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The Lesbrary

Sapphic Book Reviews

the cover of Even Though I Knew the End
Lesbrary Reviews

A Noir Mystery with Angels and Demons: Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk Review

March 25, 2025 by Meagan Kimberly

In 1940s Chicago, a serial killer known as the White City Vampire spreads fear as everyone wonders who his next victim will be. Helen Brandt, an exiled magician deemed a warlock for her crimes against the Brotherhood, is on the case. But as the mystery unfolds, her past comes back to haunt her, and sheRead More

the cover of Even Though I Knew the End
Lesbrary Reviews

Sapphic Fantasy Noir: Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

February 19, 2025 by Jamie Rose

Lately, I have been really enjoying queer novellas from the publisher Tordotcom. I had a blast with Elaine Gallagher’s Unexploded Remnants and loved Charlotte Bond’s The Fireborne Blade and its sequel, The Bloodless Princes. The next novella on my reading list is C.L. Polk’s sapphic fantasy noir Even Though I Knew the End.” My expectations for this novella were pretty high givenRead More

the cover of Even Though I Knew the End
Lesbrary Reviews

A Bittersweet Supernatural Romp: Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk Review

December 4, 2024 by Susanne Salehi

At the close of 2024, I offer up my favorite read of the year: C.L. Polk’s Even Though I Knew the End.  This novella catapulted me through five acts in the span of 133 pages, and it hurt in the best possible way. Settle in for a gritty noir detective story: January 1941, Chicago. The coldRead More

Lesbrary Reviews

A Hardboiled Lesbian Detective Comic: Deprog by Tina Horn, Lisa Sterle, Gab Contreras, and DaNi

September 19, 2024 by Danika Ellis

If a gritty noir graphic novel with a “hardboiled hard drinking leather loving dyke detective” sounds up your alley, pick Deprog up—though you might want to give the content warnings a glance first. I thought that was what I wanted, but I quickly realized this was a darker read than I’m currently in the headspaceRead More

Articles

All The Pretty Girls Read Sapphic Stories: More Readalikes for Reneé Rapp’s Snow Angel

November 30, 2023 by Theo

If you have Reneé Rapp’s album Snow Angel playing on repeat, these are the sapphic books you need to read! Pick up the one that matches your favorite song, or get the whole stack if it’s too hard to pick. You can get a copy of any of these titles from your local bookstore orRead More

Lesbrary Reviews

A Supernatural Noir Novella About Love at All Costs: Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

August 23, 2023 by Emory Rose

Bookshop.org Affiliate Link What would you give up everything for? If you knew you were doomed, would you keep fighting? In fewer than 140 pages, the award-winning Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk posits these questions with a heroine whose love and determination propel her through a fast-paced investigation to catch a killerRead More

Lesbrary Reviews

Danika reviews The Dawnhounds (Against the Quiet #1) by Sascha Stronach

October 18, 2022 by Danika Ellis

Amazon Affiliate Link | Bookshop.org Affiliate Link This is a queer, Maori-inspired, pirate, biopunk fantasy with worldbuilding so intense that I will be honest, I often was not following it all. It takes place mid-war, during a tense stalemate, in a city that’s bio-engineered plants to be buildings, weapons, and almost everything else. Metal isRead More

Loud Pipes Save Lives by Jennifer Giacalone
Lesbrary Reviews

SPONSORED REVIEW: Loud Pipes Save Lives by Jennifer Giacalone

March 21, 2020 by Danika Ellis

The city didn’t care. It lay serene as they all loved and teemed and scrambled and strove. Loud Pipes Save Lives is a thriller with a noir feel, following a New York cop, a vigilante women’s motorcycle club, and the many people tangled up in the ensuing investigation. From the beginning, I was pulled inRead More

Lesbrary Reviews

Danika reviews Bury the Lede written by Gaby Dunn and illustrated by Clare Roe & Miquel Muerto

October 7, 2019 by Danika Ellis

This is the third book I’ve read by Gaby Dunn, all back to back (to back). There are some similarities: I Hate Everyone But You and Please Send Help… also have a bisexual intern reporter whose moral compass may be a little bit off. But while the novels have an unshakable friendship at their core, whichRead More

About Me

About the Lesbrary

The Lesbrary is a sapphic book blog that started in 2010. It's run by Danika Ellis, and we have about a dozen reviewers from around the world recommending sapphic books in every genre. Check out the top navigation bar for more about the Lesbrary as well as options to browse by genre, age category, rating, and more.

Sapphic Book Blogs

  • Bi and Lesbian Literature: The Lesbrary's tumblr
  • Autostraddle's Books Coverage
  • I Heart Sapphfic
  • The Lesbian Review
  • Okazu: Yuri Manga

Queer Book Blogs

  • Book Riot's LGBTQ Coverage
  • Gay League: LGBT Comics
  • Lambda Literary
  • LGBTQ Reads
  • LGBTQ Reads tumblr
  • Our Queerest Shelves: My LGBTQ Books Newsletter at Book Riot.
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