Hello! I’ve been wanting to get back into reading, but I’m having trouble finding a book I’m interested in reading. I want some spice that most YA books lack, but not so much that it’s just smut. The last series I read was the Tales from Verania series by T.J. Klune, and I loved it. Thank you so much!
by Neither_Olive2977
11 Comments
The Steel Remains, by Richard K. Morgan. First in a trilogy if you like it.
Check out the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. You have to get to the third book to get the character you’re seeking, but it’s an absolutely incredible series. can’t recommend it enough.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Everything TJ Klune has written is magic so keep going with those.
Other than that idk. I have a lot of lgbt recs but I don’t read much fantasy.
The Last Herald-Mage, Lackey {{Magic’s Pawn, by Lackey}}
A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske might fit the bill
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I usually describe it as Harry Potter if he ended up with Draco. I found the magic system interesting and the series basically picks up near the end of the “epic quest”, so I enjoyed the change of going beyond the end of the story.
I’ll also echo the call to continue with TJ Klune. His Extraordinaries series should also fit the bill of what you’re looking for.
{{Swordspoint}} has a bi male protagonist currently in the same-sex relationship
{{The Cemeteries of Amalo}} series has a gay protagonist in a really intolerant society
These are more fantasy with a romance sub-plot rather than romance in a fantasy setting:
*Silver in the Wood* and *Drowned Country* by Emily Tesh
Dominion of the Fallen series by Aliette de Bodard, starts with *The House of Shattered Wings*
*Notorious Sorcerer* and *Shadow Baron* by Davinia Evans – books 1 and 2 of a trilogy, book 2 just came out
Both Jen Williams’ trilogies have a gay male character as one of the main protagonists but are more ensemble books than focussed on him – the Copper Cat trilogy starts with *The Copper Promise*, the Winnowing Flame trilogy starts with *The Ninth Rain*
*Sorcerer of the Wildeeps* and *A Taste of Honey* by Kai Ashante Wilson
The tarot sequence (currently a trilogy) is full of queer characters, it does have a gay mc too. While it does not have very explicit scenes, it is fantasy for adults about adults. Maybe not exactly what you had in mind but it’s really effin good
*A Strange and Stubborn Endurance* by Foz Meadows– really enjoyed this twist on arranged marriage between noble sons of a homophobic kingdom and neighboring affirming kingdom, with excellent political intrigue and a good dynamic between the male leads.
*The Last Binding Trilogy* by Freya Marske is quite fun, excellent hijinks– books one and three are m/m, book 2 is f/f. I found the sex scenes to be quite well-written, as such things go.
It’s technically more sci-fi than fantasty, but *Winter’s Orbit* and *Ocean’s Echo* by Evarina Maxwell both feature m/m couples, political intrigue, and some spice.