Sapphic Book Recommendations

When We Lost Our Heads

Heather O'Neill · 2023

“Every decent friendship comes with a drop of hatred. But that hatred is like honey in the tea. It makes it addictive.” Charismatic Marie Antoine is the daughter of the richest man in 19th century Montreal. She has everything she wants, except for a best friend—until clever, scheming Sadie Arnett moves to the neighborhood. Immediately united by their passion and intensity, Marie and Sadie attract and repel each other in ways that thrill them both. Their games soon become tinged with risk, even violence. Forced to separate by the adults around them, they spend years engaged in acts of alternating innocence and depravity. And when a singular event brings them back together, the dizzying effects will upend the city. Traveling from a repressive finishing school to a vibrant brothel, taking readers firsthand into the brutality of factory life and the opulent lives of Montreal’s wealthy, When We Lost Our Heads dazzlingly explores gender, sex, desire, class, and the terrifying power of the human heart when it can’t let someone go.

A Long Time Dead

Samara Breger · 2023

Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil

Schwab, V. E.

Carmilla (Clockwork Editions)

Joseph Sheridan Lefanu · 2019

<p><i>"To this hour the image of Carmilla returns to my memory with ambiguous alternations--sometimes the playful, languid, beautiful girl; sometimes the writhing fiend I saw in the ruined church. Sometimes, I start from a reverie, certain I heard the light step of Carmilla at the drawing-room door."</i><br></p> <p><p>Isolated in a remote mansion in a central European forest, Laura longs for companionship--until a carriage accident brings another young woman into her life: the secretive and sometimes erratic Carmilla. As Carmilla's actions become more puzzling and volatile, Laura develops bizarre symptoms, and as her health goes into decline, Laura and her father discover something monstrous.</p> <p><p>Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's compelling tale of a young woman's seduction by a female vampire was a source of influence for Bram Stoker's <i>Dracula</i>, which it predates by over a quarter century. <i>Carmilla</i> was originally serialized from 1871 to 1872 and went on to inspire adaptations in film, opera, and beyond, including the cult classic web series by the same name.</p>

The Starving Saints: A Novel

Caitlin Starling · 2025

From the nationally bestselling author of The Luminous Dead and The Death of Jane Lawrence, a transfixing, intensely atmospheric fever dream of medieval horror.<br/>Aymar Castle has been under siege for six months. Food is running low and there has been no sign of rescue. But just as the survivors consider deliberately thinning their number, the castle stores are replenished. The sick are healed. And the divine figures of the Constant Lady and her Saints have arrived, despite the barricaded gates, offering succor in return for adoration.<br/>Soon, the entire castle is under the sway of their saviors, partaking in intoxicating feasts of terrible origin. The war hero Ser Voyne gives her allegiance to the Constant Lady. Phosyne, a disorganized, paranoid nun-turned-sorceress, races to unravel the mystery of these new visitors and exonerate her experiments as their source. And in the bowels of the castle, a serving girl, Treila, is torn between her thirst for a secret vengeance against Voyne and the desperate need to escape from the horrors that are unfolding within Aymar’s walls.<br/>As the castle descends into bacchanalian madness—forgetting the massed army beyond its walls in favor of hedonistic ecstasy—these three women are the only ones to still see their situation for what it is. But they are not immune from the temptations of the castle’s new masters… or each other; and their shifting alliances and entangled pasts bring violence to the surface. To save the castle, and themselves, will take a reimagining of who they are, and a reorganization of the very world itself.

Hungerstone

Kat Dunn · 2025

A compulsive feminist reworking of Carmilla, the queer novella that inspired Dracula.<br/><br/>"A dark, sensuous, gothic story of female appetite, ravenous desire and insatiable rage. A blood-drenched, glittering jewel of a novel that I absolutely devoured.” ―Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Atalanta<br/><br/>It’s the height of the industrial revolution and ten years into Lenore’s marriage to steel magnate Henry, their relationship has soured. When Henry’s ambitions take them from London to the remote British moorlands to host a hunting party, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into their lives. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night. Carmilla, who stirs up something deep within Lenore. And before long, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger . . .<br/><br/>As the day of the hunt draws closer, Lenore begins to unravel, questioning the role she has been playing all these years. Torn between regaining her husband’s affection and the cravings Carmilla has awakened, soon Lenore will uncover a darkness in her household that will place her at terrible risk.

The Lamb

Lucy Rose · 2025

A DAKOTA JOHNSON TEATIME BOOK CLUB PICK · INSTANT #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A FOLK TALE. A HORROR STORY. A LOVE STORY. AN ENCHANTMENT. "A dark, gorgeous concoction.”—New York Times “Beautiful, terrifying . . . . Destined to become a classic."—Washington Post From an incendiary new talent, a contemporary queer folktale about a mother and daughter living in the woods, for fans of Angela Carter, Margaret Atwood, and Julia Armfield. Margot and Mama have lived by the forest ever since Margot can remember. When Margot is not at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. People who have strayed too far from the road. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she satisfies her burning appetite by picking apart their bodies. But Mama’s want is stronger than her hunger sometimes, and when a beautiful, white-toothed stray named Eden turns up in the heart of a snowstorm, Margot must confront the shifting dynamics of her family, untangle her own desires, and make her bid for freedom. With this gothic coming-of-age tale, debut novelist Lucy Rose explores how women swallow their anger, desire, and animal instincts—and wrings the relationship between mother and daughter until blood drips from it.

The Eyes Are the Best Part

Monika Kim · 2024

Crying in H-Mart meets My Sister, the Serial Killer in this feminist psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective.<br/><br/>Ji-won’s life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her Appa’s extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying… yet enticing.<br/><br/>In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George’s, who is Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family’s claustrophobic apartment. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescending toward Ji-won and her sister as if he deserves all of Umma’s fawning adoration. No, George doesn’t deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that.<br/><br/>For no matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and her rage deserve to be sated.<br/><br/>A brilliantly inventive, subversive novel about a young woman unraveling, Monika Kim’s The Eyes Are the Best Part is a story of a family falling apart and trying to find their way back to each other, marking a bold new voice in horror that will leave readers mesmerized and craving more.

Our Wives Under the Sea

Julia Armfield · 2023

This Is How You Lose the Time War

Amal El-Mohtar · 2020

Loathing You

Amina Khan · 2023

Hate. Detest. Despise. These words were the only way that Adaline and Juliette could possibly describe their relationship, or lack thereof.<br/>Adaline would argue that this is because a certain she-devil has been making her life hell for the last five years. All for what? Because she was bisexual and wasn't born with a silver spoon, like every other student at Richmond academy?<br/>Juliette doesn't need to argue, she is a Kingston, an heiress to a multimillion empire. Yet still the need to argue arises within her anytime she is near Adaline emery.<br/>They were polar opposites, Juliette was ice and Adaline fire, where juliette was handed everything Adaline worked hard for everything. Where Adaline was an outcast, Juliette was the queen bee.<br/>They only had one thing in common...they both loathed eachother.

Treachery of Swans

A. B. Poranek · 2025

<b>From the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Where the Dark Stands Still</i> comes an atmospheric fantasy based on <i>Swan Lake,</i> following Odile as her plan to restore magic to her kingdom gets disrupted by a murder—forcing her to beg for help from the young woman whose identity she stole.</b><br><br>Can two girls—one enchanted, one the enchantress—save their kingdom and each other?<br> <br>Two hundred years ago, a slighted deity stole the magic from Auréal and vanished without a trace. But seventeen-year-old Odile has a plan. All her life, her father, a vengeful sorcerer, has raised her for one singular task: infiltrate the royal palace and steal the king’s crown, an artefact with enough power to restore magic. But to enter the palace, she must assume the identity of a noblewoman. She chooses Marie d’Odette: famed for her beauty, a rumored candidate for future queen…and Odile’s childhood-friend-turned-sworn-enemy.<br> <br>With her father’s help, Odile transforms Marie into a swan and takes her place at court. But when the king is brutally murdered and her own brother is accused, her plans are thrown into chaos. Desperate to free her brother, Odile is forced to team up with none other than elegant, <i>infuriating</i> Marie, the girl she has cursed…and the girl she can’t seem to stop thinking about despite her best efforts.<br> <br>To make matters worse, there are whispers that the king’s murder was not at the hands of man, but beast. Torn between loyalty to her father and her growing feelings for Marie, Odile becomes tangled in a web of treachery and deceit. To save her kingdom, she must find the true path to magic…and find the real killer before they—or <i>it</i>—strikes again.

Lady’s Knight

Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner · 2025

<p>An undeniably fierce, unforgettably funny, unapologetically queer feminist romp through the England of medieval legend. Bestselling and acclaimed authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner bring readers along on an epic quest for valor, freedom, and, above all, love. A Knight's Tale meets the Lady Jane series, with a dash of The Great!</p> <p>Gwen is sick of hiding--hiding the fact that she's taken over her father's blacksmithing duties, hiding her attraction to girls, hiding her yearning for glory as a knight.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Lady Isobelle of Avington, queen bee of the castle, has never once considered hiding who she is--until now. She's been chosen as the grand prize in the Tournament of Dragonslayers, to be given to whichever knight can claim her hand. And for the first time in her life, she can't talk her way out of trouble.</p> <p>When Isobelle discovers Gwen's knightly ambitions, they hatch a scheme together--Gwen will joust in the tournament, disguised as Sir Gawain. Winning means freedom for Isobelle, and glory for Gwen. Losing means... well, let's not go there.</p> <p>One thing's for sure: Falling in love was never the plan.</p> <p>But the best laid plans...are often trampled all over by dragons.</p> <p>"A sapphic delight, full of jousts, jaunts, and courtly love. Lady's Knight sparkles with wit and charm and has lady knights to swoon over. Kaufman and Spooner will leave you breathless." --C. S. Pacat, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Rise</p> <p>"Kaufman and Spooner are auto-buy authors for me, always guaranteed to get my heart pumping with their page-turning romance and high-stakes adventure." --New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard</p> <p>"There are a lot of damsels in Lady's Knight, but none of them need a man to fix their problems. (Men seem to be the source of the problems, in fact.) Wholesome, heartfelt, and more fun than cheesecake on a stick, Kaufman and Spooner's latest book is all about women's work. You know, jousting, dragonslaying, and saving the kingdom--all while looking fabulous." --Jodi Meadows, coauthor of the New York Times bestselling novels My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane</p> <p>"Clever, funny, thrilling, and romantic--Lady's Knight will inspire readers to take up their swords to fight dragons and the patriarchy. Perfect for fans of A Knight's Tale and anyone who loves a romantasy with wit, charm, and the occasional comedic fourth wall break." --F. T. Lukens, New York Times bestselling author of So This Is Ever After</p> <p>"You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be ready to fight any dragon after reading this delightful tale full of swoony romance, heart-racing action, and the very best banter in the realm!" --Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Night of the Witch</p> <p>"Writing that is above all else marvelously warm and at the same time witty, adventure and romance that will sweep you off your feet--a double sweep, and a triumph!" --Sarah Rees Brennan, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Long Live Evil</p> <p>"Sparkles with wit and romance! So many quotable lines. Not to mention the sexiest gown-lacing scene in modern literature. Like its characters, Lady's Knight is endlessly clever and resourceful." --Ellen Kushner, award-winning author of Swordspoint</p>

Atmosphere

Jenkins Reid Taylor · 2025

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA's space shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space. Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston's Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane. As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe. Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, it all changes in an instant. [payot.ch]