Recommended reading: 'Dreams and Shadows'

Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill (writer of the freaky good movie Sinister and also known as Massawyrm from Ain't It Cool News) is a complex novel. It's part fairy tale (think Grimm, not Disney) part urban fantasy, and all dark. Despite numerous comparisons to Neil Gaiman, the book reads more like an Andrew Lang Fairy Book -- simple language that highlights the darkness and the violence woven throughout the story. And it pulls out all the tropes.

The book follows the lives of Ewan (taken by the fae as a baby) and Colby (be-friended by a Djinn as a child) from their star-crossed childhood to their anguished adulthood. Throw in some angels, some hellhounds and a healthy dose of whiskey and you've got a pretty fun read.

Just don't expect any happily ever afters.

-Kristine Zoshak