Madly Books in Order

The Madly series is one of M Leighton's most overtly imaginative worlds. It starts with mermaids, but it does not stay in simple underwater-fantasy territory for long. The larger premise pulls in escaped Lore, fairy tale descendants, magical prisons, and a heroine who finds out that her future is much bigger, and much riskier, than she expected.

Madly James is almost eighteen and, by the standards of her world, fairly ordinary for a princess. She is from Atlas, the protected underwater home of her people, and is spending time in the human world when everything goes wrong. A prison break releases powerful Lore, spirits tied to the stories humans think of as fairy tales, and they head for Slumber to awaken their descendants.

That gives the series its quest structure. In Madly, the crisis begins. In Madly & Wolfhardt, Madly has to face the first escaped Lore, a figure linked to wolves, obsession, and a curse that can spread. In Madly and the Jackal, the world opens further and the danger around Madly becomes even clearer.

Jackson Hamilton is a huge part of the emotional core. He is the Sentinel assigned to protect Madly, and their relationship gives the series its forbidden-love current. Madly has loved him for years, but wanting him is tangled up with duty, rank, and the future she is supposed to accept.

What keeps the series interesting is how it blends fairy tale elements with YA romance pacing. It has magical rules, but it also has longing, jealousy, pressure, and the very teenage feeling of wanting your own life while everyone keeps telling you what your destiny should be.

If you like paranormal YA that is a little unusual, a little dreamy, and very invested in the bond between a chosen heroine and the boy she is not supposed to have, Madly is worth a look. Read it in order, because the early books function like one extended buildup.