#like I enjoyed Hani and Ishu’s guide to fake dating so much

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[queer-book-character-tournament]

We've run enough of these tournaments that it's probably past time to make a compiled post

Previous winners of the queer book character tournament:

Eric "Bitty" Bittle from Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu

Wei Wuxian fromMo Dao Zu Shi/Grand Master of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Andrew Minyard and Neil Josten from All for The Game by Nora Sakavic

Previous winners of the queer book ship tournament:

Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji from Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grand Master of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus- The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

Also since I'll be pinning this post:

i do want to remind everyone to be respectful in these polls. even if you don’t personally like one of the books listed, or your favorite is losing, someone else still submitted that book because they like it and you’re being rude to them and everyone else who enjoys that book when you’re complaining about it.

propaganda is always welcome and encouraged. i consider these tournaments to be book recommendations first and a tournament second, so i love propaganda and try to reblog as much of it as i can. but propaganda should be about why your book/ship/character is good, not why the other one is bad. that kind of behavior will get people blocked, which is really not something i want to have to do so lets all have fun instead

How the game works:

These tournaments are submission based. I post a form, leave it open for a few days, sort through the answers, and then post a list I half jokingly call quality control for you guys: the viewers at home.

The quality control is because I can’t reasonably have read every book these submissions come from. So I post a list for you guys to let me know any mistakes: characters/ships that don’t meet the requirements, repeats on the list, misspellings (I copy paste from the submissions, so if they’re misspelled and I don’t know the character I’m not going to know to fix it), or anything like that. Quality control is open until the polls actually go up, at which point tumblr doesn’t let polls be edited.

Matchups are randomly generated. This is to keep things fair.

Round one is groups of four and lasts a week to let everyone have a chance to realize the tournament has started and promote their favs.

After that rounds are 1v1 and last for three days (if the number is odd there will be one three way poll).

The final round will last one week.

List of participants in past tournaments starting with most recent (if anyone wants to use this as a reading list):

Queer Book Ship Tournamnet 2024:

Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard - All For The Game by Nora Sakavic

Nicky Hemmick/Erik Klose - All For The Game by Nora Sakavic

Jean Moreau/Jeremy Knox - The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic 

Catalina Alvarez/Laila Dermott - The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic 

Daniel Molloy/Armand - The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice

Silas Bell/Daphne Luckenbill - The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Jacqueline "Jack" Wolcott/Alexis Chopper - Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire

Simon Torquill/Patrick Lorden/Dianda Lorden - October Daye series by Seanan McGuire

Linus Baker/Arthur Parnassus - The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Kelly Bennett/Robbie Fontaine - Green Creek series by T J Klune

Yadriel Vélez Flores/Julian Diaz - Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas 

Lark/Rosethorn - Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce

Shallan Davar/Adolin Kholin - The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

Jude/Pixie - Stake Sauce Arc 1: The Secret Ingredient is Love (No, Really) by RoAnna Sylver 

Jude/Jasper/Felix - Stake Sauce Acr 2: Everybody's Missing (Somebody) by RoAnna Sylver

Cliopher Mdang/Fitzroy Angursell - Hands of the Emperor/At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard

Terec of Lund/Conju an Vilius - The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

Baru Cormorant/Tain Hu - The Traitor Baru Cormorant/The Masquerade by Seth Dickinson

Humaira Khan/Ishita Dey - Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish - The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Carmen Farooq-Lane/Liliana - The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

Alistair Lowe/Gavin Grieves - All of Us Villains/All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman

Tatianna/Clarissa - Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Wylan van Eyck/Jesper Fahey - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Nina Zenik/Matthias Hevlar - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Nina Zenik/Hanne Brum - King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Bellsona Steelcrest/Eris Shindanai - Gearbreaker series by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Jace Boucher/Aaron Slaughter - House of Slaughter by James Tynion IV

Ballister Blackheart/Ambrosius Goldenloin - Nimona by N.D. Stevenson 

Norma/Badyah - Deadendia by Hamish Steele

Barney/Logan/Asmodeus - Deadendia by Hamish Steele

Red/Blue - This is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Addam Saint Nicholas/Rune Saint John - The Tarot Sequence by K. D. Edwards

Eadaz uq-Nāra/Sabran Berethnet - The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Oberyn Martel/Ellaria Sand - Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Leo Merritt/Tristan Drake - The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan

Stevie/Nora - Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick 

Wu Zetian/Li Shimin/Gao Yizhi - Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus- The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

Laura/Carmilla - Carmilla by J Sheridan Le Fanu

Susan Arkshaw/Merlin St. Jacques - The Left Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

Beth Cassidy/Addy Hanlon - Dare Me by Megan Abbott

Alec Campion/Richard St Vier - Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

Salim/The Jinn - American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Audrey Wells/Harper Harper/Merritt Eamons - Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth

Blythe Melbourne/Delaney Keating - Black Iris by Leah Raeder & Elliot Wake

Güzel/Marthe Gaultier - The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett

Tyrannus Basilton (“Baz”) Grimm-Pitch/Simon Snow - Carry On Series by Rainbow Rowell

Agatha Wellbelove/Niamh Brody - Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

Will Kempen/James St Clair - Dark Rise series by C.S. Pacat

Damianos (“Damen”) of Akielos/Laurent of Vere - Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

Tara Boone/Penny - All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters

Rosemary Harper/Sissix Seshkethet - The Wayfarers: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Ariadne O'Neill/Elena Quesada-Cruz/Chikondi Daka/Jack Vo - To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers 

Robin of Berecrofts/Katelijne Sersanders - House of Niccolò by Dorothy Dunnett

Oliver Marks/James Farrow - If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Dorian/Zachary Ezra Rawlins - The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern 

Rhy Maresh/Alucard Emery - Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Addie LaRue/Luc - The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Magnus Chase/Alex Fierro - Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan

Walt Stone/Anubis/Sadie Kane - The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

Nico di Angelo/Will Solace - The Camp Halfblood Chronicles by Rick Riordan

Cassandra Igarashi/Laura Wilson - The Wicked+the Divine by Kieron Gillen

Jade/Moon/Chime - Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells

Celia St James/Evelyn Hugo - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac - The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice 

Sue Trinder/Maude Lilly - Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Delilah Green/Claire Sutherland - Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Shara Wheeler/Chloe Green - I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

August Landry/Jane Su - One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Alex Claremont Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor - Red White and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston

Alex Price/Eli Rodriguez - Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey

Whisper/Prince Julien Sandry - Prince and Assassin by Tavia Lark

Patrick Roman/Damien Bordeaux - All Hail The Underdogs by E.L. Massey

Lewis/Jason Lu - Proficiency Bonus by Charlie Novak

Andrew Blur/Sam Halse - Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo 

Seregil í Korit Solun Meringil Bôkthersa/Alec í Amasa of Kerry - Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling

Jude St Francis/Willem Ragnarsson - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Lula Talisola/Zeen Mrala - Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older

Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood - The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Luke Sunborn/Elliot Schafer - In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Magnus Marston/Avicenna - Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Celie/Shug Avery - The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Dev Deshpande/Charlie Winshaw - The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

Nathan Byrn/Gabriel Boutin - Half Bad by Sally Green

Sidney Ellwood/Henry Gaunt - In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Maurice Hall/Alec Scudder - Maurice by E.M. Forster 

Tommy Flowers/David Pearson - Flower of Iowa by Lance Ringel

Will Darling/Kim Secretan - The Will Darling Adventures by K.J. Charles 

Henry de Lyon/Ian mac Maíl Coluim - The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi

Ambrose Cusk/Kodiac Celius - The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Thomas McNulty/John Cole - Days Without End (and A Thousand Moons) by Sebastian Barry

Sideways Pike/Jing Gao - The Scapegracers by HA Clarke

Zhu Yuanzhang/Ma Xiuying - The Radiant Emperor by Shelley Parker-Chan

Esen Temur/General Ouyang - The Radiant Emperor by Shelley Parker-Chan

Val Palafox/Cade McKenna - Venom and Vow by Anna-Marie & Elliott McLemore

Viv/Tandri - Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Sigyn/Loki - The Goddess of Nothing At All by Cat Rector

Viola Carroll/Justin de Vere - A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

Sam Becker/Jonathan Forest - 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall

Luc O'Donnell/Oliver Blackwood - Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Valentine Layton/Bonaventure "Bonny" Tarleton - Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall

Bastián Silvano/Lore Garcia - Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

Syenite/Alabaster/Innon - The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

Tennalhin Halkana/Surit Yeni - Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell

Kiem Tegnar/Jainan nav Adessari - Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Nick Nelson/Charlie Spring - Heartstopper by Alice Oseman 

Darcy Olsson/Tara Jones - Heartstopper by Alice Oseman 

Elle Argent/Tao Xu - Heartstopper by Alice Oseman 

Wei Wuxian/Lan Wanji - Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation/ Mo Dao Zu Shi by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Xie Lian/Hua Cheng - Tian Guan Ci Fu / Heaven Official's Blessing by by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Dorian/Milo - Three Meant To Be by M.N. Bennet

August Mulvaney/Lucas Blackwell - Psycho by Onley James

Mackenzie (“Mac”) Shepard/Archer Mulvaney - Lunatic by Onley James

Hawk Sunday/Jack Wyatt - Cherry Picked by May Archer

Mitch Greyson/Alex Dean - On the Ice by Amy Aislin

Lucifer/Michael - Angels before Man by Rafael Nicolas

Robin Blyth/Edwin Courcey - A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Maud Blyth/Violet Debenham - A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

Jack Alston/Alan Ross - A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

Everen/Arcady - Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

Sally-Anne/Sez - Beanstalk by E Jade Lomax

Gene Forrester/Phineas - A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Ayla/Crier - Crier's War by Nina Varela 

Vivienne (“Vivi”) Duarte/Heather - The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Nathaniel Bainbridge/Sea Hawk - Kidnapped by the Pirate by Keira Andrews

Arden Canamorra/Mil/Mattin - A Suitable Consort (For the King and His Husband) by R. Cooper

Daisy Wells/Amina El Maghrabi - Death Sets Sail by Robin Stevens

Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan - Guardian (Zhen Hun) by Priest

Aristotle (“Ari”) Mendoza/Dante Quintana - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Max Owen/Sean Moore - Magical Boy by The Kao

Henry Montague (Monty)/Percy Newton - The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Milo/Xander - How Not To Date A Dragon by Lana Kole

Blair/Richard - Bite Me! -You Know I Like It by Fae Quin

Nick Russo/Andy Fleming - We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian 

Paige Mahoney/Arcturus Mesarthim - The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon 

Kadou of House Mahisti/Evemer Hoşkadem- A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

Mark Blackthorn/Cristina Mendoza-Rosales/Kieran - The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare

Rae Taylor/Claire Francois - I'm in Love with the Villainess by Inori

Paul Fleischer/Julian Fromme - These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

Patroclus/Achilles - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Zach Glasser/Eugenio Morales - Unwritten Rules by KD Casey

Charlie Braxton/Reid Giordano - Fire Season by KD Casey

Christine Braxton/Stephanie - Fire Season by KD Casey

Jake Fischer/Alex Angelides - Diamond Ring by KD Casey

Relius/Teleus - The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner

Arek/Matt - So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

Eric (“Bitty”) Bittle/Jack Zimmermann - Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu

Thom Morgan/Clay Parker - Love, Hate, & Clickbait by Liz Bowery

Harry Fields/Harry Lee - When Harry Met Harry by Sydney Smyth

Jamshid e-Pramukh/Muntadhir al Qahtani - The Daevabad Trilogy by S. A. Chakraborty

Ben De Backer/Nathan Allan - I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

Queer book Character Tournament 2024: 

Rune Saint-John- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Quinn Saint Nicholas- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Layne Dawncreek- The Hourglass Throne by KD Edwards

Silas Bell- The Spirit Bares it's Teeth by Andrew Joseph White 

Daphne Luckenbill- The Spirit Bares it's Teeth  by Andrew Joseph White 

Benjamin/Benji Woodside- Hell Followed with us by Andrew Joseph White 

Sideways Pike- The Spacegracers by HA Clarke

Tayend of Tremmelin- Magician’s Guild series (The Novice, The High Lord) by Trudi Canavan

Gideon Nav- The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

Ianthe Tridenarius, Ianthe the First- The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

Harrowhark Nonagesimus- The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

Dekka- Gone series by Michael Grant

Therem Harth rem ir Estraven- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Seregil í Korit Solun Meringil Bôkthersa- Luck in the shadows/the nightrunner series by Lynn Fleweling

Victor Vale- Vicious by VE Schwab

Alucard Emery- Shades of Magic series by VE Schwab

Rhy Maresh- Shades of Magic series by VE Schwab

Elliot Schafer- In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Sebastian Black- The Sacred Sins of Father Black by St John Starling

Father Victor Ardelian- What Manner of Man by St John Starling

Wenren È- Devil Venerable Also Wants To Know by Cyan Wings

Zhu Chongba- She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Ouyang- She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Giovanni- Giovanni's room by James Baldwin

David- Giovanni's room by James Baldwin

Danny Tozer- Dreadnought by April Daniels

Magnus Bane- The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Alec Lightwood- The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Thomas Lightwood- The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

Alastair Carstairs- The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

Alex Fierro-Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan

Magnus Chase- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan

Nico di Angelo- The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan

Frances Janvier- Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Nick Nelson- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Charlie Spring- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Tori Spring- Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Gwen (Princess Gwendoline)- Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Jack Alston/Lord Hawthorn- The Last Binding Trilogy by Freya Marske

Maud Blyth- The Last Binding Trilogy by Freya Marske

Robin Blyth- A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske

Silariathas “Silas”- Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Nathaniel Thorn- Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Ballister Blackheart- Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

Ambrosius Goldenloin- Nimona by N.D. Stevenson 

Neil Josten- All for the game by Nora Sakavic

Andrew Minyard- All for the game by Nora Sakavic

Nicky Hemick- All for the game by Nora Sakavic

Xie Lian- Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx 

San Lang/ Hua Cheng- Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx��

Luo Binghe- The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx

Shen Qingqiu- The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx

Lan Wangji/ Lan Zhan/ Han Guang Jun- Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx

Wei WuXian/ Wei Ying/ Yiling Patriarch- Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx

Kelly Bennett- Heartsong by TJ Klune

Linus Baker- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Arthur Parnassus- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Laurent- Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

Damianos (Damen)- Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

Will Kempen- Dark Rise Series by C.S. Pacat

Sarcean- Dark Rise Series by C.S. Pacat

James St. Clair- Dark Rise Series by C.S. Pacat

Ronan Lynch- The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Adam Parrish- The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Loki- Loki- Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

Theo Bell- Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

Daniela- We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Carmen- We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Seonid Traighan Sedai- Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Siuan Sanche Sedai- Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Shallan Davar- The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson

Jasnah Kholin- The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson 

Jesper Fahey- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Wylan van Eck- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Nina Zenik- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Evelyn Hugo- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Moiraine Damodred Sedai- The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan 

Yan Wushi- 千秋 /Thousand Autumns/Qian Qu by Meng Xi Shi

Shen Qiao- 千秋/Qian Qiu/Thousand Autumn by Meng Xi Shi

Alex Claremont-Diaz- Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor- Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Biyu "Jane" Su- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

August Landry- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Jolene Whitaker- Stars Still Fall by Jules Kelley

Jude St. Francis- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Francis Abernathy- The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Ishita Dey- Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Carmilla Karnstein- Carmilla by J Sheridan le Fanu

Murderbot- The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Shuos Jedao- Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Achilles- Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 

Patroclus- Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 

Yin Hanjiang- Devil Venerable Also Wants To Know by Cyan Wings

Daja Kisubo- The Circle of Magic series, The Circle Opens series, The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce

Simon Torquill- October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire

Kade Bronson- Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire

Jack Wolcott- Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire

Sundew- Wings of Fire by Tui T Sutherland

Zanja Na'Tarwein- The Elemental Logic Series by Laurie J. Marks

Karis G'deon- The Elemental Logic series by Laurie J. Marks

Thaniel Steepleton- The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley

Raff Barden- One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny

Penn de Foucart- One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny

Alec Campion- Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

Richard St Vier- Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

Nico Ferrer De Varona- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Parisa Kamali- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Sam Black Crow- American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Salim- American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Hunter- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Islington- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Tsukiko- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Zachary Ezra Rawlins- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Dorian- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Katrina- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Katherine- The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner

Geraldine- Christabel by Samuel Coleridge 

Priya- The Jasmine Throne/The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

Malini- The Jasmine Throne/The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

Henry Gaunt- In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Sidney Ellwood - In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Benji Ovich- Beartown by Frederik Backman

Renly Baratheon- A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) by George R.R. Martin

Loras Tyrell- A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) by George R.R. Martin

Oberyn Martell- A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) by George R.R. Martin

Ellaria Sand- A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) by George R.R. Martin

Ead Duryan- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Thara Celehar- The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

Iäna Pel-Thenhior- The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

Vanyel Ashkevron- The Last Herald-Mage Series (Magic's Pawn, Magic's Price, Magic's Promise) by Mercedes Lackey

Galen- Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher 

Doctor Piper- Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher 

Eliot Waugh- The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Simon Spier- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Bram Greenfield- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Leah Burke- Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Abby Suso- Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Jay Gatsby- Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie Mclemore

Harold Hutchins- Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

Eric "Bitty" Bittle- Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu 

Jack Zimmermann- Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu 

Ollie O'Meara- Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu

Pacer Wicks- Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu

Maurice Hall- Maurice by E.M. Forster 

Alec Scudder- Maurice by E.M. Forster 

Clive Durham- Maurice by E.M. Forster 

Cal Stephanides- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Therese Belivet- Carol or The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith 

Carol Aird- Carol or The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith 

Baz Pitch- Carry On Series by Rainbow Rowell

Tennalhin (Tennal) Halkana- Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell

Evander (Andy) Mills- Lavendar House by Lev Ac Rosen

Kaiiestron (Kai) l, Prince of the Fourth House of the Underearth- Witch King by Martha Wells

Max Owen- Magical Boy by The Kao

Remy Pendergast- Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

Ben De Backer- I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

Nathan Allan- I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

Genevieve Lefoux- The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

Maddie Morrow- Havenfall by Sara Holland

Catherine St. Day- The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

Lucy Muchelney- The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

Fetter- The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

Leonie Jackman- Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Red- This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone 

Blue- This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone 

Rose- Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Li Shimin- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Cliopher Mdang- The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

Lily Hu- Last Night At The Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Patrick O’Hara- The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Ambrose Cusk- The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Kodiak Celius- The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Queer Book Character Tournament 2 2023: 

Georgia Warr- Loveless by Alice Oseman

Pip Quintana- Loveless by Alice Oseman

Rooney Bach- Loveless by Alice Oseman

Jimmy Kaga-Ricci- I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

Lister Bird- I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

Daniel Jun- Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Elle Argent- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Darcy Olsson- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Matthew Fairchild- The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

Thomas Lightwood- The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

Anna Lightwood- The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

Kit Herondale- The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Mark Blackthorn- The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Ari Bridgestock- The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

Lily Chen- The Shadowhunters Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

Cristina Mendoza-Rosales- The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Aline Penhallow- The Shadowhunters Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

Kieran Kingson- The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Diana Wrayburn- The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Ty Blackthorn- The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Helen Blackthorn- The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Raphael Santiago- The Shadowhunters Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

Cameron Post- The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth

Marit Dzmare- A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Three Seagrass- A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Murderbot- The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Neek (NYC)- The Great Cities Duology by NK Jemisin

Bronca- The Great Cities Duology by NK Jemisin

Nijiri- The Killing Moon by NK Jemisin

Nicky Hemmick- All For The Game by Nora Sakavic 

Erik Klose- All For The Game by Nora Sakavic

Csorwe- The Unspoken Name by AK Larkwood

Gyre Price- The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Aster- An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Hanne Brum- King of Scars duology by Leigh Bardugo

Kuwei Yul-Bo- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Tolya Yul-Bataar- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Chih- The Singing Hills Cycle by Nghi Vo

Blue- This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone & Amal El-Mohtar

Red- This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone & Amal El-Mohtar

Xie Lian- Heaven’s Official Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Hua Cheng- Heaven’s Official Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Wei Wuxian- Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Lan Wangji- Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Mo Xuanyu- Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Shen Qingqiu- Scum Villain's Self-Saving System/Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Luo Binghe- Scum Villain's Self-Saving System/Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Shang Qinghua- Scum Villain's Self-Saving System/Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Mobei-Jun- Scum Villain's Self-Saving System/Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Oliver Marks- If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

Alexander Vass- If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

Colin Hyland- If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

James Farrow- If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

Rune Saint John- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Addam Saint Nicholas- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Layne Dawncreek- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Ciaran- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Zurah Saint Joseph- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Quinn Saint Nicholas- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Celia Lang- These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Marshall Seo- These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Rosalind Lang- Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong

Ben De Backer- I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

Nathan Allen- I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

Smith Parker- I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

Rory Heron- I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

Chloe Green- I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor- Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

August Landry- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Relius- The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Piper McLean- Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Reyna Avilla Ramirez-Arellano- Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Magnus Chase- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan 

Piper- Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher 

Eadaz uq Nara- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Rath- Tournament of Losers by Megan Derr

Jordan Hennessy (the original)- The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

Carmen Farooq-Lane- The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

Victor Vale- Vicious by VE Schwab

Rhy Maresh- A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab

Percy Newton- The Montague Siblings by Mackenzi Lee

Felicity Montague- The Montague Siblings by Mackenzi Lee

Fatma el-Sha’arawi- A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

Wyatt Croft- The Witch King by HE Edgmond

Elliot Schafer- In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Lucifer- Angels Before Man by Rafael Nicolás

Jamshid e-Pramukh- The Daevabad Trilogy/The City of Brass by Shannon Chakraborty

Kiem Tegnar- Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Jainan Nav Adessari- Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Tennalhin "Tennal" Halkana- Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell

Little Ash- When The Angels Left The Old Country by Sacha Lamb

Uriel- When The Angels Left The Old Country by Sacha Lamb

Ophelia- To Be Or Not To Be by Ryan North

Qiyan Agula- Jing Wei Qing Shang by Please Don't Laugh

Chester Sibley- Holly and Oak by R. Cooper

Vanya Schmidt- Little Thieves by Margaret Owen 

Chu Wanning- The Husky And His White Cat Shizun by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat

Gu Mang- Remnants of Filth by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat

Benji- Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

Francis Abernathy- The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Theo Decker- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Boris Pavlokovsky- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Dedicate Rosethorn- Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce

Vanyel Ashkevron- The Last Herald Mage by Mercedes Lackey

Richard St Vier- Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner 

Alec Campion- Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner 

Katherine Talbert- The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner

Seonid Traighan- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Algarin Pendaloan- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Zhao Yunlan- Guardian / Zhen Hun by Priest

Shen Wei- Guardian / Zhen Hun by Priest

Zhou Zishu- Faraway Wanderers / Tian Ya Ke by Priest

Wen Kexing- Faraway Wanderers / Tian Ya Ke by Priest

Jing Beiyuan- Lord Seventh / Qi Ye by Priest

Wu Xi- Lord Seventh / Qi Ye by Priest

Daisy Wells- Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

Wu Zetian- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Li Shimin- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Gao Yizhi- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Raff Barden- One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny

Penn de Foucart- One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny

Lestat de Lioncourt- The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

Louis de Pointe du Lac- The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

Nicolas de Lenfent- The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

Harry Cameron- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Celia St. James- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Dorian- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Zachary Ezra Rawlins- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Katrina "Kat" Hawkins- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Tsukiko- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Countess Carmilla Karnstein- Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

Mac Coyle- Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan

K.J. Brandman- Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan

Kade Bronson- Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire

Jack Wolcott- Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire

Nancy Whitman- Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire

Skulldeath- Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson  

Lucifer- Murder Mysteries by Neil Gaiman 

Kantam Sy- The High Republic: Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older

Yana Ro- The High Republic: Path of Deceit/ Path of Vengeance by Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland, and Cavan Scott

Matty Cathley- Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott

Chellwinark Frethylrin (Fret)- Battle Scars by Sam Maggs

Nightsister Merrin- Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs

Kor Plouth- Path of Deceit by Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton

Ty Yorrick- The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott 

Theron Shan- Annihilation by Drew Karpyshyn 

Lula Talisola- The High Republic: Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older

Zeen Mrala- The High Republic: Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older

Alys “Crash” Ongwa- The High Republic: Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older

Vernestra Rwoh- The High Republic: A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland

Jordanna Sparkburn- Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland

Sylvestri Yarrow- Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland

Vi Moradi- Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire by Delilah S Dawson

Kitrep Soh- The High Republic: The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott

Marda Ro- The High Republic: Path of Deceit by Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton

Sky Graf- Quest for Planet X by Tessa Gratton

Cohmac Vitus- High Republic by Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, and Daniel José Older

Saya Keem- The High Republic by Daniel José Older

Chase Wilsorr- From A Certain Point Of View: The Empire Strikes Back by C.B. Lee

Jordan Smythe- From A Certain Point Of View: The Empire Strikes Back by C.B. Lee

Nathaniel J. Northland- Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

Vlad Blutstein- Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

Lady Ursula- Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites by Joy Demorra

Valkyr "Kyr" Marston- Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Magnus "Mags" Marston- Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Avicenna "Avi"- Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

Phèdre nó Delaunay- Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey

Daniel da Silva- Think of England by KJ Charles

Celie- The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Marian Hayes- The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian

Evred "Sponge" Montrei-vayir- Inda (series) by Sherwood Smith

Winter Ihernglass- Shadow Campaigns (series) by Django Wexler

Anastacia Alcroft LeBlanc- The Rosewood Chronicles by Connie Glynn

Binah Fae- The Rosewood Chronicles by Connie Glynn

Gordo Livingstone- Green Creek Series by TJ Klune

Oxnard Mattheson- Green Creek Series by TJ Klune

Robbie Fontaine - Green Creek Series by TJ Klune

Gavin Livingstone- Green Creek Series by TJ Klune 

Mark Bennett- Green Creek Series by TJ Klune 

Joe Bennett- Green Creek Series by TJ Klune 

Kelly Bennett- Green Creek Series by TJ Klune 

Carter Bennett- Green Creek Series by TJ Klune 

Wallace Price- Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Hugo Freeman- Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Ettian Nassun- Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie

Gal Ump Ember- Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie 

Scholar Christopher Wolfe- The Great Library Series by Rachel Caine

Captain Niccolo Santi- The Great Library Series by Rachel Caine

Corin Cadence- Arcane Ascension by Andrew Rowe

Sheridan "Deni" Theas- Arcane Ascension by Andrew Rowe

Zhu Chongba- She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Mar León de la Rosa- The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa

Danny Tozer- Dreadnought by April Daniels 

Aristotle Mendoza-Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Vivienne “Vivi” Duarte- The Cruel Prince/Folk of the Air by Holly Black

Benjamin “Ben” Evans- The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Bram Greenfeld- Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertelli

Humaira Khan- Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Ishita Dey- Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Max Owen- Magical Boy by The Kao

Elouise “Lou” Parker- Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

Ari Helix- Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy

Queer Book Ship Tournament 2023: 

Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish- The Raven Cycle 

Carmen Farooq-Lane/Jordan Hennessy (original)- The Dreamer Trilogy

Rune Saint John/Addam Saint Nicholas-The Tarot Sequence

Nina Zenik/Hanne Brum- King of Scars

Nadia Zhabin/Tamar Kir-Bataar- Ruin and Rising/King of Scars

Jesper Fahey/Wylan Van Eck- Six of Crows 

Simon Snow/Baz Pitch- Carry On

Agatha Wellbelove/Niamh Brody- Any Way the Wind Blows

Eadaz uq-Nāra/Sabran Berethnet- The Priory of the Orange Tree

Alec Lightwood x Magnus Bane- The Shadowhunter Chronicles 

Cristina Mendoza Rosales/Mark Blackthorn/Kieran Kingson- The Shadowhunter Chronicles 

Thomas Lightwood/Alastair Carstairs- The Shadowhunter Chronicles 

Helen Blackthorn/Aline Penhallow- The Shadowhunter Chronicles 

Anna Lightwood/Ari Bridgestock- The Shadowhunter Chronicles 

Captain Niccoli Santi/Scholar Christopher Wolfe- The Great Library 

Ambrose Cusk/Kodiak Celius- The Darkness Outside Us

Henry "Monty" Montague/Percy Newton- The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue(The Montague Siblings)

Alistair Lowe/Gavin Grieve- All of Us Villains

Nico di Angelo/Will Solace- Percy Jackson Series 

Magnus Chase/Alex Fierro- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Oxnard Mattheson/Joe Bennet- Wolfsong

Gordo Livingstone/Mark Bennet- Green Creek Series 

Robbie Fontaine/Kelly Bennet- Green Creek Series 

Timberwolf(Gavin Livingstone)/Carter Bennet- Green Creek Series

Linus Baker/Arthur Parnassus- The House in the Cerulean Sea

Nick Bell/Seth Gray- The Extraordinaries

Wallace Price/Hugo Freeman- Under the Whispering Door

Constanta/Alexi/Magdelena- A Dowry of Blood

Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard- All For The Game

Nicky Hemmick/Erik Klose- All For The Game

Rhy Maresh/Alucard Emery- A Darker Shade of Magic 

Addie LaRue/Sam- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Addie LaRue/Henry Strauss- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Crier/Ayla- Crier’s War

Will Battle/Chester Sibley- Holly and Oak

Kiem Tegnar/Jainan nav Adessari- Winter's Orbit

Tennal Halkana/Surit Yeni- Ocean's Echo

Robin Blyth/Edwin Courcey- A Marvelous Light

Maud Blyth/Violet Debenham- A Restless Truth

Priya/Malini- The Jasmine Throne

Ancel/Berenger- Pet

Lesto Arseni/Shemal- The Pirate of Fathoms Deep

Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus- The Locked Tomb

John Gaius/Augustine the First/Mercymorn the First- The Locked Tomb

Kadou Mahisti/Evemer Hoskadem- A Taste of Gold and Iron

Alyce/Aurora- Malice

Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji- Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grand Master of Demonic Cultivation 

Xie Lian/Hua Cheng- Heaven Official's Blessing/Tian Guan Ci Fu

Shen Qingqiu/Luo Binghe- The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System/ Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong

Shang Qinghua/Mobei-Jun- The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System/ Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong

Sam Haversford(Sam of Wilds)/Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart- The Lightning Struck Heart

Wu Zetian/ Li Shimin/Gao Yizhi- Iron Widow

Wyatt Croft/Emyr North- The Witch King

Marshall Seo/Benedikt Montagov- These Violent Delights

Elliot Schafer/Luke Sunborn- In Other Lands

Moiraine Damodred/Siuan Sanche- Wheel of Time

Jessica Tran/Abby Jones- Not Your Sidekick

Miles Singer/Tristan Hunter- Witchmark (Kingston Cycle)

August Landry/Jane Su- One Last Stop

Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor- Red, White, and Royal Blue

Chloe Green/Shara Wheeler- I Kissed Shara Wheeler

Jack Zimmermann/Eric "Bitty" Bittle- Check, Please! 

Richard St Vier/Alec Campion- Swordspoint 

Saraquael/Carasel- Murder Mysteries 

Aristotle Mendoza/Dante Quintana- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of The Universe

Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring- Heartstopper

Tara Jones/Darcy Olsson- Heartstopper

Jimmy Kaga-Ricci/Lister Bird- I Was Born For This

Pip Quintana/Rooney Bach- Loveless

Aled Last/Daniel Jun- Radio Silence

Zhou ZiShu/Wen KeXing- Tian Ye Ke (Faraway Wanderers)

Cassandra Igarashi/Laura Wilson- The Wicked + The Divine

Baal/Inanna- The Wicked + the Divine

Hunter/Serpentine- Neverwhere

Tim Te Maro/Elliott Parker- Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues

Oliver Marks/James Farrow- If We Were Villains

Alexander Vass/Colin Hyland- If We Were Villains

Zachary Ezra Rawlins/Dorian- The Starless Sea

Evelyn Hugo/Celia St James- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Thaniel Steepleton/Keita Mori- The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

Joe Tournier/Missouri Kite- The Kingdoms

Nasir Alexander "Nax" Hall/Rion William Kwesi Turner- The Disasters

Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein- Carmilla

Zhu Chongba/Ma Xiuying- She Who Became The Sun

Luc O'Donnell/Oliver Blackwood- Boyfriend Material

Mahit Dzmare/Three Seagrass- A Desolation Called Peace

Aaron Slaughter/Jace Boucher- House of Slaughter

KJ Brandman/Mac Coyle- Paper Girls

Red/Blue- This Is How You Lose The Time War

Rosemary Harper/Sissix Seshkethet- The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet

Maurice Hall/Alec Scudder- Maurice

Zachary Ying / Simon Li- Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

Simon Spier/Bram Greengrass- Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda

Imogen Scott/Tessa Minsky- Imogen Obviously

Leah Burke/Abby Suso- Leah on the Offbeat

Maya/Claire- Far From the Tree

Susan Smith/Becky- The War that Saved My Life

Tanner Scott/Sebastian Brother- Autoboyography

Erland Fournier /Gunnar Fuglestad- The Reckless Kind

Eli Rodriguez/Alex Price- Like Real People Do

Linnéa Wallin/Vanessa Dahl- The Circle (The Engelsfors Trilogy)

Balthamos/Baruch- His Dark Materials

Salim/The Jinn- American Gods

Jack Wolcott/Alexis Chopper- Wayward Children Series

Damianos (Damen)/Laurent- Captive Prince

Jack/August- The Wicker King

Yadriel Vélez Flores/Julian Diaz- Cemetery Boys

Henry Silver/Tobias Finch- Silver in the Wood

Uriel/Ashmedai "Little Ash"- When the Angels Left the Old Country

Vanja Schmidt/Emeric Conrad- Little Thieves

Cooper Dayton/Oliver Park- A Wolf at the Door

Sundew/Willow- Wings of Fire/The Poison Jungle

Scarlett Clark/Mina Pierce- They Never Learn

Remy Pendergast/Xiaodong Song/Zidan Malekh- Silver Under Nightfall

Teodora di Sangro/Cielo- The Brilliant Death/The Storm of Life

Ruben Montez/Zach Knight- If This Gets Out

Charlie Winshaw/Dev Deshpande- The Charm Offensive

Shizuka Satomi/Lan Tran- Light from Uncommon Stars

Lily Hu/Kathleen "Kath" Miller- Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Miri/Leah- Our Wives Under the Sea

Ryann Bird/Alexandria Macallough- The Weight of the Stars

Aurelia “Lia”/Xania Bayonn- Queen of Coin and Whispers

Ben/Severin- The Darkest Part of the Forest

Rebecca Laughlin/Theadora Calligaris- The Inheritance Games

Shadi/Zoya- The Bone Witch

Daniela “Dani” Vargas/Carmen Santos- We Set the Dark on Fire

Arlo Jarsdel/Nausicaä Kraken- A Dark and Hollow Star (Hollow Star Saga)

Vehan Lysterne/Aurelian Bessel- Hollow Star Saga

Patroclus and Achilles- The Song of Achilles

Nova Huang/Tam Lang- Mooncakes

Humaira Khan/Ishita Dey- Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating

Charlotte Thompson/Sutton Spencer- Those Who Wait

Tavra/Onica- The Dark Crystal

Ettian Nassun/Gal Ump Ember- Bonds of Brass/Bloodright Trilogy

Baru Cormorant/Tain Hu- The Traitor Baru Cormorant

Zhao Yunlan/Shen Wei- Guardian/Zhen Hun

Ben de Backer/Nathan Allen- I Wish You All The Best

Ash/Kaisa- Ash

Annie Kenyon/Liza Winthrop- Annie on my Mind

Esbar Uq-Nãra/Tunuva Melim- A Day Of Fallen Night

Noziken Pa Dumai/Kuposa Pa Nikeya- A Day Of Fallen Night

Mateo Torres/Rufus Emeterio- They Both Die at the End

Mara/Charlie- Girl Made of Stars

Nora Flood/Robin Vote- Nightwood

Avicenna "Avi"/Magnus Marston- Some Desperate Glory

Valery Kolkhanov/Konstantin Shenkov- The Half Life of Valery K

Delilah Green/Claire Sutherland- Delilah Green Doesn’t Care

Cas Leung/Swift Kent- The Abyss Surrounds Us/The Edge of Abyss

Julian Fromme/Paul Fleischer- These Violent Delights

Vivienne (Vivi) Duarte/Heather- The Cruel Prince/Folk of the Air 

Tiernan/ Hyacinth- The Stolen Heir

Lottie Pumpkin/Ellie Wolf- The Rosewood Chronicles

April May/Maya- An Absolutely Remarkable Thing/A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

Theo Decker/Boris Pavlikovsky- The Goldfinch

Scottie Zajac/Irene Abraham- She Drives Me Crazy

William Loxley/John Thorncress- The Faerie Hounds of York

Queer Book Character Tournament the first 2023: 

Yamilet Flores-The Lesbianas Guide to Catholic School 

Aristotle Mendoz-Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 

Dante Quintana-Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Alex Claremont-Diaz- Red White and Royal Blue 

Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor- Red White and Royal Blue

Rafael Luna- Red White and Royal Blue

Adam Parrish- The Raven Cycle

Ronan Lynch- The Raven Cycle

Jordan Hennessy (the original) - The Raven Cycle/The Dreamer Trilogy

Jordan Hennessy (the dream) - The Raven Cycle/The Dreamer Trilogy

Carmen Farooq-Lane- The Dreamer Trilogy

Wylan Van Eck- Six of Crows

Jesper Fahey- Six of Crows

Nina Zenik- Six of Crows/King of Scars

Neil Josten- All For The Game

Andrew Minyard- All For The Game

Nicky Hemmick- All For The Game 

Gideon Nav- The Locked Tomb

Pyrrha Dve- The Locked Tomb

Judith Deuteros- The Locked Tomb

Harrowhark Nonagesimus- The Locked Tomb

Ianthe Tridentarius- The Locked Tomb

Augustine the First- The Locked Tomb

Nona- The Locked Tomb

Yadriel Vélez Flores- Cemetery Boys

Achilles- Song of Achilles

Practroclus- Song of Achilles

Lucien O'Donnell- Boyfriend Material 

Evelyn Hugo- The SevenHusbands of Evelyn Hugo

Celia St. James- The SevenHusbands of Evelyn Hugo

Harry Cameron- The SevenHusbands of Evelyn Hugo

Simon Snow- Carry On

Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch (Baz Pitch)- Carry On 

Libby Rhodes- The Atlas Six

Tristan Caine- The Atlas Six

Parisa Kamali- The Atlas Six

Reina Mori- The Atlas Six

Callum Nova- The Atlas Six

Nico de Varona- The Atlas Six

Gideon Drake- The Atlas Six

Julian Diaz- Cemetery Boys

Flaca Gonzales- Cemetery Boys 

Oliver Marks- If We Were Villains

James Farrow- If We Were Villains

Alexander Vass- If We Were Villains

Nico di Angelo- Percy Jackson & The Olympians

Will Solace- Percy Jackson & The Olympians

Alex Fierro- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Reyna Avilla Ramirez-Arellano- Heroes of Olympus

Piper McLean- Heroes of Olympus/Trials of Apollo

Apollo- Trials of Apollo

Sophia Grimmins- Cinderella is Dead

Constance- Cinderella is Dead 

Zachary Ezra Rawlins- The Starless Sea

Dorian- The Starless Sea

Georgia Warr- Loveless

Elliot Schaefer- In Other Lands

Rune Saint John- The Tarot Sequence

Ciaran- The Tarot Sequence

Layne Dawncreek - The Tarot Sequence

Max Saint John- The Tarot Sequence

Eric Bittle- Check, Please!

Jack Zimmermann- Check, Please!

Avi Cantor- Avi Cantor Has Six Months to Live

Wyatt Croft- The Witch King

Clover Martinez- The Last 8

August Landry- One Last Stop

Jane Su- One Last Stop

Wes- One Last Stop 

Victor Vale- Vicious

Jonathan Bane- Jon's Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case

Donovan Havili- Jon's Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case

Nathaniel Thorn- Sorcery of Thorns

Katrien Quillworthy- Sorcery of Thorns

Devon Murphy- The Rowan Harbor Cycle series

Fletcher Lane- The Rowan Harbor Cycle series

Josh- Ghostly Guardians series

Connor- Ghostly Guardians series

Skye- Ghostly Guardians series

Teag Logan- Deadly Curiosities series

Simon Kincaide- Badlands series

Shaesarenna Nightvn- The Necromancer's Light

Blue Billings- Black & Blue series

Kane Montgomery- Reverie

Gideon Holiday- The Geek Who Saved Christmas

Nyah (Shattergirl)- Shattered

Aiden Carlisle- Conflict of Interest

Nick Nelson- Heartstopper

Charlie Spring- Heartstopper

Tori Spring- Solitaire, Hearstopper

Tara Jones- Heartstopper

Darcy Olsson- Heartstopper 

Elle Argent- Heartstopper 

Aled Last- Heartstopper 

Patrick- My heart is a little wild thing

Jackson- The Boy from the Mish

Miri- Our wives under the sea

Leah- Our wives under the sea

Charlie Winshaw- Charm offensive 

Sezly Ruedotter- Leagues and Legends

Sally-Anne- Leagues and Legends

Leaf Fenn- Leagues and Legends

Red Uyeda- Leagues and Legends

Nita Sanchez- Market of Monsters

Kovit Sangwaraporn- Market of Monsters

Alec Lightwood - The mortal instruments series/ the eldest curses trilogy 

Mark Blackthorn - The Dark Artifices, The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Magnus Bane- The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Kieran Kingson- The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Ari Bridgestock- The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Lily Chen- The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Cristina Mendoza-Rosales- The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Ty Blackthorn- The Shadowhunter Chronicles/The Dark Artifices

Julian Blackthorn- The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Helen Blackthorn- The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Raphael Santiago- The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Aline Penhallow- The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Kit Herondale- Queen of Air and Darkness/Shadowhunters Chronicles

Diana Wrayburn- The Dark Artifices/The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Arati Bridgestock- The Last Hours/The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Anna Lightwood- The Last Hours/ The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Alastair Carstairs- The Last Hours (series) Chain of Gold, The Shadowhunter Chronicles

Kiem Tegnar- Winter's Orbit

Jainan nav Adessari- Winter's Orbit

Felicity Montague- The Montague Siblings

Percy Newton- The Montague Siblings

Robin Blessing- A Little Blessing

Chass- The Fallen King's Penitent Soldier

Murderbot- All Systems Red

Edwin Courcey- A Marvelous Light

Robin Blyth- A Marvelous Light

Cliopher Mdang- The Hands of the Emperor 

Seregil- Luck in the Shadows

Alucard Emery- A Darker Shade of Magic

Rhy Maresh- A Darker Shade of Magic

Kathleen/Celia Lang- These Violent Delights

Teo, son of Quetzal- The Sunbearer Trials

Maud Blyth- A Restless Truth

Ben De Backer- I Wish You All the Best

Luke Sunborn- In Other Lands

Viv- Legends & Lattes

Hinata- The Night Circus

Tsukiko- The Night Circus

Seregil í Korit- The Nightrunner Series

Louis de Pointe du Lac- Interview with the Vampire

Robin Goodfellow- Nightlife

Griffin- Trick of the Light

Jamie Crawford- Demon's Lexicon

Lesto Arseni- The Pirate of Fathoms Deep

Jeremy De Lainey- The Boy Who Steals Houses

Simon Spier- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Leah Burke- Leah on the Offbeat

Kavya Joshi- Beauty and the Besharam

Ophelia Rojas- Ophelia After All

Humaira Khan- Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating

Ishita Dey- Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating

Zhu Chongba- She Who Became The Sun

Nishat- The Henna Wars

Danny Cheng- Picture Us In The Light

Frances Janvier- Radio Silence

Daniel Jun- Radio Silence

Jessamyn Teoh- Black Water Sister

Griffin Jennings- History Is All You Left Me

Felix Love- Felix Ever After

Laney Keating- Black Iris

Chester Sibley- Holly and Oak

Nicodemus- Ravenous

Wei Wuxian- Mo Dao Zu Shi

Lan Wangji- Mo Dao Zu Shi

Muntadhir al Qahtani- The Daevabad Trilogy

Smith Parker- I Kissed Shara Wheeler

Chloe Green- I Kissed Shara Wheeler  

Shara Wheeler- I kissed Shara wheeler

Rory Heron- I kissed Shara Wheeler

Vanyel -Last Herald Mage Trilogy

Baru Cormorant - The Traitor Baru Cormorant, The Monster Baru Cormorant, and The Tyrant Baru Cormorant

Vanyel -Last Herald Mage Trilogy

Paul Fleischer- These Violent Delights

Metias Iparis- Legend

Suzette- Little and Lion

Nancy Whitman- Wayward Children

Kade Bronson- Wayward Children

Jack Wolcott- Wayward Children

Eadaz Uq Nara - The Priory of the Orange Tree

Sabran Berethnet- The Priory of the Orange Tree 

Valkyrie Cain-  Skulduggery Pleasant

Daisy Wells- Murder Most Unladylike

Daja Kisubo- The Circle of Magic Quartet/ Cold Fire/The Will of the Empress

Rosethorn- Circle of Magic/ Street Magic/ Will of the Empress/ Melting Stones

Marshall Seo- These Violent Delights

Sadie- Sadie

Eliza (Liza) Winthrop- Annie On My Mind

Annie Kenyon- Annie On My Mind

Isabelle Stevenson- Annie On My Mind

Katherine Widmer- Annie On My Mind

Seán MacIntyre- The Heart's Invisible Furies

Jack Smoot - The Heart's Invisisble Furies

Bastiaan Van den Bergh- The Heart's Invisisble Furies

Cyril Avery- The Heart's Invisible Furies

Linus Baker- The House in the Cerulean Sea

Connor Major- Surrender Your Sons

Laurent- Captive Prince

Damen (Damianos)- Captive Prince

Hua Cheng- Tian Guan Ci Fu/ Heaven's Official Blessing

Danny Tozer- Dreadnought

[bikananjarrus]

for the ask game, top ten book recommendations?? (can be sw or non-sw since ik you’ve gotten a lot of sw asks already 🫶🏻)

thank you for this question! 💙 (meant to answer this sooner but then i really had to think about some book recs). i will split it 50/50 and do 5 sw books and 5 non-sw books!

five sw books:

light of the jedi by charles soule. life-changing, showstopping, spectacular, will never be the same etc etc. (best place to start if you want to get into the high republic books!)

lost stars by claudia gray. my first sw book i ever read back when it was published in *pauses to look up* 2015. imo it is an EXCELLENT book to begin with if you're looking to get into sw books and are overwhelmed with where to start.

a new dawn by john jackson miller. for the rebels fans out there, and especially the kanera fans, this one's for you <3

not a traditional novel, but going off the last one, the kanan: the last padawan comic run. two volumes, 12 issues total. so so SO good! a must-read (imo) for rebels fans!

revenge of the sith novelization by matthew stover. if you're a prequels fan, or an anakin fan, or an obiwan fan, this book WILL hurt you. in the best way possible lol.

(quick honorable mention for the ahsoka book, but specifically the audiobook bc it's narrated by ashley eckstein and it felt like watching a clone wars arc)

five non-sw books:

i mean who would i be if i didn't mention the percy jackson books. i recognize i am biased bc they've been part of my life for so long now, so i have the nostalgia factor. but also that's my number one guy percy jackson!

what you're looking for is in the library by michiko aoyama. this book felt like a hug, and i definitely recommend for anyone who is feeling a bit lost or unsure of what they want to do with their life, where they are in life right now. it was a really great reminder that you can keep growing and change your mind and do something different with your life no matter what age you are.

a study in drowning by ava reid. a more recent read of mine, so maybe a bit of recency bias here, but it's about an architecture student who gets tasked with redesigning her favorite author's estate. she ends up working with her academic rival, and they discover secrets about the late author's life along the way. i remember (personally) having a few minor gripes with how the end all came together, but overall it was really atmospheric with lots of seaside imagery (which i love), and the setting and certain mystery elements made it enjoyable for me!

giovanni's room by james baldwin. read this for the first time when it was assigned to me in high school, and while i don't think i appreciated it much then, i reread it later on my own and really enjoyed it, so i'm grateful for my 12th grade english teacher for introducing it to me!

hani and ishu's guide to fake dating by adiba jaigirdar. this is just a really cute ya wlw romance! i listened to the audiobook for this and there were two separate narrators for hani and ishu, and i thought they both did a fantastic job! i read it last year and still think about it from time to time, so for anyone looking for an easy romance read, it's a good one!

still up for doing more of these, so feel free to ask me my top 5/top 10 anything!

[dovesndecay]

for your queer muslim friend (giving them my salaams! <3) 

queer muslim charities they can look into (both for events etc and also those charities have many online resources): unity mosque, hidayah, muslims for progressive values (also has the best and most comprehensive reasons i’ve seen for why our religion doesn’t condemn queer people), salaam canada (it recently closed but the website has lots of great info and resources), the naz and matt foundation (not specifically for queer muslims but they are a large portion of the people involved in the charity), inclusive mosque

reading (all fictional or memoirs or poetry collections — none are like academic texts etc) : a queer muslim memoir: we have always been here (the author, who to my knowledge uses they/them pronouns now, also has a few articles on guardian and a great project here on tumblr called something like ‘just allah and me’ that photographs and tells the stories of queer muslims across the world), radiant fugitives, hani and ishu’s guide to fake dating, the henna wars, guapa, if they come for us, blood orange by mx yaffa, love is an ex country, zachary ying and the dragon emperor (one of the few on this list i haven’t read, but i’m pretty sure the mc is muslim and implied to be gay), you exist too much. only this beautiful moments is about characters who were raised muslim but faith isn’t a big part of any of their identities (i think, it’s been a while since i’ve read this). but it’s about queer iranians, and so it definitely explores being queer in muslim spaces and the intersection of that… it touched me deeply and that’s why i’m adding it here.

some queer muslims to follow on social media (all are out): blair imani, sufi and anjali were a youtube channel i followed a few years ago (sufi is a queer muslim, anjali is a queer hindu, the channel is about them and their relationship), reeta loi

queer muslim spaces on tumblr: queer muslim culture is, religious queer culture is (not only about queer muslims, but often is, and the mod is a queer muslim i think), we are not haram. dyemelikeasunset is a queer muslim who has a wonderful comic up on webtoon, and whilst their blog is a personal one and not focused around being queer and muslim, you may enjoy their comic! (their characters aren’t muslim, though, but they’re queer). bigenderrevert and mlmrevert are personal blogs run by queer muslims, but their blogs often do focus on being queer and muslim.

tv and movies that i know have at least one significant queer muslim character: the bold type, we are lady parts, breaking fast (2020)

Ahh, thank you so much, nonny!!! (I adore Blair Imani, I'm so glad to see her on your list!) Passing this along immediately!!

[readingbooksinisrael]

Mid-Year Book Freakout 2023

1. Best book you've read so far this year

Well, I reread Spinning Silver/Naomi Novik again… But besides rereads I really loved two non-fiction books: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood/Nathan Hale. It’s a graphic novel with the characters being represented as animals, so I was really nervous at first that it would make light of something tragic but it didn’t at all, and I think the illustrations emphasized the horrificness while still being appropriate for its intended audience (4th graders). (It also finally convinced me to pick up Maus.) 

The other was The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos/Judy Batalion, which was an extensive following of a number of women resistance fighters in the ghettos, which is a subject that I hardly know about.

2. Best sequel you've read so far this year

It absolutely has to be Ribsy/Beverly Cleary, the last in the Henry Huggins series. I was nervous because it follows Ribsy the dog rather than Henry the human, but it was great. I liked the look at all the different families (except one) and Ribsy’s perspective. It nearly made me cry even/exactly when the good things were happening.

Also, special mention to The Chalet School in Exile/Elinor M. Brent-Dyer for acknowledging the murder of Jews by regular citizens back in the first year of WW2 when that’s something plenty of people refuse to admit to this day. (Though maybe it was easier then when it was an enemy country.)

3. New release you haven't read yet

All of them lol. I’ll choose six notables (one for each month):

The Dos and Donuts of Love/Adiba Jaigirdar--I loved Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating so much! I’m so excited about this I’m nervous

The Luis Ortega Survival Club/Sonora Reyes--I love a story about messed up experiences in high school

The Home for Wayward Girls/Marcia Bradley--See above

The Mimicking of Known Successes/Malka Ann Older--I heard it described as a Sherlock Holmes type mystery in space, and I’ve really wanted to read something by this author for a long time but this was the first book that really caught my eye

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride/Roshani Chokshi--It is my favorite sub-genre (fairy tale retelling) of a fairy tale that I find really interesting (Bluebeard) by an author I already know I enjoy

Sorry, Bro/Taleen Voskuni--Jews often feel that they have a lot of common with Armenians (for good reasons) so I’m really interested to read this story of someone claiming both her culture and her sexuality (even my mom was interested and she tries to not be homophobic but she winces at bi characters)

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Delicate Condition/Danielle Valentine. This absolutely sounds like a book that is going to make me cry.

5. Biggest disappointment

Catherine, Called Birdy/Karen Cushman. This seemed like a book that would be right up my alley--historical, mg, epistolary, rebellious and funny main girl character--but it just fell flat for me in so many ways.

6. Biggest surprise

Leave It to Beaver/Beverly Cleary surprised me by actually being pretty good, which you don’t usually expect for a novelization of a tv show. It wasn’t her best work, but I do want to read the rest of the series.

And, then, one I saved for here, Top Secret/John Reynolds Gardiner. This was recommended me as a funny, gross book and it was that (admittedly, a bit light on the grossness but what was there was good), but it also very much talked about repressing creativity for bad reasons and I loved that.

7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

A.J. Sass. I read Ellen Outside the Lines in one night and immediately put two more of their books on my tbr.

8. Newest fictional crush/newest favorite character

Just the one? Well, Ead Duryan from Priory of the Orange Tree/Samantha Shannon is exactly the type of character I love; but have you read about the angel/Uriel Shtetler from When the Angels Left the Old Country?! It thinks in such an interesting way about things and so it changes in a very odd way. (Also, it becoming more ‘human’ doesn’t make it stop using it/its pronouns!)

9. Book that made you cry

Ribsy, I’ve mentioned, but I don’t think any other book made me cry.

10. Book that made you happy

I reread The Girl With the Silver Eyes/Willo Davis Roberts to see if it still held up after over a decade since I first read it and it absolutely did. It acknowledges that grown-ups can make mistakes while trying to help children and that children have the right to defend themselves from that as well as actually evil adults. Also, read this fanfiction of Katie as an adult.

Riding Lessons/Jane Smiley also made me happy because it didn’t attempt to pathologise a kid whom I think would be pathologised today.

Tagging @ninja-muse @bookcub @opalescentswan @books-are-portals and @gigilberry (Only if you want to, obviously.)

[beareadsbookz]

Review: The Do’s and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

Summary

Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved donut shop.

Things get complicated, though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show. Then there’s the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who is becoming fast friends with Shireen. Things are heating up between them, and not just in the kitchen.

As the competition intensifies , Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more— including potential sabotage—if she wants a sweet victory!

Thoughts

I always enjoy Adiba Jaigirdar's books, but I didn't like this one quite as much as, say, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating. The main character is very talented and relatable, but she is a bit self centered in her friendships. There was an element of this in The Henna Wars, but in that book I felt like the main character recognized it and learned from it. In this book there isn't as much self-awareness, which made it a little frustrating to be in Shireen's head at times. That aside though, the story was cute and the characters were good. I liked the puns in the chapter names. One of the judges on the show that Shireen competes in has a name that is like a funny version of Gordon Ramsey, which I didn't realize until more than half way through (I think it’s Galvin Kremsey or something? I listened to the audiobook so I have no idea how it’s spelled.) I did love that the main character is fat and it doesn’t really come up that much, because I so rarely see plus sized main characters, and even when I do a large portion of the book is deprecating towards the character.

3.75 ⭐️

AAPI Heritage Month Hopefuls

(books I want to read if I can get them)

Rise of the Manō by Leialoha Humpherys

Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibble

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo

Hula by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes

Vā: Stories of the Women of the Moana edited by Sisilia Eteuati and Lani Wendt Young

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le

The Do’s and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

Weird Fishes by Rae Mariz

The Marvelous Mirza Girls by Sheba Karim

One Boy, No Water by Lehua Parker

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

The Wonders We Seek by Saadia Faruqi & Aneesa Mumtaz

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier

The Dragon Prince: Stories and Legends From Vietnam edited by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

Muslim Girls Rise by Saira Amir

Fish Swimming In Dappled Sunlight by Alison Watts & Riku Onda

Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocco

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

Force Of Fire by Sayantani DasGupta

Rangikura by Tayi Tibble

Writing In Color by multiple authors (including but not limited to Nafiza Azad, Axie Oh, Joan He, Chloe Gong, and Darcie Little Badger)

I will be reblogging with reviews as I finish these!

[lgbtqreads]

Apologies if you've already did this somewhere, I had a look but couldn't see anything, but what were your top 10 (or 5 or 7 or whatever) queer fiction books of 2021?

I've been looking at media lists to work out what I should make sure I don't miss but I trust your judgement more.

I don't have one specifically of my top queer fiction, but in this post I did for another site, five of the seven books I chose were queer: https://earlybirdbooks.com/best-ya-books-2021 (the Gilbert and Nedd are not) and I shouted out a bunch of other favorites in the blurbs, including The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore, Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa, The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe, Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve, and Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley.

So that's my top, but I'd also definitely recommend these: This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron, She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar, Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin, Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth, Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson, Love & Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura, and Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan, all of which I very much enjoyed.

In adult, my faves were The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun, Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage, The Guncle by Steven Rowley, Let's Get Back to the Party by Zak Salih, Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers, The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan, and sadly I didn't read much SFF so all I have to personally rec is The Unbroken by CL Clark.

[ari-does-epi]

Pride Reading Challenge Update #3

The Henna Wars by Abida Jaigirdar

3/5

Review and image descriptions under the cut!

I bought this book because I LOVED Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating and honestly the concept of two girls falling in love while running rival henna stands was two cute to pass up. I honestly didn't like it as much as I was hoping to, honestly? It was a lot less "fluffy" than I was expecting. I really rarely enjoy coming out books, though, so that's more of a personal preference. I also didn't really like the romance, it just felt like there wasn't a ton of chemistry, and just in general it seemed like a lot of the core conflicts of the story got suddenly fixed in the last 20 pages in a way that didn't feel like a real resolution. I did like that the discussion of how race intersects with sexuality was really nuanced, at least by YA standards. I read this because I wanted some good queer South Asian representation, and I definitely got that! I think it was a good book, overall, but it used a lot of queer YA tropes that I dislike and you can definitely tell this was the author's first novel. I'll still be buying her next book though (she has one coming out next year that looks more adult romance-ish, without the heavy coming out drama)!

[Image 1 ID: The 4x4 bingo square for the studyblr with knives reading challenge. From left to right, top to bottom, they read “Queer Found Family,” “Queer Academia,” “Fucked Up Queers,” “Abolish Annihilate Aspec,” “Coming Out Book,” “Historical Setting,” “Epically Queer,” “In Sappho’s Footsteps” “Yes Homo,” “Queer Joy,” “Sword WLW,” “Old Queers,” “Yes I’m Queer, Mind Your Own Business,” “Down With Cis,” “#OwnVoices” and “Not Gay As In Happy But Queer As In Fuck You”. “Sword WLW” and “Queer Found Family” are crossed out in gray. “Coming Out Book” is crossed out in black.]

[Image 2 ID: A photo of The Henna Wars by Abida Jaigirdar.]

[the-forest-library]

August 2021 Reads

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin

Feral Creatures - Kira Jane Buxton

The Secret Bridesmaid - Katy Birchall

Very Sincerely Yours - Kerry Winfrey

The Road Trip - Beth O'Leary

The Bookshop of Second Chances - Jackie Fraser

The Real Deal - Lauren Blakely

To Have and to Hoax - Martha Waters

Austenland - Shannon Hale

Incense and Sensibility - Sonali Dev

The Babysitters Coven - Kate Williams

For Better or Cursed - Kate Williams

Blood Like Magic - Liselle Sambury

Serpent & Dove - Shelby Mahurin

Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating - Adina Jaigirdar

Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous - Suzanne Park

This One Summer - Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki

Stranger Planet - Nathan W. Pyle

The Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo

The Truth About Animals - Lucy Cooke

Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops - Jen Campbell

Long Story Short - Lisa Brown

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts: Feral Creatures was one of my most-anticipated reads of the year, and it did not disappoint. It was so wonderful to be back with S.T. and his found family (or murder, as he would say). The Left Hand of Darkness was a re-read, and I was pleased to find that I loved it as much as I did when I read it so, so long ago. Surprise of the month was The Secret Bridesmaid. In the late 90s/early 00s, this book would have been a 'chick lit' hit. I thoroughly enjoyed it because while it uses many of the same tropes we see in modern romances, it's focused on a friendship with romance in the background.

Goodreads Goal: 186/200

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads | 2020 Reads | 2021 Reads

[therefugeofbooks]

November was a lot of fun! I participated in the Divesathon hosted by @princessofbookaholics​ and I loved most of the books I picked up! I hope we can do it next year! And then, at the end of the month, I just read different genres, trying to find what exactly I was in the mood for 😅

Talking about all the books I read in November under the cut.

In reading order:

To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames

It started well, but then things started to make zero sense. The ending is so unsatisfying, and the romance is weak. Many things don't contribute to the plot at all, and I don't know how I finished it...

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I love stories of pretentious groups of friends and mysterious and dark things they did in the past. And We Were Liars gave me exactly that! Contrary to many reviews I've read, I enjoyed the writings style. I think it matches the tone of the story and, more specifically, Cadence's inner monologues. I'm still debating whether I like or not the last bit of the ending, but it was overall a fun and quick read.

Read if you want: ya mystery, family secrets, pretentious group of friends.

The Tea Dragon Tapestry by K. O'Neill

It was as cute as the first story. I love the art style, and I love how comforting the story, characters, and relationships feel. The drama in this one is super cute, and I loved the main character development.

Read if you want: someone looking for something comforting, relaxing, and magical cozy.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

This story made me laugh! The main character is funny, and the situations she got herself into are even funnier. It's a fun and lighthearted mystery, although you can't think too much about the reality of some things.

The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James

I didn't expect it to make me so emotional. It's an unexpectedly cozy sci-fi heavily focused on relationships. The main characters are fun, and I loved their relationship. Also, the main character reads old internet posts from when the virus spread. It was interesting to read about people dealing with the crisis, and sometimes it was too realistic compared with what has been happening in the world. And the plot twist is so good! All in all, this story is a touching and hopeful read.

Read if you want: soft post-apocalyptic fiction, ya sci-fi.

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

It's so sweet! I loved the girls and their grumpy and sunshine dynamic. The entire fake dating part is full of fun and wholesome moments, and the ending couldn't be sweeter. I enjoyed reading about their culture, the food, the parties, and traditions. Also, Hani is a Muslim, and I loved to read about her relationship with her religion! Overall, it's a delightful story with fluffy romance and important discussions.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo with Jamie Chang (Translator)

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 was fast-paced but not an easy read. It made me reflect on the many women's experiences that overlap and the ones that are very specific to one's culture. It made me sad and angry. But if you're looking for feminist fiction in translation, I'd highly recommend it.

Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith

The story is spooky, and the main character is so curious and brave. The villain is scary, and I caught myself wondering how the main character would defeat him. It was a nice dark adventure!

Read if you want: middle-grade horror, kids saving the day, family secrets.

The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy

It’s a very emotional story. The main character deals with OCD, and he’s also figuring out his sexuality. The family and friends in this story are amazing! A lot of love and support comes from them. But the main character deals with bullying and racism as he tries to be the best at something. It made me tear up at the end as all ended so well!

Read if you want: queer middle-grade books, mental health books, kids standing up for themselves, loving families.

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-Sun translated to Janet Hong

I found Lemon in the crime thriller section. Although the start point of the story is a criminal case, the story is more about grief, class, and an analysis of Korean society. Maybe because it wasn't what I expected, and maybe because of the nonlinear story and the multiple points of view, I felt unsatisfied with the characters and bored with the story.

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

It's a beautiful book, telling the lives of many women through history whose lives are intertwined. It's a sad book, but I loved how Gabriela Garcia gave voice to these women. And the prose is so beautiful! The author is also a poet, and it does show in her novel.

Read if you want: immigrants stories, family sagas.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

It's hard to explain how much I loved this book! The historical ambiance is so well-done, the coming of age arc is beautiful, and I could feel the dangers of being true to yourself and others in the 1950s. Overall, the romance is so good, and the characters are fantastic! I can't recommend it enough!

Read if you want: wlw ya romance, historical romance, realistic ya.

The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

It’s an entertaining gothic story with a nice plot twist. I don't know if it was a mood thing, or I was just too dazed because of the last book, but I was not hooked up in the story immediately, but it'd still recommend it!

Read if you want: modern gothic, multiple POVs, family relationships.

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

It was a cute and lighthearted romance. However, I didn't get attached to any of the main characters, and I thought the drama was a bit predictable. Maybe I read too many of these fake dating romances!

Read if you want: queer Christmas romance, wlw adult romance, fake dating.

Black Butler Vol. 30 by Yana Toboso

I can't believe this series reached vol. 30!! I also can't believe Yana Toboso decided not to explain the last plot twist and write a backstory!!!

The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee

I love this series, and I was looking forward to this last book, but I have mixed feelings. I loved seeing the characters now that they're old, and I love what the author did with Monty. Adrian is a cutie! I wanted more of Percy, though. However, I think their journey is messy, and people pointed out how the plan doesn't make much sense and has many plot holes. But what didn't work for me was the fact that I thought it was too similar to the first book.

Read if you want: more of the Montague siblings!

Disponíveis em PT:

E se eu pudesse voltar no tempo? de Marie Pessoa

Encarnação de José de Alencar

Read in: Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July |Aug | Sep | Out

☆Book Photography ☆ Storygraph ☆ Scribd ☆

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Any book recommendations with the fake dating trope?

yes!

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - the first big fake-dating story to rock booklr's world, an oldie but a goodie. I like the book way more than the movie because the book does a much better job of unveiling the twist at the end

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee - I'll confess, I didn't love the fake-dating aspect of this. we were promised good times and instead got kinda screwed over. but the actual romance that blooms separately from the fake-dating storyline is so sweet, so pure, so good. deserved to be the focus of the story imo

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall - not YA but an excellent readalike for people who liked Red, White and Royal Blue. disasters boys in England falling for each other while they fake date to improve each other's reputations. it's getting two sequels as well so I'd recommend getting in on the ground floor and enjoying the thrill that is sure to come from this romance trilogy

I'll also rec two books I haven't got to yet but am very excited for: Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar, and Love and Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura. two awesome new releases by women of colour about wlw girls accidentally falling in love. should be lots of fun ^.^

[taqrir]

no cause the way i saw this post and went....wait a minute i know that line......... is sahar reading hani + ishu's guide to fake dating??????? and RAN to goodreads to see that yes!!! you are!!!!!! HELP the way i recognized it immediately is making me go insane i didnt rate it 5 stars for nothing ig have fun reading it though!!!! its everything to me <33333

HDHSJSH yeah i just wanted to read some wlw yk ?? haven’t read some in a long while and both you AND suha gave it 5 stars<33 so obviously i have to read it. i’m enjoying it very much so far like it’s all so realistic and the way hani and ishu’s relationship progresses ‼️ excellent. i love it

[almondscroissant]

hey, sweet friend. how are you doing? how's everything going on with you? i hope you're doing great. just wanted to say hi and ask you for book recommendations lol since you won't send me the playlist i asked for 🙄 jk jk honestly take your time. i recently got back into reading again would really like recommendations. just tell me your favorite books or something. other than that nothing much happening with me. but thanks to you i am obsessed with sage green now💀.

💜💜💜💜💜💜

Akjdkfjskdk call me out for that playlist lmao. I will finish it one day, I promise!!!! 😅

But oooh okay, book recs I can do! And congrats on getting back into reading. I hope I can help you find something you love! I'm not sure if you have a preference for certain genres, but I'll just list different things I've read recently and enjoyed/a few all-time faves:

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman: one of my favorites, even though I feel like the marketing absolutely tricked me lmao (Reese Witherspoon, i am looking directly at you ...) This book is so clever and quirky and heartwarming, but it also deals with darker topics and a character living with the effects of childhood trauma. (I can be more specific on the triggers if you'd like me to!) All that said, it's such a special book to me and the friendship is just the best <3

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall: so sweet!!!!! so funny!!!!!! so warm!!!!!

One Day in December by Josie Silver: a controversial pick dksjdks. Some people really don't like this one because there is a cheating element to it, but boyyyy the angst and boyyyyy the pining. I picked it up in the middle of a reading slump and I flew through it.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson: this book has my whole heart!

The Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman: it's a graphic novel series and it is so soft!!!!!

Ring Shout by P. Djèli Clark: Probably my favorite thing I've read all year. It's about a trio of Black girls in the early 20th century fighting demons/the KKK. The concept is so unique and it was very short but made me feel more than books twice its page length. 14/10 recommend!!!!!!!

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse: It's a fantasy inspired by pre-Columbian cultures in the Americas and it was such a ride!!!!!! (I also recommend reading this one while listening to the audiobook. SUPER FUN.)

Circe by Madeline Miller: big kill men energy. Her writing is unparalleled!

Legendborn by Tracy Deon: I just finished this one and while I have mixed feelings about the romance (I can just feel a love triangle looming and ksjdksjdksd), the story is so interesting! It's got mythology and magic and twists all over the place!

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: just !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta (first book is Finnikin of the Rock): this is the first high fantasy series I ever read and it legit blew my mind?? I just fell in love with every single character and I knew the author was a genius (her book Jellicoe Road also blew my mind!!!!) but this really sealed the deal.

The Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo: maybe you've heard of them lol. But I mean, they are a good time!!!! Also starring the two loves of my life: Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater: do not worry if you don't understand a single thing that is happening while you read this; it is the universal experience, it is part of the full scale hallucinogenic quality of the writing. Bonus factor: my son Richard Gansey III, the one character who, if I learned he was created in a lab to be unlikable to me specifically, I would not be surprised. (He's my fave.)

And some books I'm planning to read soon:

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

I'm stopping because I'll just keep adding stuff lol, but I really do hope you can find something here that appeals to you!!! 💖💖💖

[laneway]

mid-year book freakout

thanks for tagging me @callumnova !

Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2021? I’m going to say IN THE DREAM HOUSE by carmen maria mechado, that was exquisite in content and in form & challenged my perception in several ways

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2021? I read elena ferrante’s neapolitan novels this year - I think those were the only sequels I’ve picked up. of those, I think I liked THOSE WHO LEAVE AND THOSE WHO STAY the most!

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To? oooh HANI AND ISHU’S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING by adiba jaigirdar !

Most Anticipated Release For Second Half of 2021? I honestly don’t know what’s releasing later this year, I might update my answer to this once I’ve had a look

Biggest Disappointment? ARSENIC AND ADOBO by mia p manansala. if I wasn’t filipino & craving the filipino-ness of it all I don’t think I would’ve finished it. it’s not that it was terrible - it was... a book. the things that distracted me were things I would have thought a good editor could’ve pointed out & helped fix. 

Biggest Surprise? IN THE DREAM HOUSE. you see ‘memoir’ and you think of a particular style, and honestly none of it applies here. (read it read it read it)

Favorite New Author? mmm, I’ve just been introduced to & discovered taylor jenkins reid. does she count? I’ve always loved stories about famous people and she does it so well. 

Newest Fiction Crush? it’s still tristan caine. but I am currently reading SPELLBREAKER & developing a crush on bacchus so, stay tuned.

Newest Favorite Character? I adore kit & nina riva from MALIBU RISING!

Book That Made You Cry? uh I’ve been reading a lot of heavier books this year so most of them... but let’s go with THE SEVEN OR EIGHT DEATHS OF STELLA FORTUNA by juliet grames, and also DAISY JONES AND THE SIX by taylor jenkins reid.

Book That Made You Happy? THE ANSWER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS YES by olivie blake. who doesn’t love short stories about love and also female rage?

Favorite Book Adaption You Saw This Year? SHADOW & BONE. I’ve only read the six of crows & crooked kingdom and enjoyed them an average amount, but I lost my mind when I saw them onscreen. so yeah that one’s it.

Favorite Review You’ve Written This Year? I write reviews very occasionally and I always hate them, so I don’t have one. but I like what I wrote about KINDRED for S.P.E.L.L.

Most Beautiful Book You Bought So Far This Year? oh god I don’t pay much attention to covers sorry. if this is about content it’s IN THE DREAM HOUSE again for me.

What Books Do You Need To Read By The End of The Year? LEGENDBORN, DIAL A FOR AUNTIES, THE GIRLS I’VE BEEN. i’m also working my way through a list alexene sent me after I finished the neapolitan novels. she has terrific taste (obviously) but I have to pace them because of the emotional devastation, hah

thanks again! tagging: @rivanina @its-sjay @cocoartistwrites but no pressure!

[reyyya]

it’s 4am and i just finished hani and ishu’s guide to fake dating and i’m so happy i loved it so much bro like i haven’t enjoyed romance since like 6th grade but my heart is melting i love this sm

[halflingkima]

Most Disappointing Books of 2022

So the worst books aren’t necessarily the most disappointing – some of those I fully expected to hate! And the most disappointing aren’t necessarily the worst (I have a 4-star read in here lol). But there were some books I was really looking forward to that just. Dropped me in the trust fall.

One of these books has a sexual assault scene, but I would have been sufficiently prepared had I checked the content warnings on storygraph 🙃 Aside from that, there may be some spoilers ahead, so if you’re concerned, tread lightly.

And now – my top 10 most disappointing reads of 2022 ranked (read this past year, not necessarily published in 2022).

10. Kill the Farm Boy (⭐️⭐️) by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne In the tradition of Monty Python, a rag-tag bunch of unlikely heroes adventure to find (or resurrect?) the kingdom’s Chosen One and break a few curses.

Kicking this list off with one that was also on the least favorites list – mainly because I didn’t have enough “worst books” to round out a list of ten. So generally the same applies here. It’s this low on the list because I didn’t expect too much of it, and really only picked it up because I’m interested in the followup book, but the humor rly did not vibe.

9. Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating (⭐️⭐️⭐️) by Adiba Jaigadar Hani needs to “prove” her bisexuality to her friends and Ishu needs to be popular to win votes for head girl; the two agree to a fake relationship despite not liking each other very much.

This one was upsetting because I was really interested in the intersection of the teens’ identities in this one, but I felt like nothing was every explored fully enough. It’s YA and the girls are on the older end of their teens but the authorial voice bordered on middle grade to me. I also felt like it tried to do too much with their story, piling on an adversary to lovers thing on top of the fake dating, while at the same time trying to honor both girls’ personal journeys. I think this would’ve been better as a contemporary novel centering on one main character with some romance flavor, rather than aiming for a romance outright.

8. Ballad (Books of Faerie Duology) (⭐️⭐️) by Maggie Stiefvater When James’s musical talent attracts the faerie Nuala, he finds himself embroiled in a fae war.

This one should be lower on the list due to how much I did not enjoy but in all fairness I really didn’t expect to. I read the first in the duology the previous year and it didn’t have anything special to offer me, which I was upset about, so let’s consider this as an entry for the whole duology. I always say I want more paranormal focusing on celtic myth and tradition, and I know miss maggie can write a book I like, but this just. Didn’t hit, I guess. It did feel very outdated as well, and I know she was rather young when she wrote it, so I can write this off as a sorta stepping stone in her career, I suppose.

7. In Deeper Waters (⭐️⭐️⭐️) by FT Lukens The prince Tal discovers a prisoner on an enemy ship and sets him free; when Tal is kidnapped to start a war, the ex-prisoner returns the favor.

I feel bad that this is even this high on the list, but it’s simply because I had higher hopes than the others. It was a perfectly good story, with interesting politics and fun world-building. However, I had picked it up primarily for the romance and it really left me wanting in that area (despite the OTT ending – iykyk).

6. Rabbits (⭐️⭐️) by Terry Miles There is a game that blurs virtual reality and reality – and K, who has been obsessed with the game since childhood, finally gets a way in.

Yet again, we’ve reached one that double features on the least favorites list. This one’s higher because I don’t think I would’ve read it if I were more familiar with the source podcast or had read more reviews. I picked it up expecting some reality bending philosophy fodder and instead got a very straightforward – and sexist, at certain angles – narrative. Bored to the extent of disappointment.

5. The Bromance Book Club (⭐️⭐️⭐️) by Lyssa Kay Adams MLB player Gavin’s marriage implodes when he learns his wife has been faking her orgasms; his friends use romance novels to coach him through saving his relationship.

The anticipation may have done me dirty with this one. I saw everyone on booktube raving about this for nearly two years before I got my hands on it and it was so. mediocre. And that was upsetting because the premise is so cute!! But it was so. Painfully. Heterosexual. There was no fun. There was no whimsy. There was the heaviness of a marriage falling apart with children involved despite the easy fix of. talking to each other. Both leads’ character journeys made sense and carried weight and the sex scenes were fine but had I known how bland it was, I probably would’ve given it a skip.

4. American Pop (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) by Snowden Wright This sprawling family saga about a fictional soda empire follows the Forsters and their misfortune through the generations.

This was quite a decent book! But I had expected this to be a new favorite of all time. I had hoped that I would experience the passage of US history through the unique perspective of an ensemble cast with the added flavor of an alternate/fictional history. Specifically, I was hoping for something reminiscent of The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett (one of my 2021 favorites), which I loved so much not necessarily because of the characters’ and their stories, but because of how I saw America develop throughout their lives. This one said very little about America or industry or the passage of time, and mainly focused on a vague “family curse” and the unique despair and misfortune of each family member. It was a fine book, but not what I was expecting when I picked it up.

3. Cytonic (⭐️⭐️⭐️) by Brandon Sanderson Now stranded on the other side of the galaxy, Spensa makes new friends and learns more about the history of the Delvers.

With the third installment, the series slipped into a pattern that I’m not a fan of. I really enjoyed the first book, and I withheld judgement on the second book, hoping it was a brief diversion from a main plotline, but the third solidified the series’s trajectory. Each book thus far follows the concept of Spensa being thrown into a new group of people/strangers/friends, creating a brief found family that readjusts her worldview, then moving on. The first book made me very invested in the planet and the flight class and I’ve been missing them for the majority of the last two books 😔

2. Tell No Tales (⭐️⭐️) by Sam Maggs and Kendra Wells Anne Bonny has a prophetic dream and urges her crew to face the monsters in their pasts.

I feel bad about sticking this on the list because I think the fault is with my expectations, but I was truly so disappointed by this book. I was expecting a YA pirate adventure with some speculative elements but this is ultimately a middle grade historical fiction, emphasis on the historical. The diversity was nice but felt like way too little too late wrt graphic novels for kids. The plot was excessively formulaic and paint by numbers and it offered me. Nothing, basically. When Anne Bonny and her own crew were right there.

1. That Kind of Guy (⭐️⭐️⭐️) by Talia Hibbert Rae needs a fake date for an author’s convention coming up and turns to her best friend Zach, who’s been recently coming to terms with is demisexuality.

This one comes out on top simply because of how excited I was to read it. I love Talia Hibbert, and I love the previous two books in the series. The first (A Girl Like That) was even my first Talia Hibbert! And on top of this, it’s a fake relationship (favorite trope), with a demisexual main character (personal representation), and an older heroine (#feminism) who’s an author (also favorite trope/personal representation)! This sounded made for me. I started the whole series to get to this book. And then. There was nothing all that special about it. I have read much better demisexual characters. The fake relationship ruse dissolved immediately. The sex was just as detailed and graphic – maybe even more so – than Hibbert’s other books. It was a perfectly good book! That let me down so entirely 😅