FAERWYVAE FAQ & WORLDBUILDING

Welcome to my Faerwyvae FAQ! Here I will answer common questions about my books that are set in Faerwyvae.

Since The Fair Isle Trilogy, Entangled with Fae, and Fae Flings and Corset Strings are set in the same world, there’s been a lot of information that has been delivered across all the books, and not all of it is repeated in each book. So here is my compilation of world building information and more!

For clarity, my series set in Faerwyvae are:

• THE FAIR ISLE TRILOGY, an upper YA enemies to lovers series comprised of 3 books: To Carve a Fae Heart, To Wear a Fae Crown, and To Spark a Fae War.
• ENTANGLED WITH FAE, a series of standalone new adult fairytale retellings. Current books: Curse of the Wolf King, Heart of the Raven Prince, Kiss of the Selkie, A Taste of Poison, and A Dream So Wicked.
• FAE FLINGS AND CORSET STRINGS, a series of standalone spicy adult fantasy romcoms. Current books: A Rivalry of Hearts, My Feral Romance, and Elegance and Espionage.

*Please note that my PROPHECY OF THE FORGOTTEN FAE trilogy is NOT set in Faerwyvae, so the world building mentioned here does not apply. Please visit the World of Lela for information about that series.

Have a question of your own? Shoot me an email at Tessonja@tessonjaodette.com

Writing/Publication Questions

WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED READING ORDER FOR THESE BOOKS?

I often get asked 1.) Which books must be read in order? 2.) How are my Faerwyvae series interconnected? 3.) Do I have to read THE FAIR ISLE TRILOGY before reading the ENTANGLED WITH FAE and FAE FLING AND CORSET STRINGS books? 4.) Can I REALLY read the ENTANGLED WITH FAE books out of order? What about FAE FLINGS AND CORSET STRINGS? 5.) If I were to read my first book from you, what should I choose? 6.) Can you just tell me what order YOU recommend I read all your books in?

So I’m going to answer all of these questions! Here’s the info that should explain everything you need to know…

• To Rule a Fae Throne (Book 0, short story prequel novella from Aspen’s POV – optional)
• To Carve a Fae Heart (Book 1)
• To Wear a Fae Crown (Book 2)
• To Kill a Fae King (Book 1.5-2.5, short novella set from Amelie’s POV – optional. Can be read after Book Three instead if you’d rather go in “blind”, as this will give you info about Amelie that Evie doesn’t have)
• To Spark a Fae War (Book 3)

• Married by Scandal is a novella dedicated to giving Amelie her happily ever after! Technically, this takes place some time after Amelie’s cameo in Curse of the Wolf King, but if you’re eager to read Amelie’s HEA after you finish The Fair Isle Trilogy, then you can go straight to this! Otherwise, read this after Curse of the Wolf King.

• Curse of the Wolf King: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling
• Heart of the Raven Prince: A Cinderella Retelling
• Kiss of the Selkie: A Little Mermaid Retelling
• A Taste of Poison: A Snow White Retelling
• A Dream So Wicked: A Sleeping Beauty Retelling

FAE FLINGS AND CORSET STRINGS – One year after A Dream So Wicked – find all the books here

• A Rivalry of Hearts
• My Feral Romance
• Elegance and Espionage

HOW DO I PRONOUNCE…

• FAERWYVAE: “fair-wi-vay” (with “wi” like the first part of “with”)
• EISLEIGH: “eyes-lee”

HOW MANY BOOKS WILL BE IN THE ENTANGLED WITH FAE SERIES?

There are currently five, but since they are all standalones, the series is technically open-ended. There are other fairytales I’d love to write, so more could come in the future.

HOW MANY BOOKS WILL BE IN THE FAE FLINGS AND CORSET STRINGS SERIES?

There are currently three planned, but same as above, it is technically open-ended. I may continue adding books to this series whenever I want to tell a spicy adult romcom story set in Faerwyvae.

HOW SPICY IS YOUR ROMANCE?

This is a complex question to answer because spice is subjective. Plus, I write books with a range of spice levels, from steamy fade-to-black (lots of heated kissing, touching, and angst but fades out during the actual intercourse) to on-page detailed sex. Here is a breakdown by series (I’ve included spice levels for Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae too, even though it is not set in Faerwyvae):

• THE FAIR ISLE TRILOGY: mildly steamy fade to black; heated kissing, touching, and tension; sexy lead-up but “fades out” before intercourse. Content for older teens and adults.
• ENTANGLED WITH FAE: mildly steamy open-door sex scenes; very little graphic detail; very few explicit anatomical terms. Content for older teens and adults.
• FAE FLINGS AND CORSET STRINGS: medium hot spice open-door sex scenes; multiple scenes per book; lingering details and explicit anatomical terms. Content for adults.
• PROPHECY OF THE FORGOTTEN FAE: increases in steam levels with every book; A Throne of Shadows: passionate kisses; A Cage of Crystal: more passionate kisses, steamy fade-to-black (secondary couple); A Fate of Flame: two mildly steamy open-door sex scenes; very little graphic detail; very few explicit anatomical terms. Content for older teens and adults.

HOW OLD ARE YOUR MAIN CHARACTERS COMPARED TO THEIR LOVE INTERESTS? (Do you write about minors hooking up with older immortals?)

I do not write books about minors getting together with adults. All my main characters in my fae books are at least 18 and have already become sexually active outside the relationship featured in their respective books. Even in my upper YA/new adult books, I make an effort to feature sexually awakened characters where the featured relationship provides a new level of intimacy and sexual maturity.

When I write about a human-fae couple, the immortal one has an emotional age that is similar to their human love interest. Since my fae characters age slowly, there isn’t a wide discrepancy between a couple’s physical appearance either. So even when several hundred or even a thousand years stand between a human-fae couple, their apparent outward ages and maturity are well-matched.

World Building Questions

(SPOILER WARNING – SPOILERS AHEAD, PROCEED WITH CAUTION – although I do my best to keep it vague!)

NOTE: For the sake of clarity, I will refer to THE FAIR ISLE TRILOGY as GENERATION ONE. Likewise, I will refer to ENTANGLED WITH FAE and FAE FLINGS AND CORSET STRINGS as GENERATION TWO.

CAN YOU SUMMARIZE THE WORLD OF FAERWYVAE?

In generation one, the Fair Isle is an island divided by a wall that separates the humans from the fae. The fae side is ruled by the fae and is called Faerwyvae. It is split into eleven courts, each ruled by a single ruler. The human side of the Fair Isle is called Eisleigh and is ruled by mainland Bretton and its monarch, King Grigory. For the last thousand years, a treaty between the humans and fae has been maintained by something called the Hundred Year Reaping. Every hundred years, two human girls are sent to a different court in Faerwyvae to be married to fae royalty. In return, that court blesses the family/families of the girls with some kind of boon. Fae and humans are otherwise not permitted to cross the wall or interact with each other outside of ambassador duties.

In generation two, Faerwyvae now encompasses the entire isle (and has replaced the name Fair Isle) and is ruled by the fae. Twenty years ago (in generation one), the fae won a war against King Grigory’s army. The war would have obliterated the isle if the fae hadn’t intervened and protected their kind AND the humans on the isle. The isle is now independent of Brettonish rule, and the wall that once separated the human lands from the fae lands now surrounds the isle as a magical perimeter. Only those of pure fae blood may cross it. So humans must have a fae escort to leave or enter the isle. Fae and humans now share the same lands. There are still eleven courts, but the territories have shifted since generation one, and some courts are still adapting to their new locations. Each court is ruled by two rulers, one unseelie and one seelie. They rule from two separate palaces and oversee separate aspects of Faerwyvae. The seelie ruler interacts with humankind and deals more with day-to-day issues, while the unseelie ruler oversees the natural/spiritual/wild aspects and creatures of Faerwyvae.

HOW DOES FAEWYVAE’S MAGIC SYSTEM WORK?

My magic system is elemental in nature and involves earth, air, fire, and water. Most fae have an affinity for a single element, but many can utilize multiple. Fae rulers gain the strongest connection to Faerwyvae’s magic and can utilize all four elements to varying degrees.

Each element has a correspondence that directs how the magic manifests for its user:

• Earth: logic, home, safety, security, physical matter, earth minerals, dirt, plants, nourishment.
• Air: intellect, thought, ideas, flight, motion and movement through time and space, communication, creative expression, sound.
• Fire: passion, rage, anger, creative birthing of ideas and things, heat, warmth, light, life force energy.
• Water: emotion, love, grief, fluidity, hydration, oceans, lakes, and streams.

Each court has an affinity for a primary element as follows:

• Earthen: earth
• Wind: air
• Sea: water
• Fire: fire
• Autumn: earth
• Winter: air
• Spirng: water
• Summer: fire
• Solar: fire
• Lunar: water
• Star: air

The magic is also deeply connected and interwoven with the spiritual realm, which is called the Twelfth Court or the All of All. This is a myserteous aspect of magic and has its own sentience, much like a deity. The Twelfth Court often acts as a parallel dimension outside of time and space. This is where Evie goes many times in the Fair Isle Trilogy when she’s learning about magic and her abilities. This is also where Gemma goes at the end of Curse of the Wolf King when she tries to break Elliot’s curse. There is much about the Twelfth Court/All of All that not even the fae understand, and most accept that it is not a thing to be understood, only to be honored and respected.

Magic is also woven to one’s personal intent. It is how bargains are evaded without being broken, or likewise, how magical punishments can be delivered (like in the case of a bargain violation where one feels guilt even though they haven’t outright broken a bargain), and how fae are able to deceive without lying. It also helps one navigate and utilize magic, by directing one’s intent with a specific result.

HOW DOES HUMAN AGING WORK IN FAERWYVAE (example: will human characters die before their fae lovers)?

The short answer is, no. The long answer is…

Faerwyvae’s magic is powerful enough to affect humans. Only those with fae blood can wield it, but humans can still be touched by it, and it certainly slows their aging.

In generation one, humans and fae are separated by a wall that contains (most of) Faerwyvae’s magic to the fae lands. For a thousand years, the only humans who ever spent time on the fae side of the wall were the girls taken for the Hundred Year Reaping. As Evie discovers in To Carve a Fae Heart, the girls from the reaping age slowly and live very long lives, and their half-fae children are as immortal as a pureblood fae. However, none of the women before Evie were cherished by their fae mates. Most of the time, they were neglected. Those who were most neglected (or heartbroken) lived the shortest lives/aged like a normal human, while the ones who had closer relationships with the fae lived longer. This is the first clue that humans in Faerwyvae age much slower, and the closer and more cared for they are by the fae, the longer they live. But at this point, it still hasn’t been tested much, since human-fae relations are considered taboo (outside the arranged marriages from the Reaping.)

In generation two, the humans and fae are mingling more than ever before, and Faerwyvae’s magic now covers the entire isle. As it’s only been twenty years since unification, human-fae relations are still new. Both humans and fae are still working on overcoming their prejudices against each other. But the people are discovering human aging is starting to slow in Faerwyvae, particularly those in close relationships with the fae.

Long story short, your favorite human-fae couples have VERY long and happy lifespans ahead of them.

DO THE COUPLES IN YOUR BOOKS GET MARRIED AND HAVE KIDS?

I’m a romantic at heart and always prefer a happily ever after ending over a tragic or bittersweet one. I like to imagine all my couples going on to enjoy very fulfilling relationships and taking big steps like getting married or having kids. However, marriage and kids isn’t everyone’s HEA so I don’t always mention whether certain couples go this route. Please imagine whatever path you’d like them to take.

WHEN THE ROYAL FAE TAKE A HUSBAND/WIFE, DOES THAT PERSON BECOME KING/QUEEN WITH THEM?

The short answer is, sure, they can. But the long answer is…

In generation one, each court is ruled by a single ruler and has to be approved by the Council of Eleven Courts. A ruler could have a royal mate or not, but one ruler is recognized by the council (male, female, non-binary, king, queen, it doesn’t matter so long as there is only one.) So let’s say Queen Tris of Spring appointed her mate as king, they could rule together and make decisions together, but she’d still be the only ruler recognized by the Council of Eleven Courts, and only she would be present during council meetings. So while it’s a sign of respect for a royal to name their partner a ruling royal as well, they don’t have as much influence with the council.

In generation two, there are now two rulers in each court, a seelie and unseelie, and they rule from two different palaces and oversee separate aspects of the court. It is similar to generation one in that a royal can still appoint their partner as king or queen and rule at their side, but again, only one ruler from the unseelie/seelie reign in each court is considered the true ruler.

HOW DOES ROYAL SUCCESSION WORK?

In generation one, bloodline succession, much like a human monarchy, is followed. However, it is overseen and approved by the Council of Eleven Courts. The council has ultimate say by majority vote who rules or who must step down. At the end of The Fair Isle Trilogy, the council is overthrown and the fae revert to what is called the Old Ways.

A note on the Old ways: this is the ancient fae tradition where royals are granted Alpha status and rule by permission of the spiritual realm (see the question on my magic system.) A ruler would only be appointed if they gained the approval of the All of All, which is a sacred spiritual practice that can be symbolic or physical. This is sometimes done in combat, by which the winner believes they’ve been blessed with strength from the All of All. Or the right to rule can be earned by going to the Twelfth Court (in a sort of meditative state) where they bring back a physical symbol to prove they’ve been deemed Alpha. Any ruler can be challenged at any time, and the All of All chooses their victor in the ways explained above. The stronger and more respected the ruler is, the less likely anyone would dare challenge them. Once appointed as Alpha by the All of All, it is rare that the blessing will be revoked without due cause. Sometimes a fae can decide it’s time to step down, in which case they will welcome challengers to their throne (which is in most cases a blood heir)

In generation two, the fae rule with respect to the Old Ways (see paragraph above). There are two rulers in each court, a seelie and unseelie king or queen. There is no longer a Council of Eleven Courts to oversee appointment of rulers, but there is an Alpha Council, which is a cooperative board of Faerwyvae’s rulers. They meet regularly to agree on isle-wide issues, rules, and to oversee any disciplinary actions needed against misbehaving rulers on the council. The kings and queens of each court continue to value bloodline succession, especially now that the fae are ruling the humans and know bloodline succession is what humans respect. They are focused on keeping their rule strong and respected so the throne is less likely to be challenged by other fae, or disrespected/rebelled against by humans. The more unrest there is amongst humans in any given court, the more the fae rulers will try to cater to what humans respect. The fae continue to appoint blood heirs, but when it comes time to challenge a ruler for their throne, it isn’t always their heir who gains the blessing of the All of All (although most often it is.)

CAN YOU CLARIFY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEELIE/UNSEELIE?

I use these terms in two different ways throughout my series.

On a physical level, seelie is what is sometimes referred to as “high fae.” These are humanoid in form, although many maintain animal characteristics, or other visual representations of their home courts/magical affinity (like Aspen’s antlers). Unseelie is what one might refer to as “lesser fae.” In my world building, all fae were once unseelie and only adopted humanoid forms after humans came to the isle and shared food, clothing, and human language with them. When a fae is in one’s unseelie form, they tend to look like an animal or some other form of wild fairy creature (think sylphs, brownies, kelpies, puca, pixies, etc.)

The fae can shift between these two forms at will. Some choose one as their primary form and rarely shift, while others shift often. Those who prefer their seelie form tend to live similar lifestyles to humans, in humanlike dwellings, doing humanlike activities. They also feel human emotions like grief, anger, passion, and love to more extremes than they do in unseelie form. While those who prefer their unseelie forms are more likely to be found in the forest and keeping to their own kind. They tend to follow their instincts more than emotions, and their emotions are less extreme.

When a fae considers themselves seelie or unseelie, it usually has more to do with one’s values than the form they most often take (although their primary form can often coincide with their values, like in the case of King Elliot/Flauvis). In summary, being politically seelie means they value seelie things (humanoid form, housing, clothing, vast array of emotion) and being politically unseelie means they value unseelie things (freedom, nature, the Old Ways, being left to live how one likes.) More on that subject…

On a political level, things get a little complicated.

In generation one, each court is ruled by a single ruler, and that ruler takes a stance on whether they are politically seelie or unseelie. The seelie rulers are concerned with keeping the humans on the isle, for if humans are eradicated, it would be impossible for the fae to keep their seelie forms (since seelie form is dependent on human influence.) The unseelie rulers want less human influence, and some even wanted them to be annihilated and banished from the isle. The fae living in each court can choose whether to take on a seelie or unseelie form, but their rulers often implement their own rules, and the radical rulers can take things to extremes IF they get permission from the council. Balance on the council (between seelie and unseelie rulers) is imperative to ensuring everyone is able to live their lives as they please. This is why Aspen constantly shifts his political stance when he feels the council begin to lean too far in any direction.

In generation two, the highly controlling council is no more, and each court has both seelie and unseelie representation in their rulers. The seelie ruler oversees matters of day-to-day, especially when it comes to the humans and seelie fae. The unseelie ruler oversees matters of nature and advocates for the unseelie fae.

DO YOUR BOOKS HAVE FATED MATES? IF NOT, WHAT DOES “MATE” MEAN TO YOUR CHARACTERS?

My world building does not include fated mates. When a fae refers to someone as their mate, they are saying that they are in a long-term and committed relationship with that person. If they perform a mate ceremony, it is similar to a human wedding and is a public declaration of their commitment to that person. A fae’s mate can be human or fae, and some fae have multiple mates at once, while others are monogamous. A mate relationship can be dissolved at will.

I do, however, have a Bond in my world buidling. It is not a mating bond, but something that has to do with the magic of giving one’s true name. When a human “gives” a fae their true name (by stating or affirming they’ve given their true name, just saying their name alone is harmless) the fae has control over that human and can compel them to follow their orders. The same is the case if a fae states to a human that they “give” their true name, which results in the human having control over the fae (this case is very rare, for fae know better than to give their true name to a human, but are often clever at tricking humans to give them theirs.) The same can also be done from a fae to another fae.

When two parties EXCHANGE true names by each stating that they give their name to the other, a Bond is formed, which basically means they have control over each other. It is very rarely done, and is mainly used in alliances as a sign of mutual fear and respect, most often between political allies or any situation where such an extreme demonstration of goodwill is required. The Bond can be performed between two fae or a human and a fae.

In generation one, the most common occasion that the Bond is performed is during the Hundred Year Reaping. It is performed by at least one of the two girls given over in each Reaping and the fae she marries as a sign of respect and that the treaty is being upheld. When Evie and Aspen perform the Bond, they experience things that other Bonded pairs have never seen before (like the ability to see/hear each other across time and space), and it is because they love each other. This is the closest thing my world building has to a mating bond. Mine, however, isn’t controlled by destiny. It is simply a result of two people who love each other exchanging their true names.

In generation two, the giving or taking of one’s true name is illegal, making the Bond obsolete as a result. Although, I’m sure some lovelorn couples still use it to demonstrate their intensely passionate connection.

ARE THE FAERWYVAE BOOKS IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE PROPHECY OF THE FORGOTTEN FAE SERIES/LAND OF LELA?

The short answer is no, the Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae trilogy is not directly related to The Fair Isle Trilogy or Entangled with Fae. Not in any obvious or story-centric way, that is. The longer answer is that when I first created the world of Faerwyvae/the Fair Isle, I had it in my head that Faerwyvae’s ancient history is linked to Lela’s. I wrote the first Faerwyvae book (To Carve a Fae Heart) shortly after I finished writing the first draft of my Prophecy series. And there are some intentional similarities between the two worlds–mysterious land masses inhabited by fae that were suddenly discovered by humans hundreds of years ago–all because, in my mind, both magical lands once existed in parallel realms, and their origins came from a singular historical event that is revealed later in the Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae trilogy. That event (which I don’t want to spoil for Prophecy readers) impacted multiple realms. In the Prophecy trilogy, the characters think it only created repercussions for their land, but in my mind, it also created a ripple effect on at least one more magical realm–which was Faerwyvae/the Fair Isle. In essence, Faerwyvae/the Fair Isle was not originally part of the human world and was instead suddenly forced from its original realm into the human one due to *the event*. Please note that it is unlikely that this explanation will ever make it onto the page in any book. However, you do get a fun easter egg at the very end of A Fate of Flame (Prophecy Book Three) regarding the connection (note the different “worlds” Valorre said he traveled to.)

– FUN EXTRAS –

FINANCES:

Each court has its own gemstone currency of chips and rounds. One round is worth ten chips.

• Autumn: garnet
• Spring: sapphire
• Summer: tourmaline
• Winter: quartz
• Earthen: emerald
• Wind: amethyst
• Sea: pearl
• Fire: opal
• Star: citrine
• Lunar: moonstone
• Solar: jasper

SWEARING

Each court has its own signature “swear”. However, certain fae might adopt a swear from a different court if it better suits their elemental/celestial affinity. For example, a sylph (a type of air fae) living in the Earthen Court is more likely to use “breezing” than “stones”.

• Autumn: oak and ivy (ex. what the oak and ivy are we talking about?)
• Spring: blooming (ex. blooming hell, is this really a list about fantasy swearing?)
• Summer: burning (ex. burning hell, it is.)
• Winter: freezing (ex. that freezing bastard stole my cake.)
• Earthen: stones (ex. stones below, we’re not talking about cake.)
• Wind: breezing (ex. there’s no breezing way anyone is taking this list seriously.)
• Sea: shells (ex. shells! Maybe you’re right.)
• Fire: blazing (ex. what the blazing hell did I miss?)
• Star: stars (ex. stars above, this list is ridiculous.)
• Lunar: night (ex. for the love of the night, are we done yet?)
• Solar: light (ex. light above, we are.)