![cropped cover of The Fox and the Rose](https://s32875.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Fox-and-the-Rose-1.jpg.optimal.jpg)
A Gay Spin On Narnia and More New LGBTQ Books Out This Week
In case you missed it, last week I shared my giant spreadsheet of all the most exciting LGBTQ books out in the first half of 2024 — there are more than 600 titles, sortable by representation and genre! This is available just for All Access subscribers, who also get access to all the bonus content across Book Riot’s many, many newsletters, including Read Harder (which I also write). I’ll let you in on a secret: you can subscribe for just one month at $6 and catch up on the whole backlog of Our Queerest Shelves bonus content and then cancel, if you’d like. You could also read about my favorite LGBTQ books I’ve read so far this year, which I shared on Saturday.
While I’m sharing, did you know that Book Riot has a TikTok? I’ve started posting there recently, like this one I recorded at the Big Gay Dog Walk and this one about reading Casey McQuiston’s upcoming bi4bi romance The Pairing, which I highly recommend.
But enough preamble. Here are seven of the most exciting new LGBTQ books out this week, including a whole lot of new fantasy novels, a gay take on Narnia, a sapphic historical fantasy featuring a very queer Shakespeare, bisexual YA horror, and an exploration of being a queer woman in Guyana. Let’s get into it!
New LGBTQ Releases This Week
![Yoke of Stars cover](https://s32875.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Yoke-of-Stars.jpg.optimal.jpg)
Yoke of Stars (Birdverse) by R. B. Lemberg (Queer and Nonbinary Fantasy)
This is the latest book in the Birdverse: a queer fantasy series made up of novelettes, poems, and short stories. The first book was The Four Profound Weaves, but you can start anywhere. Stone Orphan is enrolled in the School of Assassins, awaiting their first kill to graduate. That’s where they meet Ulín, but Ulín isn’t interested in being an assassin: she’s a linguist who has been drawn to the school by the Orphan Star’s “song of despair,” which is similar to her own. Stone Orphan agrees to help Ulín learn more about the language in exchange for Ulín’s help in deciding who to kill between three men. They exchange stories, growing closer as they listen.
![The Lost Story book cover](https://s32875.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/the-lost-story.jpg.optimal.jpg)
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer (M/M Fantasy)
Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell disappeared in a forest when they were young, reappearing six months later. 15 years later, Jeremy is working as a private investigator and has been hired by Emilie to find her sister, who was lost in the same woods. He is the only one who remembers their time in a magical realm during that time — and the romance he and Rafe shared during that time. Now, he has to tell Rafe the truth about the time he’s forgotten so that they can go with Emilie to the other world to rescue her sister. This is supposed to be a heartwarming portal fantasy that’s an homage to Narnia.
![A Rose by Any Other Name cover](https://s32875.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/A-Rose-by-Any-Other-Name.jpg.optimal.jpg)
A Rose by Any Other Name by Mary McMyne (Sapphic Historical Fantasy)
This novel gives the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets center stage. In 1591 England, Rose and her friend Cecely are accused of witchcraft and flee to a household of alchemists for safety. There, their friendship becomes romantic, and they begin selling charms and astrological readings to make money for a new life together. That’s how they meet playwright Will Shakespeare and the noble Henry, and soon the four have a complicated, tempestuous(!) relationship.
![The Fox and the Rose cover](https://s32875.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Fox-and-the-Rose.jpg.optimal.jpg)
The Fox and the Rose by Hope Zane (M/M Historical Fantasy)
When Laurel faints in the road, he’s rescued by a fox. Shigeru, a diplomat who is actually a fox spirit, is immediately taken with Laurel. Unfortunately for him, Laurel has the opposite first impression. Besides, he’s busy trying to make the benefactor who rescued him from the army proud, even if it means giving her his life. When they’re both assigned to investigate something haunting the city, Shigeru is determined to win this handsome and grouchy man over. This is the first in a series.
![Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts book cover](https://s32875.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Cursed-Boys-and-Broken-Hearts-by-Adam-Sass-book-cover.jpg.optimal.jpg)
Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass (M/M YA Contemporary)
The author of Surrender Your Sons and Your Lonely Nights Are Over is back with a new queer YA book, but this time it’s a contemporary romance. Ever since Grant wished on his family’s Wishing Rose as a child, he’s been cursed in romance. Now, he’s back at the Wishing Rose to help refurbish his aunt and uncle’s B&B, and he is hopeful that he can break the curse there. Unfortunately, Ben has been hired to help with the repairs — the same Ben who broke his heart years ago. As they work together over the course of the summer, though, Grant can’t help falling for him all over again.
![Portrait of a Shadow cover](https://s32875.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Portrait-of-a-Shadow.jpg.optimal.jpg)
Portrait of a Shadow by Meriam Metoui (Bisexual YA Horror)
Last year, Metoui came out with A Guide to the Dark, a queer paranormal mystery YA novel. This story in the same genre follows Mae, who is searching for her missing sister, Inez. The police seem to have given up, but when Mae finds a mysterious painting in Inez’s studio, she thinks it could be the key to the disappearance. She teams up with a boy who was Inez’s neighbor to retrace her steps, which leads them to uncover centuries-old mysteries and dark secrets.
![An Ordinary Landscape of Violence cover](https://s32875.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/An-Ordinary-Landscape-of-Violence.jpg.optimal.jpg)
An Ordinary Landscape of Violence: Women Loving Women in Guyana (Critical Caribbean Studies) by Preity R. Kumar (WLW Nonfiction)
In this academic text, Kumar describes what it’s like for women loving women in Guyana. Despite the rise in queer activism there, queer Guyanese have also seen an increase in violence against them. An Ordinary Landscape of Violence outlines the dimensions of this violence, including racism, sexism, homophobia, and Guyana’s colonial past. Kumar also addresses partner violence between women.
✨ Paid subscribers can find nine more LGBTQ books out this week at the end of this post! ✨
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter and the New Release Index — you can even filter by queer books!
Etsy Pick of the Day
![a bookmark showing an elegantly dressed woman with dark skin leaning down to kiss a blushing woman with light skin who is wearing armor](https://s32875.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Lady-and-Knight-bookmark.jpg.optimal.jpg)
Beautiful Lady and Knight Sword Bookmark with Tassel by RayleeArtShop
Since we have so many great queer fantasy books out this week, this sapphic lady and knight bookmark felt like a good match. $5
That’s it for me! Until next time, you can find me at my sapphic book blog the Lesbrary. You can hear me on All the Books, and you can also read my Book Riot posts and subscribe to my other Book Riot newsletter, Read Harder.
Happy reading!
Danika
9 More LGBTQ Books Out This Week
What are you reading this week? Let’s chat in the comments!
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