I’m working on a book right now where some of the main characters are LGBTQ+ I can’t wait to finish writing it I hope when it’s done everyone will enjoy it.
Wow, thanks so much for the recommendations, I think I'll have to watch this again and keep notes! I'm glad that many of the books you mentioned have bisexual women and lesbian characters, I've been meaning to read more books that feature relationships between women.
It's been harder a few years ago especially because most of the mainstream media always prefers to represent gay men rather than women, I'm not even talking about the other letters in LGBTQ+, but it's starting to actually get better. SO BLESS🙌🏼
I've left it so long between Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King... really need to get around to finishing that series! I so agree with you about us needing more non-US and UK settings! Particularly central or eastern europe and Scandinavia. The Song of Achilles is another I need to pick up soon! Ugh Carry On, crying forever. Love that book so much!
I did the same with A Darker Shade of Magic and fully regret it now because I don't remember what happened and probably need to reread it😓 And I have so many other books that I want to read that rereading feels like a waste of time ugh
Song of Achilles is on my TBR for early 2018. I can't wait to read it. Carry On is one of my favorite reads of 2017, and I adore Baz and Simon so much!
I’d recommend the ‘ shades of magic ‘ series’s by V.E Schwab It’s a dark fantasy series about 4 London’s, grey, white, red, and black And I promise you, there definitely are some lgbt characters there 🏳️🌈
I think all of these are MlM because those are just the stories I gravitate most towards as a gay man. Anyway the first one I absolutely HAVE to mention is Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak. It's a very strong contender for my favourite book of all time. WotIV is about this boy called Aidan Lockwood who is just kind of drifting through life without purpose. He doesn't have any friends or driving motivation and he lives a perfectly ordinary boring life. Then his best childhood friend, Jarrod, moves back to their hometown. And Jarrod keeps talking about things that Aidan doesn't remember, but definitely should, such as hallucinations of strange creatures that Aidan used to have. They team up to see if they can recover Aidan's memories, and along the way they unravel the secret history of the Lockwood family. It's absolutely amazing. Next Timekeeper by Tara Sim. It's set in this steampunk/fantasy world where time is controlled by magic clock towers. Danny Hart is a clock mechanic, who are people with the ability to see and repair the strands of time. Danny's dad is trapped in a town where time has stopped, and Danny needs to prove himself to the lead mechanic so that he can be assigned to the rescue mission to build a new clock tower (which has never been done before) and unfreeze the town. Danny gets assigned to Colton tower in Enfield where he falls in love with a clock spirit, which is illegal. Meanwhile, terrorists are bombing the clock towers, and it might have something to do with the stopped town. Half Bad by Sally Green is about a boy called Nathan Byrn who is the only half-code in the world. What that means is that he's half-white witch, and half-black witch, and because of that his life is hell. The first book basically shows the escalating brutality of Nathan's life as more and more laws are introduced that attack half-codes. It doesn't seem like a queer series, especially in the first book, but it is. Proxy by Alex London is about a boy called Syd Carton who is a proxy. What that means is that he's punished for someone else's crimes. Then the boy he proxies for kills someone, and that sentence is put on Syd. Rifter by Ginn Hale is about a man called John who steals a key from his roommate Kyle out of frustration at Kyle's continuous disappearances. This turns out to be a mistake, as Kyle is actually an otherworldly warrior called Kahlil, who is in our world hunting the Rifter, a god destined to destroy both worlds. The first book is called The Shattered Gates. The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic is about a boy called Bridger Whitt who, in an attempt to get a job to pay for college, unwittingly becomes the apprentice to a wizard who mediates between the world and its various magical denizens. On top of that, he's also dealing with being in the closet, and having a crush on a super popular football player at his school. Release by Patrick Ness is about a closeted gay boy called Adam Thorn who goes through a particularly bad day. Meanwhile, the ghost of a murdered girl rises from the lake she was drowned in.
So I just finished timekeeper and now I feel like I have to thank you for recommending it (though it is a bit short like only a day but that speaks more to the quality of the book I guess🤷♂️ though I finished only the first one for I currently lack access to the rest...). Either way I shall read through your recommendations as soon as possible. Now I wish to (before I forget it again) ask you to continue sharing your thoughts, it would be greatly appreciated. (If you find any mistakes, be it grammar, spelling or youse of words please let me know)
@@quastor749 Hey, I'm the same guy, but I have a channel now, so I don't use that account on booktube videos. Anyway, I think you were asking for more recommendations? In which case I have a few. In no particular order, they are: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black is a YA urban fantasy set in the town of Fairfold, which is a tourist trap because of it's high population of Fae. The town's main attraction is a horned boy sleeping in a glass coffin, who twin protagonists Hazel and Ben both used to believe they were in love with. Then one day the coffin is found smashed open, the horned boy disappears, and all hell breaks lose. Ben is gay and his romance is a significant part of the story. Loka Legends by Jay Bell is an own voices YA high fantasy set in a world which is ruled by Oligarchs - mages who guard the Lokas - crystals of elemental power. Dylan is the son of Jack, the Blue Oligarch - the Oligarch of water. Someone starts assassinating the Oligarchs and stealing their Lokas, so, after scrying to work out what to do, Jack gives his Loka to Dylan, and sends him to stay with Tyjinn, the Red Oligarch, for protection. Things don't quite go to plan. Dylan and Tyjinn are both gay, and so are the protagonists of the second book. The first book is The Cat in the Cradle. City of Spires by Claudie Arseneault is an adult high fantasy set in the free city of Isandor. It follows the attempts of the idealistic Lord Diel Dathirii as he attempts to rally the great houses of Isandor to stand up against the encroachment of the tyrannical Myrian Empire, and their vicious agent in Isandor, Master Avenazar. But before he can unite the houses, he has to contend with the grudges between them. Meanwhile, Lord Arathiel Brasten returns to Isandor after a century trapped in a place where time doesn't flow. Not knowing if his family still stands, or if they would accept him if it did, Arathiel takes shelter in the slums of Isandor. It has a full-LGBT+ (and I mean LGBT*+* )main cast, and is own voices for asexual representation. The first book is City of Strife. Skybound by Alex London is an own voices YA high fantasy set in the land of Uztar, a place where birds of prey are revered, and falconry is the main way of life. It follows a pair of twins from the Six Villages, Brysen and Kylee, who go into the mountains to capture a ghost eagle, the most dangerous bird in existence. Brysen goes to trade the eagle for the life of his lover, and Kylee goes to protect Brysen. They are followed by Nyall, who is in love with Kylee. Meanwhile, an army of religious fanatics called the Kartami are marching on Uztar, intent on wiping out the falconers and the birds that dare to obey them. Brysen is gay, and it is implied that Kylee is aromantic, but this is not confirmed in the first book, which is all I've read. The first book is Black Wings Beating. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is an adult urban/portal fantasy about a college student called Zachary who finds a story from his own childhood in a strange book in the university library and resolves to find out what it means. Zachary is gay, and a large part of the story is the romance between him and another character. Nightrunner by Lynn Flewelling is an adult high fantasy about Alec of Kerry, a boy who is arrested for poaching. While in the dungeon, he meets a fellow prisoner called Seregil, and the pair perform a breakout. Seeing potential in Alec, Seregil takes him on as a travelling companion, and eventually an apprentice. For Seregil is part of a secret spy network and he thinks Alec has what it takes to join them. Alec and Seregil are both bisexual, and the main country the series takes place in has a binormative society. Be warned that Alec is sixteen, and Seregil is an adult. The first book is Luck in the Shadows. Tapestry by Hallie Burton is a YA high fantasy set in a world that was devastated by civil war. After the war, it was determined that everything that stirred strong emotions should be banned, especially music. The world is structured into different castes based on a person's talent, which creates a rather terrible class divide. It follows a boy called Tallie, a designer, who befriends a lower class and guildless person called Jonis. They have to go on the run from the militia after they accidentally discover music. The main protagonist and his love interest are both attracted to men in some way, and their society has no concept of homophobia. It is not own voices, but the writer is not straight and is married to another woman. The Runebinder Chronicles by Alex R. Kahler is an own voices YA post-apocalyptic urban fantasy set in a world where the return of magic brought on the end of the world. Now the world is overrun by necromancers and undead creatures called Howls, who serve the Dark Lady, the goddess of death. It follows a mage who hunts Howls called Tenn, who lets out a massive burst of power that gets him noticed by the leaders of the resistance, and also the Kin, the children of the Dark Lady. Tenn is gay and according to the author, every significant character in the series is queer in some way. The first book is Runebinder. The Tarot Sequence by K. D. Edwards is an own voices adult urban fantasy set in the city of New Atlantis, which was created by Atlanteans after the fall of their home. New Atlantis is ruled by the Arcana, creatures of immense magical power named after the major arcana of tarot. It follows a man called Rune Saint John, the last remaining heir of the Sun Throne, whose entire family was slaughtered when he was fifteen. Rune is hired to investigate the disappearance of another Arcana heir, Addam Saint Nicholas, the son of Lady Justice. Rune also gets roped into protecting a seventeen year-old Arcana heir, Matthias Saint Valentine, until he turns twenty-one. Rune is gay, and the majority of the significant characters are queer in some way. Atlantean society is binormative. The first book is The Last Sun. Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz is a YA urban fantasy/magical realism story that follows a boy called Rudy whose younger brother has cystic fibrosis, so their family moves to a remote island which supposedly holds a miracle cure - silver Enki fish - eating them is supposed to help with sickness, and increases the lifespan dramatically. On the island Rudy encounters a fish-boy. Be warned that this book is incredibly disturbing. Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage by Mercedes Lackey is an adult high fantasy that follows a boy called Vanyel who is the son of a lord, who gets kicked out of his house by his father for failing to live up to his standards of masculinity. He is sent to stay with his aunt, a powerful mage who his father hopes will toughen him up. It doesn't quite turn out to be the exile his father expects. Vanyel is gay and there are some gay side-characters. The story itself is fantastically gay. It is part of the overall Valdemar world, but you do not need to read any previous Valdemar books to understand it. The first book is Magic's Pawn. Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab is an adult high fantasy about a man named Kell, who is an antari, someone with the power to cross between four different parallel versions of London. There's Red London, where Kell comes from, which is full of magic, Grey London, which is our world in the regency of King George IV, White London, a wreck where magic is dying, and the people are ruled by whoever is powerful and brutal enough to take the throne. And then there's Black London, which destroyed itself with magic and was sealed off before it could infect the other worlds. Officially, Kell is an interdimensional courier, carrying correspondence between the rulers of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler who sells artefacts from each world to people in the others, which is highly illegal. Then Kell ends up in Red London with an artefact that shouldn't exist, a piece of Black London. Two bisexual protagonists are introduced in the second book, and according to the author, none of the main characters is fully straight. The first book is A Darker Shade of Magic. The Diviners by Libba Bray is a YA historical fantasy/supernatural horror set in prohibition-era New York City. It follows a girl called Evie O'Neill, who is sent to live with her uncle in New York after a scandal in her home state of Ohio. In New York, however, a serial killer is beginning his work, and Evie possesses a strange power that may be the key to stopping him. There is a gay side-character in the first book who apparently becomes a main character in later books, and there are apparently more queer protagonists introduced later. I also have some sci-fi recommendations if you want them.
Herr Nilson So I wrote a big reply to this using my booktube account with more recommendations. The comment isn’t showing up and I think maybe that was because my claim to being the same person wasn’t believed? Or maybe because all comments have to be approved? If it’s the former, I can assure you that me and Books with Ike are the same person. If there’s some other reason like it didn’t post or something, I’ll rewrite the comment.
There’s a book called Girls Made of Snow and Glass, the author’s name is a bit long and hard to remember, but I’m sure it won’t be hard to look it up lol. It’s her debut novel and a retelling of Snow White and the evil queen (no they don’t get together lol they’re mother and daughter still) and I thought it was cute... I can’t remember what the status of the princess and her girlfriend’s relationship at the end of the book but I’m pretty sure they stayed together? Anyways it’s a good read I think ❤️ The only problem I remember having was that the world felt very limited in the book, but it could’ve been purposeful. The setting is a cold, isolated castle and then away from the castle is a nice, summery town...
Every time I hear you recommend the Engelsfor triology I just keep thinking how good it sounds. Gotta bump it up my TBR. I love watching your recs. And I Darken is soon on my TBR list too.
Omg!!!! The chock and joy when I saw The Circle!!!! I’m Swedish and the series is one of my favourites. It’s HUGE in Sweden (like everyone who has ever pickad up a book has read it;). I’M OVERJOYED THAT SOMEONE OUTSIDER OF SWEDEN HAS READ AND LOVED IT💕😊
I personally thought that The Raven Cycle didn't have good rep, but I do love TSOA and I already got interested in the Engelsfors from you! I'll take your recommendations to heart as usual though!! I didn't really like Carry On, it felt strange to me becuase it seemed so much like Harry Potter? But I want to take it as a parody and read it again with fresh eyes. I'm not sure becuase I didn't like fangirl haha.
I just read Carry On and I loved it. I put The Circle on hold with my library plus a few other books you mentioned on my for later shelft. I have too many books on hold right now. Thanks for all the reccomendations.
I read the circle when it first came out but then I never picked the next ones up for some strange reason, I'm gonna have to fix that! Great recommendations! :)
If I don't read Every heart a doorway soon I'll die... Ok, no, I was just being dramatic, but I've been wanting to read it for so long. I love your book recomendations because is from you I found good LGBTQ+ books, well written and fantasy or historical LGBTQ+ books I added many books to my tbr thanks to this video. Now a bit of a tragic story, I saw you talk about engelsfors trilogy and witches and bisexual characters? I want that, so much. I looked it up in goodreads and surprise! the book is actually translated to my first language and the first book was published here, yay! But then I remembered another video about a Chilean booktuber talking about book sequels that never got here and of course the engelsfors book had to be there and I remember watching that book on the book store and saying "next time I have money I'll buy it" just to found out that the rest of the trilogy will never see the book stores of chile u.u ... OK... I'm really being dramatic now xD but I saw the cover in goodreads and it was so sad, but I can always buy it from Amazon... Hehe sorry for my drama. I love your videos and your book recomendations, one of the books I want to read most now I found it existed thanks to you, I follow you on gofres da. OK. I'm really being dramatic. Love the video! Bye!
I know how that feels😂 Every Heart a Doorway is a really good book too, so you are missing out! Being from a non-english speaking country I relate to this as well. I don't read in russian anymore but still have to order online from overseas and it takes so much time to get here, plus even Book Depository doesn't ship to Russia anymore. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL! I hope you'll find a way to enjoy it in English!
Thank you so much for these recommendations! I recently picked up the circle and i loved it so much!!! So thank you for introducing me to my new favorite series 😙😙
Thanks for making this video! I am bi and scifi/fantasy is my favorite genre. I want to read the Engelsfors books, too--luckily my local library has a copy in English translation.
Great video! I have loved so many of the books you talked about. I also recommend The Traitor Baru Cormorant, which has a queer lady characters. It is really amazing! Thanks for the video :)
I’m working on a book right now where some of the main characters are LGBTQ+
I can’t wait to finish writing it
I hope when it’s done everyone will enjoy it.
That's so cool! Good luck with it :)
I am 100% in the mood for fantasy and I NEEDED these recs! You are the best, my friend! 💜
YAY! Glad it'll come in handy✨
YAS THE RAVEN BOYS
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE💜
I really enjoyed Of Fire and Stars :) I'm going to have to check out The Circle! Thanks!
I'm so excited for her second book! Inkmistress should be even better!
Oh! I didn't even know she had another book coming out! I'm gonna have to keep my eyes open for it!
Wow, thanks so much for the recommendations, I think I'll have to watch this again and keep notes! I'm glad that many of the books you mentioned have bisexual women and lesbian characters, I've been meaning to read more books that feature relationships between women.
It's been harder a few years ago especially because most of the mainstream media always prefers to represent gay men rather than women, I'm not even talking about the other letters in LGBTQ+, but it's starting to actually get better. SO BLESS🙌🏼
I've left it so long between Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King... really need to get around to finishing that series!
I so agree with you about us needing more non-US and UK settings! Particularly central or eastern europe and Scandinavia.
The Song of Achilles is another I need to pick up soon!
Ugh Carry On, crying forever. Love that book so much!
I did the same with A Darker Shade of Magic and fully regret it now because I don't remember what happened and probably need to reread it😓 And I have so many other books that I want to read that rereading feels like a waste of time ugh
Song of Achilles is on my TBR for early 2018. I can't wait to read it.
Carry On is one of my favorite reads of 2017, and I adore Baz and Simon so much!
Catriona Reads The Witcher series is the solution for you.
Thank you for the list! My favorites are The Song of Achilles and Carry On.
I’d recommend the ‘ shades of magic ‘ series’s by V.E Schwab
It’s a dark fantasy series about 4 London’s, grey, white, red, and black
And I promise you, there definitely are some lgbt characters there 🏳️🌈
I've read the first one and never continued. I should pick it up again :)
I think all of these are MlM because those are just the stories I gravitate most towards as a gay man.
Anyway the first one I absolutely HAVE to mention is Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak. It's a very strong contender for my favourite book of all time. WotIV is about this boy called Aidan Lockwood who is just kind of drifting through life without purpose. He doesn't have any friends or driving motivation and he lives a perfectly ordinary boring life. Then his best childhood friend, Jarrod, moves back to their hometown. And Jarrod keeps talking about things that Aidan doesn't remember, but definitely should, such as hallucinations of strange creatures that Aidan used to have. They team up to see if they can recover Aidan's memories, and along the way they unravel the secret history of the Lockwood family. It's absolutely amazing.
Next Timekeeper by Tara Sim. It's set in this steampunk/fantasy world where time is controlled by magic clock towers. Danny Hart is a clock mechanic, who are people with the ability to see and repair the strands of time. Danny's dad is trapped in a town where time has stopped, and Danny needs to prove himself to the lead mechanic so that he can be assigned to the rescue mission to build a new clock tower (which has never been done before) and unfreeze the town. Danny gets assigned to Colton tower in Enfield where he falls in love with a clock spirit, which is illegal. Meanwhile, terrorists are bombing the clock towers, and it might have something to do with the stopped town.
Half Bad by Sally Green is about a boy called Nathan Byrn who is the only half-code in the world. What that means is that he's half-white witch, and half-black witch, and because of that his life is hell. The first book basically shows the escalating brutality of Nathan's life as more and more laws are introduced that attack half-codes. It doesn't seem like a queer series, especially in the first book, but it is.
Proxy by Alex London is about a boy called Syd Carton who is a proxy. What that means is that he's punished for someone else's crimes. Then the boy he proxies for kills someone, and that sentence is put on Syd.
Rifter by Ginn Hale is about a man called John who steals a key from his roommate Kyle out of frustration at Kyle's continuous disappearances. This turns out to be a mistake, as Kyle is actually an otherworldly warrior called Kahlil, who is in our world hunting the Rifter, a god destined to destroy both worlds. The first book is called The Shattered Gates.
The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic is about a boy called Bridger Whitt who, in an attempt to get a job to pay for college, unwittingly becomes the apprentice to a wizard who mediates between the world and its various magical denizens. On top of that, he's also dealing with being in the closet, and having a crush on a super popular football player at his school.
Release by Patrick Ness is about a closeted gay boy called Adam Thorn who goes through a particularly bad day. Meanwhile, the ghost of a murdered girl rises from the lake she was drowned in.
Can I just say that you're a total angel for leaving me so many amazing recs? Thank you
So I just finished timekeeper and now I feel like I have to thank you for recommending it (though it is a bit short like only a day but that speaks more to the quality of the book I guess🤷♂️ though I finished only the first one for I currently lack access to the rest...). Either way I shall read through your recommendations as soon as possible. Now I wish to (before I forget it again) ask you to continue sharing your thoughts, it would be greatly appreciated. (If you find any mistakes, be it grammar, spelling or youse of words please let me know)
@@quastor749 Hey, I'm the same guy, but I have a channel now, so I don't use that account on booktube videos. Anyway, I think you were asking for more recommendations? In which case I have a few. In no particular order, they are:
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black is a YA urban fantasy set in the town of Fairfold, which is a tourist trap because of it's high population of Fae. The town's main attraction is a horned boy sleeping in a glass coffin, who twin protagonists Hazel and Ben both used to believe they were in love with. Then one day the coffin is found smashed open, the horned boy disappears, and all hell breaks lose. Ben is gay and his romance is a significant part of the story.
Loka Legends by Jay Bell is an own voices YA high fantasy set in a world which is ruled by Oligarchs - mages who guard the Lokas - crystals of elemental power. Dylan is the son of Jack, the Blue Oligarch - the Oligarch of water. Someone starts assassinating the Oligarchs and stealing their Lokas, so, after scrying to work out what to do, Jack gives his Loka to Dylan, and sends him to stay with Tyjinn, the Red Oligarch, for protection. Things don't quite go to plan. Dylan and Tyjinn are both gay, and so are the protagonists of the second book. The first book is The Cat in the Cradle.
City of Spires by Claudie Arseneault is an adult high fantasy set in the free city of Isandor. It follows the attempts of the idealistic Lord Diel Dathirii as he attempts to rally the great houses of Isandor to stand up against the encroachment of the tyrannical Myrian Empire, and their vicious agent in Isandor, Master Avenazar. But before he can unite the houses, he has to contend with the grudges between them. Meanwhile, Lord Arathiel Brasten returns to Isandor after a century trapped in a place where time doesn't flow. Not knowing if his family still stands, or if they would accept him if it did, Arathiel takes shelter in the slums of Isandor. It has a full-LGBT+ (and I mean LGBT*+* )main cast, and is own voices for asexual representation. The first book is City of Strife.
Skybound by Alex London is an own voices YA high fantasy set in the land of Uztar, a place where birds of prey are revered, and falconry is the main way of life. It follows a pair of twins from the Six Villages, Brysen and Kylee, who go into the mountains to capture a ghost eagle, the most dangerous bird in existence. Brysen goes to trade the eagle for the life of his lover, and Kylee goes to protect Brysen. They are followed by Nyall, who is in love with Kylee. Meanwhile, an army of religious fanatics called the Kartami are marching on Uztar, intent on wiping out the falconers and the birds that dare to obey them. Brysen is gay, and it is implied that Kylee is aromantic, but this is not confirmed in the first book, which is all I've read. The first book is Black Wings Beating.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is an adult urban/portal fantasy about a college student called Zachary who finds a story from his own childhood in a strange book in the university library and resolves to find out what it means.
Zachary is gay, and a large part of the story is the romance between him and another character.
Nightrunner by Lynn Flewelling is an adult high fantasy about Alec of Kerry, a boy who is arrested for poaching. While in the dungeon, he meets a fellow prisoner called Seregil, and the pair perform a breakout. Seeing potential in Alec, Seregil takes him on as a travelling companion, and eventually an apprentice. For Seregil is part of a secret spy network and he thinks Alec has what it takes to join them. Alec and Seregil are both bisexual, and the main country the series takes place in has a binormative society. Be warned that Alec is sixteen, and Seregil is an adult. The first book is Luck in the Shadows.
Tapestry by Hallie Burton is a YA high fantasy set in a world that was devastated by civil war. After the war, it was determined that everything that stirred strong emotions should be banned, especially music. The world is structured into different castes based on a person's talent, which creates a rather terrible class divide. It follows a boy called Tallie, a designer, who befriends a lower class and guildless person called Jonis. They have to go on the run from the militia after they accidentally discover music. The main protagonist and his love interest are both attracted to men in some way, and their society has no concept of homophobia. It is not own voices, but the writer is not straight and is married to another woman.
The Runebinder Chronicles by Alex R. Kahler is an own voices YA post-apocalyptic urban fantasy set in a world where the return of magic brought on the end of the world. Now the world is overrun by necromancers and undead creatures called Howls, who serve the Dark Lady, the goddess of death. It follows a mage who hunts Howls called Tenn, who lets out a massive burst of power that gets him noticed by the leaders of the resistance, and also the Kin, the children of the Dark Lady. Tenn is gay and according to the author, every significant character in the series is queer in some way. The first book is Runebinder.
The Tarot Sequence by K. D. Edwards is an own voices adult urban fantasy set in the city of New Atlantis, which was created by Atlanteans after the fall of their home. New Atlantis is ruled by the Arcana, creatures of immense magical power named after the major arcana of tarot. It follows a man called Rune Saint John, the last remaining heir of the Sun Throne, whose entire family was slaughtered when he was fifteen. Rune is hired to investigate the disappearance of another Arcana heir, Addam Saint Nicholas, the son of Lady Justice. Rune also gets roped into protecting a seventeen year-old Arcana heir, Matthias Saint Valentine, until he turns twenty-one. Rune is gay, and the majority of the significant characters are queer in some way. Atlantean society is binormative. The first book is The Last Sun.
Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz is a YA urban fantasy/magical realism story that follows a boy called Rudy whose younger brother has cystic fibrosis, so their family moves to a remote island which supposedly holds a miracle cure - silver Enki fish - eating them is supposed to help with sickness, and increases the lifespan dramatically. On the island Rudy encounters a fish-boy. Be warned that this book is incredibly disturbing.
Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage by Mercedes Lackey is an adult high fantasy that follows a boy called Vanyel who is the son of a lord, who gets kicked out of his house by his father for failing to live up to his standards of masculinity. He is sent to stay with his aunt, a powerful mage who his father hopes will toughen him up. It doesn't quite turn out to be the exile his father expects. Vanyel is gay and there are some gay side-characters. The story itself is fantastically gay. It is part of the overall Valdemar world, but you do not need to read any previous Valdemar books to understand it. The first book is Magic's Pawn.
Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab is an adult high fantasy about a man named Kell, who is an antari, someone with the power to cross between four different parallel versions of London. There's Red London, where Kell comes from, which is full of magic, Grey London, which is our world in the regency of King George IV, White London, a wreck where magic is dying, and the people are ruled by whoever is powerful and brutal enough to take the throne. And then there's Black London, which destroyed itself with magic and was sealed off before it could infect the other worlds. Officially, Kell is an interdimensional courier, carrying correspondence between the rulers of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler who sells artefacts from each world to people in the others, which is highly illegal. Then Kell ends up in Red London with an artefact that shouldn't exist, a piece of Black London.
Two bisexual protagonists are introduced in the second book, and according to the author, none of the main characters is fully straight. The first book is A Darker Shade of Magic.
The Diviners by Libba Bray is a YA historical fantasy/supernatural horror set in prohibition-era New York City. It follows a girl called Evie O'Neill, who is sent to live with her uncle in New York after a scandal in her home state of Ohio. In New York, however, a serial killer is beginning his work, and Evie possesses a strange power that may be the key to stopping him. There is a gay side-character in the first book who apparently becomes a main character in later books, and there are apparently more queer protagonists introduced later.
I also have some sci-fi recommendations if you want them.
Herr Nilson So I wrote a big reply to this using my booktube account with more recommendations. The comment isn’t showing up and I think maybe that was because my claim to being the same person wasn’t believed? Or maybe because all comments have to be approved? If it’s the former, I can assure you that me and Books with Ike are the same person.
If there’s some other reason like it didn’t post or something, I’ll rewrite the comment.
There’s a book called Girls Made of Snow and Glass, the author’s name is a bit long and hard to remember, but I’m sure it won’t be hard to look it up lol. It’s her debut novel and a retelling of Snow White and the evil queen (no they don’t get together lol they’re mother and daughter still) and I thought it was cute... I can’t remember what the status of the princess and her girlfriend’s relationship at the end of the book but I’m pretty sure they stayed together? Anyways it’s a good read I think ❤️
The only problem I remember having was that the world felt very limited in the book, but it could’ve been purposeful. The setting is a cold, isolated castle and then away from the castle is a nice, summery town...
Every time I hear you recommend the Engelsfor triology I just keep thinking how good it sounds. Gotta bump it up my TBR.
I love watching your recs. And I Darken is soon on my TBR list too.
I can tell with 99% of confidence that you'll like The Engelsfors Trilogy✨
Omg!!!! The chock and joy when I saw The Circle!!!! I’m Swedish and the series is one of my favourites. It’s HUGE in Sweden (like everyone who has ever pickad up a book has read it;). I’M OVERJOYED THAT SOMEONE OUTSIDER OF SWEDEN HAS READ AND LOVED IT💕😊
It is genuinely one of my favorite fantasy series of all time!!!
I personally thought that The Raven Cycle didn't have good rep, but I do love TSOA and I already got interested in the Engelsfors from you! I'll take your recommendations to heart as usual though!! I didn't really like Carry On, it felt strange to me becuase it seemed so much like Harry Potter? But I want to take it as a parody and read it again with fresh eyes. I'm not sure becuase I didn't like fangirl haha.
Omg what? Now I'm really curious why? There wasn't anything offensive in it... Tell me everything :)
I just read Carry On and I loved it.
I put The Circle on hold with my library plus a few other books you mentioned on my for later shelft. I have too many books on hold right now. Thanks for all the reccomendations.
I'm so glad✨
I hope you'll enjoy the best half of them! Especially The Circle series.
I read the circle when it first came out but then I never picked the next ones up for some strange reason, I'm gonna have to fix that! Great recommendations! :)
How did you manage??? I was literally obsessed after the first book, couldn't stop reading!
If I don't read Every heart a doorway soon I'll die... Ok, no, I was just being dramatic, but I've been wanting to read it for so long. I love your book recomendations because is from you I found good
LGBTQ+ books, well written and fantasy or historical LGBTQ+ books I added many books to my tbr thanks to this video. Now a bit of a tragic story, I saw you talk about engelsfors trilogy and witches and bisexual characters? I want that, so much. I looked it up in goodreads and surprise! the book is actually translated to my first language and the first book was published here, yay! But then I remembered another video about a Chilean booktuber talking about book sequels that never got here and of course the engelsfors book had to be there and I remember watching that book on the book store and saying "next time I have money I'll buy it" just to found out that the rest of the trilogy will never see the book stores of chile u.u ... OK... I'm really being dramatic now xD but I saw the cover in goodreads and it was so sad, but I can always buy it from Amazon... Hehe sorry for my drama.
I love your videos and your book recomendations, one of the books I want to read most now I found it existed thanks to you, I follow you on gofres da.
OK. I'm really being dramatic. Love the video! Bye!
I know how that feels😂 Every Heart a Doorway is a really good book too, so you are missing out!
Being from a non-english speaking country I relate to this as well. I don't read in russian anymore but still have to order online from overseas and it takes so much time to get here, plus even Book Depository doesn't ship to Russia anymore. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL! I hope you'll find a way to enjoy it in English!
Thank you so much for these recommendations! I recently picked up the circle and i loved it so much!!! So thank you for introducing me to my new favorite series 😙😙
AAAAA! This makes me so happy, you have no idea!
Thanks for making this video! I am bi and scifi/fantasy is my favorite genre. I want to read the Engelsfors books, too--luckily my local library has a copy in English translation.
Yay! Read it! It's so good
Great video! I have loved so many of the books you talked about. I also recommend The Traitor Baru Cormorant, which has a queer lady characters. It is really amazing! Thanks for the video :)
It's always my pleasure😊 I think I've seen this book in goodreads lists but never clicked on it to read the summary. I'll check it out, thanks!
Another LGBT fantasy book I really enjoyed reading was a book titled Counterpoint Song of the Fallen by Rachel Haimowitz
I'll check it out, thank you
Engelsfors
The reason why I read was actually partly because of you? I remember that you recommended it to me in one of the videos so thank you
A few of these books are already on my (ridiculously long) TBR, and it is a struggle not to add more of them.
I feel ya🙌🏼
I'll definitely look into some of these books :)
They're all great
I didn’t know And I Darken has lgbt representation...I’m definitely picking it up now! Thank you! 😊
Yeah, no one ever talks that it has a gay character who's also religious which is really unusual for YA.
OMG!!! Song of Achilles ANDROID Carry On in ONE video! You are my hero ❤👏😱
I read Amberlough but didn't loved it so much :( And I Darken is bloody fantastic
I didn't know about The Circle I'll check it out.
Different strokes different folks :) I'm glad that you gave it a chance anyway.
And, yes, please check out The Circle!
for engelsfors, there's also a comic but as of yet, it's still in swedish only:(
WHAT? I WANT IT NOW
All the books you mentioned sound amazing ahaha I want to read them all 😭😭
Please, read them all. I'm not kidding😂
you deserve more subscribers, seriously.
💛💛
Love your recommendations.
So glad🙌🏼
yaaaaaaaaas girl 💖🙌🏼
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼