I have such a hangover from binge-watching the Netflix Chinese TV series "Love Between Fairy and Devil."
The series was released in 2022. Here's the premise of the show: an average fairy accidentally releases the most powerful evil being in the three realms, but in turn she binds them together with a curse, so he has to put up with her for so long, they eventually fall in love! *Squeal*
I can't even begin to start to praise the amazing acting, just a terrific performance from the two main leads: Yu Shuxin and Wang He Di. Not to mention some hilarious body swapping scenes as a consequence of the curse that are both cringey but FANTASTIC! Hahahaha!
I recommend coming into this show with an open mind to help you get through the cheesiness of the first few episodes, because I promise you, it is SO worth it to get to the end.
I admit the fairy character will get super annoying but that's just exactly what makes the devil character's sacrifice so much more delicious!
The show is clean fantasy. The language is Mandarin/Chinese with English subtitles.
It's got all the yummy goodness of swoonworthy fantasy romance with tropes such as:
Touch her and d1e
Enemies-to-lovers
Slow-burn
Love triangle (I don't normally like this trope but it's soo good in this show!)
K1ll for your love/D1e for your love
Lovers as equal partners
The most AMAZING "villain decay" of all time *chef's kiss*
One of my favorite quotes from the show is:
"For her, I will alter fate."
*OMGSWOON*
Let's hear it for all our adorably HOT, misunderstood/wrongly-convicted evil demons! I just can't get enough of them. I am so glad to find these handsome devils in book form too!
Note: I mostly found New Adult reads with this similar theme but read on to find the bonus Young Adult reads below too!
Check out these fantastic New Adult books you should read after watching the Netflix TV series "Love Between Fairy and Devil"
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon: Mead Mishaps 1 by Kimberly Lemming
All I wanted to do was live my life in peace. Maybe get a cat, expand my spice farm. Really anything that doesn't involve going on a quest where an orc might rip my face off. But they say the Goddess has favourites. If so, I'm clearly not one of them.
After saving the demon Fallon in a wine-drunk stupor, all he wanted to do was kill an evil witch enslaving his people.
I mean, I get it, don't get me wrong. But he's dragging me along for the ride, and I'm kind of peeved about it. On the bright side, he keeps burning off his shirt.
Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex: Demonized Book 1) by Annette Marie
When I arrived at my uncle's house, I expected my relatives to be like me—outcast sorcerers who don't practice magic. I was right about the sorcery, but wrong about everything else.
My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I'm supposed to act like I don't know how illegal and dangerous it is.
All I had to do was keep my nose out of it. Pretend I didn't find the summoning circle in the basement. Pretend I didn't notice the shadowy being trapped inside it. Pretend I didn't break the rules.
But I did, and now it's too late.
Ivy & Bone: A Hades and Persephone Romance by R.L. Perez
Prue is an earth witch, blessed with power from the Triple Goddess. Still mourning the loss of her twin sister, Prue summons the devil himself from the Underworld, intent on bringing her sister back from the dead. But when she meets him—a handsome man named Cyrus—he is more deadly and alluring than she anticipated. Prue tricks him into binding his blood with hers, granting her access to his powers over the dead.
But the bond also unlocks the gates to the Underworld, unleashing the spirits within.
Now Cyrus is bound to her in more ways than one.
Desperate to close the gates and save the mortal realm from unholy destruction, Prue and Cyrus must work together to undo their bargain. But against her better judgment, Prue is enthralled by his seductive nature, and she finds herself falling for the devil himself.
Wind Across the Silver Blade (Yokai Bonds Book 1) by Catharine Glen
Young noblewoman Yumi seeks a new purpose in exile. But when a dangerous power awakens within her, she is forced to flee once more. Lost in the mountain forest, she discovers a forgotten shrine guarding an ancient secret — and a demon from the past. Drawn into the treacherous world of yokai, can Yumi trust the captivating winged demon — or will he use her for his own ends?
Touma, next leader of the great tengu, wakes from a deadly battle to a human girl tending his wounds — three centuries later. Worse, they share a soulbond, an unexpected complication he must resist at all costs. For there is more to Yumi than he initially believes, and their link may be the catalyst of a devastating threat. Faced with the loss of an unreachable past, Touma has nothing left to protect — except the girl with the secret to time itself.
The dangers of Touma's past lurk in the present, his future irrevocably linked to hers. As their enemies close in, Yumi may be the final hope against an ancient god bent on revenge — or the very conduit for his cause.
Curse of the Dragon Heir by S. R. Breaker
A headstrong Fae mage accidentally sets a mysterious evil demon free but he may be the key to unlocking her powers…
Second-born of the High Fae mage family of the Priori clan of Arcadia, Soleia was only expected to do certain things. Mind her dull familial duties. Undergo training to master portal summoning, the rarest form of casting among her people. Free a dangerous demon from a fifty-year-old curse and release him into their village -- well, that was an accident!
If only the Priori elders' solution wasn't to bind the evil demon to her to ensure everyone's safety. If only Soleia hadn't been lying about actually having any powers all these years. If only the gorgeous demon's intense gold-red gaze didn't send delicious shivers up her spine.
Soleia can no longer escape her fate. She has to harness her magic, keep the cursed demon at bay, and somehow keep her secret.
But the demon has secrets too. And while Soleia discovers that he is much more than he seems, a decades-long conflict for the fate of Arcadia comes to light. It could also be the key to unlocking her powers...
The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg
Enna knows to fear the mystings that roam the wildwood near her home. When one tries to kill her to obtain an enchanted stone, Enna takes a huge risk: fighting back with a mysting of her own.
Maekallus’s help isn’t free. His price? A kiss. One with the power to steal her soul. But their deal leaves Maekallus bound to the mortal realm, which begins eating him alive. Only Enna’s kiss, given willingly, can save him from immediate destruction. It’s a temporary salvation for Maekallus and a lingering doom for Enna. Part of her soul now burns bright inside Maekallus, making him feel for the first time.
Enna shares Maekallus’s suffering, but her small sacrifice won’t last long. If she and Maekallus can’t break the spell binding him to the mortal realm, Maekallus will be consumed completely—and Enna’s soul with him.
Blood Moon Sanctum (A Curse of Obsidian & Silver Book 1) by Zian Schafer
‘Daughter of the Blood Moon,’ they call her.
‘The winner of the war,’ they said.
‘The princess that will bring the gods back,’ they claim.
War is waging between the Black Bloods and the Paragon Dawn. The time has come for the other kingdoms to pick a side. Except there’s one thing that will get in the way of pledging their unwavering allegiance: Every king wants Princess Devereux’s heart on a platter, or worse, a ring on her finger.
Her plan is simple; she must find the witch who cursed her and stay hidden in plain sight so the prophecy may never come to life. Only one of those two things has been doable. Running from her crown was easy. Dabbling in black-market trade has its benefits. Getting rid of the curse, however, seems to be a fallacy.
Her truth will be found in the pages of a long-forgotten book. But some books aren’t meant to be read.
Some doors should never be unlocked.
Because when he comes out, he’s not going back in. And once he is out, there’s no telling what monsters will crawl out of Hell with him.
Eighteen Wishes: The Djinn of Las Vegas by C.K. Sorens
Note: This one is sort of reverse gender, she's the genie he needs to free.
500 years ago, djinn-hunter Isra Almasi was cursed to become the very creature she was born to kill.
Isra needs to grant eighteen wishes to escape the genie’s curse. To free herself means to free all genies, even the dangerous ones, and Isra refuses to play djinn games.
The djinn are tired of waiting on the sidelines for Isra to free their brethren. They threaten the life of Isra’s new master, Jacoa, to force his wishes. Their bond requires that she keep him alive. As they grow closer, her heart demands more.
With danger forcing their hand, will their growing connection help them break free? Or will playing the game of Eighteen Wishes prove just another trap?
BONUS: Check out these Young Adult books with similar themes to the Netflix TV series "Love Between Fairy and Devil"
Heart of Shadow (Seven Swords Book 1) by Sarah K. L. Wilson
Touch her and you die. He's her spirit bodyguard and he's lived a thousand lives to be ready for this one quest: keeping her safe.
I'm hiding in my father's closet, desperately picking the lock on a box containing an ancient evil when he emerges. He doesn't seem all that evil. But neither did my friends before they turned into monsters. I'd like to think that I don't need him. But I love books and he loves battles. I'm used to drinking tea and he's used to drinking the blood of his enemies. Or whatever his kind drink. In a world stricken by plague, all my friends have become terrifying monsters, and I have no other option but to trust him to keep me safe. He'll teach me to hunt those monsters and I'll try not to fall hopelessly in love with him.
Red Winter (The Red Winter Trilogy Book 1) by Annette Marie
Emi has spent her entire life hiding from the creatures that hunt her. The savage earth spirits are determined to kill her before she can become the living host of a goddess, so she stays hidden--until the day she saves the life of one of her hunters.
Shiro isn't the harmless fox spirit she thought he was. He's mysterious, cunning, unpredictable ... and now hers to command. He's sworn to pay his debt to her, but he doesn't know who she is. If he finds out, he'll kill her.
But she can't send him away--not yet. Her future isn't what she thought. The lies surrounding her fate have begun to unravel, and she needs answers before time runs out--answers that lie in the spirit realm. Shiro can take her there ... if she dares to trust him.
And only then will she find out how deep the gods' treachery runs.
Know any more books where an evil demon/creature/god is freed by the main character and then they end up falling in love? Let us know in the comments!
This article was written by S. R. Breaker.
S. R. Breaker is a USA Today Bestselling Author of fast-paced, offbeat YA/NA fantasy romance books. She lives in New Zealand with her husband and two kids. Suburban mum by day and author by night, she loves to live vicariously through her characters. They don’t have to vacuum all day long and are almost always guaranteed to survive any fantastical or thrilling incidents, no matter how treacherous she writes them.
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