#but go read iron widow by xiran jay zhao if you want some good queer ya omg

[nightshade-anura]

walking past the "todays reccomended book" shelf in the works and seeing its tsats i think im gonna throw up

[4ragon]

any book recommendations?

Dooooooont fucking do this to me ahhhh okay. Okay. I have read 72 books so far this year and I have been having a blast so you may be unleashing a monster, let me just look through my Goodreads and see what I’ve read. I’ll put it under the cut so no one murders me.

Also. Mostly fantasy, fair warning. I like fantasy.

First!!! Since I finished it yesterday:

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

Debut novel, it’s a magical murder mystery romance with fun characters and magic and a bisexual main character, I had a blast with it. Plenty of twists and turns, some I predicted and some that managed to blindside me.

Also it literally just came out this year so no one else is posting about it. My library only just got it this month. Someone needs to talk to me about how fucked up some of this is.

(Also, I’d rate it M if it were on ao3. Lots of sex jokes. Suicidal characters. Be aware of that.)

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

Okay fair warning, every book in here is 1000 pages long. That is not hyperbole. Also some heavy themes, ie suicide, abuse, slavery, murder.

But this book is a MASTERCLASS in worldbuilding. Like. Holy shit this man puts so much detail in this series. I’ve only read through book 2 (well 2.5) and while it did take a bit to get through the initial hurdle of “I’m going to introduce a million fantasy concepts to you and you have to fucking roll with it” it’s well worth it. A lush world with some amazing characters. I’m enjoying the series.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

It’s a bunch of heists in a magical gritty setting with a bunch of awful people and I loved it a ton. Though it did make me really anxious. So anxious. Heist movies make me anxious. I love these guys.

I do think it’s weird to have them be 17 but I choose to ignore that. It’s got a great cast, and it’s sooooo fun to watch a plot unfold. It’s really good at giving you just enough information to constantly be at the edge of your seat.

Here’s one a bit out of left field: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

A musical version came out and I wanted to read the book before even touching that. And guys. One of the best books I’ve ever read. But. Trigger warning times 1000 by page 1, REALLY heavy. It’s the kind of book that beats you down for a while before things get better.

But they do get better. They do.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Queer as hell, angry as hell, basically mechs fighting aliens in a setting based loosely on ancient China. I was not expecting the romance to go the way it did but it made me very happy, and I’m so excited for the next book.

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

I’ve talked about this before. I love you Murderbot.

They’re all very short, action packed novellas. More serialized than I expected but that’s part of the charm! Plus Murderbot is such a great character. My favorite is the one actually novel length one but the whole thing is great.

Discworld by Terry Pratchett

This is a whole series you can read in any order. They’re genuinely laugh out loud funny and also heartfelt and beautiful . My favorites so far have been Guards! Guards!, Going Postal and Reaper Man

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

I know we’ve all run the “Lesbian necromancers in space” thing into the ground, but also Gideon may be one of my favorite characters in anything ever. She’s so fucking fun. She’s funny and crass in a way I feel like female protagonists rarely get to be. I love her.

Also. I have no idea what the fuck is happening. I think that’s part of the charm. Lots of worldbuilding going on in the background that makes no sense until the end and then you’re like holy shit. I love it.

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

So mix Pride and Prejudice with a murder mystery novel and the ridiculousness of a Discworld novel and you have this book. It’s so fun. One of the background characters is clearly a werewolf and it has nothing to do with the rest of the plot.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

I’ve already gushed about this book but it’s so found family. The absolute coziest feel-good novel I’ve read. Plus it’s queer as hell! One of my absolute favorites.

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

This book was just beautiful. Another one with some heavy themes, but I loved it. Aliens and demons, queer, trans mc, about music and hope and found family. Plus it got be back into reading so! It holds a special place in my heart.

Sorry. That was a lot. That’s not even all of them but these were some of my favorites.

[clotpolesonly]

So, I started a cleaning job where I don't have to talk to anyone, which is lovely, but it also meant I started listening to audiobooks, and I've started listening to some book series I've been hearing about here and there, and the latest was The Raven Cycle. Why? Because you posted about it. You are literally the only person on my dashboard to post about it, but the few ones I have seen over the last months? years? have been enough for me to be assured in it having queer rep, being well written, and potentially worth my time. And yeah, it very much was, cause now I'm kinda hooked on it, like not just Adam/Ronan, tho very much them as well, but Maggie even got me caring about a straight couple with Gansey/Blue, cause she just writes such beautiful and unique characters!!! And anyway, besides asking you if you have some favourite AO3 recs (Don't even care much about the ship, as long as it's with these characters) I come having finished The Raven King a week ago, and now humbly but also very desperately asking, do you have any other book recommendations like TRC for me to listen to?? (Oh, and maybe also whether or not the dreamer triology will be just as good? Cause I'm curious about it having Ronan in focus, but more than the story, it's the characters that got me hooked on TRC, and like Maggie Stiefvater's writing style, but yeah I'm unsure how much of Adam there is in the trilogy, and the new characters, are they just as intriguing??)

YESSSSSS I LOVE SNAGGING PEOPLE AND DRAGGING THEM INTO MY FANDOMS XD WELCOME

the Dreamer Trilogy has its pros and its cons. if does significantly shift the focus of the narrative away from the established group, so if the Gangsey found family dynamic is a really big factor in your enjoyment and you don't want to be without it, you'll be disappointed by TDT because the rest of the gang simply isn't present 😭 it's very much Lynch-(and new characters)-focused.

Ronan is the main character and gets the most screen time, but honestly, Declan steals the show in that series. people can go into TDT Declan haters and come out of it with rabid Declan brain rot afdkjgh, i for one am obsessed with him. Matthew gets a real arc too, which i love for him. Adam doesn't have a huge role but he is around and relevant. i am IN LOVE with some of the new characters, and Maggie got us again with the straights!!! she makes us fucking YEARN WITH THE STRAIGHTS, on par with Bluesey imo, the new canon ship destroys me ok??

i will say that TDT doesn't feel as cohesive and satisfying in the overall narrative structure sense, compared to TRC. there are some things about it that confuse/frustrate me or don't make sense if you look at it too closely 😅 but there's so much really interesting compelling character/relationship work that it makes up for it, for me. i enjoyed TDT a lot, have read it multiple times, and will definitely read it again. it expands upon the world and lore, and i'm a sluuuut for complicated dysfunctional family dynamics so the Lynches get me good.

.

as for other recs! in case my unrelenting TRC blogging isn't damning enough evidence, i'll admit openly that i tend to just read the same thing over and over again instead of reading anything new lfkdjgh, so i don't actually HAVE anything else to rec myself, i am useless to you 😅😅😅 so instead i reached out to some other fans on discord and got suggestions from them to share with you!

The Scorpio Races (also Maggie Stiefvater)

The Wicker King (K Ancrum)

Aristotle & Dante (Benjamin Alire Saenz)

A Darker Shade of Magic (VE Schwab)

Iron Widow (Xiran Jay Zhao)

In Other Lands (Sarah Rees Brennan)

Hell Followed With Us (Andrew Joseph White)

The Darkest Part of The Forest (Holly Black)

All Of Us Villains duology (Amanda Foody, CL Herman)

Self Made Boys (Anna Marie Mclemore)

Legendborn (Tracy Deonn)

Folk of the Air series (Holly Black)

Six of Crows duology (Leigh Bardugo)

Winternight trilogy (Katherine Arden)

Gideon the Ninth (Tamsyn Muir)

The Atlas Six (Olivie Blake)

so, again, i have not personally read any of these books to make the recs more specific or say what part of them invokes TRC vibes, but it sure is a place to start?? 😂

.

for fic recs, oh god, my brain is SWISS CHEESE, let's see if i can remember and dig up anything aldkfjg

(ok first i rec my own fics #shameless self promo)

Magnetic i've read SO MUCH and will again, it's everything to me

don't it beat a slow dance to death is a timeloop thing A+

I'm an Empathetic Drunk, Ok? is the first long TRC fic i read i think

All That I Know is Gone has dreamer!Declan, obsessed with this

King by the Roadside Gansey-didn't-die-the-first-time + polyam

A Sound Of Thunder Declan died instead of Niall 😭😭

aaaaaand these are the ones that are coming to my mind as of right now, the first 3 are all Pynch. i think the 4th has Pynch but it's mostly brother feels - that one introduces some elements from TDT but i don't thiiiiiink anything that would be a significant spoiler as long as you've read the short story Opal, which was included in my physical copy of TRK if it wasn't in yours, i have the epub). could hold off on that one until you (maybe) read TDT (if you wanna), but i've read it too many times not to rec it. 5th one hooks up the whole gang in one big polycule and i love it for that, and the last one hurts my HEART as a Declan stan but it's otherwise a great fic 😂

anybody else with TRC recs, add on/reply/hit @so-very-asleep up with 'em!!!

[ellie-tarts]

Hi ellieeee !! I wanted to ask if u have some book recommendations? You always have great taste :3c

hi ash hiiiiii

first off! the thief (1996) by megan whalen turner- gen is a proud thief, and his boasting lands him the impossible task of stealing an object of legends for the crown. but gen has his own plans, and perhaps the king is a fool to trust a thief this series is one of my favorites of all time. the first book is a fantasy heist novel set loosely in the byzantine empire, and gen is such a loveable rascal who i also want to punt across the room. and! after the first book of the series, political machinations start to come into play and things start to change as gen grows up and interacts more with the wider world around him. this series is a lot of fun, and truly some amazing pov work and dramatic irony happening as it unfolds

the left hand of darkness (1969) ursula k le guin- genly ai is a human sent as an ambassador to gethen, a planet where it is always winter (by his standards) and the people who live there do not have a biological sex the majority of the time and don't really have the concept of gender. however, ai definitely does, and it's a point of friction between him and the aliens. whether or not this is a queer story is a difficult question, but it is still a wonderful book about what it means to be human and what it means to be alien. and also what is a country and where do we owe our loyalties and! it is also a story about going on a perilous journey and coming out the other side with an understanding and an unbreakable bond

iron widow (2021) xiran jay zhao- i feel like i'm late to the bandwagon, but i just read this last month and loved it! and now i want heavenly tyrant so bad _(:3」∠)_ iron widow is a queer mecha scifi reimagining of the rise of the chinese empress wu zetian. zetian is such an outspoken character who won't stand for anything getting between her and her goals, and the book follows her as she carves a path through the society that raised her. she is a delight. i support women's wrongs

the traitor baru cormorant (2015) seth dickinson- baru cormorant is a young child when the empire of masks comes to her home. instead of conquest, they offer trade and money. educated in an imperial school, this book follows baru in her first posting as the imperial accountant in a country up north that has also recently been subjugated to the empire. as political unrest brews in the north, baru has to consider what choices to make and how far she's willing to go. is baru cormorant a traitor? i hesitate to recommend this book, but i sure thought about it for a month straight so i suppose it can go on this list. it's. kind of a slog to get through. life in the empire of masks can be a string of attrocities, and baru faces racism, sexism, and homophobia everywhere she turns. but also i do love baru bc she is messy and multifaceted and loves to lie 👍🏻 i wish life was kinder to her. im afraid to keep reading book 2 bc i know her life is just going to get worse

other things i have read recently and enjoyed: padawan by kiersten white and the new canon thrawn trilogies by timothy zahn. but these are star wars books, and probably not what you're looking for lol

anyways! thank you for asking mwah mwah. i hope you find something good to read even if it's not one of these. and possibly send some book recommendations my way 💕💕

[ladygrey412]

Alright I'm going to add my extremely small list. Okay so that was a lie. 16 is not a small list. Some of these are romance, some of these just have really good polyam representation, and I added a 3rd section of honorable mentions down at the bottom which are books that I think do a really good job at not making monogamous relationships miserable to read. A lot of these are sci-fi or fantasy and I don't know if that is more a "me problem" or plus for sci-fi.

✨✨First up Monogamy is Dumb ✨✨

1)Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao Classic story of boy loves girl, girl loves different boy, first boy goes 👀. (Triangles are the strongest shape). Oh and don't forget the heavy sci-fi and giant Mecha. YA novel with enough intrigue for everyone. Rep: Disability

2) The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison. Not a romance novel but. It's big on digging into queerness and identity including a polyam relationship. Heavy fantasy and apocalypse vibes with an older MC. Rep: Disability, Trans

3) Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Wayfarer Series) by Becky Chambers. Also not a romance but it has a main sapphic romance and the alien partner is from a species that is exclusively polyam. It is all about the value of friendships and is quiet literally about how the real treasure is the friends we made along the way. Rep: Autism

3) Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. (Suggested by the Fiancee). "He is Poly and gay*. You find it everywhere in his books if you know where to look." *Sorry he's not technically gay because according to him that would mean straight people would have to exist.

4) Hunger Pangs by Joy Demorra. Good ol' classic vampire falls in love with a werewolf and they can't help but fall for a mysterious woman. This gets to sit here because it has a non spicy version but... If you want the spice it comes with all the fun of Vampires and BDSM. Rep: Disability, BDSM

🔥🔥🔥 Now for the polyamorous spice. 🔥🔥🔥

6) Sex Wizards Series by Alethea Faust. WHAT. I felt like i should start with the heavy BDSM sex magic book if I'm talking spice. No but seriously some of the best representation of BDSM and healthy polyam in many different ways. And plot somehow. Rep: Non-Binary, Asexual, Disability, Heavy BDSM

7) Rescued my Married Monster Hunters by Ennis Rook Bashe. What if you are a poor monster trying to be human and a sweet couple can't stop doting on you. No one would blame a lil monster for falling for that. Rep: Trans, Disability

8) Pack Saint Clair Series by Thora Woods. Reverse Harem gets much more interesting when the people the MC is getting involved with are an established Polyam Pack (ABO style). Sometimes falling in love with one person means you end up falling for 4. Rep: Mild BDSM, Trauma Recovery

9) Drag Me Up by R.M. Virtues. What if Hades/Persephone was healthy and T4T. Super sweet and spicy romance about defying expectations. Rep: Trans, Mild BDSM

10) In the Court of the Nameless Queen by Natalie Ironsides. A bunch of short stories around a Giant Spider queen and the many people who love her. Literally this is a bunch of sapphic porn about a clan of warrior women. It slaps Rep: Trans, Heavy Kink and BDSM

11) The Strongest Shape by Tessa Cardenas. This is in my liked books. And i distinctly remember loving the way it dealt with a new person entering a more established pair. I can not remember anything else besides it was spicy and gay.

Honorable Mentions

These books explore relationships in super queer and non-traditional ways. But might not be considered "polyamory"

12) Psalm for the Wild Built (and the Monk and Robot series) by Becky Chambers. Toe to Tip that's a QPR. It's just a really wholesome book about a robot and a human meeting. Lots of passive polyamory here too (expecially in the second book). To say the least Becky Chambers is great. Rep: Non-Binary, Robots (it/its), Anxiety

13) The City we Became by N.K. Jemison While I am expounding great authors I have to include Jemison's other book which is really all about queer friendship and the importance of have friends. On the backdrop of people becoming the city and fighting Eldritch Monsters Rep: Trans, Asexual Characters

14) The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Super casual background polyamory by murderbot's humans but it's not into any of that stuff. It is here to cause problems and make friends though. Rep: Robot (it/its), Trauma Recovery, Asexual, Autism

15) The Tarot Sequence by K.D. Edwards. I'm putting this here because it's currently just MLM but there are these big hints being dropped for a Triad. Lots of fun around being shoved into a position of power before you are ready and only having your friends at your back. Rep: Disability, Trauma Recovery

16) Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James. This book is literally indescribable but it tackles gender, relationships and African History in such a nice package I can't help but add it. Rep: Genderqueer/Non-Binary

17) Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly. No technical polyamory but it does such a beautiful job mixing the complex nature of being in love with the literal collapse of free government. It also has older MCs and a whole ton of Drama.

Do you have any book recommendations with poly relationships? Preferably fiction. I’ve been avoiding reading romance recently because everything is based on monogamous relationships and it gets tiring after a while.

I recommend checking the notes on this post where someone else asked. There are a lot of things recommended by others that I haven't gotten around to reading. 📖 I totally feel you with the mono romances being a drag sometimes. Its real bad when jealousy is a major point :/

[lacependragon]

Recent Reads [Sep 8, 2022]

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao | 5 Stars

Scifantasy mechas and polyamorous badasses. An incredibly dark and nuanced take on a harsh and brutal patriarchal society constantly on the brink of extinction. A fantastic mystery that you can sort out the vague but not the specific, and some really neat twists and turns.

Iron Widow is a story about trust, about anger, about the power of rage and vengeance, and about the softness that can make us stronger if only the right people see it. It's about learning to see past the surface and to question everything more deeply than you have before.

It was so, so good.

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride | 4 Stars

A story of grief written in verse that I just. I don't know how to explain this. I really don't. It's interesting and has a gorgeous rhythm and the story of it made me feel really deeply. A romance and a story of grief and a roadtrip and a few things that are more. I loved it.

The Factory Witches of Lowell by C. S. Malerich | 4 Stars

Historical fantasy focused around a union, a bunch of queer women, and the bullshit of the cotton industry. Has a lot of really good commentary on the world. I loved this a lot and I thought it had a lot of cool little bits of foreshadowing, especially toward the workings of the magic.

It's a story about unity, about love, about trust, about standing together against hell, and about the things we give up in a horrible environment.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe | 4 Stars

I have a lot of feelings about this book, good ones, but it dug up a lot of things in my head. I recommend reading it if you haven't. Like, seriously.

So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens | 4 Stars

This is an incredibly cheesy, incredibly tropey, incredibly dramatic YA fantasy romance between two childhood best friends (both guys) that spins the chosen one trope by having the story start as he kills the evil bad guy. It's so much fun? It plays with tropes and it's VERY gay. And queer!

I had so much fun with this one. It was silly and good and I saw every single thing coming but I had so much fun getting to it.

It's friendship and communication and trust and love and listening to yourself and having courage and letting go and it even talks about the trauma of being a chosen one.

ALSO HIS FUCKING NAME IS AREK. FANTASY ERIK. I DIDN'T REALIZE UNTIL AFTER I FINISHED THE DAMN BOOK.

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller | 3 Stars

The more I think about this book the more mediocre I think it was, but it was quick to read and I loved Kellyn. I have a very specific image of what he looks like in my head. And it's probably very wrong. But shhh. He's hot in my head and he's hot in the book. That's what matters.

A story about a bladesmith with anxiety and her sister and the adventure and struggle they go on in order to escape a warlord who wants to use the bladesmith's talents to conquer the world.

It honestly feels a lot like the fantasy stories I wrote when I was 16, but I liked the characterization and the magic.

Setting was weak af though.

[gimmeromance]

Ask from a user who wants to remain anonymous:

Anon request please? Firstly, thank you for this blog I've been getting wonderful reads from your posts. Secondly, are there such thing as cathartic romances? Like a book that's still about falling in love, but also is good for having a good cry? I've read fanfic like this but I'd love to read some traditional romance with this vibe if possible!

Nothing like a good cry, is there? Especially when there’s a happy ending! Here are some romances that made us tear up, though your mileage may vary. One thing we noticed as we were going through is you may want to take a look at authors who came from fandom, queer authors, disabled authors, and authors of color -- all of whom seem to write more of what you like.

Sweet Solace by Alexa Padgett - M/F - Open Door - Contemporary Rockstar Romance, CW: Suicide, book 1 of the Seattle Sound series which are all standalones with characters who know each other and varying levels of angst - try Between Breaths for a double dose of tears

Back to the Start by Elle Keating - M/F - Open Door - Contemporary Sports Romance, Second Chance Romance, CW: Miscarriage

The Butterfly Project by Emma Scott - M/F - Unknown - Contemporary Romance, CW: Missing Family Member, CW: Anxiety

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert - M/F - Open Door - Contemporary Romance, Interracial Romance, Disabled Romance, Plus-Sized Romance, CW: Chronic Pain, CW: Past Abusive Relationship, CW: Medical Trauma, CW: Gaslighting

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert - M/F - Open Door - Contemporary Romance, Interracial Romance, Plus-Sized Romance, Bisexual Romance, CW: Character Death, CW: Anxiety

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert - M/F - Open Door - Contemporary Romance, Interracial Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Neurodivergent Romance, Plus-Sized Romance, CW: Ableism, CW: Child Neglect

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros - M/M - No Sex - Gaslamp Romance, Historical Romance, Young Adult, Jewish Romance, CW: Child Sexual Assault, CW: Character Death, CW: A whole bunch more

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer - M/F - Closed Door - Jewish Romance, Hanukkah Romance, Disabled Romance, CW: Ableism, CW: Bullying

Love, Only Better by Paulette Stout - M/F - Open Door - Women’s Fiction, Interracial Romance, Jewish Romance, Contemporary Romance, CW: Depression, CW: Sexual Dysfunction

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao - M/M/F - Closed Door - Young Adult, Disabled Romance, CW: Rape, CW: Domestic Abuse, CW: A whole bunch more

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade - M/F - Open Door - Disabled Romance, Contemporary Romance, Plus-Sized Romance, Older Romance, Neurodivergent Romance, CW: Ableism, CW: Sexism, CW: Fatphobia 

All The Feels by Olivia Dade - M/F - Open Door - Contemporary Romance, Plus-Sized Romance, Disabled Romance, Older Romance, Neurodivergent Romance, CW: Ableism, CW: Fatphobia

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - F/F - Open Door - Young Adult, Bisexual Romance, Lesbian Romance, Interracial Romance, CW: Missing Family Member

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham - M/F - Open Door - Historical Romance, Regency Romance, CW: Period Appropriate Sexism, CW: Past Sexual Abuse

The Language of Flowers by Christina Rose Andrews - M/F - Open Door - Contemporary Romance, Interracial Romance, Second Chance Romance, CW: PTSD

How to Start a Scandal by Madeline Martin - M/F - Open Door - Regency Romance, Historical Romance, Second Chance Romance, Disabled Romance, CW: Fatphobia, CW: Body Trauma, CW: Emotional Abuse, CW: PTSD

The Duke, The Lady, and a Baby by Vanessa Riley - M/F - No Sex - Historical Romance, Disabled Romance, Regency Romance, Interracial Romance, CW: Suicide, CW: Sexual Harassment, CW: Child Abuse/Neglect

My Heart’s in the Highlands by Amy Hoff - F/F - Open Door - Historical Romance, Time Travel Romance, Highlander Romance, Victorian Romance, CW: Period-Typical Sexism, CW: Dubious Consent

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra - M/M heading toward M/M/F - Open Door - Paranormal Romance, Vampire Romance, Shifter Romance, Neurodivergent Romance, CW: Medical Trauma, CW: PTSD, CW: Parental Abuse, CW: Domestic Abuse (Female on Male)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - F/F & M/F - Closed Door - This is on the edge of romance but it is definitely an emotional journey - Literary Fiction, Historical Romance, CW: Sexual Assault, CW: Child Abuse, CW: Character Death, CW: Sexism, CW: Racism, CW: Homophobia, CW: Discussion of Abortion, CW: Discussion of Miscarriage

Feral Heart by Regina Griffiths - M/F - No Sex - Women’s Fiction, Interracial Romance, Second Chance Romance, CW: Character Death, CW: Suicide, CW: Miscarriage, CW: Animal Injury 

The Deal by Elle Kennedy - M/F - Open Door - New Adult Romance, Hockey Romance, Sports Romance, CW: Rape, CW: Child Abuse, CW: Domestic Abuse

The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen - M/F - Open Door - New Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance, Hockey Romance, Disabled Romance, CW: Suicidal Ideation, CW: Domestic Abuse (Female on Male)

Beg, Borrow, Steal by Susie Tate - M/F - Closed Door - Contemporary Romance, Medical Romance, Workplace Romance, CW: Teacher/Student Relationship

Perdition by Lindsay Ouimet - M/F - Closed Door - Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, CW: Slut-Shaming (Note: Ending is borderline Happy For Now, on the edge of what we’d consider a happy ending)

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins - M/F - Closed Door/No Sex - Young Adult, Dystopian Romance, Sci-Fi Romance, CW: Character Death, CW: Graphic Depictions of Violence, CW: PTSD

*These suggestions are not endorsements. Please read the description and the reviews to decide whether you want to read the books!

[peggyrose19]

oh boy oh boy my spreadsheet is coming in handy. not all of these are lgbtq+ (i'll mark the ones that are) but they are all fantasy! i also have a bunch of LGBTQ+ romance recs if anyone is interested in those.

*if anyone wants content warnings for these let me know or try out this website which is my new favorite thing*

middle grade:

race to the sun - rebecca roanhorse (a riordan presents book, based on navajo mythology and culture)

storm runner series - j. c. cervantes (rick riordan presents again, based on maya mythology; physically disabled main character)

reckless series - cornelia funke

rick riordan's actual books are also really great for all sorts of representation, especially as the series get on. am happy to go more specific if people are curious! and look into the riordan presents ones too if you don't see one you like here, he's supporting a whole bunch of authors writing about their own mythology and it's really cool, and from my experience all really good

young adult:

gotta rec the grishaverse books by leigh bardugo, especially the six of crows duology and king of scars duology. you do have to read the shadow and bone trilogy for kos to make sense. it's a bit of a drag but worth it (LQBTQ+ rep in the duologies, physical and mental disabilities, characters of color)

ballad of songbirds and snakes - susanne collins (hunger games is a classic so ofc i gotta rec this one

legendborn series - tracy deonn (LGBTQ+ rep, characters of color, physically disabled side character)

these violent delights and foul lady fortune duologies - chloe gong (historical fantasy; characters of color)

hollow star saga - ashley shuttleworth (LGBTQ+ rep as in all the main characters are queer in some way)

the raven cycle series - maggie stiefvater (LGBTQ+ rep, mostly in book 4)

sweet and bitter magic - adrienne touley (LGBTQ+ rep)

crier's war duology - nina varela (LGBTQ+ rep)

iron widow series - xiran jay zhao (LGBTQ+ rep, characters of color, disabled characters, my beloved i am on a mission to make everyone read this book cause i adore it)

adult:

book of night series - holly black

firekeeper's daughter and warrior girl unearthed - angeline boulley (indigenous american based in the UP of michigan; please check the content warnings for these! both deal with heavy subjects) (oh also these aren't fantasy but i absolutely adore them so i couldn't help it)

dangerous damsels trilogy - india holton (i class these as romance fantasy, they're very funny and enjoyable)

crescent city series - sarah j maas (although i think you also need to have read acotar)

ladies of the secret circus and a witch in time - constance sayers (both historical witchy fantasy)

sadly i don't appear to have a whole lot of adult recs but hopefully i can add in some more as i read more. hope these help!

book recs 📖✨

hi pals, I need help! I'm looking for book recs for this year and I know a lot of you will have some. I'm specifically looking for LGBTQ+ fantasy and idk how to find the good stuff - I've read captive prince but that's about it and I'll take literally anything in that sort of arena.

if anyone has any recommendations I would love to hear them! thank you. x

[omgbookjunkielovetodance]

Hold up I love reading so I got a few,

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao:

scifi fantasy, inspired by a lot of traditional chinese elements, (authors super cool), love triangle but actually a triangle not that angle shit, definitely has bite

Upright women wanted by Sarah Gailey:

Western, Novella, queer

The Foxhole Court by Nora Skaovic:

Definitely read the trigger warnings for this one, no in your face romance till the third book, Plenty of bite, I personally have brain rot for these characters but I get that not everyone will

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

1920's (? I've forgotten tbh), Horror/suspense, super spooky and cool

If we were Villains by ML Rio:

Shakespearean actors get wild in a dark academia type of way

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee:

A tad more on the hallmark side than the other recs but def not without a bit of nibble to it, 1800's I think dudes go on a trip around europe and shenanigans occur, what shenanigans? I honestly can't remember it's been a while since I read it but I did enjoy it

Neon Gods by Kater Robert:

Personally not one of my favs but they do genuinely fuck and a lot of other folks like it so I added it, Hades/Persephone retelling

Cut and Run by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux:

Kinda hard to find at the library but if you look up the title and "free" there's a couple websites that have it on there, buddy cop smut sorta deal, one of my fav quick reads (each book is kinda short even though the actual series is pretty long)

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat:

might wanna look up the trigger warnings for this one as well, rival king 1 got sold to rival king 2 as a slave but king 2 doesn't know and now they have to be sneaky while dodging political plays, also a fav, also could be a good balance for romance but some solid plot

Covenant by explodikid:

Graphic novel, very cool religious themes they play with, everyone is smoking hot

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir:

People call it a romance and kinda? I guess? more scifi/fantasy than anything else, necromancers in space, fantastic read, it's okay if you read it and get confused almost everyone does

Prince of the Sorrows by Kellen Graves:

complicated magic system, heavy romance but not Hallmark style of that makes sense?, kindle unlimited only I think

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl:

perhaps a tad more fluffy than the others, a gaggle of vampire exes from one asshole fuckboy vampire band together to kill him, modernish day

A taste of gold and iron by Alexandra Rowland:

10/10 panic attack disorder rep, fantasy prince has to solve a crime that happened in the kingdom with the help of his guard, truly a great read it's on this years top favorite books for me

Plain bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth and Sara Lautman:

biting is in fact part of the story funnily enough, horror, great read, if you're skeeved out by bugs consider skipping it though (I have a massive phobia but I was able to get though it after putting it down a few times)

I do love my queer bitches so most of these are some form of queer couple with a few straights thrown in there. Honestly can't remember which of these have sex in them and which don't so I hope you're ready for a surprise.

lowkey i think i do wanna get more into the romance genre but like i sorta cant stand the softer hallmarkier stuff even if its like Queer Lit tm. i need romance that BITES i need romance that FUCKS.