3 hand-picked fantasy, queer fantasy, and enemies to lovers books curated by NextBookAfter.
For fans of Wicked's sympathetic villain origin story and moral complexity, Malice offers a queer retelling of Sleeping Beauty that flips the script on fairy tale tropes, exploring prejudice, power, and forbidden love through the eyes of a misunderstood enchantress.
If Immortal Dark hooked you with its intoxicating blend of Ethiopian folklore, moral ambiguity, and steamy forbidden desire, The Jasmine Throne amps up the sapphic slow-burn in a South Asian-inspired world of political betrayal and vengeful heroines. Readers who devoured the gothic academia vibes and unflinching trauma will thrill to this story's lush temples, dark rituals, and characters who weaponize their pain for empire-toppling power. It's the raw, blood-soaked romantasy fix you've been dying for.
For fans of The Poppy War's fierce female leads and unflinching take on colonialism, The Jasmine Throne delivers a lush, dark fantasy of empire and rebellion, infused with South Asian inspiration and a simmering queer romance that explores the intoxicating pull of forbidden power.