The 2025 Fantasy League of Books: Queer Books Edition
In case you missed it, Jeff and Rebecca are living their dreams on the Book Riot Podcast by creating a Fantasy League of Books. (Like Fantasy Football, but literary.) You can check out The Book Riot Fantasy League Scoring Sheet for details, including points for: winning or being nominated for major awards, making it onto the big year-end best-of lists, being adapted into a movie, and more. There are also multipliers for short stories, debuts, indie presses, and books in translation.
So, of course, I had to join in, but with an extra layer of difficulty by choosing only queer titles. To even out for this self-imposed disadvantage, I’ve also given myself a few advantages. One is that I’m allowed to pick books that Jeff, Rebecca, Sharifah, or Laura already chose for their line up. The other is that I’ve added the Lambda Literary Awards to the awards scoring section.
Below, I have my dozen 2025 Fantasy League of Books selections and my reasoning. Feel free to make a copy of the scoring sheet and play along with your own picks! I’d love to hear from you in the comments: which books would be on your list?
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My reasoning for these selections falls in three rough categories: because I think they might win awards, because I think they might be popular, and because I just like them a whole lot.
Let’s start with the awards and best-of possibilities.
Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories by Torrey Peters: Detransition, Baby was a huge critical and popular hit, so I think this follow-up has a chance to make some best-of lists. Plus, I get a multiplier for short stories.
Ten Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi Patel: Kaikeyi was another well-respected and popular title, so I’m hoping this gets some best-of attention, if not literary awards. (I just finished reading it last night, and it is excellent.)
Palaver by Bryan Washington: I stole this choice from the podcast episode, because the reasoning makes sense for me. Bryan Washington is a beloved literary fiction writer, so there’s a good chance this gets some critical attention.
Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth: This was a UK release that’s now getting published in North America, and it feels like the kind of cool girl book that might blow up on TikTok or make best-of lists.
Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan: Bellies made it onto some big best-of lists in 2023, so hopefully this one will do the same in 2025. Besides, it’s high on my TBR, and that cover is perfect.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong: This is probably the safest bet for me in the awards category, because Ocean Vuong is such a decorated literary author.
Now, let’s talk about my picks that for the bestseller/Goodreads Choice Awards categories.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab: V.E. Schwab is a popular author, and this is a book about toxic lesbian vampires. I couldn’t resist.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Somehow, I only just found out that this is a queer book?? Obviously, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of the most popular and well-known queer books ever written, so I had to include this.
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling: I have a bumpy relationship with Caitlin Starling’s books. One I rated 5 stars, one I rated 2 stars. But this sapphic medieval horror sounds so good. I will be shocked if it’s not at least in the first round of the Goodreads Choice Awards in the Horror category.
The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong: Cozy fantasy is still very popular, and this looks like the perfect example. The Teller of Small Fortunes did pretty well, so hopefully this follow up will follow in its footsteps.
And finally, I have a couple of choices that I know are probably not rational, but I just couldn’t bear to cut them, because I am rooting for them.
Awakened by A.E. Osworth: You can read my full review of this fantasy novel about a coven of trans witches fighting an evil AI, but suffice to say, it was five stars.
Sympathy for Wild Girls: Stories by Demree McGhee: This short story collection is perfect for fans of Carmen Maria Machado. It deserves to win awards and make best-of lists, but it’s from a small press, so I’m not sure if it will get the attention it should. On the other hand, I would get several multipliers for it being a debut short story collection from an indie publisher.
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