Elizabeth May Books

Elizabeth May's career is a rare case of an author leveling up in public. She debuted in 2014 with The Falconer, a young adult trilogy about Aileana Kameron, a Victorian debutante who hunts murderous fae through 1844 Edinburgh by night. The books earned a loyal following, but they were only the opening act. May, an American who moved to Scotland and earned a PhD from the University of St Andrews, spent the following decade widening her range: the Seven Devils space opera duology co-written with Laura Lam, steamy historical romance under the pen name Katrina Kendrick, and then a decisive turn into adult romantasy that made her a Sunday Times bestseller.

That turn began with To Cage a God in 2024, a dark fantasy inspired by Imperial Russia in which gods are caged inside human bodies and two sisters plot to bring down an empire. It opened the These Monstrous Gods duology and landed on best-of-month lists for its blend of political intrigue and slow-burning desire. Then came The Wolf and the Crown of Blood, first in the Broken Accords series, drawing on Beauty and the Beast and Eros and Psyche: Bryony Devaliant, a princess born to be sacrificed and resurrected over and over to appease the gods, and Evander, the immortal assassin sent to kill her who finds he cannot. It is her most commercial, most confident work yet.

What defines May's writing is atmosphere with teeth. Her settings are gothic and cold, her monsters are actual monsters, and her heroines are angry in ways the genre often sands down. She loves a bargain with lethal terms, a romance where both parties are dangerous, and the specific tension of enemies to lovers done with real menace rather than banter alone. The Katrina Kendrick years sharpened her romance craft noticeably, and it shows in how she paces longing, denial, and payoff.

Heat-wise, know which shelf you are pulling from. The original Falconer books were young adult, though they have since been reissued and reimagined for adult romantasy readers with added darkness and desire. To Cage a God simmers more than it burns. The Wolf and the Crown of Blood is another matter entirely: a solid 4 on our spice ratings, explicit and unapologetic, frequently compared to Callie Hart's Quicksilver for its mix of wit and steam. Readers who want forced proximity with an assassin who is genuinely frightening will be well served.

For romantasy readers, May matters because she writes the dark end of the genre without losing control of it. Plenty of authors promise morally corrupt love interests and deliver soft boys in villain cosplay. May's monsters stay monstrous long enough to make the romance cost something, and her fae, gods, and assassins operate by rules that actually bind. That discipline is what separates a dark romantasy that lingers from one you forget in a week.

Her academic background is worth a mention, since it shows on the page. May's PhD work at St Andrews focused on visual culture, and she spent years as a photographer before writing full time; her scenes are composed like images, heavy on light, texture, and costume. She now lives on an eighteenth-century farm in the Scottish countryside with her husband, three cats, and a hive of honeybees, which is roughly the author bio equivalent of one of her own settings. Scotland's folklore, weather, and long winters are all over her fae and her gods, and the books are better for it.

Where to start depends on your tolerance. If you want the full dark, spicy experience, go straight to The Wolf and the Crown of Blood and thank us later. If you prefer politics and a slower flame, To Cage a God is the better entry. The Falconer trilogy remains a fun backlist binge for fae-hunting action, best read in order from the first book. Whichever door you pick, May's catalog runs deep enough to keep you busy for a season.