This story follows eighteen-year-old Vanity Adams, who lives in a museum that showcases witch history and power. Vanity is destined to one day become a necromantic Spectacle and resurrect others from the dead as a performance for customers. She is kept separate from other young witches, and all their magic is taken by the Museum curator because of her belief that witches react violently towards one another. One day, Vanity kills a witch during her resurrection and is suddenly capable of accessing her powers—and a different perception towards her life. As she navigates her new desires and friendships with other witches, she must decide what she wants out of her life and how to handle her magic without becoming unstable.
I am very excited for this gothic horror fantasy and its unique premise. The romance in the story is described as “weird” in an unsettling but intimate way that involves killing, necromancy, and even cannibalism. I found this interesting given the book is marked as young adult in every publishing site and article I could find, so I’m really curious to see how they handle the gore and creepy details.
This mythological historical fantasy follows Felix, a clever young man who is escaping a past he can’t remember by slipping into city after city. He seizes an opportunity to steal a divine artifact while in Pompeii—a helmet. To his surprise, when he touches it, he gains memories of his forgotten past. Loren, a temple attendant and aspiring councilman, is suffering from nightmares of Pompeii’s destruction that feature Felix as the culprit. In order to save Pompeii from Mount Vesuvius, they work together to uncover their connection to the relic and each other. However, they must race against time, as they only have a couple days to change their fates under the rule of corrupt politics and dangerous people who could get in their way.
I am really excited for this upcoming release and have been looking forward to reading more from the historical fantasy genre!
This cozy, romantic sci-fi follows Brenda Nguyen, a student majoring in environmental science, who stumbles into Kat Woo’s family’s coffee shop to fill out a scholarship on the day of its deadline. As the two get to know each other, Brenda finally finds someone interested in hearing about her 19-step plan to save the world, while Kat opens up about how she feels haunted by her destiny to be the chosen one. Their only problem? The two girls are from alternate universes and will need a portal in order to go on their second date.
Will Brenda fulfill her plans to save the world? Will Kat outrun her prophecy, and will these two girls defy the odds and meet again? As someone who doesn’t normally read sci-fi and hasn’t experienced that portal-travelling trope, I am so excited for this love story and can’t wait to see how the portal traveling is handled.
This story follows seventeen-year-old Odile, who’s been trained all her life by her father, a vengeful sorcerer, for a grand heist: infiltrate the royal palace, steal the king’s enchanted crown, and restore the magic of Auréal that was taken 200 years ago. To successfully complete her mission, Odile must assume another identity to conceal her own and decides it shall be Marie d’Odette, a rumored candidate for Queen—who is also her childhood friend-turned-enemy. Odile turns Marie into a swan and takes her place in court, but when the king is unexpectedly murdered, her brother is accused of committing the crime. Feeling hopeless, Odile decides to team up with Marie, the girl she cursed, though she finds her infuriating but can’t stop thinking about her. Rumors spread that the one who committed the murder wasn’t human, but rather a beast. Torn between her loyalty for her father and the girl she is beginning to fall in love with, Odile must decide whether she will save the kingdom, or look out for herself.
I am very excited for this gothic Swan Lake retelling to release. I have always been a fan of the childhood-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope and don’t see it done enough in fantasy stories. And it even has a murder mystery and royalty! What more could I want in a story?
I am really excited to learn more about these books and read them at some point in the future. I chose these specifically because these authors are not only showcasing LGBTQ+ characters, but also representing characters that come from different cultural backgrounds and have rich, diverse narratives. I hope this list encourages you to support the underrepresented voices of the LGBTQ+ community and that at least one of these makes it onto your TBR.
Anasofia Alejandro, Pine Reads Review Writer