This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone is a modern sapphic classic, but I somehow I ended up reading El-Mohtar’s new novella first. It did not disappoint—in fact, it was the final push I needed to finally pick up This is How You Lose the Time War, andRead More
Southern Gothic Horror Meets Dark Academia: I’ll Make a Spectacle of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker Review
In I’ll Make a Spectacle of You, we meet Zora Robinson, an ambitious graduate student and Hoodoo practitioner, as she enters her first year at the most respected HBCU in the country. Bricksbury University has a long and storied history, with more than a few secrets, the biggest of all involving a beast that roams theRead More
An Utterly Strange and Utterly Beautiful Murder Ballad Retold: The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
The River Has Roots, Amal El-Mohtar’s highly anticipated solo debut novella, was released in March 2025. Like a ravening beast, I fell upon my preorder package and tore through the novella in a single sitting. It’s 100 pages exactly, from the very first beautiful linocut print to the last, so it isn’t a Commitment. I’llRead More
Daphne Fama on the House of Monstrous Women and the Genius of Filipino Horror Lore
House of Monstrous Women is Daphne Fama’s stunning debut novel out August 12, where, “a young woman is drawn into a dangerous game after being invited to the mazelike home of her childhood friend, a rumored witch, in this gothic horror set in 1986 Philippines.” I found it as deeply unsettling as it was tender, andRead More
All Damsels, Hold the Distress: Witches, Princesses, and Women at Arms edited by Sacchi Green Review
This was a fun, steamy romp with a side of sexy subversion. It was an anthology I didn’t know existed until I came across it on my Libby one day and absolutely had to read it. (Shameless plug for the Queer Liberation Library—you can sign up for a card for free if you have anRead More
Sapphic Gothic Fantasy…for Kids! The Pale Queen by Ethan M. Aldridge Review
The Pale Queen by Ethan M. Aldridge is a poetic middle grade graphic novel that draws inspiration from fae myths and folklore to tell a story about the support it takes to pursue your biggest dreams—and the sacrifices we are and aren’t willing to make along the way. In particular, it will appeal to young readers lookingRead More
The Unique Venom of Found Family: Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe Review
Su and Emerald are sisters with nothing in common: Su lives in Singapore, playing the perfect wife to her conservative politician husband. Emerald is a queer sugar baby in New York, barely scraping by living with an artist friend. While their current lives look very different and they rarely speak, they have a shared past:Read More
3 Sapphic Books I Rated 3 Stars (That You Might Rate 5 Stars)!
One of the biggest struggles I have as a reviewer for the Lesbrary is wanting to present only the sapphic stories that I believe to be the best. I am very much aware that I am a consumer, not a creator, and that if asked to create an original story, I would not fare nearlyRead More
Beware the Fae (Even When Gay): The Pale Queen by Ethan M. Aldridge
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! I just want to bask for a moment in the reality that we live in a time where an author can go to a major publisher and say, “Here’s my pitch for a book: a sapphic gothic romance graphic novel for middle schoolers” andRead More
A Sapphic Nova Scotia Gothic: A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
Buy this from Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and the Lesbrary! I couldn’t tell you why, but I am obsessed with sapphic selkie stories. There are very few of them out there, but I leap on the chance to read any that I stumble upon. Don’t get me wrong: I like sapphic mermaids, too, butRead More