Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Dark and Hollow Star | 2021 | Ashley Shuttleworth | Buy |
| 2 | A Cruel and Fated Light | 2022 | Ashley Shuttleworth | Buy |
| 3 | A Grim and Sunken Vow | 2023 | Ashley Shuttleworth | Buy |
| 4 | A Wild and Ruined Song | 2024 | Ashley Shuttleworth | Buy |
The A Dark and Hollow Star series by Ashley Shuttleworth is set in a version of Toronto where fae courts exist hidden within the city. The story begins when a series of brutal murders draws together four protagonists from different corners of the fae world: a half-fae teenage girl, a fae prince, an ironborn fae outcast, and a human changeling. Each has their own reasons for getting involved, and their paths cross as they try to stop the killings before the fragile peace between the courts collapses.
The series draws on Celtic folklore while building its own mythology around the fae courts and their politics. Shuttleworth writes all four protagonists as queer, and their relationships with each other develop across the four books. The story grows in scope with each volume, moving from the initial murder mystery to larger questions about power, identity, and what the fae owe to the world they live in. A Wild and Ruined Song (2024) brings the series to its conclusion.