This week’s theme is most anticipated books releasing in the first half of 2025, which obviously means I've gotta' play a game of Netgalley Request Roulette (which I just did like three weeks ago for my winter reading list). For any of you not familiar with Netgalley Request Roulette, it's a fun (dangerous) game where I just hop on Netgalley and find ten books I wanna read and request them, just to see how many of them I'll get approved for. I went with the Teens/YA category last time I play NRR, so today I'm diving into the LGBTQIA+ section for all my books. Let's go!
Author: L.T. Thomson
Genre: Historical Fantasy/YA
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Release Date: June 3, 2025
Request: Approved
Blurb
Our Flag Means Death meets The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue in this YA historical fantasy about three queer and trans teens facing down a secret magical society.
Cas has a rule: Don't tell anyone. Not about the nagging gender discomfort, and certainly not about the prophetic visions of untimely deaths. Cas broke this rule only once, and in response, Remy DeWindt ended their friendship forever.
Remy has spent the last eight years researching the secret society that kidnapped her father and the dark magic they practice. She's determined to take them down and bring her father home-no matter what her former friend Cas thinks happened to him.
Finn is desperately in love with Remy, but Remy would never give in to a desire the church deems a sin. But Finn isn't worried about sin. She already committed the worst sin of all when she made a sinister bargain for a deadly price-a price that will soon have to be paid.
When Cas's latest vision sets the three of them on a collision course, they embark on a journey that will force them to confront hidden secrets and deadly magic-and also offer them the chance to find out who they truly are.
Cas has a rule: Don't tell anyone. Not about the nagging gender discomfort, and certainly not about the prophetic visions of untimely deaths. Cas broke this rule only once, and in response, Remy DeWindt ended their friendship forever.
Remy has spent the last eight years researching the secret society that kidnapped her father and the dark magic they practice. She's determined to take them down and bring her father home-no matter what her former friend Cas thinks happened to him.
Finn is desperately in love with Remy, but Remy would never give in to a desire the church deems a sin. But Finn isn't worried about sin. She already committed the worst sin of all when she made a sinister bargain for a deadly price-a price that will soon have to be paid.
When Cas's latest vision sets the three of them on a collision course, they embark on a journey that will force them to confront hidden secrets and deadly magic-and also offer them the chance to find out who they truly are.
Author: B.A. Richards
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: City Owl Press
Release Date: January 21, 2025
Request: Approved
Blurb
Step into the heart of New Orleans, where legends of vampires, witches, spells, and curses are as alive as the city itself. But what if there’s a nugget of truth to the stories?
Alard Fairchild isn’t your average man—he’s a fairy prince from the Kingdoms of Earth and Sky, hiding in plain sight as a poverty lawyer in the French Quarter. All he wants is a normal, human life. That is, until he meets Razi Miller, a hot tourist with a wild side who’s looking for a little adventure—and ends up entangled in something far more dangerous than he ever expected.
After one unforgettable night together, Raz wakes up to find himself magically bonded to Alard by an ancient marriage tattoo. Neither of them knows how it happened or why, but one thing’s for sure: the consequences are far-reaching—and deadly.
As Raz is dragged into a hidden world of legendary creatures and mystical portals between realms, he faces a terrifying new reality: Alard is already betrothed to Meyda, the ruthless Princess of Fire and Ice. Their accidental marriage could ignite a brutal war between the kingdoms, and Raz is now a pawn in a deadly political game.
With danger closing in, Alard and Raz must work together to undo the chaos they’ve unwittingly unleashed. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize the one thing neither of them can control… is love.
Author: Natania Barron
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Ltd.
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Request: Approved
Blurb
Sense and Sensibility and Vampires
Silas Drake, the Viscount St. Albans, is one of the most desirable bachelors in England: approaching thirty, wealthy, and poised to inherit his father’s seat in Parliament. His aunt, the dowager viscountess, insists he marries well, and soon—or she’ll take matters into her own hands.
But his love belongs to Viola Brightwell, who is a commoner of modest means... and a vampire. Newly transformed after the recent battle to save Netherford, Viola rages in a locked room in Silas’s mansion, wrestling with the violent passions of her new affliction.
As Silas struggles to balance the demands of his rank with the desires of his heart, he finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy by ancient and terrible powers...
Author: Foz Meadows
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Angry Robot
Release Date: June 28, 2022
Request: Approved
Blurb
When Saffron Coulter stumbles through a hole in reality, she finds herself trapped in Kena—a magical realm on the brink of civil war. It’s there that her fate becomes intertwined with that of three very different women: Zech, the fast-thinking acolyte of a cunning, powerful exile; Viya, the spoiled, runaway consort of the empire-building ruler, Vex Leoden; and Gwen, an Earth-born worldwalker whose greatest regret is putting Leoden on the throne. But Leoden has allies, too, and chief among them is the Vex’Mara Kadeja, a dangerous ex-priestess who shares his dreams of conquest.
Pursued by Leoden and aided by the Shavaktiin—a secretive order of storytellers and mystics—the rebels flee to Veksh, a neighboring matriarchy ruled by the fearsome Council of Queens. Saffron is out of her world and out of her depth, but the further she travels, the more she finds herself bound to her friends with ties of blood and magic. Can one girl—and an accidental worldwalker at that—really be the key to saving Kena? Or will she die trying?
Pursued by Leoden and aided by the Shavaktiin—a secretive order of storytellers and mystics—the rebels flee to Veksh, a neighboring matriarchy ruled by the fearsome Council of Queens. Saffron is out of her world and out of her depth, but the further she travels, the more she finds herself bound to her friends with ties of blood and magic. Can one girl—and an accidental worldwalker at that—really be the key to saving Kena? Or will she die trying?
Author: Vana Elaire
Genre: Fantasy/New Adult
Publisher: Rose and Ink Publishing
Release Date: January 11, 2025
Request: Denied
Blurb
Damianos Eaton and Rickter Han couldn’t be more different. One survived a harrowing near-death experience that left him with questions too big for this world. The other, a cynical supermodel, battles the nightly curse of relentless sleep paralysis. Yet fate—or something darker—draws them both to Vale Academy, a secluded arcane institution that promises to reveal earth-shattering discoveries about the nature of human consciousness.
At Vale, the lines between science and the metaphysical blur. Here, students experiment with astral projection, scrying, and the boundaries of reality itself. Though around each of Vale’s winding corridors, disturbing secrets emerge from the shadows: a student who disappeared without a trace, assignments that border on the inhumane. And as Damianos and Rickter delve deeper into their studies, they uncover a chilling truth: some doors are better left unopened—because the academy's secrets are as dangerous as they are illuminating.
With its gothic allure and philosophical undercurrents, Risen Apes is a dark academia tale where the pursuit of truth could cost more than sanity—it might cost your soul.
Edited By: Lee Mandelo
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Publisher: Erewhon Books
Release Date: May 27, 2025
Request: Approved
Blurb
Revolutionary and visionary, these twenty-two speculative stories edited by Lambda, Nebula and Hugo finalist Lee Mandelo explore the vast potentialities of our queer and trans futures.
From self-styled knights fighting in dystopian city streets to conservationists finding love in the Appalachian forests; from social media posts about domestic “bliss” in a lottery-based, state-housing skyscraper to herding feral cats off of one’s scientific equipment; from street drugs that create doppelgangers to dance-club cruising at the edge of the galaxy—Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity interrogates the farthest borders of the sci-fi landscape to imagine how queer life will look centuries in the future—or ten years from now.
Filled with brutal honesty, raw emotions, sexual escapades, and delightful whimsy, Amplitudes speaks to the longstanding tradition of queer fiction as protest. This essential collection serves as an evolving map of our celebrations, anxieties, wishes, pitfalls, and—most of all—our rallying cry that we're here, we're queer—and the future is ours!
Inventive, moving, and hopeful, this fresh anthology contains never before published stories by some of our most prominent and emerging LGBTQIA+ writers, including:
Esther Alter • Bendi Barrett • Ta-wei Chi, trans. Ariel Chu • Colin Dean • Maya Deane • Dominique Dickey • Katharine Duckett • Meg Elison • Paul Evanby • Aysha U. Farah • Sarah Gailey • Ash Huang • Margaret Killjoy • Wen-yi Lee • Ewen Ma • Jamie McGhee • Sam J. Miller • Aiki Mira, trans. CD Covington • Sunny Moraine • Nat X. Ray • Neon Yang • Ramez Yoakeim
From self-styled knights fighting in dystopian city streets to conservationists finding love in the Appalachian forests; from social media posts about domestic “bliss” in a lottery-based, state-housing skyscraper to herding feral cats off of one’s scientific equipment; from street drugs that create doppelgangers to dance-club cruising at the edge of the galaxy—Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity interrogates the farthest borders of the sci-fi landscape to imagine how queer life will look centuries in the future—or ten years from now.
Filled with brutal honesty, raw emotions, sexual escapades, and delightful whimsy, Amplitudes speaks to the longstanding tradition of queer fiction as protest. This essential collection serves as an evolving map of our celebrations, anxieties, wishes, pitfalls, and—most of all—our rallying cry that we're here, we're queer—and the future is ours!
Inventive, moving, and hopeful, this fresh anthology contains never before published stories by some of our most prominent and emerging LGBTQIA+ writers, including:
Esther Alter • Bendi Barrett • Ta-wei Chi, trans. Ariel Chu • Colin Dean • Maya Deane • Dominique Dickey • Katharine Duckett • Meg Elison • Paul Evanby • Aysha U. Farah • Sarah Gailey • Ash Huang • Margaret Killjoy • Wen-yi Lee • Ewen Ma • Jamie McGhee • Sam J. Miller • Aiki Mira, trans. CD Covington • Sunny Moraine • Nat X. Ray • Neon Yang • Ramez Yoakeim
Author: Darcy Ash
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Ltd
Release Date: January 20, 2025
Request: Approved
Blurb
Prince Fierre has three big problems. He’s suffering from a mystery illness. He’s surrounded by lords who expect personal favours. And worst of all, he’s in love with his best friend, Aiven, a former farm boy and studious enforcer of rules, now right-hand to the prince.
Can Fierre heal himself, deal with the noblemen snapping about his ankles, and confront his desire for a man who has no noble blood… but a very noble heart?
Set in a Scottish-inspired world, The Two Hungers of Prince Fierre combines a happily-ever-after romance with a story of disordered eating and healing. Blending queer joy with glittering aesthetics, this fantasy explores what it means to learn to love yourself amidst the harshest strictures of diet culture. Perfect for fans of Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light and Foz Meadows’ A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, this book will have queer romance fans feverishly page-turning all the way to its triumphant and heated finale.
Author: Sarah Maria Griffin
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: April 22, 2025
Request: Approved
Blurb
A twisted, tangled story about workplace love-affairs, and plants with a taste for human flesh
During a grocery run to her local shopping center, Shell Pine sees a ‘HELP NEEDED’ sign in a flower shop window. She’s just left her fiancé, lost her job, and moved home to her parents’ house. She has to make a change and bring some good into her life, so she goes inside and takes a chance. Shell realizes right away that flowers are just the good thing she's been looking for, as is Neve, the beautiful florist who wrote the sign asking for help. The thing is, Neve needs help more than Shell could possibly imagine.
An orchid growing out of sight in the heart of the mall is watching them closely. His name is Baby, and the beautiful florist belongs to him. He’s young, he’s hungry, and he’ll do just about anything to make sure he can keep growing big and strong. Nothing he eats – nobody he eats – can satisfy him, except the thing he most desires. Neve. He adores her and wants to consume her, and will stop at nothing to eat the one he loves.
This is a story about possession, and monstrosity, and working retail. It is about hunger and desire, and other terrible things that grow.
During a grocery run to her local shopping center, Shell Pine sees a ‘HELP NEEDED’ sign in a flower shop window. She’s just left her fiancé, lost her job, and moved home to her parents’ house. She has to make a change and bring some good into her life, so she goes inside and takes a chance. Shell realizes right away that flowers are just the good thing she's been looking for, as is Neve, the beautiful florist who wrote the sign asking for help. The thing is, Neve needs help more than Shell could possibly imagine.
An orchid growing out of sight in the heart of the mall is watching them closely. His name is Baby, and the beautiful florist belongs to him. He’s young, he’s hungry, and he’ll do just about anything to make sure he can keep growing big and strong. Nothing he eats – nobody he eats – can satisfy him, except the thing he most desires. Neve. He adores her and wants to consume her, and will stop at nothing to eat the one he loves.
This is a story about possession, and monstrosity, and working retail. It is about hunger and desire, and other terrible things that grow.
Author: Kamilah Cole
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 4, 2025
Request: Denied
Blurb
Perfect for fans of Raybearer and Fourth Wing, this astonishing sequel to the bestselling novel So Let Them Burn doesn't hold back. After all, there are no easy endings in war—especially when sisters are forced to fight on opposite sides.
Faron Vincent was once the saint of San Irie. Now, she’s done the unthinkable: betrayed her country. Alone, disgraced, and kidnapped, Faron is forced to help Iya grow his bloody empire. With her soul bonded to a ruthless killer, Faron has become an enemy to her people… and she fears they might be right.
Elara Vincent—the new Empyrean—must undo the damage her sister has caused. San Irie has been brought back to the brink of war as Iya proclaims no nation will be safe from his brutal invasion. But how can Elara save her sister, her best friend, her country, and her world when she’s already cracking under the pressure?
This heart-pounding conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology pushes these unforgettable heroines to their breaking point and beyond. Because when the lines between hero and villain are blurred, deadly sacrifices must be made.
Faron Vincent was once the saint of San Irie. Now, she’s done the unthinkable: betrayed her country. Alone, disgraced, and kidnapped, Faron is forced to help Iya grow his bloody empire. With her soul bonded to a ruthless killer, Faron has become an enemy to her people… and she fears they might be right.
Elara Vincent—the new Empyrean—must undo the damage her sister has caused. San Irie has been brought back to the brink of war as Iya proclaims no nation will be safe from his brutal invasion. But how can Elara save her sister, her best friend, her country, and her world when she’s already cracking under the pressure?
This heart-pounding conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology pushes these unforgettable heroines to their breaking point and beyond. Because when the lines between hero and villain are blurred, deadly sacrifices must be made.
Author: Ry Herman
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: The Dial Press
Release Date: June 17, 2025
Request: Approved
Blurb
A princess with a mostly useless magical talent takes on horrible monsters, a dozen identical masked heroes, and a talking lion in a quest to save a kingdom—and herself—in this affectionate satire of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale The Twelve Huntsmen.
Someone wants to murder Princess Melilot. This is sadly normal.
Melilot is sick of being ordered to go on dangerous quests by her domineering stepmother. Especially since she always winds up needing to be rescued by her more magically talented stepsisters. And now, she's been commanded to marry a king she’s never met.
When hideous spider-wolves attack her on the journey to meet her husband-to-be, she is once again rescued—but this time, by twelve eerily similar-looking masked huntsmen. Soon, she has to contend with near-constant attempts on her life, a talking lion that sets bewildering gender tests, and a king who can't recognize his true love when she puts on a pair of trousers. And all the while, she has to fight her growing attraction to not only one of the huntsmen, but also her fiancé’s extremely attractive sister.
If Melilot can't unravel the mysteries and rescue herself from peril, kingdoms will fall. Worse, she could end up married to someone she doesn’t love.
Someone wants to murder Princess Melilot. This is sadly normal.
Melilot is sick of being ordered to go on dangerous quests by her domineering stepmother. Especially since she always winds up needing to be rescued by her more magically talented stepsisters. And now, she's been commanded to marry a king she’s never met.
When hideous spider-wolves attack her on the journey to meet her husband-to-be, she is once again rescued—but this time, by twelve eerily similar-looking masked huntsmen. Soon, she has to contend with near-constant attempts on her life, a talking lion that sets bewildering gender tests, and a king who can't recognize his true love when she puts on a pair of trousers. And all the while, she has to fight her growing attraction to not only one of the huntsmen, but also her fiancé’s extremely attractive sister.
If Melilot can't unravel the mysteries and rescue herself from peril, kingdoms will fall. Worse, she could end up married to someone she doesn’t love.
Author: Marianne Gordon
Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: February 18, 2025
Request: Approved
Blurb
In this stunning conclusion to the Raven’s Trade duology that began with The Gilded Crown, Hellevir’s bargains with Death to save the ones she loves—including the princess she risked everything to bring back to life—may just lead to the ultimate sacrifice.
Hellevir’s gift to raise the dead once thrust her into the center of a court filled with backstabbing and treason, where she became duty bound to protect Princess Sullivain, the sole heir to the kingdom’s throne and target of many rivals eager for the crown. But the more Hellevir risked to keep Sullivain alive, and the more deeply she fell in love with the princess, the greater the cost became—for Hellevir’s power can only be granted by the strange figure who rules the afterlife, and there is always a price to pay.
Now Hellevir may have risked too much, and Sullivain has become obsessed with consolidating power to vanquish her foes once and for all—by whatever means necessary. Cast out to the fringes of a country on the verge of civil war, Hellevir is torn between protecting her heart or giving what little she has left to finish what she started. Yet, her connection with Sullivain runs deeper than the mortal world, and saving her friends and family might mean risking the woman she is still bound to by soul and blood.
To stop a war, Hellevir must unravel the last of Death’s riddles and decide, once and for all, who deserves to live, what a life is worth, and whether she can pay the price. This explosive finale to the Raven’s Trade duology is sure to satisfy fans of dark fantasy and queer romance.
Now, if you were counting, you'll realize there are 11 books on this list, because one of them released two and a half years ago. I saw the month and day and loved another book by the author, and already had most of the work done for adding it to the list before I realized when it released. I did still have to request it, so I could be denied. You'll also notice that basically every book on this list is fantasy, so that's apparently what I'm feeling right now, probably because I'm also hyped about Onyx Storm releasing at the end of the month (but that's going to be on sooooo many lists this week).
How many of these books do you think I'll get approved for? What books are you most excited about that are releasing in the first half of the year?
If you're stopping by from the linkup, please be sure to drop a link to your post below so I can check out your list. - Katie
