A Court of Whimsy and Ruin: a fae romantasy (Royal Fae of Arathay) by Zara Dusk

The Shadow King wants to destroy the fae realms. But first, he wants to destroy me. I never imagined my first trip to the fae realm would end in bloodshed. I was only supposed to be here for my cousin’s wedding—a rare chance to escape my dull human life and experience magic firsthand. Instead, the ceremony turns into a massacre when the Shadow Walkers attack, and I learn the hard way that only a human can resist their twisted magic. Now, I’m the one they want. Before I can escape, the Shadow King takes me for himself. For centuries, he has been waiting in the dark, honing his magic, building his army, and preparing for the day he would burn the fae realms to the ground. And now, I’m caught in the center of his vengeance. A prisoner in his cursed castle, I’m trapped in a game of manipulation and power, where every glance is a threat and every touch a warning. The fae call him a monster, a tyrant, a force of pure destruction. And yet, the longer I stand in his shadow, the more I see the cracks in his armor. The more I wonder if there's something beneath all that darkness... or if I’m just another pawn in his deadly war. Read more