Lesbian Fantasy Book Reviews

I'd started accumulating a list of books with lesbian characters in 2018. I try to prioritize finding books with lesbian main characters, but regardless I thought it would be beneficial to start sharing simple reviews for the books I read. If you're looking for fantasy books with lesbian characters then you're in the right place.

[lesbianfantasybookreviews]

Xena Warrior Princess Watch Lists

Content Warning - There sure is a lot of racism.

Most Overt Gayness (The Highlights)

Season 1: Episodes 21, 24

Season 2: Episodes 4, 5, 11, 13, & 15 (4 & 11)

Season 3: Episodes 2, 12 & 13 (12)

Season 4: Episodes 8, 15, 17, 21 & 22 (17, 21, & 22)

Season 5: Episodes 1 & 14 (1)

Season 6: Episodes 1, 3, 6-9, 11-13, 16 & 18-22 (7-9, 11, 12, 16, 19, 22)

At Least A Taste of Gayness

Season 1: Episodes 1, 4, 7, & 19-24

Season 2: Episodes 2, 4-6, 11-13, 15, 18 & 19

Season 3: Episodes 2, 4, 6, 7, 11-14, 16, 18 & 22

Season 4: Episodes 3, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17, 18, 21 & 22

Season 5: Episodes 1, 4, 5, 9, 14, 17

Season 6: Episodes 1, 3, 6-9, 11-13, 16-22

Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Fun Adventures)

Season 1: Episodes 1-18, 20-24

Season 2: Episodes 1-4, 6, 11, 15-19, 21 & 22

Season 3: Episodes 1, 2, 8-10, & 14-16

Season 4: Episodes 6, 8, 10, 17, 19 & 22

Season 5: Episodes 10, 11, 14

Season 6: Episodes 7-10, 16, 17, 19 & 20

Plot Relevant

Season 1: Episodes 1, 4, 6-10, 15, 16, & 20-24

Season 2: Episodes 1, 2, 5-8, & 12-13, 22

Season 3: Episodes 1, 4-7, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 21, & 22

Season 4: Episodes 1-3, 9, 14, 16 & 21

Season 5: Episodes 1,2, 9, 12, 16, & 19-22

Season 6: Episodes 1, 2, 12, 13, 18 & 22

Robyn's Watchlist

Season 1: Episodes 1, 4, 9, 11, 15, 18, 21, 23, & 24

Season 2: Episodes 1-4, 11, 15-18, & 22

Season 3: Episodes 1, 2, 9, 13, 15 & 16

Season 4: Episodes 6, 8, 9, 17, 19, 21

Season 5: Episodes 1, 9, 11, 12, 14, 19, 22

Season 6: Episodes 3, 7-9, 13, 18, 19, 22

Bonus Episodes:

S2: 10 S4: 22 S6: 20, 16 S5: 15, 10 S3: 12

Doppelgangers S1E: 15 S2E: 6 S3E: 8, 9, 22 S4E: 10 S5E: 10

Future Timeline S2E: 10 S4E: 22 S6E: 16, 20

Amazons: S1E: 10 S2E: 13, 14 S3E: 12 S4E: 1, 2, 20 S5E: 5, 16, 17 S6E: 1, 11, 14, 15

Hercules S1E: 8 S5E: 12

Autolycus S1E: 17 S2E: 13 S3E: 8, 19, 20 S4E: 6, 10, 19

Joxer S1E: 22 S2E: 4, 6-8, 10, 16, 22 S3E: 2, 8-10, 12, 15, 17, 18, 22 S4E: 3, 10, 12, 17, 18, 19, 22 S5E: 1, 2, 4, 10, 11, 13-15, 17, 19, 20, 21

Callisto S1E: 21,22 S2E: 5, 7, 8, 14 S3E: 11, 12, 21, 22 S4E: 21 S5E: 1, 9 & 21

Ceasar S2E: 12 S3E: 4, 16 S4E: 5, 20, 21 S6E: 18

Hope S3E: 4, 5, 11, 12, 21, 22 S4E: 1, 3

Alti S4E: 1, 2, 9, 15 S5E: 5 S6E: 16 & 18

Livia S5E: 19-22 S6E: 1-4 & 12-14

Ares S1E: 6, 20 S2E: 7, 8, 10 S3E: 1, 3, 4, 10, 12, 17, 21, 22 S4E: 22 S5E: 2, 3, 9, 12-14, 19-22 S6E: 1, 10, 13, 14

Other Gods/Titans S1E: 7-9, 16 S2E: 2, 7, 14, 16, 19, 21, 22 S3E: 1, 3-5, 10, 11, 18, 21, 22 S4E: 12, 14, 16, 19, 21 S5E: 1, 2, 8, 9, 11-15, 19 S6E: 2, 3, 7-9, 12, 13, 18, 21, 22

[lesbianfantasybookreviews]

I watched through the series again lol

And this time I updated this list as I went whereas last time I put it together after I'd watched it. I've also got more things I've tracked this time around and even put together my own personal recommended watch list <3

Enjoy!

[lesbianfantasybookreviews]

Xena Warrior Princess Watch Lists

Content Warning - There sure is a lot of racism.

Most Overt Gayness (The Highlights)

Season 1: Episodes 21, 24

Season 2: Episodes 4, 5, 11, 13, & 15 (4 & 11)

Season 3: Episodes 2, 12 & 13 (12)

Season 4: Episodes 8, 15, 17, 21 & 22 (17, 21, & 22)

Season 5: Episodes 1 & 14 (1)

Season 6: Episodes 1, 3, 6-9, 11-13, 16 & 18-22 (7-9, 11, 12, 16, 19, 22)

At Least A Taste of Gayness

Season 1: Episodes 1, 4, 7, & 19-24

Season 2: Episodes 2, 4-6, 11-13, 15, 18 & 19

Season 3: Episodes 2, 4, 6, 7, 11-14, 16, 18 & 22

Season 4: Episodes 3, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17, 18, 21 & 22

Season 5: Episodes 1, 4, 5, 9, 14, 17

Season 6: Episodes 1, 3, 6-9, 11-13, 16-22

Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Fun Adventures)

Season 1: Episodes 1-18, 20-24

Season 2: Episodes 1-4, 6, 11, 15-19, 21 & 22

Season 3: Episodes 1, 2, 8-10, & 14-16

Season 4: Episodes 6, 8, 10, 17, 19 & 22

Season 5: Episodes 10, 11, 14

Season 6: Episodes 7-10, 16, 17, 19 & 20

Plot Relevant

Season 1: Episodes 1, 4, 6-10, 15, 16, & 20-24

Season 2: Episodes 1, 2, 5-8, & 12-13, 22

Season 3: Episodes 1, 4-7, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 21, & 22

Season 4: Episodes 1-3, 9, 14, 16 & 21

Season 5: Episodes 1,2, 9, 12, 16, & 19-22

Season 6: Episodes 1, 2, 12, 13, 18 & 22

Robyn's Watchlist

Season 1: Episodes 1, 4, 9, 11, 15, 18, 21, 23, & 24

Season 2: Episodes 1-4, 11, 15-18, & 22

Season 3: Episodes 1, 2, 9, 13, 15 & 16

Season 4: Episodes 6, 8, 9, 17, 19, 21

Season 5: Episodes 1, 9, 11, 12, 14, 19, 22

Season 6: Episodes 3, 7-9, 13, 18, 19, 22

Bonus Episodes:

S2: 10 S4: 22 S6: 20, 16 S5: 15, 10 S3: 12

Doppelgangers S1E: 15 S2E: 6 S3E: 8, 9, 22 S4E: 10 S5E: 10

Future Timeline S2E: 10 S4E: 22 S6E: 16, 20

Amazons: S1E: 10 S2E: 13, 14 S3E: 12 S4E: 1, 2, 20 S5E: 5, 16, 17 S6E: 1, 11, 14, 15

Hercules S1E: 8 S5E: 12

Autolycus S1E: 17 S2E: 13 S3E: 8, 19, 20 S4E: 6, 10, 19

Joxer S1E: 22 S2E: 4, 6-8, 10, 16, 22 S3E: 2, 8-10, 12, 15, 17, 18, 22 S4E: 3, 10, 12, 17, 18, 19, 22 S5E: 1, 2, 4, 10, 11, 13-15, 17, 19, 20, 21

Callisto S1E: 21,22 S2E: 5, 7, 8, 14 S3E: 11, 12, 21, 22 S4E: 21 S5E: 1, 9 & 21

Ceasar S2E: 12 S3E: 4, 16 S4E: 5, 20, 21 S6E: 18

Hope S3E: 4, 5, 11, 12, 21, 22 S4E: 1, 3

Alti S4E: 1, 2, 9, 15 S5E: 5 S6E: 16 & 18

Livia S5E: 19-22 S6E: 1-4 & 12-14

Ares S1E: 6, 20 S2E: 7, 8, 10 S3E: 1, 3, 4, 10, 12, 17, 21, 22 S4E: 22 S5E: 2, 3, 9, 12-14, 19-22 S6E: 1, 10, 13, 14

Other Gods/Titans S1E: 7-9, 16 S2E: 2, 7, 14, 16, 19, 21, 22 S3E: 1, 3-5, 10, 11, 18, 21, 22 S4E: 12, 14, 16, 19, 21 S5E: 1, 2, 8, 9, 11-15, 19 S6E: 2, 3, 7-9, 12, 13, 18, 21, 22

[lesbianfantasybookreviews]

Xena Warrior Princess Watch Lists

Content Warning - There sure is a lot of racism.

Highest Concentration of Gayness (The Highlights)

Season 1: Episodes 24

Season 2: Episodes 4, 5, 11 & 13 (4 & 11)

Season 3: Episodes 2, 12 & 13 (12)

Season 4: Episodes 8, 15, 17, 21 & 22 (17, 21, & 22)

Season 5: Episodes 1 & 14 (1)

Season 6: Episodes 1, 3, 6-9, 11-13, 16 & 18-22 (7-9, 11, 12, 16, 19, 22)

At Least A Taste of Gayness

Season 1: Episodes 1, 4 & 19-24

Season 2: Episodes 2, 4, 5, 11-13, 15, 18 & 19

Season 3: Episodes 2, 4, 6, 7, 10-14, 16, 18 & 22

Season 4: Episodes 1-3, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17, 18, 21 & 22

Season 5: Episodes 1, 4, 5, 9, 14, 17, 19 & 22

Season 6: Episodes 1, 3, 6-9, 11-13, 16-22

Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Fun Adventures)

Season 1: Episodes 1-24

Season 2: Episodes 1-4, 6, 11, 15-19, 21 & 22

Season 3: Episodes 1, 2, 9, 10, 15 & 16

Season 4: Episodes 6, 10, 17, 19 & 22

Season 5: Episodes 10

Season 6: Episodes 7-10, 16, 17, 19 & 20

Plot Relevant

Season 1: Episodes 1, 4, 6-8, 10, 15, & 20-24

Season 2: Episodes 1, 2, 5-8, 12 & 13

Season 3: Episodes 1, 6, 7, 9, 21 & 22

Season 4: Episodes 9, 16 & 21

Season 5: Episodes 1,2, 9, 12, & 19-22

Season 6: Episodes 12, 13, 18 & 22

Callisto S1E: 21,22 S2E: 5, 7, 14 S3E: 11, 12, 21, 22 S4E: 21 S5E: 1, 9 & 21

Hope S3E: 4, 5, 11, 12, 21, 22 S4E: 1, 3

Alti S4E: 1, 2, 9 S5E: 5 S6E: 16 & 18

Livia S5E: 19-22 S6E: 1-4 & 12-14

[cadriona]

So, a funny thing happened on trigun twitter

(amazon link where its 50% off as of May 8th: https://www.amazon.com/This-How-You-Lose-Time/dp/1534430997/)

[cadriona]

Update, “this is how you lose the time war” is now #21 on Amazon’s bestseller’s list

(semi-related note but I too have now ordered the book)

[ofools-deactivated20151107]

you know what i don’t get? when like, people write romance stories where two characters are so in love w each other its all magnetism, but they? don’t even have fun together? or are even nice to each other sometimes?

“our love could level a thousand mountains and conquer a million cities”

ok but… are you even… like….. friends????

[theirisianprincess]

[artisimpossible]

I used to work for a trade book reviewer where I got payed to review people's books, and one of the rules of that review company is one that I think is just super useful to media analysis as a whole, and that is, we were told never to critique media for what it didn't do but only for what it did.

So, for instance, I couldn't say "this book didn't give its characters strong agency or goals". I instead had to say, "the characters in this book acted in ways that often felt misaligned with their characterization as if they were being pulled by the plot."

I think this is really important because a lot of "critiques" people give, if subverted to address what the book does instead of what it doesn't do, actually read pretty nonsensical. For instance, "none of the characters were unique" becomes "all of the characters read like other characters that exist in other media", which like... okay? That's not really a critique. It's just how fiction works. Or "none of the characters were likeable" becomes "all of the characters, at some point or another, did things that I found disagreeable or annoying" which is literally how every book works?

It also keeps you from holding a book to a standard it never sought to meet. "The world building in this book simply wasn't complex enough" becomes "The world building in this book was very simple", which, yes, good, that can actually be a good thing. Many books aspire to this. It's not actually a negative critique. Or "The stakes weren't very high and the climax didn't really offer any major plot twists or turns" becomes "The stakes were low and and the ending was quite predictable", which, if this is a cute romcom is exactly what I'm looking for.

Not to mention, I think this really helps to deconstruct a lot of the biases we carry into fiction. Characters not having strong agency isn't inherently bad. Characters who react to their surroundings can make a good story, so saying "the characters didn't have enough agency" is kind of weak, but when you flip it to say "the characters acted misaligned from their characterization" we can now see that the *real* problem here isn't that they lacked agency but that this lack of agency is inconsistent with the type of character that they are. a character this strong-willed *should* have more agency even if a weak-willed character might not.

So it's just a really simple way of framing the way I critique books that I think has really helped to show the difference between "this book is bad" and "this book didn't meet my personal preferences", but also, as someone talking about books, I think it helps give other people a clearer idea of what the book actually looks like so they can decide for themselves if it's worth their time.

[icantfindmyfish]

Pride in space

You can buy these posters here !

[anemptyaquarium]

@flareongirlfloof

[1eos]

'this book has gay rep' girl the us army got gay rep now you gone have to do better 😭😭😭😭

[tracing-rivers]

[b-a-pigeon]

I almost forgot that these book promos started today! Check them out on Bookfunnel & Storyorigin to find some new LGBTQ+ fantasy reads 😇 (They have entirely different sets of books; I'd say the Bookfunnel one is a little more diverse while the Storyorigin one ended up a little more MM-romance-centric.)

[foldingfittedsheets]

So I just finished Harrow the Ninth and it was very good and I understood very little of it and it will need to percolate. But Tamsyn Muir slipped in several memes and I’m sure there’s many that I missed but these ones had me fucking crapping myself laughing.

None. Pizza. Left. Beef. I couldn’t fucking believe that this got slipped in.

I had to put the book down because I was asphyxiating at this one. My girlfriend didn’t get the reference but anyone familiar with llamas with hats should recognize this one.

And finally. Fucking Miette. I lost my goddamn mind at this one.

[lesbianfantasybookreviews]

A Small Collection of Children’s Graphic Novels

Princess Princess By Kay O’Neil (published under their old name Katie O’Neil)

The Tea Dragon Society By Kay O’Neil

Witchlight By Jessi Zabarsky

A friend of mine lent me these books and while I don’t think they need a full review I still wanted to share them. They all feature young girls who form strong bonds with other girls, they all fit the fantasy genre, and they are all worth checking out! They only take about 10-30 minutes to read and have lots of cute moments, though some of them due touch on topics of trauma or loss.

[lesbianfantasybookreviews]

Hi there! I came across your review in the Elemental Logic tag, and I wanted to invite you to check out A Year In Shaftal, the fandom event I’m hosting on my sideblog @shaftal. Whether you feel like creating something for the event or following along to see what others make, I would be very happy to have you!

I probably won’t make any content myself, but I appreciate you sharing the event with me. I look forward to seeing what people make ^^

[thelastconfessor]

Got any fantasy lesbian books?

Of course! Here's some wlw book recs.

That I have read:

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Tales of Inthya by Effie Calvin (romance in a fantasy setting more than fantasy but eh)

The Locked Tomb by Tamsin Muir

The Kyoshi novels by F.C. Yee

Sidekick Squad by C.B. Lee (It's superheroes? But it's classified as fantasy so)

Not read yet:

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Shuri

The Unbroken by C. L. Clark

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

A Curse Roses by Diana Pinguicha

Thornfruit by Felicia Davin

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

The ones I haven't read I have bought because of recommendations or after reading reviews, so I trust I will like them :P

[flodaya]

my last queer/wlw book recommendation post has been gaining some traction recently so i thought after almost 2 years i would do an updated version 

Young Adult Realistic Fiction

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé - totally addictive, it’s described as Gossip Girl meets Get Out and that is really basically it; main characters are wlw and mlm; tw: racism, homophobia

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar - wlw rivals to lovers, such a cute romcom but has some more heavy and serious aspects as well, muslim wlw representation, I also highly recommend the author’s other book Hani and Ishu’s guide to fake dating; tw: public outing, biphobia

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo - a ya historical fiction set in 1950’s San Francisco, talks about lesbian culture and the coming of age of a Chinese-American lesbian; tw: homophobia, racsim

Clap when you land by Elizabeth Acevedo - it’s about two sisters, one of them is a lesbian, the story itself is about these two half-sisters meeting for the first time after their father has died; tw: parental death 

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales - bisexual main character and a love triangle that is actually fun, super quick and easy read

Realistic Adult Fiction

Detransition Baby by Torrey Peters - this book talks about womanhood, motherhood, fatherhood in a really interesting and moving way; tw: transphobia, misogyny  

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers - this book is what everyone lost in their 20s needs to read right now, such a comfort; it starts with the main character getting married to her one night stand in las vegas, beautiful wlw relationship

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - no wlw book recommendations list is complete without this; old Hollywood icon is ready to tell the full truth of her 7 marriages, just absolutely beautifully written

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman - Backman is one of my favourite comfort authors, this book is about a group of people being held hostage, one of the couples is a wlw, it’s just so funny and yet deep as well

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid - the story is told from the pov of 4 siblings, one of the storylines is about one sister figuring out her sexuality, TJR has such a talent for writing multi-dimensional characters and beautiful wlw representation;  

Fantasy/Science Fiction 

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - almost 900 pages of the most intricate fantasy world, the main relationship is wlw between the queen and one of her “maids”, there is a mlm side character/relationship as well

The Long way from a small angry planet by Becky Chambers - interspecies wlw relationship and such a wholesome book, lots of queer characters 

The invisible life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - an immortal bisexual female main character who made a deal with the devil and can’t be remembered meets bisexual male character who seems to be the only one who doesn’t forget her

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri - wlw high-fantasy, morally grey lesbian characters, such a exciting and engaging story; tw: Suicidal ideation

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan - such soft wlw representation between two girls who are being forced to be concubines for the king; tw: sexual abuse 

and five of my favourite mlm books as bonus:

[sophygurl]

Elemental Logic

Hey, do you like a good fantasy series with fantastic world building that includes many dynamic characters from different cultures and ways of life and modes of thinking about the world?

Do you like stories where same-sex relationships are treated as normal without comment or question? Where alternative family styles, including large chosen families with many adults co-parenting one another’s children, is treated as normal? Where people hold the same jobs regardless of gender and there are just as many female soldiers, farmers, welders, scholars, politicians, etc. as males? 

Would you love to read a series where concepts are explored around how to stop war and hatred of the other, or how to best use people’s different talents to achieve a communal goal, or how to problem solve between people who think very differently form one another?

If this sounds like your thing, may I recommend the Elemental Logic series by Laurie J. Marks - it begins with Fire Logic, then Earth Logic, Water Logic, and the latest and last in the series Air Logic has just been published. It rounds out the story and ends in a satisfying way. This is for sure a series that I am going to strive to own so that I may re-read it many times over. 

My favorite part is really the chosen family aspect. In one of the cultures depicted, it’s the norm for people to marry into a family not just for the person who will be their spouse, but for the other people in their family who may or may not be related to them biologically. People choose not just mates, but platonic co-parents, brothers and sisters, and other familial bonds. 

The main family that comprises the book includes a f/f couple, a m/m couple, a f/m couple with a child that they all parent, and several other singles or close friends who have mates outside of the core family. They come together because of shared values and goals and ties that bind them together. For example, one woman in the f/f couple has chosen one of the men in m/m couple as her brother. So they are family. And the other woman in the f/f couple is bonded to the woman in the f/m couple in strong ways which makes them family. They all care for and respect one another, but don’t necessarily all love one another. But it works. And it’s beautiful. And I love it. It’s such a nice combo of polyamory and queer platonic life partners and found family. 

Also the core message of the series is just lovely. It’s about how we’re all in this together even with our many differences and how the only way to heal through tragedy and violence is to unite together and work hard to understand where the other is coming from instead of blind hatred that feeds cycles of vengeance. Those who have done wrong have to own up to it and make things right when possible, but when everyone in a situation has done wrong to one another - sometimes the best thing is for everyone to forgive one another and move on. IDK, it’s just really lovely and a unique take. 

I also really like the magical system in the book. Everyone has some elemental talent, but for most people it’s fairly light. If you have an earth talent, for example, maybe you’re really good with your hands in some way or are a talented healer. But some people have very strong talents that make them more powerful. Each element has different talents, and can also affect the way people think about and move through the world. Some people have more than one elemental talent, and sometimes they are complimentary and other times they are contradictory. It’s all very natural and organic and practical.