Lose yourself in these ya fantasy titles with LGBTQ+ characters. Monsters, romance, fairy tale retellings, and adventure are just some of the things you will find in these stories.
Lucha of the Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Sixteen-year-old Lucha Moya lives with her sister and sometimes present mother in a city in the world of Robado where she makes a living hunting monsters. Lucha and her sister Lis end up homeless after her mother disappears again and is forced to make a dangerous bargain. An inspiring, empowering story of fantasy, romance, and lyrical prose.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Get ready for this Persian fairy tale based on the sleeping beauty classic. Soraya has lived with a curse that keeps her hidden away in her gardens while her twin brother lives out his life, soon to be married. Soraya must find the truth in herself and fight the all too real dangers around and in her. Dark and twisty is this novel of antiheros, adventure, and queer fairy tale.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Bree Matthews, a black sixteen–year–old, decides to attend her mother’s alma Mater, UNC Chapel Hill, after her mother’s death from an accident. Bree witnesses a magical attack that sets her on a course to infiltrate a centuries old racist secret society of demon hunters, the Legendborn. A fantasy sure to be a cultural gem with its unapologetic, suspenseful, and haunting storytelling.
A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth
Four queer teens come together in a tenuous alliance in this fae and human fantasy that draws inspiration from Greek mythology, Irish folklore, and Dungeons and Dragons. The is Ashley Shuttleworth’s debut novel, one they thoughtfully lovely crafted with rich detail.
In the Ravenous Dark by A. M. Strickland
Lydea, a pansexual blood mage, is teamed up with a spirit in this story of court intrigue, magic, and revenge. The queer representation in this action-packed fantasy of found family is beautiful, a great work of queer normativity world-building.
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
Seventeen-year-old Teo is the trans son of Quetzal, the goddess of birds, living in a world that hosts the Sunbearer Trails. The Trials is a game that pits teens against teens in this energetic adventure fans of Hunger Games and mythology will relish.