Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May has published 7 books across 4 series. The recommended reading order starts with The Falconer (2013).
Elizabeth May is an American fantasy novelist who made her debut in 2013 with The Falconer, the first book in a series that established her voice in young adult fiction. Born and raised in California, she moved to Scotland and earned a PhD from the University of St Andrews, a credential that shapes the precision of her worldbuilding. The Falconer series launched a career built on genre versatility, blending historical fantasy with the kind of texture that rewards close attention.
May expanded her range with the Seven Devils duology, co-written with Laura Lam, bringing science fiction adventure to readers who knew her first for historical fantasy. Her novel To Cage a God reached the Sunday Times list, confirming her ability to craft stories that resonate across readership. She also writes romance under the pseudonym Katrina Kendrick, proving her range extends well beyond the boundaries of young adult fantasy.
She lives on an 18th-century farm in the Scottish countryside with her husband, three cats, and a hive of honeybees that have taken up residence inside the farmhouse wall. Readers drawn to YA fantasy with historical texture should start with The Falconer. Those seeking science fiction will find it in Seven Devils.
Shelf & Shadows
Order of Seven Devils Books
- Tagssci-fiDescriptionSeven women. One impossible mission. The galaxy won't save itself. This is space opera stripped down to its sharpest edges. Elizabeth May delivers a crew of outcasts and assassins bound together by necessity and revenge. Each woman carries her own scars from the Empire that tried to break her. Each has a reason to burn it all down. The ship is cramped. The odds are impossible. The heists are deadly. And somewhere in the cold vacuum between stars, they'll either find redemption or die trying. May builds a universe where loyalty is currency and trust is a weapon you can't afford to drop. The prose moves fast. The action hits hard. This is feminist sci-fi that doesn't apologize for its anger or its ambition. If you want found family forged in fire, morally gray women making ruthless choices, and a rebellion that feels earned rather than inevitable, this is your book. The first in the Seven Devils series sets the stakes high and refuses to look away from the cost of resistance.Publication dateAugust 4, 2020Amazon rating4.3/5Print length464LanguageEnglishPublisherDAW
- Tagssci-fiDescriptionSeven Mercies continues Elizabeth May's space opera saga with the kind of urgency that defines survival fiction. This is a book about women who refuse to be erased. The crew from Seven Devils returns, still fighting against the totalitarian Tholosian Empire, still carrying the weight of their pasts. May writes resistance as both spectacle and intimate struggle—the stakes are galactic, but the cost is always personal. The narrative drives forward with relentless momentum. Battles in space. Betrayals that sting. Alliances forged in desperation. May understands that in stories about empire and rebellion, what matters most is who gets left behind and who chooses to stay. Her characters are sharp-edged, damaged, fiercely loyal to each other even when loyalty becomes a liability. The prose doesn't linger—it cuts straight to the bone. This is the second installment in the Order of Seven Devils series, and it delivers exactly what sequels should: higher stakes, deeper wounds, and the sense that everything could still fall apart. For readers who want their science fiction loud, fast, and unapologetically focused on women who fight back, Seven Mercies earns its place on the shelf.Publication dateFebruary 14, 2023Amazon rating4.5/5Print length432LanguageEnglishPublisherDAW
Order of The Broken Accords Books
- TagsfantasyromanceDescriptionA wolf prowls the edges of a kingdom where blood and crowns are currency. The air hums with old magic and older grudges. This is a world where accords have shattered and what remains is sharp enough to cut. Elizabeth May delivers a fantasy steeped in shadow and consequence. The Order of the Broken Accords series promises political intrigue wound tight with supernatural menace. Expect betrayals that sting. Expect power that corrupts and characters who must choose between survival and honor when the two can't coexist. May's prose has teeth—her worlds don't coddle, and her protagonists earn every inch of ground they claim. If you're drawn to fantasies where the stakes are personal and the magic comes with a price, this one's for you.Publication dateJanuary 27, 2026Amazon rating4.4/5Print length628LanguageEnglishPublisherAria
Order of The Falconer Books
- Tagshistorical-fictionfantasydystopianhorrorromancesci-fiDescriptionAileana Kameron hunts faeries through the gaslit streets of 1844 Edinburgh. By day she's a debutante in silk and corsets, learning to curtsy and smile. By night she's a killer with a blade, tracking the fae who murdered her mother. She's good at it. She's driven by it. And she's running out of time. The veil between worlds is thinning. An ancient war is stirring back to life, and Aileana is caught in the center of it—part human, part something else, with powers she doesn't fully understand. The fae aren't just monsters in the dark. They're strategic, deadly, and they want her world. This is Scottish historical fantasy with teeth: corsets and blood, ballrooms and battlefields, a heroine who refuses to be either proper or saved. May builds a Edinburgh that glitters and bleeds in equal measure, where every dance could be your last and vengeance is the only thing keeping you alive.Publication date2013
- Tagsfantasyhorrorromancechildrenhistorical-fictioncrimeDescriptionThis is the final book in the Falconer trilogy, and it brings Aileana Kameron back from death itself—though resurrection comes at a steep price. She wakes into a world she once knew intimately, but her past has been stripped away, leaving only fragments and the unsettling awareness that ancient fae magic has changed her in ways she can barely comprehend, gifting her with powers that surge and twist beyond her control. The stakes couldn't be higher: two warring factions of the fae are locked in a conflict that will determine not just their own survival, but the fate of humanity as well. Aileana finds herself at the center of this struggle, desperate to break the curse that fuels the violence and division, but the key to everything lies in an ancient book—one that's guarded by the Morrigan, a faery whose power is matched only by her cruelty. To save both worlds, Aileana will have to face this legendary figure and navigate the treacherous politics of the fae, all while piecing together who she was and who she's becoming. Elizabeth May delivers an imaginative conclusion that weaves together memory and magic, sacrifice and survival, in a story where the line between hero and weapon grows dangerously thin. If you've followed Aileana this far, this finale promises to reward your patience with a tour-de-force that doesn't shy away from darkness or difficult choices.Publication dateJune 13, 2017Amazon rating4.6/5Print length400LanguageEnglishPublisherChronicle Books
- Tagsfantasyromancesuspenseurban-fantasythrillerDescriptionThe second installment in the Falconer series arrives with the weight of unfinished wars and fractured loyalties pressing against its pages. Elizabeth May returns to a world where the boundary between human and fae has been violently redrawn, where Aileana Kameron—once a debutante turned warrior—must navigate the consequences of choices made in desperation and blood. The throne she fought to protect has vanished into political chaos, and the enemies she thought defeated have merely regrouped, their vengeance sharpened by time and betrayal. What makes this continuation compelling is its refusal to soften the edges of its protagonist or her circumstances. Aileana remains caught between worlds, neither fully accepted by the society she was born into nor trusted by those she has allied herself with, and May explores this liminal space with precision, examining what it costs to be a weapon in someone else's war while trying to reclaim your own humanity. The narrative moves with the urgency of a hunt, propelling readers through a landscape where magic and technology collide, where ancient grudges fuel modern conflicts, and where every alliance comes with a price that may prove too steep to pay. This is fantasy that understands the seductive danger of power and the bitter arithmetic of survival.Publication dateJune 13, 2017Amazon rating4.4/5Print length480LanguageEnglishPublisherChronicle Books
Order of These Monstrous Gods Books
- Tagsepic-fantasyfantasyromanceDescriptionElizabeth May delivers a high-stakes fantasy that asks a dangerous question: what happens when the only way to save your world is to trap a deity? To Cage a God plunges readers into a realm where gods walk among mortals, their power both salvation and threat, and where one determined protagonist must attempt the impossible. This is fantasy that doesn't flinch from the weight of its premise—the kind of story where every choice carries consequences that ripple across kingdoms, and where the line between hero and heretic blurs with every desperate decision. May crafts a narrative that balances epic scope with intimate character work, building tension through the sheer audacity of its central conflict. The Order of These Monstrous Gods series promises a world where divinity is not distant or benevolent but immediate, dangerous, and deeply entangled with mortal fate. Expect political intrigue woven with mythology, characters forced to make impossible choices, and a magic system where power comes at a price. This is for readers who want their fantasy ambitious and morally complex, who crave stories where capturing a god isn't just a plot point but a philosophical reckoning. May understands that the most compelling fantasies aren't about whether the heroes will succeed—they're about what success will cost them.Publication dateFebruary 20, 2024Amazon rating3.9/5Print length384LanguageEnglishPublisherDAW
Frequently Asked Questions about Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May writes fantasy novels. Her books are published in series, and it is generally recommended to read the books within each series in the order they were published to best understand the story arcs and character development. The series are: Order of The Falconer, Order of Seven Devils, Order of These Monstrous Gods, and Order of The Broken Accords. Each series follows its own distinct narrative and characters.
A good place to start with Elizabeth May's books is with the first novel in her Order of The Falconer series, titled The Falconer, published in 2013. This series introduces readers to her distinctive world-building and storytelling. Alternatively, the first book in the Order of Seven Devils series, Seven Devils, published in 2020, is another entry point into her fantasy worlds. Both series offer a solid introduction to her writing style and thematic elements.
Yes, it is recommended to read Elizabeth May's books in order, especially within each series. While some books might offer glimpses into a larger world, the primary narratives, character arcs, and plot resolutions are designed to unfold sequentially within their respective series. Reading them out of order may lead to confusion or spoilers, diminishing the intended reading experience.
Elizabeth May writes primarily in series. Her published works are organized into distinct series, each with its own set of characters and overarching plot. These include the Order of The Falconer series, the Order of Seven Devils series, the Order of These Monstrous Gods, and the Order of The Broken Accords. She does not currently have any standalone novels listed.
As of late 2023, Elizabeth May has written a total of eight books published across four series. These include three books in the Order of The Falconer series, two books in the Order of Seven Devils series, one book in the Order of These Monstrous Gods, and one book in the Order of The Broken Accords. More books are planned for these series.
The first book Elizabeth May wrote was The Falconer, published in 2013. This novel is the first installment in the Order of The Falconer series. It introduced readers to the world and characters that would form the basis of this fantasy series. This book marked her debut in the realm of published novels.
Elizabeth May's most recent published book is Seven Mercies, which was released in 2023. This novel is the second installment in the Order of Seven Devils series. It continues the narrative established in the first book of that series, Seven Devils, published in 2020.
Elizabeth May writes fantasy novels. Her work typically features elements of magic, adventure, and often explores themes of power, destiny, and the challenges faced by her characters within intricate, imaginative worlds. The specific subgenres within fantasy may vary across her series.
Dennis E. Taylor
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We verified the reading order for Elizabeth May's books by cross-referencing official publication dates, ISBN databases, and publisher catalogs.
Last verified: April 2026
Shelf & Shadows. (…). “Elizabeth May Books in Order.” Retrieved …, from https://www.shelfandshadows.com/authors/elizabeth-may