Looking for the best queer fantasy books to add to your reading list? Check out these gay fantasy books with amazing LGTBQ+ representation.
Must Read Queer Fantasy Books
In the world of fantasy, for some reason, it seems like there are mainly straight romantic relationships. That really isn’t the case at the moment though, and fantasy has really started to become a much more diverse genre. There are some fantastic gay fantasy books with excellent LGTBQ+ representation within them. If you are looking for them, then you can find them right here in a nice little list for you.
Now, these are not romance books. Nor are they even really “fantasy romance”. Most of these books I am going to recommend to you have queer romance as a subplot. I personally don’t tend to read books that have romance as the main plot, so make sure you keep that in mind when you are going through this list.
These books are first and foremost, fantasy books (with a little sci-fi thrown in for fun). If you are looking for books that are more romance-heavy, these may not be for you. But if you want books that have beautiful LGBTQ romances as a subplot in a fantasy book, then these will be right up your alley.
Renegades by Marissa Meyer
One of our main superheroes has two gay fathers, and it is beautifully done. I love how their relationship is written, and I especially love how their parenting is shown.
Something I think YA fantasy is missing, in general, is good parental figures. These fathers are shown as loving their kids and in a healthy and loving relationship with each other.
Even better, the fact that they are gay is not even a big deal in this world. It is what it is and no one even mentions it, which honestly I love.
Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
We follow two women. An imprisoned sister to the emperor who is meant to be executed, and a maidservant who is in hiding due to escaping a genocidal event in her youth. This book is an Indian-inspired fantasy with a queer enemies-to-lovers trope that is so well done.
Not only do we have a slow-burn sapphic romance, but we also have forbidden magic, revolution, and a whole lot of politics! This book can be described as slower-paced, but it does an excellent job of worldbuilding and connecting you with the characters.
Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
This book is what I would say is very flowery. It is purple prose at its finest, almost poetic in nature. There are stories within stories and honestly, you will be confused for most of your reading experience. If that is okay with you though, it is a beautiful book where you can just enjoy the ride.
We follow Zachary, a college student who finds a story about his own childhood in a strange book in his school library. He decides to find out everything he can about this book, which leads him to a magical and mysterious secret society that will change his life forever.
House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
We follow Linus, a social worker who works with magical children. Linus is a boring man, nothing special and nothing adventurous. His world is flipped upside down when he is assigned to look into a magical orphanage filled with potentially dangerous children. He must spend a month at the home with the children and their keeper.
This book is sweet and wholesome and just overall adorable.
The Disasters by MK England
We follow a group of students as they are being sent home from a prestigious space academy… on their first day! They all wash out for one reason or another, but while they are waiting on the shuttle to leave, the school is attacked. Everyone in the school is killed but they are able to get away. Now they are on the run and have to learn to work together to save themselves and possibly the galaxy.
When we think of representation, this book has it all! We have a bi-male main character, a trans female, and a gay man. We also have some awesome anxiety representation in this book as well. Not only is it super-inclusive, but it is also just a fun space romp with a group of misfits.
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
This isn’t a light and fluffy LGBT fantasy book. Before deciding to pick this one up, please look into the trigger warnings. In this world, there are three castes of people. There are regular humans, human-demon hybrids, and demons. Demons rule the world. Every year, the demon king picks human girls from his kingdom to serve as his concubines. This year though, one of the girls decides that enough is enough and she is determined to break the system.
If you want a good romance in a dark world with forbidden love and revolution, pick this series up.
Ship of Smoke and Steel by Django Wexler
In this world, magic users are conscripted by the crown. Our main character evades this for years while living as a gang enforcer and supporting her younger sister. One day she is caught and with her sister’s life being threatened, she is forced to undertake a dangerous mission to steal an unstealable ghost ship that is filled with magic users who are sent there every year as sacrifices.
Again, romance is not the main element, but it is a really lovely side plot within the story.
Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
This is a world where magic is illegal. Magic users, those who can communicate with animals, are found and either killed or conscripted to work for the crown. We follow Veronyka, a magic user who longs to be a phoenix rider. She ends up disguising herself as a boy and working for a group of hidden phoenix riders.
This book is filled with romance, forbidden magic, secret heirs, and revolution!
She Who Became the Sun by Chelly Parker Chan
This is another female/female romance in a brutal world. I won’t go into a lot of detail about the book here because I do have a full spoiler-free She Who Became the Sun review that you can check out if you want to know more.
Just know that this is a fictional ancient China where a girl takes on the persona of her dead brother in order to reach for greatness.
While this is by no means a comprehensive list of gay fantasy books, it is quite a few of my personal favorites. If you have any queer fantasy books that you would like to recommend, let me know in the comments so I can add a few more to my reading list for the year.
Book lover, coffee addict, mom of dragons (aka rambunctious kids). I share book recs, mom life survival tips, and the occasional existential crisis.
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