The Skeleton Faerie by A.P. Mobley: Review

Welcome to my review of The Skeleton Faerie by A.P. Mobley! I can’t get enough of Mobley’s books, and it’s one of my missions to get through her backlist.

Title: The Skeleton Faerie
Author: A.P. Mobley
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Sea of Ink Press
Pub Date: 11/08/25

Description

Faerie folklore meets a nuclear postapocalypse in this dark mythological fantasy woven with secrets, treachery, and star-crossed love.

Ninety-nine years after the Nuclear War of 1989, twenty-one-year-old Gus Brandon should only be interested in the survival of humanity and the expansion of his compound. But he’s obsessed with legends from the distant past, superstitions of an expired people.

While searching forbidden ruins for the scraps of stories lost to time, he stumbles upon a mysterious young woman covered in scars. Her name is Saoirse, and their meeting sets off a bloody chain of events—one in which Gus discovers that the folklore he loves just might be real, and that it’s tied to mankind in ways he could have never imagined.

Soon the lines between myth and reality blur, as do the lines between realms.

Gus will have to rely on his knowledge—and Saoirse—to survive the horrors awaiting him… in this world and the next.

Review

I love A.P. Mobley’s books because she always does a great job of bringing mythology to life with exciting plots and endearing characters. The Skeleton Faerie might be her most unique and twisted book so far with its blend of folklore and post-apocalyptic vibes.

It’s dark. It’s gory. It’s downright scary at times and definitely gave me a nightmare one night. But at the same time, there’s a tender, budding romance between the main characters Gus and Saoirse that’s a light amongst all the dark.

What I really loved about the book, beyond the worldbuilding and how smoothly the faerie folklore was integrated into the plot, were the twists and turns. My jaw was permanently stuck open, and I raced toward the ending to see how everything unraveled.

I’m eagerly awaiting the next book and would recommend this one if you’re looking for a fantasy that grabs you by the throat (and heart) and doesn’t let go.

*Thank you to the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.*

Author

A. P. Mobley is the Halloween-loving, rock-music-obsessed author of dark fantasy inspired by mythology. She doesn’t only write about her favorite myths, folktales, and fairy tales in her books, though; she discusses them on her podcast, Myths (& Folktales & Fairy tales), as well as on her blog and newsletter. She grew up in Wyoming and Nebraska and currently lives in South Dakota, and when she’s not up to her elbows in research for her next project, she can be found consuming dangerous amounts of coffee, reading speculative fiction, or rewatching The Good Place.