The Best and Buzziest LGBTQ Fantasy Books of 2024 (So Far)
We’re a quarter of the way through the year, so I thought now was a good time to look back at the biggest and buzziest LGBTQ books of the first three months of 2024. I’ll highlight other genres in future lists, but I’m starting with fantasy. These are the titles I’ve been hearing about the most, but there are so many more queer fantasy books out January through March that are also worth reading.
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi (Sapphic Fantasy)
Saara El-Arifi was already a well-known name in the queer fantasy genre for her the Ending Fire trilogy, so combining that with the current popularity of the fae romantasy genre was a winning formula! Faebound is a national bestseller that comes recommended by Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree.
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang (M/M Fantasy Romance)
This one just came out at the end of March, but it’s been getting tons of buzz. Romantasy is big right now, and this one is an M/M reincarnation romance that promises “erotic thrills” and “equal parts mess and swoon.” It got a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was named the Best Romance of the Month by Amazon Editors.
Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella (Gay Fantasy)
Who can resist a title and cover like this? The publishers describe it as “like Scooby Doo with Grindr.” The Sunday Times named it a “book to watch,” and it comes recommended by Emily Austin, author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead. The sequel, Shy Trans Banshee, will be coming out in 2025!
Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk (Sapphic Gothic Novel)
This literary, feminist, sapphic vampire novel has been getting rave reviews, including in The New York Times Book Review, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and a starred Booklist review. Also, I can say that this is one the reviewers at my sapphic book blog, the Lesbrary, were clamoring to recommend: I had to space out all the positive reviews it got!
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole (Lesbian and Demisexual Fantasy)
Fourth Wing has been very popular since it came out last year, but it’s not the only dragon-riding fantasy book getting love! This Jamaican-inspired fantasy has both lesbian and demisexual representation, and The Washington Post called it the “best young-adult novel I’ve read in ages, and one of the best fantasy novels, full stop.” It also got a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
Voyage of the Damned by Frances White (Gay Fantasy Mystery)
This is a book about a magical gay fantasy cruise, which definitely piqued my interest! Voyage of the Damned was a UK release, but after it gained traction on BookTok, it now has a U.S. release date in August for a hardcover complete with decorated endpapers and sprayed edges!
If you’re looking for more of the biggest queer books of the moment, check out the bestselling queer books of the week, last week’s bonus send of the Our Queerest Shelves newsletter!
This list originally appeared on our LGBTQ books newsletter, Our Queerest Shelves. Sign up to get more queer books in your inbox every week!
