some books written by asian authors that you should support because theyβre really really good and overshadowed by their white counterparts:Β
π³οΈβπΒ means there is queer rep
Out Already:Β
- the poppy war seriesΒ (extremely popular. fantasy based off the Song Dynasty, amoral/morally grey brown asian girl protagonist. i havenβt read this yet but all of my poc mutuals have this as their favorite book of all time. pls read tw warnings. no romance only faint subtext)
- jade city seriesΒ (another favorite of the poc that i havenβt read. no romance)Β
- the bone shard daughter trilogyΒ π³οΈβπΒ (set on a strand of fantasy islands based on imperial china but has a healthy mix of various asian representation - south asian, southeast asian. queernormative and no patriarchy. main lesbians. one of my favs)
- these violent delights duologyΒ Β π³οΈβπ (a side mlm couple, 1920s gangster shanghai, romeo and juliet retelling. one of my favs)
- warcrossΒ duologyΒ π³οΈβπ (set in futuristic tokyo. ft. a side mlm couple, sci fi. one of my favs)
- not your sidekickΒ triologyΒ π³οΈβπ (sapphic superheroes and sidekicks. vietnamese bisexual protag, sci fi)
- girls of paper and fire triologyΒ π³οΈβπ (extremely popular, chinese lesbian protag but other asian rep as well, fantasy)Β
- parachutesΒ π³οΈβπ (side sapphic couple, read tw warnings, contemporary).
- huntress π³οΈβπ (east asian sapphics)
- last night at the telegraph club π³οΈβπ (chinese lesbian protag. 1900s fiction)
- forest of a thousand laternsΒ (morally grey angry chinese female protag)
- the space between worlds π³οΈβπ (main southeast asian and east asian sapphics, sci fi dystopian. read tw)
- everything i never told you π³οΈβπ (mlm rep. 1900s biracial family deals with the death of their daughter)
- the gilded wolves π³οΈβπ (be gay do crime, indian love interest. historical fantasy)
- the weight of our sky (set in 1960s malaysia. historical fiction)
- spin the dawnΒ (fantasy)
- descendant of the craneΒ (fantasy)
Out In 2021:Β
-Β she who became the sun π³οΈβπ (one of my most anticipated releases. genderqueer sapphic protag with a sapphic love interest, mlm main characters. set in the ming dynasty of china. the official advertisement is the song of achilles meets the untamed meets mulan)
- jade fire and goldΒ π³οΈβπ (the pitch was βwhat if katara was the dark avatar and zuko was chasing her down?β main sapphics)Β
- the ones weβre meant to find (i literally donβt know what this is about but the cover is gorgeous)
- counting down with youΒ π³οΈβπ (fake dating romcom b/w a south asian brown girl and the bad boy who is a himbo. ft. diverse girl gang so im interpreting that as lgbtq)
- the jasmine throneΒ π³οΈβπ (morally grey lesbians tearing an emperor from his throne/washing each otherβs hair/holding sharp-edged knives to each otherβs ribs. set in india)Β
- gearbreakers π³οΈβπ (cyberpunk japanese sapphics. there is a tender tattooing scene)Β
- six crimson cranesΒ (fantasy)
- black water sister π³οΈβπΒ (sapphic malaysian protag, fantasy/sci-fi)
- how we fall apart (dark academia murder mystery thriller but make it asian american)
- youβve reached samΒ (contemporary)
- love and other natural disastersΒ π³οΈβπ (sapphic fake dating b/w japanese girls)
- the chosen and the beautiful π³οΈβπ (queer sapphic retelling of the great gatsby)
- hani and ishuβs guide to fake dating π³οΈβπ (south asian sapphics)
one last thing, i realize that a lot of these are east asian, so if you have more to add on, please do!
The Machineries of Empire trilogyΒ by Yoon Ha Lee π³οΈβπ (military scifi/space opera, lots of queer rep)
In the Vanishersβ Palace π³οΈβπ by Aliette de Bodard (sapphic beauty and the beast retelling)
The Tensorite series by Neon YangΒ π³οΈβπ (fantasy novellas, lots of queer rep)
The Devourers by Indra Das (speculative fiction / dark fantasy)
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (fiction)
