Did you know that Amazon has a list of the top-selling and free sci-fi and fantasy books? The list changes constantly — authors and publishers set their books to free temporarily to promote their work, and, of course, books move up and down in the rankings. Read on to find your fun free read for this weekend! And grab the books quickly because they don’t always stay free for long.
This week’s list is completely different from those of the previous weeks. So if you’re a fan of free books, there are going to be new things to read all the time. If you want to get this list in your inbox every Friday afternoon, subscribe to the MetaStellar weekly newsletter.
There are a lot of books to go through, so this week I’m being helped out by a couple of other members of our MetaStellar community. If you’d like to join me in doing these reviews — and taping our regular Free Friday videos — email me at maria@metastellar.com.
5. Curse of the Wolf King by Tessonja Odette
This is a standalone book in the five-book Tangled with Fae romantic fantasy series. The other books are $4.99 each, and they are all in Kindle Unlimited. This is the author’s first time on our Free Friday list.
From Tim Fairman:
Gemma, a lover of romance literature, an outsider to the newly established town of Vernon, and a young lady haunted by secrets from her past is feeling stir-crazy as snow gathers outside. She has recently moved with her father and her younger sister from Bretton to the isle of Faerwyvae, specifically to the Winter Court, which either includes or is near Vernon. Faerwyvae is ruled by the magical creatures referred to as fae. Gemma hoped the fae society would lead to more relaxed, progressive social norms. Alas, she’s very disappointed to learn Vernon is like any other human city, where women are second-class citizens waiting to be auctioned off to suitable bachelors.
The book begins with Gemma stuck inside, contemplating making the trip to the local bookstore, her one refuge in town. She’s reluctant to leave her home, though, as she wants to avoid the judging eyes of her neighbors. She carries secrets from her former life, secrets she’s terrified will see the light of day. Finally, her lack of reading material motivates her to journey to the bookstore. On her way, she has an encounter with her nosy neighbor, Mrs. Aston, who is angling to set Gemma up with her eldest son. Gemma, not one to fit into societal norms, is having none of what Mrs. Aston is selling.
The bookseller, Mr. Cordell, greets Gemma with genuine affection. He’s the only person in town with whom she feels she has a connection. He has held the newest book in her favorite romance series for her, and Gemma responds with joy and relief. It is there, in the bookshop, where Gemma can let down her guard and relax the intrusive thoughts of her past. Unfortunately, Gavin, Mrs. Aston’s eldest son shows up and tries to court her. If that’s not bad enough, Imogen, Gemma’s nemesis, arrives to further dampen the day.
Curse of the Wolf King is advertised as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, promising the lore of the classic story with fae lore. I chose to read the first two chapters of this retelling as a stand-alone story, for better or for worse. For those more acquainted with the classic story, I’m sure there are more layers to what the retelling is trying to achieve.
With that in mind, the pacing of Curse of the Wolf King begins slowly. The first chapter was entirely internal within Gemma’s point of view, teasing whatever scandal haunted her and setting up her disappointment with her new town. Though not much happened, the story did well to show where the reader finds Gemma at the beginning of her tale. The approach did not grab my attention, but I can appreciate the need to set up a foundation before the wheels start turning. The Amazon listing promises kidnapping, curses, tragedy, and love, so my first impressions barely scratched the surface.
The writing felt proper to the time period in which the story takes place, the late 1800s/early 1900s, I assume. Technology was beginning to make an appearance, as Gemma noted that automobiles existed. While there were references to magic being used for a variety of purposes in Faerwyvae, it had not yet been a major plot point.
Verdict: With the pacing of the story, two chapters were barely a tease of what’s to come. While it didn’t hook me enough to keep reading, I imagine passionate fans of fae tales, romantic period pieces, and Beauty and the Beast would continue reading.
Get the Kindle ebook free from Amazon here.
4. Court of Dragons and Crowns by G. Bailey
This is the first of five books in The Dragon Crown Series of romantic fantasy. The other books are $3.99 each, and are in Kindle Unlimited. The last book is available for pre-order and is scheduled to be released on October 30. This is the author’s first time on our Free Friday list.
From E.S. Foster:
I knew I was in for a wild ride when I read the premise of this story. It starts off with Elle, a young woman who just recently broke up with her boyfriend. She tries hiding out on the shore by the lighthouse, but her ex catches up to her, trying to apologize. Also, she has to deal with the local crazy man, as she puts it, who mutters that there are dragons in the ocean.
So already she’s having a wild day.
Her ex gives her the classic “I love you even though I slept with your best friend” speech, but of course, Elle isn’t having it. She leaves him by the lighthouse and heads back to her grandmother’s house.
That night, Elle’s ex returns through the window, drunk. He tries to apologize again, but she orders him to leave. But this guy decides he doesn’t want to take no for an answer. Elle fights him off and tries to escape.
Thankfully, it sounds like her grandmother is back from bingo.
Suddenly a dagger flies past her, landing straight in the ex’s chest and killing him. Four giant guys then enter Elle’s house and start arguing about how they are handling the situation. One burns the ex’s body with his fire magic, while another explains that Elle has been chosen.
It turns out that these guys come from another world, and they’re able to travel to Earth every few years. Each time they visit, they choose human brides and then bring them back to compete to become queen of the different courts. Otherwise, these guys, the kings, lose their magic.
Elle isn’t thrilled about the situation, but it looks like she has no choice. Her only goal is to escape, but it looks like the competition is going to turn deadly.
So even from just reading the premise, I knew that this was going to be a rollercoaster. Dragon shifters and stolen brides aren’t exactly my cup of tea, but I have to admit that Elle’s voice was very engaging and the prose kind of sucked me in, even if there was a lot of infodumping. If you like this sort of thing, I recommend you check it out.
Get the Kindle ebook free from Amazon here.
3. Avalon Tower by C.N. Crawford
This is the first of three books in the Fey Spy Academy young adult fantasy series. The other two books are $5.99 each and are in Kindle Unlimited, but the third book won’t be available until March 20, 2025. The authors have been on our Free Friday list before.
From E.S. Foster:
The story begins with Alix, a woman who had been kidnapped and forced to become a spy one of the many fey kingdoms that humans aren’t able to see. There’s a barrier that weaves in and out of cities in France, which separates the humans from the fey. Alix can pass through it because of her power. This magical power was what got her in trouble in the first place.
She continues watching the streets of Paris, waiting for her partner. But he’s late, which never happens. Just when she’s certain that their mission is in jeopardy, someone comes up from behind and stabs her.
The story then flashes back to minutes earlier, where another woman, Nia, is enjoying her vacation in Paris. Nia hears rumors that there are spies working between the fey kingdoms and that one side is trying to stop the other from taking over France. At one point, she comes across a group of demi-fey—half-human, half-fey. Nia helps them hide their identities a bit by covering their ears and then pretends they’re a tour group. But suddenly two dragons appear out of the veil and fey soldiers arrive, killing one of the group. Nia and the group escape, and Nia actually passes through the veil unharmed. But the demi-fey are fugitives, so they have to go back to France.
They escape through customs, but Nia runs into a demi-fey ex of hers. It turns out that he is one of the spies working against the king. As things start to spiral out of control, the ex kills one of the policemen. It looks like Nia is in for it now.
I really liked the idea of this premise because it’s not something I’ve seen before. Some of the details were muddled for me, such as who was who and which side everyone was on. But I think I might stick with it, and I recommend you check it out if you enjoy books about fey and spies.
Get the Kindle ebook free from Amazon here.
2. The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic by Linsey Hall
This is the first of three books in the Charming Cove romantic fantasy series. The other two books are $4.99 each and they are both in Kindle Unlimited. The author has been on our Free Friday list before.
From Tim Fairman:
Aria, our hapless heroine, is a witch with major imposter syndrome. Despite years of training, she has failed to master her magical powers, so she moves away from her hometown, Charming Cove, a haven for witches and mages. Seven years later and living in London, she’s been fired from job after job for her magical mishaps.
Her job-du-jour is working in a wedding cake store and she is trying desperately to keep her magic in check. Unfortunately, a bridezilla ruffles Aria’s feathers. Aria inadvertently casts a spell that gives the bride-to-be unsightly jowls. No surprise here, she gets canned again.
As she returns to her flat, Aria’s grandmother, also a witch, greets her and tells her she must return to Charming Cove. Their family store is in danger because the mage from whom Aria’s grandma buys material for potions is retiring. Aria, being gifted with a magical connection to plants, is the only one who can save the store. Going home, though, means Aria must face her past, which includes squaring off against a rival witch and dredging up bad memories of her encounters with a wealthy, handsome mage who destroyed something valuable to her. Will she rise to the occasion and save the store? Will her desire for mage love overcome her bitterness?
If you’ve ever seen a romantic comedy, you can probably guess. What elevates the story beyond cliche is the first-person, confessional tone. Aria is funny. She’s self-deprecating, witty, and vulnerable. When she poses questions about the situation she’s facing, we know the answers, but it’s a joy to ride along as Aria finds them, too.
The author weaves Aria’s backstory into the present-day narrative, allowing the reader to catch up and understand what precipitated the plot without ever being bogged down by distracting exposition dumps. The prose is simple, light, and conversational.
The book’s tone is light, and the stakes are low. It’s a coming-of-age, romantic comedy that happens to include fantastical elements. Unless it switches gear after the first couple of chapters, the roadmap for where the book is going is clear. There are times in which the author poses questions the reader may be having — why is Aria the only person who can save the store? Why can’t Aria’s grandma buy the products for her store from someone else? — and quickly gives decent answers, as if expecting cries of “plot hole!” from the reader. That verges on coincidence or convenience a time or two, but that won’t stop anyone from having a good time.
Verdict: If you like your rom-coms with a side of magic, this book may put you under its spell.
Get the Kindle ebook free from Amazon here.
1. A Cage of Crimson by K.F. Breene
This is the first of two books in the Deliciously Dark Fairytales – Red Riding Hood sexy romantic fantasy series by a USA Today bestselling author. The other book is $5.99. It will be released next week and is available for preorder. The author has been on our Free Friday list before.
From Maria Korolov:
I’m not a fan of romance or fairy tale retellings, but this book opens right up with the main character calling out fairy tales as being BS, so color me intrigued.
Aurelia believed in fairy tales when she was a kid and her mom read to her. But now, as a magically inept adult, she’s done with it all. Instead, she brews illegal hallucinogenic drugs for her mean, addicted boss and his customers.
Aurelia is a dud because she can’t shape shift and is only alive because Granny — not her actual grandmother, but a fairy godmother — took her in and protected her.
As the book opens, her boss has taken enough of the drug to become delusional and violent and Aurelia has to lock him in a closet to calm him down.
But Granny is in town, and Granny is the power behind the whole illegal drug business. With her boss locked in a closet, it’s up to Aurelia to take the latest batch of products to her. In fact, the whole village works for Granny. In return, she makes sure that everyone is well-fed and clothed and that all the houses are in good repair.
It’s dark when Aurelia is walking to Granny’s cottage, and she suddenly gets the feeling that someone is watching her. Someone dangerous. She sprints for the safety of the collage and sprains her ankle when she trips over a root in the dark. She’s also dropped her lantern.
Then the dangerous presence comes closer and suddenly Aurelia is no longer frightened but extremely turned on. The presence is a guy, a powerful, magical, alluring guy. And yes, it gets a little graphic here. She figures that she’s got some dust on her fingers from one of the magical ingredients she uses in her drugs and is hallucinating. And then it gets more graphic. Way more graphic. The kind of graphic you want to read someplace private, not at your office desk in the middle of the work day.
So, I’m going to put this book aside for now. And if you’re curious whether I’ll be back to finish it this weekend, all I’ve got to say is, “No comment.”
From Lilivette Domínguez-Torres:
This is a fairytale retelling unlike any I’ve read before. At the beginning of the story, we’re introduced to our main character, Aurelia, who is a drug maker. Her drug is a powerful hallucinogen that gets trafficked around the kingdom by Granny, also known as her fairy godmother. As a shifter with no magic, our main character had a rough upbringing until Granny saved her and gave her something to do. Since everyone hates her kind, Aurelia keeps to herself and works on perfecting her drugs until the day people from a rival company come looking for her.
To be honest, I couldn’t get past the first two chapters of this story because it really wasn’t my cup of tea. Not only did I find the beginning of the story slow and boring but I also didn’t enjoy the writing at all. Considering this is supposed to be a fantasy retelling with magic, werewolves, shifters, and all that, the writing felt a little too dull for that. Also, the world-building was kind of non-existent and so was the general introduction to the characters. From my point of view, the author spent a little too much time talking about how good the main character’s drug was and how good she was at her job and not enough time on giving us the context of the world—or at least, for me, it wasn’t enough to keep me interested in it.
In the end, I didn’t like the beginning of this book and I won’t continue reading it. I wasn’t a fan of the writing or the pace of the story but if you can push through those two things, maybe you’ll enjoy this.
Get the Kindle ebook free from Amazon here.
See all the Free Friday posts here. Do you have other free books for us to check out? Comment below or email me at maria@metastellar.com.
Have you read any of these books? Are you planning to? Let us know in the comments!
Or watch Maria, Emma and Tim discuss all five books in the video below:
MetaStellar editor and publisher Maria Korolov is a science fiction novelist, writing stories set in a future virtual world. And, during the day, she is an award-winning freelance technology journalist who covers artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and enterprise virtual reality. See her Amazon author page here and follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, and check out her latest videos on the Maria Korolov YouTube channel. Email her at maria@metastellar.com. She is also the editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business, one of the top global sites covering virtual reality.
Tim Fairman lives in Iowa with his wife and three sons. He's been neglecting his love of fiction writing for too long, so he's back pursuing his passion.
Lilivette Domínguez-Torres is MetaStellar's marketing assistant and an aspiring book editor based in Puerto Rico. You can find her talking about fantasy books or K-dramas on Twitter at @lilivettedt.
E. S. Foster is a writer and graduate student at the University of Cambridge. Her work has been featured in a variety of literary journals and small presses. You can find out more about her and what she does at her blog, E. S. Foster.