If you’re anything like me, you’ve likely found yourself drowning in book lists with more fluff than substance. So here’s the antidote: a list of queer fantasy books that don’t just ride the rainbow trend, they deliver, enchant, destroy, and yes, occasionally rip your heart out and hand it back with a polite little bow.
I’ve scoured the Goodreads ratings to bring you the ten best-rated queer fantasy books that are actually, unironically worth your time. Welcome to the glitter-drenched, dagger-wielding chaos.
1. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
If Six of Crows gave us clever heists and lovable misfits, Crooked Kingdom is where Bardugo says, “You wanted emotional damage? Here, have a banquet.”. It’s darker, tighter, and infinitely more devastating. The crew has matured, the consequences are real, and Bardugo masterfully blends tension with tenderness in a way that will make you clutch the book to your chest and scream quietly into the void.
Beyond the plot gymnastics, the heart of this book lies in its relationships, especially the queer ones, which are handled with nuance, fire, and the kind of slow burn that scorches. Every page feels like a gamble, every line a whisper of impending doom, and somehow, you’ll beg for more.
Why we recommend it: If you like your fantasy morally grey and your queer rep laced with emotional tension and razor-sharp banter, this is your poison. Perfect for fans of heists, heartbreaks, and found families who bleed for each other.
2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Here’s where the madness begins. Picture this: a gang of criminal prodigies, a near-impossible heist, and enough sass, trauma, and sexual tension to power a small country. Bardugo takes the Grishaverse and flips it into a gritty underworld noir. There’s magic, yes, but also grit under the fingernails, bruised knuckles, and stolen kisses that don’t beg for your approval.
What sets Six of Crows apart is how unapologetically cool it is. The dialogue snaps, the pacing slaps, and the representation is not tokenistic; it’s integral. The queer rep isn’t wallpaper. It’s layered into the soul of the story. Oh, and did I mention the emotional damage? You’ll smile, you’ll suffer. It’s a good time.
Why we recommend it: Ideal for those craving fantasy with swagger. If you love a tight plot, queer dynamics that feel authentic, and dialogue that could punch you in the face (in a good way), this is your next obsession.
3. Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat
Ah, the grand finale of a series that started with a raised eyebrow and ended with a mic drop. Kings Rising is not here to coddle you. It ties up the morally complicated romance of Damen and Laurent with political brilliance and devastating intimacy. Every line feels like a negotiation of trust, power, or sheer survival.
Pacat’s prose is clinical in its precision and yet achingly poetic when it matters. The slow-burn payoff here is chef’s kiss, and the queer romance feels like it earned every moment of tenderness. This book is one long exhale after two volumes of breathless anticipation.
Why we recommend it: Read it if you like your romance with sharp teeth and even sharper wit. Perfect for fans of political intrigue, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers, and character development that’s actually worth the wait.
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4. Captive Prince: Volume Two by C.S. Pacat
Forget everything you thought you knew from Volume One; this is where it starts to hurt beautifully. The power dynamics shift, the masks begin to fall, and the tension becomes so thick you could bottle it and sell it as luxury perfume. This isn’t just a continuation; it’s an escalation.
We get deeper into the world of Vere, the mind games intensify, and the characters begin to break in all the best ways. It’s smart, sharp, and unapologetically sensual, while also unpacking trauma and trust like it’s handling porcelain with clawed gloves.
Why we recommend it: For lovers of deeply psychological storytelling with queer relationships at the core. A perfect storm of tension, politics, and painful yearning. Buckle up.
5. A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
This standalone prequel somehow manages to be more epic than most fantasy series. Shannon crafts a world so rich in lore, dragons, matriarchal lineages, and queer representation that you’ll need a moment to catch your breath (and maybe a notebook to keep track of everyone).
The queer rep here isn’t a subplot, it’s front and center, woven into the narrative like a golden thread. Every character feels like they walked off a myth and straight into your heart. The writing is lyrical, the world-building baroque, and the emotional payoff downright operatic.
Why we recommend it: Ideal for readers who want sapphic romance, sweeping fantasy, and the literary equivalent of a slow-building thunderstorm. Recommended if you like The Priory of the Orange Tree, but wish it hit harder (and queerer).
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Subscribe to our weekly newsletter6. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
If The Iliad was your high school trauma, The Song of Achilles is its dreamy, devastating reimagination. Miller takes the myth and softens its edges, not by removing its tragedy, but by making you care so deeply it hurts. Achilles and Patroclus become less icons, more boys, and their love? Quiet, radiant, doomed.
It’s not fantasy in the fireballs-and-elves sense, but the mythic landscape is lush, poetic, and otherworldly. Miller’s language flows like a lullaby you don’t know is a funeral march until it’s too late. And yes, you will cry. Everyone cries.
Why we recommend it: Perfect for romantics, mythology nerds, and masochists. If you want your heart broken softly and beautifully, this is the book.
7. The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
Imagine if The Hunger Games had a baby with queer Latinx mythology and that baby had excellent eyeliner. The Sunbearer Trials delivers a vibrant, high-stakes competition full of demi-gods, identity, and explosive color. It’s unapologetically queer, wonderfully Latinx, and has just enough chaos to keep you breathless.
Aiden Thomas blends heart and spectacle effortlessly. The representation feels real, not performative, and the action scenes are dynamic without sacrificing emotional depth. Also, Teo? Teo is the nonbinary protagonist of our dreams, fierce, confused, and brilliant.
Why we recommend it: For fans of Percy Jackson, Legendborn, and stories where identity is a superpower. Especially good for YA readers looking for queer joy, divine drama, and found family goodness.
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8. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
This is the kind of book that grabs you by the collar and demands your full attention and respect. Jemisin crafts a world broken by natural disasters and held together by rage, grief, and the raw power of orogeny (earth magic, but way cooler). The narrative style? Experimental. The impact? Devastating.
Queer characters are integrated seamlessly, as complex, powerful, and absolutely essential to the storyline. And beneath the ash and tremors is a deeply human story about survival, systems, and the cost of revolution.
Why we recommend it: Read if you like your fantasy challenging, cerebral, and unapologetically bold. Ideal for readers who don’t just want to escape, they want to confront.
9. Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Let’s be clear: this book is deranged, in the best way. If Gideon the Ninth was skeletons and sarcasm, Harrow is trauma, unreliable narrators, necromancy, and metaphysical melodrama turned up to 11. It’s confusing, messy, hilarious, and somehow genius.
Queerness here isn’t just romantic, it’s baked into the very bones of the world. Harrowhark’s journey is cerebral and emotional, and if you surrender to the chaos, you’ll be rewarded with some of the most original storytelling in modern fantasy. Also: lesbian necromancers in space.
Why we recommend it: If you want to feel smart, confused, wrecked, and delighted in equal measure, this book is for you. Especially good for fans of weird fiction, dark humor, and high camp.
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10. Iron Heart by Nina Varela
The sequel to Crier’s War, Iron Heart doubles down on its sapphic romance, political upheaval, and philosophical musings about autonomy and love. Varela weaves an intimate tale inside a world of automatons and rebellion, a romance born not just of longing, but of revolution.
There’s a softness in the way Varela writes love, like watching a storm slow down into a drizzle. The tension, the betrayals, the dreams of a better future… It’s all so achingly earnest. And yet, there’s tenderness. The kind that stays with you.
Why we recommend it: For fans of slow-burn sapphic romance, lush writing, and sci-fi/fantasy blends with heart. A quiet gem that deserves a loud cheer.
Queer fantasy isn’t a niche anymore, it’s the pulse of the genre, pushing boundaries and rewriting who gets to be the hero. These ten books aren’t just high-rated; they’re high-impact. They stick to your ribs, haunt your dreams, and change your definition of what fantasy can be.
