Here it is…my non-exhaustive list of books I loved this year! One thing these books all have in common? Queer characters in prominent roles.
The Daevabad Trilogy (City of Brass; Kingdom of Copper; Empire of Gold) by S.A. Chakraborty
The official blurb for City of Brass:
Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.
But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.
In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.
After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for…
Why did I like this book: Oh man. Okay. Full disclosure, when I read City of Brass, I was like, this is fine, not amazing, but I’ll pick up the other two in the series because I enjoyed it enough. The world-building is A+, the characters were likable, and I enjoyed the romance.
And then. AND THEN. Kingdom of Copper. Whew, you guys…the intrigue. The politics. The world-building. THE QUEER CHARACTERS. The pining. Where City of Brass is sort of more about the vibes and the road trip, Kingdom of Copper is where it really takes off. All the characters really come into their own. Characters I didn’t care about in City of Brass suddenly became my favorites (I would die for you, Muntadhir). Everyone has complex motives and is tormented by at leastthree different things.
Empire of Gold is just as good, and it a fantastic wrap-up to the series. I never wanted it to end. Bless the author for releasing bonus material. We stan an author who writes fic of her own work and then releases it for her readers.
I truly cannot recommend this series enough. I gave up on this sort of high fantasy years ago because it’s all the same, but I loved the Islamic setting (it gets billed as Middle Eastern but it’s mostly notset in the technical Middle East…yes I’m being pedantic), I loved the characters, I loved how fresh it felt. I just loved it. So much.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
The official blurb:
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.
Why did I like this book: This book is beautiful. This is a book for people who love words and stories. Erin Morgenstern can string the most gorgeous sentences together, and I hate her a little bit for it. Reading it is like…like floating in a pool full of honey while you eat marzipan. Or your decadent sweet of choice, haha.
I love all (or okay…most) of the characters, but my love for Zachary and Dorian is enough to secure this book a spot on my all-time favorite books. I also had no idea this was a queer love story, and god, what a gorgeous love story it is.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
The official blurb:
A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
Why did I like this book: Two middle aged men find themselves and find love with each other? Haha okay take my money. One of the reviews for this book describes it as a ‘big gay blanket’ and honestly, I can’t put it any better than that. There’s nothing complicated in this book and you never have to think too hard, but it’s delightful from beginning to end, and I was screaming for Linus and Arthur to just KISS for the love of god.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
The official blurb:
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
Why did I like this book: Look, I’m still swooning over this book. I’ll never be over Monty and Percy and HOW STUPID they are and the longing and piningand how exquisitely funny and perfect this book was. Monty is exactly the kind of fuck-up I love, Percy is exactly the kind of restrained, patient, quietly-dealing-with-his-own-shit love interest for the fuck-up that I love, and their banter and flirting and friends to lovers journey feels like it was written very specifically for me. This is a romance wrapped in a road trip adventure novel, and you guys, I hateMackenzi Lee because she not only writes romance perfectly, she also had me laughing out loud as I read this book—and, and, she also writes really beautifully, and you know what, I just wish I was her. Mackenzi Lee, I wish I was you.
Teixcalaan (A Memory Called Empire; A Desolation Called Peace) by Arkady Martine
The official blurb for A Memory Called Empire:
Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn’t an accident—or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.
Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan’s unceasing expansion—all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret—one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life—or rescue it from annihilation.
Why did I like this book: Another one where the world-building and the politics is crazy good, and of course, lovable characters that I didn’t want to say good-bye to at the end of the duology. These books play into my very specific interest of passing on and implanting the personality of a dead person into a living person as a means of preserving knowledge. In fact I wondered repeatedly if Arkady Martine is a Weyoun stan.
Also features a queer romance!
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The official blurb:
First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince.
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?
Why did I like this book: Look, if you read my writing, you’ve probably figured out that I loveromance. I love rom-coms. I’ve never met a contemporary romance novel that I haven’t immensely enjoyed, and even though they usually don’t end up on my favorite books list, I still love the hell out of them. But this book? This book. Maybe it’s because it was the first queer contemporary romance novel I read, but I got to the end of it and was ready to start all over again. I basically bullied my wife into reading it, haha (which can be said for most of the books on this list…still working on getting her to read The Daevabad trilogy).
The characters are just…lovable. Henry is full of anxiety and has been pining for years, Alex discovers he’s bi. The sex is hot. And it (the book, not the sex), was a lot deeper than I thought it would be. It actually had things to say, and I loved that too.
The Locked Tomb (Gideon the Ninth; Harrow the Ninth) by Tamsyn Muir
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.
Of course, some things are better left dead.
Why did I like this book: Gideon the Ninth reminded me that I love to read (also shoutout to the Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemisin, which I did not read in 2021 but helped me along this path). I’ve developed a bad habit in recent years of mostly picking up books secondhand, either at library books sales or thrift shops, and not coincidentally, it seemed that it was almost impossible to find a book that was really, really good.Okay well…yeah, as it turns out, it helps to buy books from bookstores, so your selection isn’t the books people have gotten rid of.
Anyway.Gideon. This book is fun, and pulpy, and full of a hugecast of characters that I actually grew to know and love. The world-building is fantastic, the setting is fantastic. The mystery sucks you in. And Gideon is an endless delight, as is Harrow.
Honorable mentions to American Hippo by Sarah Gailey and A Book of Tongues by Gemma Files
River of Teeth official blurb:
In 2017 Sarah Gailey made their debut with River of TeethandTaste of Marrow, two action-packed novellas that introduced readers to an alternate America in which hippos rule the colossal swamp that was once the Mississippi River. Now readers have the chance to own both novellas in American Hippo, a single, beautiful volume.
Years ago, in an America that never was, the United States government introduced herds of hippos to the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This plan failed to take into account some key facts about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two.
By the 1890s, the vast bayou that was once America’s greatest waterway belongs to feral hippos, and Winslow Houndstooth has been contracted to take it back. To do so, he will gather a crew of the damnedest cons, outlaws, and assassins to ever ride a hippo. American Hippo is the story of their fortunes, their failures, and his revenge.
A Book of Tongues official blurb:
Two years after the Civil War, Pinkerton agent Ed Morrow has gone undercover with one of the weird West’s most dangerous outlaw gangs-the troop led by “Reverend” Asher Rook, ex-Confederate chaplain turned “hexslinger,” and his notorious lieutenant (and lover) Chess Pargeter. Morrow’s task: get close enough to map the extent of Rook’s power, then bring that knowledge back to help Professor Joachim Asbury unlock the secrets of magic itself.
Magicians, cursed by their gift to a solitary and painful existence, have never been more than a footnote in history. But Rook, driven by desperation, has a plan to shatter the natural law that prevents hexes from cooperation, and change the face of the world-a plan sealed by an unholy marriage-oath with the goddess Ixchel, mother of all hanged men. To accomplish this, he must raise her bloodthirsty pantheon from its collective grave through sacrifice, destruction, and apotheosis.
Caught between a passel of dead gods and monsters, hexes galore, Rook’s witchery, and the ruthless calculations of his own masters, Morrow’s only real hope of survival lies with the man without whom Rook cannot succeed: Chess Pargeter himself. But Morrow and Chess will have to literally ride through Hell before the truth of Chess’s fate comes clear-the doom written for him, and the entire world.
Why did I like these books: Queer cowboys. Beginning and end of story.
