THIS TOO SHALL BURN – Cat Rector

I read This Too Shall Burn back in February of this year, and it was the first book of the year to really blow me away. It was the first book I read from Cat (in fact, it was the book that put her on my radar), and what an incredible little book it was. This Too Shall Burn features casual sapphic representation that isn’t central to the plot but is definitely central to Arden’s existence. Arden is the epitome of evil to the humble, pious citizens of Arrothburg. She is a secretive, foul-mouthed, sapphic witch who threatens to corrupt the faith that Arrothburg holds dear. What she really represents, however, is pure feminine rage and the way women have been historically demonized. In my Goodreads review, I mentioned that this book made me furious in a comforting way, which is to say, This Too Shall Burn focused on struggles that I am intimately familiar with, and there was something really beautiful about being reminded that I have never been alone with those experiences.

This Too Shall Burn is perfect for fans of feminine rage, loyal friendship, complicated relationships with faith, and witchcraft.

BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL – V.E. Schwab

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is what jump-started my reading kick that rounded out the rest of this year. I read it in June, and it was only the 4^th book I had read this year. A lot of people felt that it was all vibes and no plot, but I will go to war for this book. Ten toes down. It was so clear to me that the book was about repeating vicious cycles, victims breeding victims, and succumbing to your darkest urges. The repetition in the book shows how each woman slowly loses herself, and I think that’s really, really beautiful. In my Goodreads review, I said, “It’s about letting your feelings rot until they make you monstrous.” I am a die-hard V.E. Schwab fan. I’ve read 80% of her books and even had the opportunity to meet her several years ago, so there’s a chance I am a little biased, but honestly? If this book is all vibes, then the vibes are immaculate.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is perfect for fans of toxic lesbian vampires, women’s wrongs, historical fiction, and deeply manipulative villain arcs.

HUNGERSTONE – Kat Dunn

I read four sapphic vampire books in a row thanks to V.E. Schwab. She simply started an itch I needed to scratch. I read Carmilla (as one does), and while I have a deep respect for the classics and the origin of vampire literature, I was left wanting. Hungerstone is everything I wanted Carmilla to be. The setting was historically juicy (it takes place in Victorian England), the writing was beautiful and rich with gothic prose, and Carmilla was every bit the seductive vampire she deserves to be. This book was heavy on the feminist rage. It was essentially the “Don’t you wanna go ape shit?” meme stretched out to 336 pages, but in the best way possible. I will not spoil the ending here, but I will say that it was incredibly satisfying. What I will do, however, is share my favorite Goodreads review of the novel:

Hungerstone is perfect for fans of succubus women, vampires, feminist rage, and killing your abusers.

SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN & HE WHO DROWNED THE WORLD– Shelley Parker-Chan

This book is… hard to explain. It surprised me so much that I have a hard time putting my attachment into words. It is on this list, obviously, because it has sapphic representation (*cough cough* the famous scene involving someone’s… erm… fist…), but the romance is nowhere near the central point of the story. Instead, what you can expect is an absolutely beautiful portrayal of queer existence, loyalty, political intrigue, war, and the audacity to live despite all odds. Zhu was, for lack of a better word, borderline delusional. The epitome of “she believed she could, so she did.” The way Shelley Parker-Chan portrayed the brutality of war was on par with Kuang’s in The Poppy War. It was nasty and diabolical. It was bloody. There were betrayals and secrets that constantly changed the game. I loved it so much more than I thought it ever would, and it inspired me to incorporate more intrigue into my own writing.

The Radiant Emperor Duology is perfect for fans of she/they pronouns, messy politics, complicated relationships with gender, audacity, and… yes… fisting (lol).

BLOOMTOWN: GENESIS & BLOOMTOWN: EXODUS – Ally North

If you follow me on Instagram or Goodreads, it is no secret that these books consumed my every waking thought for like three weeks. I still think about it at least once a day, and I fear this will be the case for the rest of my life. If you were part of the OG Twilight craze back in the day, you’ll understand what I mean when I say this. The way we all felt about Twilight is the way I felt about Bloomtown, except I am no longer 12, and Ally North didn’t torture me with a fade to black scene. Now, I love a good historical romance, but I had no idea I would end up feral for a lesbian cowboy. The first book was insanely steamy—it is a romance, after all—but also full of some wonderfully heartwarming moments as Abby comes around and grows closer to the kids and the other people in Joey’s life. Without spoiling book two, however, I willsay that it was nearly a complete 180 from the first book. When I said I was “nauseous with grief” in my Goodreads review, I meant it. I would have given the ending a standing ovation if I could, though. Happy sob central through and through.

Bloomtown is perfect for fans of lesbian cowboys, westerns, women with guns, heartbreak, “doom sticks,” and never being able to look at a saddle the same way again.

And there you have it, folks! These were the sapphic books I read this year that really blew me away. There were a few more that were 5-star reads, but these 7 really went above and beyond. I loved them all dearly, and if you’re looking for some sapphic book recommendations, I highly suggest you check these out.