The 8 Most-Anticipated New Queer Books Out in December 2024

If you, like me, loved Our Wives Under the Sea, you’ll be eagerly awaiting her newest. This is a retelling of King Lear, set in a world devastated by never-ending rain. When their famous and cruel father dies, three estranged sisters are brought back to their family home to sort through the secrets he left behind. Meanwhile, they’re also struggling with their romantic lives, including Isla’s strained relationship with her ex-wife.

I loved this literary speculative story about two sisters who began their lives together as snakes in Tang Dynasty China. Now, they couldn’t be more different: Su is a conservative politician’s wife in Singapore while Emerald scrapes by as a queer sugar baby living in New York City with an artist friend. It’s a beautiful and bruising story about racism, assimilation, and the complexities of found family. I don’t know how to talk about this one succinctly, but you can get my full thoughts on today’s episode of All the Books.

Content warnings: Rape, assault, transmisogyny (this is a significant plot, not just mentioned in passing), pregnancy trauma, misogyny, homophobia.

Set in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1828, this debut gothic follows medical student James Willoughby. To practice on a human cadaver, he needs to join a Surgeon School that he can’t afford. Dissectionist Nye MacKinnon offers him a cheaper option, which is how James finds himself pulled into the world of body snatching. He can’t help falling for Nye, convinced by his mission, but soon the two face off against rival body snatchers—and serial killers—Burke and Hare.

A sapphic roller derby romance with that adorable cover? I can’t resist. Eleanor is struggling, on and off the track. Her team is failing so badly they may be kicked out of the league. Her job as a nurse has pushed her to the brink, and she feels isolated from her friends and family. When Robin joins the team, Eleanor is frustrated by her lateness, forgetfulness, and impractical clothing. But she’s also a brilliant skater, and the team needs her. The more time they spend together, the more Eleanor realizes there’s more beneath the surface than she thought, and Robin might just be the one to help her out of her rut.

Judge me all you want, but this series is a delight. Originally a Webtoon, it follows four college guys in a polycule together: Prep, Goth, Nerd, and Jock. Yes, those are their names. It’s just as tooth-achingly sweet as you’d expect, and I can’t wait to pick this volume up. It follows the four of them as they graduate and try to figure out what they want their lives together to look like in the future.

Did anyone order an M/M take on The Princess Diaries? Jamie Johnson is the secret prince of the European country Mitanor, and the press is about to tell everyone. Now, he’s spending the summer learning royal etiquette, tutored by Erik Lindstrom, the “spare prince” of another kingdom. But they didn’t plan to fall for each other, and they’ll have to choose whether to follow their hearts or follow the rules of royalty.