8 Queer Fantasy Books You Need To Add To Your List Immediately

For those days when you just want to be transported to another world. Sponsored by Amazon Books. Created by BuzzFeed Editors

I don't know about you, but I sometimes have days where I want to be whisked away somewhere exciting, but I also don't really want to leave the house. Well, these eight queer fantasy novels are perfect for those moments where you want to switch off from your surroundings and escape into an adventure.

1. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Hachette Books

In Girls of Paper and Fire, we meet Lei, a young girl from the lowest caste of the people in Ikhara. The story kicks off when guards take her from her remote village and to the King’s palace to train as a Paper Girl; beautiful consorts whose only purpose is to serve the king. It’s a story of forbidden love, oppression, and revenge – Lei’s mum was taken by the guards years before, and her fate is still a mystery. The world of Ikhara is fictional, but it’s heavily influenced by Ngan’s Malaysian background, and with all the references, it really feels like you’ve been transported into another world.

2. The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Orbit

Fans of sapphic love stories and magic – this one's for you. Malini is a vengeful princess who’s been imprisoned by her tyrannical brother in a once magical, now decaying temple. Priya’s one of many dedicated maidservants who tends to Malini’s remote quarters, but she has a dark, powerful secret that separates her from the rest. When Malini discovers Priya’s secret the two become entangled, changing the fate of the empire forever. The Jasmine Throne is the first of a trilogy, so it’s perfect If you want to be swept away for the long haul.

3. An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Akashic Books

An Unkindness of Ghosts is a must-read for anyone who’s into science fiction, history, and complex protagonists. We meet Aster, a young healer who lives on the lowest deck of the HSS Matilda, a ship taking the last of humanity to the Promised Land. But this isn’t a utopian novel. The Matilda has a pretty messed up social structure – the dark-skinned sharecroppers – including Aster – are relegated to the bottom deck because they’re considered less than. When the ship’s Sovereign dies, Aster finds a surprising link between the death and her own history and learns that there might be a way for her to get off the ship.

4. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Simon & Schuster

Who doesn’t love an enemies-to-lovers plot? If the dual authors didn’t give it away already, This is How You Lose the Time War is an epistolary novel spanning through time and universes. Agents Red and Blue are on opposing sides of a vicious war, but they can’t resist exchanging secret messages as they travel back and forth in time – a forbidden love story in letter form. It’s equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, and very difficult to resist reading it all in one sitting.

5. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Swoon Reads

This YA fantasy follows Yadriel, a queer trans brujo who’s determined to get his traditional family to accept his gender. He decides that freeing the ghost of his murdered cousin is the way to go about this, but naturally, things don’t go to plan. He performs a ritual with the help of his cousin Maritza, but they end up summoning the wrong ghost, one that won’t go quietly. To get rid of him, Yadriel has to look into the death of bad boy Julian. But the more he learns, the less he wants him to go. Cemetery Boys has made history too – It’s the first book on the New York Times Bestseller written by an openly transgender author featuring a trans character.

6. Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

Bloomsbury

If you’re a big fantasy fan, chances are this is already on your reading list. Set 200 years after Cinderella found Prince charming, Sophia is living a life far from a fairytale. In this story, teen girls are paraded out at the Annual Ball and selected to be wives of the kingdom’s men, but Sophia wants to marry her friend Erin. In a desperate attempt to avoid being married off, she ends up hiding and meets Constance, Cinderella’s last known descendant. The two team up to bring down the sexist regime and learn that there’s a lot more to the Cinderella story than we think we know. If you grew up loving fairytales but want a story with a bit more bite, you should read this. 

7. The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

Sourcebooks, IncM

Lina lives in Caldella, where every year on the full moon, an innocent boy is sacrificed by the island city’s Witch Queen to save it from sinking. In an attempt to stop her brother from being chosen, she ends up putting a boy she loves in the firing line. To save him, Lina offers herself up as a sacrifice, and she meets the mysterious queen. Their meeting doesn’t really go how you’d expect, and their bond jeopardises the future of Caldella.

8. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Macmillan

If you read The Star Touched Queen series, you'll already know that Roshani Chokshi is a fantasy heavyweight. The Gilded Wolves is set in Paris in 1889, meshing history and myth with a gripping mystery. Treasure hunter Severin is approached by an elite group named the Order of Babel, and coerced into helping them on a mission with an offer he just can’t refuse. He recruits a group of misfits to help him on the quest, and together they uncover some history-changing secrets. This is the first of a trilogy, which is a good thing because once you finish, there’ll be a big Gilded Wolves-shaped gap in your life.

What else should we add to our reading lists? Don't forget to share your recommendations in the comments!