Fall for these sapphic romantasy reads and the sword wielding heroines in them

In this sweeping and haunting novel told across three centuries, V.E. Schwab spins a tale of hunger, power, love, and rage. From 1500s Spain to 1800s London to present day Boston, three women, María, Charlotte, and Alice, navigate lives shaped by desire, transformation, and buried truths. Each woman's story is threaded with eerie mystery and eerie allure as they make impossible choices, face oppressive systems, and unearth who they truly are. This genre bending narrative explores the intersections of identity and immortality through gothic horror, historical fiction, and lyrical prose.

Why you should read this: 

Come for the multi timeline storytelling and rich gothic vibes, stay for the layered exploration of queerness, womanhood, and autonomy. Schwab delivers an atmospheric, queer feminist masterpiece that will leave you breathless and deeply unsettled in the best way. If you love slow burn intensity, a touch of horror, and sapphic characters bound by fate and fury, this one's a must read.

In the eerie coastal town of Dreadmist Harbor, mortal Elspeth is just trying to survive her underwhelming life as a charwoman until a rogue vampire turns her world upside down. Now harboring ancient vampiric power, she must ally with Morrigan, the brooding and powerful vampire matriarch of a fractured coven. What starts as a plea for help becomes something far more dangerous and intoxicating, as Elspeth and Morrigan are drawn into a web of dark magic, betrayals, and blood soaked curses. This Cinderella reimagining takes a sharp vampiric turn and leans into sapphic yearning, gothic mystery, and undead danger.

Why you should read this: 

If you're craving something atmospheric, magical, and just the right amount of sinister, Once Upon a Dark October brings all the drama. With a darkly romantic slow burn, vampire politics, and a strong dose of gothic fairy tale vibes, it's the perfect read for fans of Carmilla and Interview with the Vampire. And did we mention the sapphic vampire tension? Yeah, you want this.

In a world teetering on the edge of destruction, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive an heir to keep an ancient evil at bay. But her most loyal protector, Ead Duryan, is secretly a mage sworn to protect her with forbidden magic. Across the sea, dragonrider Tané trains for her destiny, unaware of the storm that's coming. Sprawling, epic, and feminist to its core, this high fantasy masterpiece weaves together political intrigue, dragon lore, and a beautifully tender sapphic romance.

Why you should read this: 

If you're craving a chunky, immersive epic with queendoms, dragons, and slow burn sapphic yearning, this is your moment. Shannon balances court politics, ancient magic, and breathtaking world building with a love story that's quietly fierce and deeply moving.

The Roots of Chaos reading order:

1. The Priory of the Orange Tree
2. A Day of Fallen Night
3. Among the Burning Flowers

After a life of sword swinging adventure, Viv, a battle-hardened orc, is ready to retire and open a cozy coffee shop in the city of Thune. But building a new life is harder than expected when rivals, secrets, and unexpected connections pop up like weeds in her carefully laid plans. With help from a warm hearted succubus and a found family of misfits, Viv learns that happiness might just be found in pastries, lattes, and love.

Why you should read this: 

This is the cozy sapphic fantasy you didn't know you needed. With heartwarming vibes, a sweet romance, and low stakes charm, Legends & Lattes is the equivalent of a warm hug in book form. Plus, it features cinnamon rolls (both literal and romantic).

Legends & Lattes reading order:

1. Legends & Lattes
2. Bookshops & Bonedust
3. Brigands & Breadknives

At the eerie, elite Saint Perpetua's College, Laura Sheridan finds herself locked in an academic and emotional rivalry with the enigmatic Carmilla. As the two young women are drawn deeper into the dark world of bloodthirsty professors, arcane rites, and seductive secrets, their relationship twists from rivalry to obsession. This lush, sapphic dark academia tale brims with gothic ambiance and unspoken hungers, intellectual and otherwise.

Why you should read this: 

If you like your queer romance with a side of darkness, poetry, and morally gray women in candlelit corridors, this is for you. Gibson delivers a beautifully twisted love story that's part romance, part nightmare, and all consuming.

In a war that stretches across time itself, two rival agents, Red and Blue, begin leaving letters for one another on the battlefield. What starts as antagonistic banter turns into a stunning, poetic epistolary romance spanning centuries, alternate futures, and impossible possibilities. But in a world where their connection could mean death, can their love rewrite history?

Why you should read this: 

If you're in the mood for gorgeous, lyrical prose and a love story that bends time and logic, this novella will sweep you off your feet. It's smart, poetic, and devastating in the best way. Red and Blue's connection is the kind of queer love that feels both epic and achingly intimate.

Shesheshen, a shapeshifting monster, is perfectly content nesting in the ruins of a manor until love complicates things. After a violent encounter with monster hunters, she's rescued by Homily, a human with a soft heart and a dangerous secret. As the two grow close, Shesheshen must navigate her monstrous instincts, a family curse, and the strange new concept of not eating the one you love.

Why you should read this: 

This is delightfully weird, deeply touching queer romantasy at its best. It's a monster romance with teeth, heart, and just the right amount of gore. If you've ever rooted for the monster, this story will charm you into happy tears.

Folklorist Lorelei joins a high stakes expedition to find a legendary spring, only for her beloved mentor to end up murdered onboard their ship. With her academic rival turned ally Sylvia at her side, Lorelei races to uncover the killer and locate the spring before civil war breaks loose. Full of mythical beasts, shifting forests, and suppressed feelings, this sapphic romantasy blends murder mystery with magical slow burn.

Why you should read this: 

Come for the academic rivals to lovers romance, stay for the dragons, shapeshifters, and political intrigue. With Saft's trademark lush writing, this is a perfect pick for fans of cerebral heroines, magic drenched mysteries, and simmering queer tension.

Sisters Yeeran and Lettle are swept into the realm of the fae after a twist of fate exiles them from their elven homeland. As they navigate the seductive and treacherous court of the fae, both find themselves pulled between loyalty, destiny, and forbidden desire. This epic fantasy begins a new trilogy filled with fae magic, sisterhood, and sapphic longing.

Why you should read this: 

If you love dangerous fae courts, morally complex heroines, and slow burn romance, Faebound delivers all that with razor sharp prose and immersive world building. Think The Cruel Prince meets The Priory of the Orange Tree, but gayer.

Faebound reading order:

1. Faebound
2. Cursebound

In a brutal, famine stricken China under Mongol rule, a girl takes her dead brother's identity and his prophesied fate of greatness. As Zhu rises through the ranks, she must outmaneuver enemies, disguise her true self, and grapple with ambition, love, and survival in a world that refuses to see her. This powerful saga blends historical fantasy with queer identity, gender, and destiny.

Why you should read this: 

This is a sweeping, gutsy reimagining of power, legacy, and gender with queer themes at its core. Zhu's story is ruthless, haunting, and unapologetically ambitious. A must read for anyone who loves complex protagonists and grand, tragic queer epics.

The Radiant Emperor reading order:

1. She Who Became the Sun
2. He Who Drowned the World

In the kingdom of Neros, warriors Maven and Bryce Blackwood must escort the king's estranged daughter back to the capital. But nothing goes as planned. As old tensions rise and dangerous magic boils beneath the surface, Bryce finds herself catching unexpected feelings for the guarded princess. With monsters stirring and political unrest threatening the mission, they'll need more than blades to survive.

Why you should read this: 

Sapphic slow burn + political intrigue + sword swinging warrior girls? Yes, please. Freaks of Honor brings the emotional weight and queer tension you crave, while delivering fierce female rage, found family, and a morally messy world that's impossible to look away from.

When a murdered mermaid princess washes ashore, Queen Celestia's reign is thrown into chaos. The pressure to keep the peace intensifies especially when Aura, an alluring mermaid, arrives and stirs feelings Celestia didn't expect. Caught between duty and desire, Celestia must figure out who she is and what kind of queen she wants to be.

Why you should read this: 

This short and dreamy novella brings mermaids, sapphic longing, and plus size rep to the page in a way that feels fresh and magical. It's perfect if you want a sapphic fantasy that's quick, emotional, and absolutely dripping in sea soaked vibes.

On Halloween night, Janneth Carter is kidnapped from her archaeological dig and dragged into the world of Faerie. There, she strikes a bargain with the cruel and captivating Stag Queen, offering herself as a willing pet in exchange for protection. But fae promises are twisted things, and the queen's games are as seductive as they are dangerous.

Why you should read this: 

This is dark sapphic romantasy at its most delicious with feral fae queens, human pets, and the kind of intense, thorny romance that will make you sweat. If you want something unapologetically spicy, weird, and a little wicked, The Fae Queen's Captive is for you.

Peculiar Tastes reading order:

1. The Death God's Sacrifice
2. The Hellmouth Guardian's Lover
3. The Vixen's Deceit
4. The Fae Queen's Captive (sapphic romantasy, can be read as a standalone)

In the scrived city of Tevanne where magic is more like programming, Sancia Grado, a clever thief with secrets of her own, steals an ancient artifact that could change the world. With ruthless merchant houses closing in and reality itself on the line, she must team up with unlikely allies to survive. Including a mysterious woman who might just change everything for her.

Why you should read this: 

Sancia is a bisexual heroine with sharp edges, fast hands, and a huge heart and her slow burn sapphic romance across the trilogy is chef's kiss. If you love heists, inventive magic systems, and found family, Foundryside is your next obsession.

The Founders Trilogy reading order:

1. Foundryside
2. Shorefall
3. Locklands

After the Empire of Masks colonizes her homeland and kills one of her fathers, Baru Cormorant decides to beat them at their own game. She infiltrates their system, rising through the ranks while plotting rebellion. But when she's sent to govern another occupied land, Baru faces impossible choices, especially when her connection to a rebel duchess complicates everything.

Why you should read this: 

This is high stakes, emotionally brutal political fantasy with one of the most morally complex sapphic leads in the genre. If you like your queer romantasy filled with betrayal, ambition, and heartbreak (and you're okay with pain), Baru will haunt you in the best way.

The Masquerade reading order:

1. The Traitor Baru Cormorant
2. The Monster
3. The Tyrant Baru Cormorant

Touraine is a soldier, stolen from her homeland as a child and raised to fight for the empire that colonized her people. When she's sent back to suppress a rebellion, old loyalties start to resurface. Luca, a princess with political ambitions, needs a turncoat, someone who can help her navigate both diplomacy and insurgency as she plots to take the throne. The two women's fates become tangled in war rooms and whispered betrayals, where the line between enemy and ally blurs dangerously.

Why you should read this: 

This book is a masterclass in political tension and sapphic slow burn. It's got messy power dynamics, yearning that simmers under the surface, and a setting crackling with rebellion. If you like morally complicated characters and stories where romance intersects with revolution, The Unbroken will absolutely deliver.

Magic of the Lost reading order:

1. The Unbroken
2. The Faithless
3. The Sovereign

Lei, a girl from the lowest caste in the kingdom, is taken to serve as one of the king's Paper Girls, essentially a concubine. But Lei doesn't break. Amid the brutality of the palace, she finds an unexpected connection with another girl. Their forbidden love blooms into something powerful, and soon they're swept into a rebellion that could change everything.

Why you should read this: 

Girls of Paper and Fire is emotional, intense, and empowering. It tackles trauma and resistance while still giving us a soft, heartfelt sapphic romance. If you're into court politics, fierce rebellion, and romances built in the darkest places, this is for you.

Girls of Paper and Fire reading order:

1. Girls of Paper and Fire
2. Girls of Storm and Shadow
3. Girls of Fate and Fury

Princess Malini is imprisoned by her tyrant brother in a crumbling temple, biding her time to seek revenge. Priya, a former priestess hiding her true identity, now serves in that temple. When their paths collide, they spark something dangerous, a partnership that could ignite an empire. But their bond is complicated by secrets, ambition, and the fires of revolution.

Why you should read this: 

This is rich, lyrical, slow burn sapphic fantasy at its finest. With Indian inspired world building, fierce female characters, and themes of resistance, power, and devotion, The Jasmine Throne isn't just good, it's legendary. And the romance? Tense, tender, and scorching.

The Burning Kingdoms reading order:

1. The Jasmine Throne
2. The Oleander Sword
3. The Lotus Empire

Alyce is the Dark Grace, feared for the wild magic in her veins. When she meets Princess Aurora, cursed and running out of time, they form an unlikely bond that threatens the fairy tale script everyone expects. But what happens when the villain is in love with the princess? And what if she doesn't want to play the role she's been forced into?

Why you should read this: 

This Sleeping Beauty retelling flips the script in the best way possible. It's sapphic, subversive, and full of dark magic and high stakes emotion. If you're tired of the good vs. evil binary and want a story where the villain is the love interest, you'll devour Malice.

Malice reading order:

1. Malice
2. Misrule

Princess Dennaleia has been promised to a prince, but when she arrives in his kingdom, it's his sister, Mare, who captures her attention. As they train together and unravel a growing political conspiracy, their connection deepens into something more. But their love is dangerous, and could cost them everything.

Why you should read this: 

This is a cozy yet dramatic fantasy full of horses, forbidden love, and magical secrets. If you're in the mood for a classic feeling fantasy with sapphic yearning, royal politics, and a little bit of rebellion, Of Fire and Stars is a sweet and satisfying pick.

Of Fire and Stars reading order:

1. Of Fire and Stars
2. Of Ice and Shadows

Moira Karl-Fisher has one goal, bring her parents back from the dead. Desperate and grieving, she leaves her isolated island in search of lost magic that might reverse time itself. But her journey takes a sharp turn when she's nearly killed just for being a MagiK. Her savior? Nailah, a mysterious and confident MagiK captain who offers more than just rescue, she offers Moira a place on her ship and a path forward. Between buried secrets, magical peril, and the heat simmering between them, Moira's quest for healing might become something much bigger.

Why you should read this: 

If you're into high seas adventures, slow burn sapphic romance, and stories about grief and finding hope again, this one is for you. Fragments of a Fallen Star is magical, emotional, and quietly powerful with just the right amount of spice and sword fights.

All Reyna and Kianthe want is to open a bookshop and serve tea. A cozy dream, right? Too bad Reyna is one of the queen's elite guards and Kianthe is the realm's most powerful mage. When courtly chaos and an assassination attempt finally push them to leave it all behind, they flee to the snowy town of Tawney to build their quiet life together. But life is never that simple, not with royal tempers, magical mischief, and small town secrets threatening their peace.

Why you should read this: 

This book is pure sapphic comfort fantasy. If you liked Legends & Lattes but wanted more romance, higher stakes, and tea sipping lesbians dodging political drama, this is your vibe. Cozy, witty, and delightfully soft.

Tomes & Tea reading order:

1. Can't Spell Treason Without Tea
2. A Pirate's Life for Tea
3. Tea You at the Altar
4. Alchemy and a Cup of Tea

Saiph is on a mission. She must kill the mortal queen and protect her mother's kingdom. But her task gets complicated fast when she ends up making a bargain with Auren, one of the queen's guards. As they investigate a string of missing magick users, tension flares and lines blur. With her loyalties cracking and enemies closing in, Saiph must choose between what she was born to do and who she's slowly falling for.

Why you should read this: 

This one brings the heat and the heartbreak. If you're into enemies to lovers, morally grey sapphics, hidden identities, and high stakes fantasy, The Lingering Dark will grip you from the first page. Bonus points for the emotional angst and delicious tension.

Kingdom of Stars reading order:

1. The Lingering Dark
2. The Clarity of Light

Ayla is a human servant with one mission to kill the sovereign's heir, Crier, a Made girl who represents everything Ayla hates. But as rebellion brews and Crier starts questioning her father's rule, the two find themselves unexpectedly drawn to one another. Their romance could start a revolution if it doesn't destroy them both first.

Why you should read this: 

Crier's War is a gorgeously written, emotionally charged story with the kind of yearning that will leave you breathless. Political rebellion, killer world building, and forbidden love between two fierce girls on opposite sides of a war? Yes, please.

Crier's War reading order:

1. Crier's War
2. Iron Heart

Octavia is one of the oldest vampires alive. Red is a hunter out for revenge. When the trials to decide the next ruler of the city begin, they're forced to team up, even though their history is tangled with betrayal, lost memories, and an unshakeable spark. With high stakes competitions, hidden agendas, and sizzling chemistry, their uneasy alliance may be the only thing standing between the city and chaos.

Why you should read this: 

If you're looking for something steamy, dramatic, and utterly addictive, this sapphic vampire romantasy checks all the boxes. It's dark, sexy, and emotional, with second chance romance, enemies to lovers vibes, and trials that will test everything, including their hearts.

Kingdom of Immortal Lovers reading order:

1. House of Crimson Hearts
2. House of Crimson Kisses
3. House of Crimson Curses