books @aroaessidhe - Tumblr Blog

Hello, I’m Laya!

@layaart is my art blog

@layahimalaya is my “main” but I’m not very active there

storygraph (won't accept friend req's of people I don't know usually)

DATABASES & OTHER BOOKISH STUFF

my aro & ace book database / tinyurl.com/aspecbooks / tumblr post > find specific aspec book list posts at: #aspec books / masterpost > no-romance book database / tinyurl.com/norombooks book character description database / tinyurl.com/bookdesc / tag I co-run @diversebookfanart, where we collect art for bipoc/queer/disability books! archivist wasp: tweetbot (rip), discord server!

COSPLAY

general tag (does not have everything, just highlights!) / instagram archivist wasp / artemisia / lirael / blue / red / tihylttw

READING TAGS 📚

2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 ['23 faves], 2024 ['24 faves], 2025 ['25 faves], 2026 monthly wrapups

MISC TAGS

#aroace books / #aromantic books / #asexual books / #no romance #aspec books (lists) / #recent aspec books (casual wrapups) #book list (other miscellaneous specific book lists) #laya talks / #bookmark collection / #art / #my art,

#(blank blogs are assumed spam and blocked)

sunny-sourzii

They make me sick btw

#project hail mary #art

nyctarian

Dolki Min, Walking Practice

#walking practice

2026 reads / storygraph

Hallowed Be Thy Name

gothic/paranormal

a boy raised in an abusive household & told that there’s a devil bound to him starts to see it, after a failed exorcism results in his mothers’ disappearance

he struggles through school, keeping no friends other than his younger brother, until he goes to uni to study psychology and cults, and has to work on a project with an academic rival - and they decide to look into the cult that his mother belonged to, forcing him to confront his past

gay ace MC

#Hallowed Be Thy Name #aroaessidhe 2026 reads #I wanted to like this but it was a bit of a mess; trying hard to be intense and dramatic in a way that came off awkward #I was expecting it to be kinda moody and gothic and it was just quite basic in tone #The pacing was odd; I think it could have been a lot better if it started when he was at uni and flashbacked through his past.#instead we get a few chapters of his abusive childhood then some timeskips to his high school years #which felt a little underdeveloped; and he’s not an adult til like halfway.#The contrast between the very normal contemporary school/uni life and gothic/cult/etc elements felt a bit disjointed.#the academic rivals relationship was sweet #and his figuring out his asexuality was fine if perhaps that was a little generic (but that’s not a bad thing)#minor subplot of a high school friend prioritising her relationship over their friendship #then mentioning his feelings to the love interest who suggests he might be ace #(which I’ll forgive for the pet peeve trope i hate as he was raised in a cult)#there’s some discussion of if he has schizophrenia; though I’m not sure if that’s done super well….tbh…idk…#I thought the twist was very obvious; too. That aspect didn’t really work for me tbh

layaart

Full cover redesign of The Works of Vermin. @ book box companies hit me up

#my art #the works of vermin #i really enjoy hiron ennes reaction to this; and i quote; “AUFHOCKER UP THERE CRANKIN' 'EM OUT!?!”

machinel1ke

Since it's pride month I'm only gonna be talking about doomed yuri and yaoi. Everybody go read Metal From Heaven right now it's the best doomed yuri book ever. Also Firebreak if you're into doomed QPRs.

#true and real #firebreak #metal from heaven

wormsinthecheese

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH with Mallory vant Passand from The Works of Vermin !

(by Hiron Ennes (wanna read a queer book ? Read THIS please please please)

I bet he's everyone's favorite character (every interaction he has with Maximian and Em, i'm....god. never change mallory, you're funny. Also, the door joke, and the "if you insist" agh marry me already)

It's a few studies from stuff I saw on pinterest, but make it Mallory !

I truly don't know if that's what they're supposed to look like ? But that's what I SAW

I love the idea that he gets longer hair after getting comfortable being a man ! The bun is hot.

(The Passand... IT'S A D NOT A T. I'll fix it, one day))

Asteritha is on the left and it's Elspeth on the bottom. idk not censoring the cute nipples ? it's artistic nudity, is it alright ?

#oh this fucks #the works of vermin #art

stilltheturtlemoves

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

#To Shape a Dragon’s Breath

theoplum

Zaedoreth, the domain of witches.

The Common Lands The home of the public, the Common Lands include the whole reach of the kingdom that lies above ground. Commoner witches live their lives with barely a thought to the pit, other than a vague unease.

The Noble Lands The home of the aristocracy and royalty of Zaedoreth, the Noble Lands are a sprawling underground realm largely isolated from the surface. Carved out of the earth during the reign of the First King. Even in death, his magic burrows deeper.

The Keep at Irigoth In an era past, the caves of Irigoth were perhaps an inhabited region of the noble lands. But the palace burrows deeper into the earth, and the upper domains of the pit grow dark and infested by terrors. Now all that remains is a powerful old fortress, acting as the final bar between realms. The guards of Irigoth do not only keep the common world upon the surface — they also prevent those banished from the nobility from escaping their punishment above ground.

The Palace The deepest point of the Noble Lands. The sprawling inner capital houses Queen Wynnflæd and her massive court. The power of the First King is strongest here, and grant his descendants mastery over the shifting and dynamic castle. Magic is just as dangerous in the palace as it is throughout all of Zaedoreth, but risking its study is more widely celebrated. The bustling depths are enjoying a time of peace after enduring twenty years of political turmoil, following the death of a legendary tyrant.

#the nameless prisoner

thesylverlining

Aromantic SFFH Anthology Returns Now!

Common Bonds 3 is an anthology of 18 SFFH short stories and poetry with aromantic main characters and a central platonic bond.

Yes, for the THIRD TIME, my good friends Claudie and Em and I put together an incredible collection of aromantic short fiction - and it's going right now!

It's a great time for aro books, and even better to get cool rewards. You agree. <3

#common bonds

dunmeshistash

Izutsumi is aroace, you agree with me, happy pride.

dunmeshistash

Btw this is not a headcanon, I have said in a previous post that "as far as headcanons go that fits well within canon" but since then I have changed my mind and I am just certain it's canon now.

She literally says it with all her words that she isn't attracted to anyone and the chapter that follows that only proves it.

You can not like it or think it's not "clear enough" to be canon but honestly, she literally said it, idk what else you could want, it's as canon as can be.

And for people who think she's "too young" (at 17) or "too traumatized" to be aroace, would you say that about any other sexual identity?

#definitely canon #many (also canon) books are vaguer than this #dungeon meshi

layaart

Illustration based on The Works of Vermin. here's what i've been doing the last couple months 🐛

#my art #the works of vermin #hiiiii

magickedteacup

Cyrus, the swan prince.

How to Survive this Fairytale by @smhallow

Edit: I drew the wrong arm as a wing. Hmmm….

#How To Survive This Fairytale #art

bones-clouds

books i read in 2026:

"walking practice"

min dolki

"the labels are invisible. they’re not really there, you know. they’ve melted into your flesh. they may have even made their home in a deeper, more abstract part of you. you won’t be able to fish them out even if you’re sliced up to the point that your bones are exposed and your guts are spilling out of your carcass."

#walking practice

2026 reads / storygraph

Someone To Daydream About

YA romcom

A Deaf girl is asked by one of her students’ brother to teach him ASL - while on tour with him and his super popular boyband

while she’s not a fan, the payment would help her revamp her family’s Deaf Center, which has been getting more run down & in debt since her dad died

as she goes on tour with him, his band, and her support dog- she starts to see another side of him and fall for him, but the public scrutiny become a barrier to their growing relationship

demiromantic MC, pan LI

#Someone To Daydream About #aroaessidhe 2026 reads #This is obviously a book I only read because it’s demiromantic #It’s fine! typical YA fluffy romcom in general; with some good exploration of disability & Deafness #I guess I don’t have many complaints that aren’t like. staples of the genre; or boyband stuff.#There’s some dramatic ‘manager doesn’t approve of relationship being public’ stuff #which always feels a little silly even though I know that’s like; a legit thing.#it’s also in general very light for something in an industry with a lot of fucked up stuff -#there’s discussions and plot-relevant predatory contracts etc but most of that is background; not really explored #I did not realise that the LI was kiwi going into this LMAO. I thought that was done pretty well though perhaps surface level.#(but also. things like ‘it was chocka in there’ you don’t realise are so specific until you see it in a book lmao)#I did notice it very specifically used yeah nah when he meant no and nah yeah when he meant yeah and tbh…….#I use yeah nah for both? whether you mean yeah or nah depends on context or tone? maybe this is just me though. idk #Apparently this is weirdly close to a kpop guy - with the same name and background and everything.#and he was changed from being aussie to kiwi from the arc presumably to adjust this.#which is uhhhh kinda weird; at least change the name? there’s a top GR review mentioning this.#her being demiro was fine I think. It didn’t feel super detailed #just as a background for the way she feels in the romance.#which I guess is fine. it’s more explicit than their other book.#I appreciate that she already knew her identity; and it was specific that she’s allosexual rather than being vague/conflating #I am amused that she’s a YA reader and it namedropped a bunch; including the author’s other book #demiromantic books

armandyke

"river are you over that book yet?" NOPE

#hazelthorn #art #i like that hes a little green

mayarab

Common Bonds 3 financing campaign is live!

Common Bonds 3 is an anthology of 18 SFFH short stories and poetry with aromantic main characters and a central platonic bond.

I have a short story in this and WE HIT OVER 50% IN JUST 3 DAYS!

Common Bonds is a series of anthologies that focus on aromantic representation and publishes short stories and poems!

My story is Bond of Choice, about a mage/witch and a mermaid finding what works for them ^^

We are asking for CA$12000 AND WE ARE ALREADY ALMOST AT CA$7000!!! And if we fund all the way to the stretch goal, the authors get paid MORE!

If you want to help, everything gets us further to our goal, including reblogs! And if you don't have the previous 2 anthologies, this is a perfect opportunity to get the whole collection!!!

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