Alexandra Rowland is one of my favorite authors, and I adore romances, so this book was an easy choice to pick up. I will say Rowland’s past romance (A Taste of Gold and Iron) was a great book, but probably my least favorite thing they’ve put out. Considering that their worst book is one that I’d happily reread, Alexandra Rowland is definitely an author who is right up my alley.
Read If Looking For: trope-filled Romances, meddling gods, melodramatic descriptions of penises
Avoid if Looking For: healthy relationship dynamics, sophistication in any sense of the word
This book has been pitched as a mashup between Mexican Gothic, Frankenstein, written through the lens of Oscar Wilde. I don’t think that’s a perfect description, but it (and some phenomenal cover art) put this book on my list as I tried to tackle the new releases of 2024. Gothic fiction may not be my favorite genre, but there was a lot to love in this debut novel, even if there were places it was rough around the edges.
Like most Queer kids raised Christian, I have a complicated relationship with religion. I grew up going to church in Topeka, Kansas, a city known for being utterly boring and home to the Westboro Baptist Church. Childhood was a state of constant tension. The church my parents attended was having gay marriages decades before it was legal, and one of my Confirmation mentors was an open Lesbian woman. Yet often we would see ‘God Hates Fags’ signs protesting our church, or once at my school thirty minutes outside of town after a local father murdered his children before committing suicide. The kids at my school were not from a progressive congregation in any sense of the word, and routinely lectured me on how God put animals on this earth for humans to hunt, amongst a wide variety of other topics.
All this to say, that a gay retelling of the fall of Lucifer was something that immediately caught my eye. Christian Fantasy (or religious fantasy more broadly) isn’t something that always interests me, but when queerness is layered in, I grow much more attentive. This book definitely wasn’t the ‘happy ending romance’ story I expected (or craved if I’m being totally honest), but it won me over with its willingness to be dark, deranged, and fascinating.
Read If Looking For: gay rage, villain stories that avoid cliches, critiques of Christianity
Avoid if Looking For: capital R Romances, books free from disturbing imagery or sexual assault
I was a Harry Potter kid growing up, and despite falling out of love with the series for a wide variety of reasons, magic schools will always hold a special place in my heart. I also loved Shoenn Manga, and remember buying the newest Naruto books released to see what was happening during the Chūnin Exams. This has since transformed into an adult love of the Progression Fantasy genre, featuring readable prose, fun battles, and lots of power ups. There’ve been a couple good marriages between these two elements, and even a few with lots of queer rep (Arcane Ascension and Mage Errant both get a big shout out for this!), but Journals of Evander Tailor is by far my favorite. The Enchanter is the first book in the journey, and I’ll keep singing its praises as long as I can.
Read If Looking For: breezy reading, detailed magic systems, supportive relationships, consequences for actions, a thoughtful and pragmatic lead character
Avoid if Looking For: beautiful prose, queer-friendly worlds, magic that remains mystic and unexplained
The Goblin Emperor won me over with its baroque tangle of royal ettiquette, its optimistic worldview, and a wonderful inversion of typical portrayals of monarchies. It’s sibling series is none of those things, and presents a story that feels very familiar in style, yet the polar opposite in tone. A subdued noir novella, Witness For the Dead does not require reading The Goblin Emperor to enjoy; it follows a side character far from the action and events of the previous story. In fact, there were surprisingly few easter eggs connecting the two.
Read If Looking For: gloomy priests, representations of internalized homophobia, simple and careful prose
Avoid if Looking For: upbeat stories, highly structured mysteries
Historically, Urban Fantasy hasn’t been a genre that I’ve found particularly compelling. As a kid, I was looking for more grand adventures; and as an adult, werewolves and vampires just didn’t call my name unless they were doing something interesting and creative with them. The Last Sun was a book I gave a shot while looking for queer leads in fantasy, and while it wasn’t a perfect book, it’s certainly one that I’ll be reading more of in the future.
Read If Looking For: punchy mysteries, fun action sequences, underdog stories
Avoid if Looking For: books without graphic sexual assault, books that resolve every mystery in one book
I intended for this book to be a light, fluffy read. Picked up in an airport bookshop as something to occupy me as I headed out to a summer teaching gig in Boston, I thought I was going to read a cute (and possibly spicy) romance set in a spaceship. I did not expect the emotional rollercoaster of stress, excitement, and sheer existential dread this book would pull out of me. It’s stood the test of time and is just as good on a reread as that first experience.
Read If Looking For: space thrillers, emotional romantic connections, looming dread
Avoid if Looking For: straightforward romances, thorough worldbuilding
I was drawn to Wolf of Withervale because I’ve been looking for good Epic Fantasy with Gay leads for a while. I’ve found bundles of romantasy, some more experimental stuff, but precious little in the classic older style … but gay. And Wolf of Withervale was exactly that. Massive world about to be thrust into turmoil, magical relics of ancient civilizations, young kid finding himself in the limelight through merest chance. It’s got a lot of what epic fantasy looks for, and it filled the itch I’d been looking for.
Read If Looking For: grand stakes, imposing villains, ancient magical artifacts, queer cultural references
Avoid if Looking For: books that start in the middle of the action, deep nuanced characterization
Evocation immediately caught my eye with its cover. While I’m not a someone who subscribes to Tarot in my personal life, I greatly enjoy how it can be used as a symbolic component in stories, especially fantasy ones where its easy for me to suspend disbelief and enjoy fortune telling. That, plus a queer cast made it an easy choice for me to read.
Read If Looking For: poly romance, dynamic narration, occultism
Avoid if Looking For: flesheshed out magic systems, mystery/thriller plotlines that satisfy
Horror, especially queer horror, is something that I’ve been dipping my toes in more and more as I get older. I’m a squeamish person; during medical shows I look away during surgery scenes, and I despise jump scares. But I find both elements much more manageable in book form. And The Woods All Black was a wonderful marriage of queer history and queer horror. At 150 pages, it was an easy choice to pick up.
Read If Looking For: Appalachian settings, queer history, religious horror
Avoid if Looking For: engaging romances, lots of supernatural content
Marked for Plot 