In becoming a vampire, I’m less than a girl. And more.
Or maybe I’m becoming what I always have been, deep inside.
A blade.
When nineteen-year-old Fin volunteers to take her secret love’s place in their village’s Finding, she is terrified. Those who are chosen at the Finding are whisked away to Castle Courtsheart, a vampire school where human students either succeed and become vampires, fail and spend the rest of their lives as human thralls…or they don’t survive long enough to become either.
Fin is determined to forge a different path: learn how to kill the undead and get revenge for her mother, who was taken by the vampires years ago. But Courtsheart is as captivating as it is deadly, and Fin is quickly swept up in her new world and its inhabitants - particularly Gavron, her handsome and hostile vampire maker, whose blood is nothing short of intoxicating. As Fin begins to discover new aspects of her own identity and test her newfound powers, she stumbles across a string of murders that may be connected to a larger ritual - one with potentially lethal consequences for vampires and humans alike. Fin must uncover the truth and find the killer before she loses her life…or betrays her own heart.
Today is Pan Visibility Day, and as usual, we’re celebrating with a bunch of books that have pansexual leads! Today is Pan Visibility Day, and as usual, we’re celebrating with a bunch of books that have pansexual leads! Please note that this post only includes books that weren’t featured in full in previous posts; you can find more pansexual books in posts from past years!
Court of the Undying…
I don't have a lot of books that fit this category unfortunately, but I've read a couple of good ones recently so I figured I might as well make list for a-spec books. I'll list the specific representation for each book as well. These books are all YA fantasy but still very different types of books, so I hope there's something here for everyone looking for more a-spec characters.
I'll start with Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor
This is a stand alone fantasy set in a 1920s jazz age inspired world. This world has magic in the form of flare, a hot magic substance that can be mined and is used in various ways, including heating and electricity, but also mixed in drinks for rich people, or to give you temporary fire/heat magic. The premise is largely based around huge flare inequality, with poor people not having enough to heat their homes whereas rich people are sitting on vast amounts of flare they're either not using or using for useless things like putting it in drinks. Ingrid was born very poor, but has been given the chance to move up in society by attending a school for rich kids on a scholarship and dating Linden Holt, the son of a senator and one of the richest men in the land. When Linden's father, goes to run for president, Ingrid is hired as a campaign assistant for her internship before she graduates school, but the senator is running against a leftist woman who wants flare to be accessible to all and Ingrid has to decide if she wants to stay with Linden and his family to make sure she has enough, or fight for everyone else' flare as well.
This is a very political book, with the main focus being the presidential race, and there are very clear parallels to real life (American) politics. For example, Linden's father proposes a plan called "trickle down flare".
Rep: most major characters are queer, the main character is bi and demiromantic
Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland is next
This is a fantasy in a world where some people can soulwalk. They can enter their own and other people's souls as long as the other person is close enough. Kamai and her mother are both soulwalkers, and her mother is a courtesan and spy who walks through the souls of her clients to find out their secrets. For Kamai to put her abilities to use, becoming a courtesan would be the ideal option since it allows her to easily get close to people, but Kamai is asexual. She has no interest in having sex with people.
Kamai cannot enter her own soul, no one can. Some people believe she doesn't have one, others that it has been hidden away. But no matter whose soul she enters, she sees a black door. Her mother warned her to stay away from that door. But when tragedy strikes, Kamai, desperate, opens the door.
This is a dark fantasy story with some conspiracy, spying and a focus on this world's religion and mythology.
Rep: main character is biromantic asexual, and her being asexual is a big part of the story, some side characters are also queer including asexual
Also by this author: In the Ravenous Dark, which is another dark fantasy I'm about to start reading with a pan mc and poly relationship
Then I have Silver in the Mist by Emily Victoria
This story is set on an island divided into two kingdoms, Aris and Cerena. The continent is in danger from a mist with deadly phantoms within it, and right now the problem is a lot worse in Aris than in Cerena. Only casters can use magic to hold back the mist.
Dev is a spy. Eight years ago, her father died and her mother became very distant as the whisperer, the head spy, of Aris. Now her mother is more of a commander than family and Dev will try anything for her approval.
On her next mission, she's sent to Cerena to go undercover in their court and kidnap Alyse, Cerena's most powerful caster, in the hopes that bringing her to Aris could turn the tides on the mist. But on the way she learns that not everything she thought of Cerena is true and that Alyse might have a better way to stop the mist.
This is a spy story, but also a story of family. Dev has a difficult relationship with her mother, who is very distant, and keeps seeking her approval, but there is development and nuance in their relationship. I also loved the strong bond Dev forms with Alyse.
Rep: it was not explicit in the book, but Dev is asexual and possibly also aromantic. She shows no romantic or sexual interest in anyone, and the author is also ace-aro, so I'm sure she's supposed to be aspec but not sure what. Dev's best friend Lochlan is non binary.
Last up is Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
Artemisia is a nun training to cleanse the bodies of the deceased so they don't turn into evil spirits and eat people and/or possess people. She was possessed by a spirit as a child and as a result she's very sensitive to spirits.
When the convent is attacked by possessed people, Artemisia saves herself and the other nuns by binding herself to a revenant, the most dangerous type of spirit that was locked up in a saint's relic. The dead are rising, and if only a vespertine, a priestess wielding the power of a revenant can stop it, but all knowledge on how this works is lost to time so Artemisia has no choice but to learn from the revenant itself, someone she can't trust.
This story is dark and has a very gritty medieval feel, and I think while the world is made up it captures medieval europe better than most medieval europe fantasy stories. Artemisia is someone who prefers to be around dead people than living, generally she dislikes people and doesn't care to form close bonds with them. While she isn't explicitly ace/aro in the book, I'd read her as such based on her lack of interest in romantic and/or sexual relationships, and she can also be read as autistic.
Also by this author: sorcery of thorns, which has a bi love interest and asexual major side character
Previously covered books with a-spec characters
Dread Nation duology by Justina Ireland - ace/aro side character who is also a POV character in book 2
Black Wings Beating trilogy by Alex London - one of the two mc's is ace/aro
Kashire is such an ass. I mean, he's still one of my favorite characters in the book, but he needs to learn to say things like, "I'm sorry I tried to murder you on what was probably already a very stressful day."
read Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland for ace week and it was really good!! Finished it this morning and it’s got an asexual protagonist who has a romantic relationship and also magic, highly recommend
In the Ravenous Dark by A. M. Strickland is an intense and dark story full of dangerous magic and romance.
Rovan lives in Thanopolis with her mother and has been hiding that she is a blood mage her whole life. However, all of that changes one day at the market place when Rovan's current lover is in danger and she uses blood magic to save her. The story continues with Rovan becoming a member of the life at the palace and mixing with royals while learning more about what exactly being a blood mage in Thanopolis entails.
One of my favorite aspects to this book was the way A.M. Strickland wrote about gender and sexuality. I love how Rovan and her friends were able to talk about this and be who they truly are, at least around each other.
Get ready for a fast paced and action packed story full of magic and love!
