March 2025’s Newsletter: “Queer Books to Buy Before They’re Banned.”
It’s important to support diverse authors now more than ever.
The future of the book industry is uncertain. Queer books are already banned in many places. Whether or not they’ll be labeled “porn” and banned on a national level remains to be seen.
I’ve compiled a list of fantasy and sci-fi books/series that include LGBTQ+ characters so you can support your diverse authors. If you can’t afford to buy books, never fear! Borrowing books at your local library also shows your support, because libraries keep track of how often a book is checked out.
Queer Books I’ve Read
The following list contains books and series that I have read and would recommend, and include at least one LGBTQ+ character.
“Mercy Thompson” series by Patricia Briggs
“Graceling” by Kristin Cashore
“Legendborn” by Tracy Deonn
“In Deeper Waters” by F.T. Lukens
“Otherworldly” by F.T. Lukens
“The Adventure Zone” by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Carey Pietsch
“Temeraire” series by Naomi Novik
“The Scholomance” trilogy by Naomi Novik
“The Heroes of Olympus” by Rick Riordan
“The Trials of Apollo” by Rick Riordan
“Skyward” series by Brandon Sanderson
“Nimona” by N.D. Stevenson
“Hooky” by Míriam Bonastre Tur
Previously, on FanFiAddict…
I wrote an article of 15 LGBTQ+ fantasy and sci-fi books for FanFiAddict. The article includes the genre, summary, and representation in each book/series. You can read it (totally for free!) here:
On My TBR
These are books/series that I haven’t read yet, but are on my personal To Be Read list.
“Bookshops and Bonedust” by Travis Baldree
“A Second Story” by J.A. Collignon
“A Memory of Tea and Magic” by Katherine A. Darling
“Key of Iron and Fate” by Katherine a. Darling
“Don’t Let the Forest In” by C.G. Drews
“Project Nought” by Chelsey Furedi
“Flopping in a Winter Wonderland” by Jason June
“The Spells We Cast” by Jason June
“Magical Boy” by The Kao
“A Marvelous Light” by Freya Marske
“Gideon the Ninth” by Tamsyn Muir
“Most Ardently” by Gabe Cole Novoa
“The Diablo’s Curse” by Gabe Cole Novoa
“Dark Rise” by C.S. Pacat
“A Spell for Heartsickness” by Alistair Reeves
“The Darkness Outside Us” by Eliot Schrefer
“The Priority of the Orange Tree” by Samantha Shannon
“The Necromancer’s Prisoner” by Elric Shaw
“Captain Stellar” by R.J. Sorrento
“Cosmoknights” by Hannah Templer
“The Sunbearer Trials” by Aiden Thomas
“Of Feathers and Thorns” by Kit Vincent
“Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms” by Sarah Wallace
“What is This Feeling?” by Robby Weber
“Lunar boy” by Cin Wibowo and Jes Wibowo
Recommended by a Librarian
The following list was recommended by my librarian cousin. They range in reading age from middle grade to adult. (Many are going to find their way onto my TBR!)
“Light from Uncommon Stars” by Ryka Aoki
“Luminous Beings: A Graphic Novel” by David Arnold
“Another Kind” by Trevor Beam
“All That’s Left in the World” by Erik Brown
“The Lock-Eater” by Zack Loran Clark
“Saint Juniper’s Folly” by Alex Crespo
“Gwen and Art Are Not in Love” by Lex Croucher
“Not for the Faint of Heart” by Lex Croucher
“Across a Field of Starlight” by Blue Delliquanti
“The Hills of Estrella Roja” by Ashley Robin Franklin
“Upright Women Wanted” by Sarah Gailey
“Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales” by Melanie Gillman
“The Fox Maidens” by Robin Ha
“What Stalks Among Us” by Sarah Hollowell
“Cerulean Chronicles” by T.J. Klune
“In the Lives of Puppets” by TJ Klune
“Too Bright to See” by Kyle Lukoff
“Winter’s Orbit” series by Everina Maxwell
“Every Heart a Doorway” by Seanan McGuire
“The Locked Tomb” series by Tamsyn Muir
“The Terraformers” by Annalee Newitz
“The Magic Fish” by Trung Le Nguyen
“The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti” series by Malka Ann Older
“The Deep Dark” by Molly Knox Ostertag
“The Girl from the Sea” by Molly Knox Ostertage
“Little Thieves” series by Margaret Owen
“Unicorn Boy” by Dave Roman
“Queer Mythology” by Guido Sanchez
“HappyHead” duology by Josh Silver
“Girl Haven” by Lilah Sturges
“Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms” by Rey Terciero
“Squad” by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
“Paper Girls” by Brian K. Vaughan
“Brooms” by Jasmine Walls
“The Well” by Jake Wyatt
Other Recommendations
This recommendation list are books/series that I’ve seen on bookstagram or other places online.
“A Psalm for the Wild-Built” by Becky Chambers
“The Atlas Six” by Olivie Blake
“This is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
“The Last Sun” by K.D. Edwards
“Carmilla” by Sheridan Le Fanu
“Gearbreakers” by Zoe Hana Mikuta
“The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller
“Heartstopper” by Alice Oseman
“The Jasmine Throne” by Tasha Suri
“Cemetery Boys” by Aiden Thomas
“The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry” by C.M. Waggoner
“Lumberjanes” by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Gus Allen, and N.D. Stevenson
“Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess” by Jeremy Whitley, Rosy Higgins, and Ted
Brandt
“Princeless: The Pirate Princess” by Jeremy Whitley, Rosy Higgins, and Ted Brandt
“Iron Widow” by Xiran Jay Zhao
Happy Reading!
LGBTQ+ people have existed throughout history. Yet, our ability to be overtly represented in media will be challenged in the upcoming months and years. If you’re looking for ways to support LGBTQ+ rights in the face of looming bans, check out these queer books at your local bookstore or library.
Thanks for reading!
-S Labrecque
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