a monster living in Elspeth's head, and it talks. Gothic, foggy, strange in the best way. Feels like a dark fairy tale someone forgot to tame.
- Curses
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Death of a loved one, Murder
-
Painted Scars
The opener of Neva Altaj's sprawling Bratva series, and the hero is a Pakhan. Readers call it one of the gentler books in the run, with several open-door scenes. Past abuse is a big part of the backstory.
- Mafia
- Possessive Hero
- Touch Her and Die
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Harm to children, Graphic violence
-
Perdido Street Station
A scientist in the filthy city of New Crobuzon takes a commission from a birdman whose wings were cut off, and accidentally releases something that feeds on dreams. The city itself is the star. The prose is thick, so give it 100 pages.
- Morally Gray
- Grimdark
- Found Family
Content warnings
Drug or alcohol abuse, Gore, Graphic violence, Sexual assault
-
Prince of Thorns
Jorg is fourteen and leads a band of murderers. He's the narrator and he's awful, and you'll keep reading anyway. Short chapters and no mercy.
- Grimdark
- Revenge
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Harm to children, Gore
-
Promises and Pomegranates
A modern Hades and Persephone where Hades is a hitman named Kal and Persephone is Elena Rossi, a mafia daughter who's tired of being kept. The prose is moodier than most mafia books. Each sequel follows a new couple.
- Gods and Mythology
- Mafia
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse
-
Ravenous
Cole kicks off a new arc set in her Immortals After Dark world, with rival supernatural factions in the Skein and enemies who absolutely should not be sleeping together. It's a fresh starting point, so you don't need twenty backlist books first.
- Forbidden Love
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
-
Rhapsodic
Callypso is a siren with a wrist full of black beads, each one a favor she owes Des, the Bargainer. Seven years after he vanished, he shows up to start collecting. The flashback chapters are heavy, and the burn is slower than the cover suggests.
- Deals and Bargains
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Harm to children, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Graphic violence
-
Ruthless Creatures
Natalie's fiancé vanished, and the Russian mobster who shows up looking for him decides he wants her instead. Kage is gruff, devoted and frankly funny. Lighter on darkness than the cover suggests and a lot heavier on spice.
- Mafia
- Possessive Hero
- Touch Her and Die
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
-
Shadow and Bone
Alina is a mapmaker who turns out to be the Sun Summoner, so she's hauled off to the Little Palace to train under the Darkling while her best friend Mal is left behind. Half the fandom read the trilogy for the Darkling and nobody's sorry.
- Love Triangle
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
- Academies and War Colleges
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, War
-
She Who Became the Sun
A peasant girl takes her dead brother's name and his destiny during a famine, and decides she'll become the first Ming emperor. Her rival is a eunuch general with a revenge plan of his own. Queer, ambitious and ruthless about what wanting something costs.
- Morally Gray
- Revenge
- Forbidden Love
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Torture, Death of a loved one, Harm to children
-
Six of Crows
Kaz Brekker and five other teenage criminals take a job breaking a prisoner out of the most secure fortress in the world. Heist structure, rotating narrators, and every single one of them is carrying something awful. Skip Shadow and Bone if you want, this stands alone fine.
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Human trafficking, Graphic violence, Murder, Torture
-
The Atlas Six
Six magicians get recruited by the Alexandrian Society, and only five get to stay. It's mostly six awful, brilliant people talking in a library and trying to figure out which of them has to die. Vibes over plot, and readers are split on that.
- Dark Academia
- Deadly Trials
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Murder, Death of a loved one, Drug or alcohol abuse
-
The Black Company
Croaker, the company's doctor and record keeper, writes down what a mercenary band does after signing on with the Lady, who is pretty clearly the villain. Dry, cynical and short. The book half of modern grimdark is quietly copying.
- Grimdark
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Torture, Murder
-
The Blacktongue Thief
Kinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a fortune, so a botched robbery turns into a job escorting a knight across a country wrecked by goblin wars. The narrator is a funny, profane liar. Then there are the giants, and the war flashbacks, which are not funny at all.
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Grimdark
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Animal death, Gore
-
The Book of Azrael
Dianna is a shape-shifting monster who does terrible things for her maker. Liam is a god-king forced to work with her. The main characters really aren't nice people, and it's dark and very horny.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
- Gods and Mythology
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Torture, Murder
-
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Tana wakes up after a party surrounded by bodies, with her infected ex tied up and a chained vampire in the next room. She drives them to Coldtown, a walled city where vampires livestream their parties. Black's sharpest standalone.
- Vampires
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Gore, Murder, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
-
The Court of Broken Knives
A band of mercenaries is hired to assassinate the emperor of a rotting empire, and one of them, Marith, turns out to be something much worse. The prose is fevered and fragmented, close to poetry. You either love the style or you can't get through it.
- Grimdark
- Morally Gray
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Gore, Graphic violence, Sexual assault, Harm to children, War
-
The Darkness That Comes Before
A holy war is forming, and a monk named Kellhus, trained for generations to read and steer people, walks out of the wilderness to use it. Dense, philosophical and relentlessly bleak, especially toward its women. Some readers find it profound and others bounce off hard.
- Grimdark
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Sexual assault, War, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
-
The Emperor's Enemy
Zora Ravenal, a knight mage from the north, gets forced into a partnership with a terrifying Royal Mage in the middle of a war. Real enemies to lovers with great banter. The secret-keeping gets repetitive, and the warnings are heavier than you'd guess.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, War, Murder
-
The Ever King
Erik Bloodsinger, the sea fae pirate king, is mostly teeth and grudges, and he kidnaps the earth fae princess Livia Ferus right off her own shore. Salty, Viking-flavored and a blast once she starts biting back. You can skip the Broken Kingdoms books.
- Captor and Captive
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fae
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence, Torture, Murder
-
The Fifth Season
It opens with a woman finding her son beaten to death by his father, on the same day the world ends. Orogenes can move the earth and are feared, enslaved and bred for it. Parts are in second person, which pays off. Won the Hugo three years running for a reason.
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Gods and Mythology
Content warnings
Harm to children, Genocide, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
-
The Grey Bastards
Half-orcs riding war hogs patrol the badlands like a biker gang, and Jackal thinks his chief has gone soft. Crude, violent and a lot of fun if you can handle the language. The other two books in the trilogy are better.
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Grimdark
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Sexual assault, Gore, Murder
-
The Gunslinger
The man in black fled across the desert, and Roland followed. A weird, dusty, half-dreamed western that King revised years later. It's the thinnest book in the series and the strangest. The Tull chapter is still one of his nastiest.
- Grimdark
- Morally Gray
- Demons
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Harm to children, Dubious or non-consent
-
The Hurricane Wars
Talasyn is a soldier on the losing side of a war, and Alaric is the shadow-wielding prince of the empire that's winning. Their magic works best together, which neither of them likes. It started as Star Wars fanfic and still feels like it, for better or worse.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Slow Burn
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
-
The Justice of Kings
Sir Konrad Vonvalt is a travelling Justice, judge, jury and executioner with the power to make people tell the truth. His clerk Helena narrates as a murder in a backwater town turns into a conspiracy. A legal procedural that keeps getting grimmer.
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
- Found Family
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Torture, War
-
The Last Wish
Linked short stories where Geralt takes monster contracts that keep turning out to be twisted fairy tales: a cursed princess, a Beauty and the Beast setup, a djinn. Start here, not with Blood of Elves. It's funnier and more melancholy than the games.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Morally Gray
- Curses
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Gore
-
The Library at Mount Char
Carolyn and her adopted siblings were raised by a godlike man called Father, who taught each of them one catalog of forbidden knowledge and punished them horribly. Now Father is missing. Go in blind. It's deeply strange, very upsetting and weirdly funny.
- Gods and Mythology
- Morally Gray
- Revenge
- Grimdark
Content warnings
Torture, Physical or emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Gore, Harm to children, Murder
-
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Locke runs elaborate cons on the nobles of Camorr with his crew of Gentleman Bastards, and it's a heist romp for about half the book. Then someone starts killing thieves and the tone flips hard. Funny, filthy-mouthed and crueler than you expect.
- Found Family
- Revenge
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Torture, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
The Lies We Steal
Ponderosa Springs is rotten, and the Hollow Boys are the four guys nobody in town wants to cross. Rook and Sage start as enemies after her sister dies, and the secrets get uglier from there. Moody small-town gothic with real grief in it.
- Dark Academia
- Revenge
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Murder, Death of a loved one, Sexual assault, Drug or alcohol abuse
-
The Shadows Between Us
Alessandra plans to seduce the Shadow King, marry him and kill him. He's got plans too. YA and clean, but the heroine is delightfully ruthless.
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
- Enemies to Lovers
Content warnings
Murder
-
The Silver Swan
Madison Montgomery transfers to Riverside and lands in the middle of a secret club of ten guys run by Bishop Hayes. The plot is chaotic and twisty to the point of confusion, and people love it for exactly that. One reader noted the front-matter warnings don't cover everything.
- Dark Academia
- Enemies to Lovers
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Suicide or suicidal thoughts, Harm to children, Graphic violence
-
The Stolen Heir
Suren, the runaway child queen of the Court of Teeth, has been living feral in the New England woods when Prince Oak turns up asking for help on a quest. Set after The Folk of the Air, sadder than Jude's books, and Oak is far more slippery than he looks.
- Fae
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence, Murder
-
The Sweetest Fiend
Pied Piper retelling. The Piper clears a plague from her city and takes 130 people as payment, her included. The first half is plague and survival, the back half gets very explicit, and it ends mid-fall.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Fae
- Captor and Captive
- Deals and Bargains
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence
-
The Sword of Kaigen
Misaki gave up her fighting life to marry into a warrior family on a remote peninsula. Then the empire she serves sends an invasion fleet. The first third is quiet family drama, and the payoff for sticking with it is brutal.
- Arranged Marriage
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
War, Death of a loved one, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
-
The Traitor Baru Cormorant
Baru wants to destroy the empire that conquered her island, so she joins it as an accountant. Yes, accountant. Colonialism, ledgers and a rebellion she can't afford to care about. The ending is cold enough that some readers never forgave it.
- Court Intrigue
- Revenge
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Genocide, Torture, War, Gore, Death of a loved one
-
The Warded Man
Every night demons rise from the ground, and people survive behind magic wards. Arlen watches his mother die because his father froze, and decides he'll fight back. Great first half. The handling of sexual violence in the back half is a common complaint.
- Demons
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
- Revenge
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one, Physical or emotional abuse
-
The Wren in the Holly Library
Kierse is a thief in a New York still scarred by a war with monsters, and she gets caught breaking into the house of Graves, a centuries-old something who offers her a job instead of killing her. Beauty and the Beast bones and plenty of heat. The first act is slow.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Morally Gray
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
The Wretched Divine
Grace's adult debut: a knight bonded to an angel has to team up with a demon to find a cure. Way darker than Belladonna and a bit overstuffed, but the emotional core is the most complicated thing she's written.
- Demons
- Forbidden Love
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
-
These Violent Delights
Romeo and Juliet in 1926 Shanghai. Juliette is heir to the Scarlet Gang, Roma is heir to the rival White Flowers, and a contagion is making people tear their own throats out. Atmospheric and gory, with a monster in the Huangpu River.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Gore, Graphic violence, Murder, Suicide or suicidal thoughts
-
This Monster of Mine
A legal thriller in a Rome-inspired city. Four years after someone threw Sarai from a tower, she's back as a Petitor who can hear lies, assigned to Tetrarch Kadra, the feared judge whose voice sounds exactly like her attacker's. She works with him by day and plots against him by night.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Revenge
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Torture, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse
-
This Savage Song
In Verity, violence literally breeds monsters. Kate wants to be as ruthless as her father, who runs half the city, and August is a monster who'd rather be human. No romance to speak of. YA and the best of Schwab's books for teens.
- Demons
- Found Family
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Murder, Suicide or suicidal thoughts, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
-
Tithe
Kaye is a sixteen-year-old living out of her mom's band van in New Jersey, and the faeries who used to visit her as a kid have plans for her. Grungier and more 2002 than The Cruel Prince, but you can see where Jude came from.
- Fae
- Court Intrigue
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Drug or alcohol abuse, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse
-
Vicious
Baron Spencer earned the nickname Vicious, and Emilia LeBlanc was the one girl at their Todos Santos high school who saw through him. Ten years later in New York, he's still not done with her. Classic bully-to-lovers angst.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Revenge
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Sexual assault
-
Voidwalker
Fi is a smuggler who can walk the Void between worlds, and a job gone wrong drops her in front of Antal, an antlered daeyari lord whose species eats humans. He'll spare her if she helps him find whoever attacked his city. Predator and prey, with claws and tails and a lot of heat.
- Deals and Bargains
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Murder
-
We Ride the Storm
Three narrators in a crumbling empire: a princess forced to marry for alliance, a soldier from the plains, and an assassin who hears the voices of the dead. The first chapter has a severed head and it sets the tone. Starts confusing, then locks in.
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
- Grimdark
Content warnings
Graphic violence, War, Torture, Murder
-
When the Moon Hatched
An assassin with a huge chip on her shoulder, a sky-king with a dragon and a lot of history between them. Huge, purple-prosed and divisive. People either love it or bounce off hard.
- Dragons
- Fated Mates
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Torture, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping
-
Wicked Saints
A girl who talks to gods, a blood mage prince and a war that never ends. Moody and extremely Slavic. The romance is with someone who's very clearly a villain.
- Gods and Mythology
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Self-harm, Gore, War, Torture
