I remember as a baby lesbian that I wanted to read more books with sapphic characters like me, but a lot of the sapphic books at the time when I came out were more realistic fiction taking place in our world. Meanwhile, I wanted to go somewhere else, somewhere more fantastical where lesbians and other sapphic people weren’t as rare as unicorns or dragons. Here are a few of my favorites, and a few that I have added to my To Be Read list.
1. The Locked Tomb Series by Tamsyn Muir
I consider this to be science fantasy since it has a magic system despite it taking place in a universe that has interplanet travel AND necromancy magic. This is the “lesbian necromancers in outer space” series! Except it’s a lot more than that.
The first book, Gideon the Ninth, is about how the titular character, Gideon, is forced to be the cavalier to her worst enemy, the Reverend Daughter of her house in exchange for her freedom. She’s snarky and witty with a love for dirty magazines and swords, and is excellent baby butch representation. Especially as the series goes on, there’s a lot of body swapping, gender shit, and sapphic situationships that keep situating thanks to necromancy. It’s definitely a series meant to be reread.
2. The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
The exiled princess Malini has been locked away in an ancient temple and attended to by Priya, a powerful priestess to keep her past a secret. The temple they’re both stuck in in used to be a sacred place filled with powerful magic. After Malini witnesses Priya’s true nature, their separate stories become interconnected, and the Parijatdvipan Empire will never be the same. The Jasmine Throne is the first book in a trilogy inspired by ancient India. This has been on my TBR, because who doesn’t love sapphics crushing an empire??
3. You Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
Kianthe, the Mage of Ages, and Reyna, a queensguard, decide to shirk their respective responsibilities to open their own book and tea shop. They deal with dragons, spies, and all sorts of obstacles to make their dream come true. Definitely a good intro to the cozy fantasy genre. This book single-handedly helped heal some of my own cynicism around love after a traumatic breakup.
4. The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic and Murder by Kiri Callaghan
You’ve heard of cozy fantasy, how about a cozy fantasy murder mystery?! Avery Hemlock is a changeling sent on assignment to solve a murder mystery impacting the worlds of the fae and the mundane. She meets Saga, a hearth witch who’s about to learn that magic is more than incantations and intent. Between pastries and the first sparks of a lovely slow-burn relationship set against a mystery you can sink your teeth into, it’s a fun read. Oh, and I love the author’s annotations on the folklore and language and much more as well. I can’t wait for the next book, The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Spite and Spellwork, which releases in October!
5. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
Lei’s mother was taken from her by the king’s guards when she was a young girl. She’s a member of the Paper caste, the lowest caste in her kingdom, and despite her class, the king’s guards return to her village. This time, they come for her. She’s selected as a Paper Girl, trained alongside eight other girls to be a consort to the Demon King. Despite the training that tells her otherwise, Lei falls in love, and discovers her own fire within.
6. The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
Another addition to my TBR! I read Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf by the same author after Arcane Season 2 came out, and I am excited to read this one! Touraine was raised to be a soldier for the Balladairan Empire and is trying to earn her officer promotion through accompanying the Princess Luca to quell a rebellion. The princess and soldier grapple with their divided loyalties and their budding feelings for each other in this anti-colonial, North African-inspired book.
- Advertisement -
7. The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
This takes place in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, 396 years before Aang was released from the iceberg. Kyoshi wasn’t originally supposed to be the Avatar. She was one of Avatar Yun’s. friends, and one of his servants, until she unlocks her Avatar potential while in the South Pole. Because her existence compromises the “confirmed” Avatar, Kyoshi is forced to train as the Avatar while on the run alongside her friend Rangi, where they get caught up in the Earth Kingdom criminal underground.
8. Crier’s War by Nina Varela
In this world, robots, or Automae, have taken over humanity. Ayla is a human rebel fighter out for revenge for her family’s deaths at the hands on an Automae. When she becomes Princess Crier’s handmaiden, it’s the perfect opportunity to strike against the people who destroyed her life. Meanwhile, Crier is discovering dark secrets about her people, and figuring out new things about her own creation. But as the princess and the rebel grow closer to each other, their own goals become complicated in a game of political intrigue and revolution.
9. The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
The Starving Saints is a fantasy horror with a medieval setting and fantastical elements, so be warned going in that it’s going to be a very unsettling and spooky alongside the sapphic stuff. (CASTLE) is under seige, and while they managed to figure out how to get water, food is rapidly running out. Suddenly, a miracle happens and the Saints they worship show up with plenty of food for the castle’s inhabitants, but the Saints are not all as they seem. It’s up to a rat catcher*, a disgraced nun/witch, and a tragically loyal knight to survive the siege, and the Saints.
10. Holy Wrath by Victoria Mier
Ophelia is a devotee trying to rise above her station within the Catholic Church, I mean The Church of the Host. The Lupa Nox, the enemy in the holy war, is captured and she’s assigned to tend to her wounds. and convert her to her faith. This is her chance to be Sainted, something unheard of for someone who comes from a blasphemous background like her. But Nyatrix, the Lupa Nox, pokes holes in her faith, insisting that her religion is built upon lies and the slaughter of innocence in the name of “faith.” Ophelia is forced to re-examine the religion (and regime) she grew up in, and her growing feelings for her supposed enemy.
This is for the sapphics with religious trauma. You’re welcome.
Thankfully, there are so many more sapphic fantasy books out there than when I first came out, and my TBR list has never been longer. Have you read any of these books? Feel free to leave me recommendations on Instagram @lesbian_witch_writes!