No title available
RMH
Three Goblin Art
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
★
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
Stranger Things
trying on a metaphor
occasionally subtle
ellievsbear
titsay
$LAYYYTER
Peter Solarz
Sade Olutola
if i look back, i am lost
No title available
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
Not today Justin
Keni
seen from Canada
seen from Russia
seen from Armenia
seen from Russia
seen from Brazil
seen from Morocco
seen from T1
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
seen from Nigeria
seen from Algeria
seen from Morocco
seen from United States
seen from United States
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seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
@theinclusivebookshelf
Character Guide
Format:
Character name, book title by author name
Please note, lists that say “Majority Cast” in the character name section mean that either all characters fit into that category or that too many do to list them all individually
LGBT Characters
Black Characters
Asian Characters
Hispanic and Latinx Characters
Disabled Characters
If what I did to save our lives was a sin, then I was a sinner. It was a title I'd gladly bear.
Greythorne by Crystal Smith
Inclusive Spoilers
The title should be self explanatory! Features sexualities, genders, disabilities, etc of characters that are considered spoilers. Reader beware!
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- Henry “Monty” Montague (Deaf in one ear), The Montague Siblings (Series) by Mackenzi Lee
- Felix Love (Demiboy). Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Quick question!
Should I make a separate list for characters who’s diversity is a spoiler? Or just put them in with the regular lists and a spoiler warning at the top?
A separate list would probably be easier to follow! Also it’s more organized that way
Got it!
Current plan is to have a list of books with Spoiler Warning Diversity (and each book title would be a hyperlink to a smaller character guide)
Update: Just putting all of the spoilers in one list! Format:
Character Name (Spoiler), Book Title by Author Name
Reviews from the Bookshelf
The Book in Question: Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Short Review: 5/5 stars. If you’re just starting to learn LGBTQ+ terminology, I cannot recommend this enough. (And if you’re just looking for a romance with a mystery tied in, I’d recommend this too.)
Trigger Warnings: Transphobia, dead naming, underage drinking
Long Review: I’ll be honest, most of why I love this book involves a lot of spoilers so I might make a second review as I like to keep these spoiler free. Felix is such a good character and a fantastic narrator. Even when you don’t agree with his choices, you understand him enough to know why he does everything he does. So much of him is bittersweet and honestly a lot of this book made me want to break out my art supplies and get to work. While Felix’s dead name is used multiple times in the story, it’s never used in the book which I thought really helped build the narration. A lot of times first person narratives feel like they’re looking back, like the version of the character telling the story is different- perhaps older- than the version living it. I’ve never felt that way with Felix, his narration feels vulnerable in the sense that you’re reading a fictional memoir. He wouldn't want his friends to know his dead name, so why tell his readers?
The characters all feel like teenagers, as well. I’ll admit, there are parts of the narration that feel more like the author is making a point rather than the characters, but I understand where it’s coming from. We also see Felix grow and show a lot of empathy towards others while also respecting his own feelings, which is another point I believe the author wanted to make, albeit a lot more subtly.
(Also side note: When Felix is asked if he is bi or pan, he doesn’t answer directly. Due to this, I will be including him in both lists.)
Tags: LGBT Characters: Bisexual, LGBT Characters: Pansexual, LGBT Characters: Transgender, Black Characters, Asian Characters: Indian, LGBT Characters: Gay and Lesbian, Hispanic and Latinx Characters, Felix Ever After: Inclusive Spoilers
LGBT Characters: Aromantic Characters
- Felicity Montague, The Montague Siblings (Series) by Mackenzi Lee
Hispanic and Latinx Characters: Spanish Characters
- Helena Robles, The Montague Siblings (Series) by Mackenzi Lee
- Dante Robles, The Montague Siblings (Series) by Mackenzi Lee
- Mateu Robles, The Montague Siblings (Series) by Mackenzi Lee
Reviews from the Bookshelf
The Book in Question: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Short Review: 4/5 stars. A fantastic storyline with great characters but the (what I’ll assume is unpurposeful) stereotypes of queer characters made me find it hard to connect with them at times.
Trigger Warnings: Seizures, suicidal ideation, child abuse, blood, guns, and mentions of self harm on pages 161 and 491 (I read the paperback version so depending on how you read this book those pages may not be accurate.).
Long Review:
Holy shit I’m in love with Monty. However, I must admit that he falls into the “slutty bisexual” trope though for him it seems to be part of a defense mechanism if not an addictive personality so I’m willing to let it slide. My bigger issue is how Felicity, the character presented as being aromantic and asexual (I believe this is confirmed in book 2? However I’m only one chapter in) is rather cold and uncaring at times and falls both into the “prudish ace” and “too uninvolved with any social events” stereotype that’s often seen as an easy way to write aroaces. I'm hoping, however, that The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy will give her some redemption.
Never the less, I did very much enjoy this book. Historical Fiction has always been a genre where every book is one I either love or despise so you can imagine the hesitancy I had with starting the series.
Mackenzi Lee does a fantastic job holding onto a reader’s attention and I Monty’s narration. Fingers crossed that I’ll enjoy The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy just as much!
Tags: LGBT Characters: Label Unspecified, LGBT Characters: Bisexual, LGBT Characters: Aromantic, LGBT Characters: Asexual, Black Characters (Biracial), The Montague Siblings: Inclusive Spoilers, Hispanic and Latinx Characters: Spanish
Quick question!
Should I make a separate list for characters who’s diversity is a spoiler? Or just put them in with the regular lists and a spoiler warning at the top?
A separate list would probably be easier to follow! Also it’s more organized that way
Got it!
Current plan is to have a list of books with Spoiler Warning Diversity (and each book title would be a hyperlink to a smaller character guide)
We are not broken things, neither of us. We are cracked pottery mended with lacquer and flakes of gold, whole as we are, completed unto each other. Complete and worthy and so very loved.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Quick question!
Should I make a separate list for characters who’s diversity is a spoiler? Or just put them in with the regular lists and a spoiler warning at the top?
Reviews from the Bookshelf
The Book in Question: Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Short Review: 4.5/5 Stars. The book itself gives the summary of “Queer black girls destroy the patriarchy” but I do feel the need to point out that of the two characters this references, only one of them is black and the summary can be very misleading.
Long Review:
I. Love. This. Book.
Sophia is a fantastic narrator and it’s super easy to find yourself in her shoes. When she has moments of doubt towards herself and her goals, you feel those doubts too. The world building is nothing too extreme (I read this book after reading Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith which I’ll admit has changed my expectations towards fantasy world building) but it’s still laid out very well so I have nothing to say against it.
All the characters are really strong and it’s easy to understand their actions and the motivations behind them, even in characters who are easily not Great People. The book deals heavily with sexism and shows domestic abuse as well as murder so definitely be warned about that. (While there are no mentions of rape in the book, there are parts that seem to imply it so keep that in mind as well.) It doesn’t show these topics lightly, so I can’t recommend it to anyone who would find this at all triggering.
While dark, the subjects do add to the world building as well as the reader’s sense of why they should root for Sophia to win. While I don’t want to give spoilers, there was a twist at the end that I felt could have been set up better, though it doesn’t feel forced or out of nowhere.
I’d recommend this to any fan or rewritten fairytales or just someone who wants to see wlw being badass as hell.
Tags: LGBT Characters: Gay and Lesbian (Multiple characters), LGBT Characters: Label Unspecified, Black Characters
Reviews from the Bookshelf!
(Might not be a permanent title but it works for now)
The Book in Question: The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Quick Review: 5/5 Stars. Very cute characters, very fun read.
Long review:
I’m in love with this art style. There’s a couple of panels where the emotions of the characters can’t be read through faces and you definitely have to make your own inferences, but overall it’s very cute and when it does have dynamic expressions, they’re very go big or go home.
The story is very cute and even though it touches on transphobia it does so in a way that establishes conflict without destroying the happy tone of the story. The conflicts are super relatable and you don’t need any knowledge of the time period to understand everything (something that can’t be said of many historical fictions). It also briefly touches on art theft which is something that should be discussed more outside of strictly artist spaces so I really appreciated that!
As far as representation goes, Sebastian’s gender is up for reader interpretation but still in a very trans friendly way. While I won't give any spoilers, I read Sebastian as Genderfluid and I’m sure anyone who has read the book can understand why.
It took me less than a day to read in 5-10 minute breaks between my work, but you could probably read it in one sitting in about an hour. It’s a really cute story that can be appreciated by all ages!
Tags: LGBT Characters: Label Unspecified
Books with confirmed demisexual characters
Here are all the books I know of with confirmed demisexual characters! (Meaning the word is used in the text, or else the author has said it.) With links to more info, including (in some cases) reviews discussing the portrayal of demisexuality. Also see Lynn E. O’Connacht’s Demisexuality in Fiction list and the “demisexual character” tag on AgentAletha’s Tagpacker list.
YA/NA
The Change (series) by Rachel Manija Brown and Sherwood Smith - Mia is word-of-god demi
The Iamos Trilogy by Lyssa Chiavari - Isaak is canon demi
Mangoverse (series) by Shira Glassman - Rivka is word-of-god demi
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman - Aled is canon demi
All for the Game (series) by Nora Sakavic - Neil is word-of-god demi
Newton’s Laws (series) by Rebecca Schwartz - Rachel is word-of-god demi
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld - Darcy is word-of-god demi
M/M romance
Ace by Jack Byrne - Jake is word-of-god demi
A Gentleman’s Position by K.J. Charles - Richard is word-of-god demi
The Trouble With Tony by Eli Easton - Tony is canon demi
Jack of Thorns by Amelia Faulkner – Quentin (because @demigray has recommended this as a book with a demi character, I’m including it even though I can’t find author confirmation that Quentin was specifically written as demi)
The Pardoner’s Tale by Morgan Ferdinand - Nick is word-of-god demi
Model Citizen by Lissa Kasey - Ollie is word-of-god demi
Taking the Long Way by Max MacGowan - Marcus is canon demi
High and Tight by Vanessa North - Adam is word-of-god demi
Not Even Close by Lisa Oliver - Connor is canon demi
Kanaan and Tilney: The Case of the Arms Dealers by Jenna Rose and Katey Hawthorne - John Tilney is canon demi
Other fantasy
The Mystic Marriage by Heather Rose Jones - Antuniet is word-of-god demi
Night Calls (series) by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel - Allie is word-of-god demi (caveat on this one—the first book came out in 1996, before “demisexual” had been coined, so it’s being applied retroactively)
From Under the Mountain by Cait Spivey – Guerline is word-of-god demi
I’m also posting this list on a static page, and I’ll be updating it there as I find more books/more are written.
As the author of Jack of Thorns, I confirm that Quentin was specifically written as demisexual <3
Inclusive Shoutout!
Hey there readers! I’d like to direct your attention to the website Queerbooksforteens.com! It’s a directory of books with queer characters containing search filters such as:
Gender
Sexual Orientation
Romantic Orientation
Race/Ethnicity
Religion
Genre
Location
Disability
Own Voices
Middle Grade
Ending
As well as marking books with trigger warnings! This is a great website that I highly recommend checking out (especially for queer books that go beyond White, Able bodied, Cis Gays)
Happy Reading!
Asian Characters: Indian Characters
- Penelope Bunce, Simon Snow (series) by Rainbow Howell
- Ezra Patel, Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Disabled Characters
- Hearthstone (Deaf), Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (series) by Rick Riordan
- Prince Valentin (Heart and Lung weaknesses), Bloodleaf (series) by Crystal Smith
