May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so I wanted to highlight some of my favorite books that feature AAPI sapphic characters! As a Korean-American lesbian, this representation is very important to me and I can’t wait to share it with the Lesbrary community.
Damned If You Do by Alex Brown
Alex Brown’s debut novel, Damned If You Do, follows a high schooler named Cordelia, who is living a relatively normal life of stage managing her school’s play and crushing on her best friend, Veronica, after her abusive father left seven years ago. That’s until her school’s new guidance counselor, Fred, tells Cordelia that he is a demon and that Cordelia is missing part of her soul. In order to get the piece of Cordelia’s soul back, she agrees to help Fred trap a rival demon. However, if Cordelia fails, she will be doomed to spend an eternity in hell with her father, who she accidentally banished there.
Damned If You Do was described to me as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Filipino folklore and I knew immediately that I had to read it! The way that Alex Brown wove Filipino folklore into this story was so interesting, and I love how hilarious her writing is while also incorporating serious themes. I also had the chance to meet Alex Brown at a book festival and tell her how much this book means to me, which was absolutely amazing!
Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
Gearbreakers is the first book in a science fiction duology by Zoe Hana Mikuta. Gearbreakers is set in a world where the tyrannical government of Godolia uses their giant mechanized weapons, which are known as Windups, to oppress their citizens. The book follows two very different girls: Eris, a rebel who is determined to take down Godolia, and Sona, a Windup pilot. However, Eris soon finds out that she and Sona may have more similar goals than she initially thought. Sona begins to work with Eris and the other rebels to take down Godolia, and the girls quickly grow from reluctant allies to something more.
The world of Gearbreakers has many references to Korean culture sprinkled throughout the story, which I loved reading about. Although I didn’t enjoy the second book in the series, Godslayers, as much as Gearbreakers, I would still recommend this duology for people who are looking for some old school dystopian vibes, but with Asian sapphics!
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
She Who Became the Sun is the first book in Shelley Parker-Chan’s The Radiant Emperor duology. The book opens on a pair of siblings in a rural Chinese village: a brother who is destined for greatness and a sister who is destined to be nothing. After her brother dies, the sister decides to take on his identity and the destiny that was meant for him, doing whatever it takes to survive and achieve her own greatness.
As soon as I saw She Who Became the Sun described as Mulan meets The Song of Achilles, I knew that I had to read it. Even though it’s been a few years since I read this book, I remember absolutely loving it! Now that the second book, He Who Drowned the World, has been released, I definitely want to reread the first book before finishing the series.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a book that I’m sure will become a modern queer classic. It follows a teenage girl named Lily, who is Chinese American and living in New York City during the height of the Red Scare. Lily is terrified of her father getting deported, but she also can’t ignore her growing feelings for her classmate, Kathleen, and how much she enjoys their nights together at the local lesbian bar, The Telegraph Club.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club is such a beautiful and heartbreaking story that I can’t recommend enough. I learned so much about queer and Asian American history through Lily’s story, and I think it is one everyone should read!
Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun
Alison Cochrun’s second book, Kiss Her Once For Me, follows a struggling animator, Ellie, who has recently lost her job and is now working at a coffee shop. She agrees to fake a marriage with her landlord, Andrew, in order to get part of his inheritance from his grandfather who has recently passed away. Ellie plans to spend Christmas with Andrew’s family at their cabin, but things get much more complicated when Ellie meets Andrew’s sister, Jack. That’s because one year ago, on Christmas Eve, Ellie and Jack spent a magical night together before Jack disappeared the next morning, leaving Ellie heartbroken. Ellie is put in a sticky situation as she is forced to choose between the financial security of her fake relationship with Andrew and her very real feelings for Jack.
While the main character of the novel, Ellie, is white, her love interest, Jack, is half Korean. As someone who is mixed race (Korean and white), it was amazing to see an identity like mine represented in this book! I loved seeing how Jack’s Korean culture was incorporated into her life and how her family celebrates Christmas. Even though Kiss Her Once For Me is set during Christmas, I think that it is a beautiful story that can be read all year long!
Looking for more sapphic books to read for AAPI Heritage Month? Check out our reviews of sapphic books with Asian authors and Asian main characters.
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