These Queer Books are Finalists for the 2025 Hugo and Lodestar Awards

Love means never having to say sorry…for wanting to lay your eggs in someone. This is a dark fantasy debut giving off weird and wonderful vibes. It’s about an (egg-laying) shapeshifter named Shesheshen, who is wounded as she runs from hunters intent on her demise. Shesheshen is rescued by a kind human named Homily, who mistakes the form Shesheshen took to flee for a fellow human being. As Shesheshen recovers and begins to fall for Homily, and considers telling her the truth about herself, she learns a terrible truth. Homily is in the woods looking for the shapeshifting monster who cursed her family… —Liberty Hardy

From the author of The Tea Master and the Detective, Fireheart Tiger, and many more comes a new sapphic SFF story. In this space opera, navigator clans guide their ships through the area of space known as the Hollows, where deadly Tanglers live. When a Tangler escapes the Hollows for the first time, each clan sends a representative to hunt it down. Việt Nhi of the Rooster clan and Hạc Cúc of the Snake clan are forced to work together on this mission, and their prickly personalities clash—until they don’t.

This epic fantasy, set in a kingdom inspired by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, is full of casual queer and trans representation! The story follows several characters, all of whom are traveling to the holy city of Tova in preparation for a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event that has the potential to change the world forever. If you like detailed worldbuilding, fascinating magic systems, political intrigue, dangerous quests, and characters with rich backstories and complex motivations, this book is for you. —Laura Sackton

When I picked up this 480-page graphic novel, I was not expecting to read it in one sitting and be left sobbing in the early hours of the morning. This is about queer teen Mags, who has a secret: she has her very own monster who lives in her basement and feeds on her every night. This keeps her from getting close to anyone—until her childhood friend Nessa reappears in her life. My heart broke for Mags, who is also taking care of her abuela and is buckling under the pressure. This is a story about accepting the darkest, angriest parts of yourself and allowing other people to love you in your entirety. It’s a beautiful, cathartic read, and I loved the queer, trans romance.

This YA fantasy inspired by Jamaican mythology with sapphic and ace representation is sure to take you on an unforgettable ride. Seventeen-year-old Faron utilized the power of the gods to save her island from dragon-riding colonizers five years ago. But when Faron’s older sister unexpectedly bonds with an enemy dragon, Faron is forced to choose between protecting her homeland or her beloved sister. The choices she makes lead her to uncover a dark secret that could change everything. —Susie Dumond