Queer readers’ 5 most anticipated LGBT+ reads of 2019 // Lorin at Tea Recs Book Review

This is a weekly series on my blog, where queer readers give us five of their most anticipated queer reads of 2019. New posts will be uploaded every Thursday, and each week a different reader/blogger will be featured.

The eight instalment in the series is from the wonderful Lorin @TeaRecsBookReview. She’s sharing five queer books she can’t wait for in 2019.

Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
When looking through my most anticipated releases of this year for this list, this is one that immediately came to mind. I love a huge book, so at almost 900 pages, this book that features not only DRAGONS but f/f representation has been on my radar for a long time. This epic fantasy is set in a world where the House of Berethnet has been in power for a thousand years, but Queen Sabran must conceive an heir to protect her queendom. Ead Duryan, a lady-in-waiting, has a magical secret that protects the Queen, but assassins are coming. Miles away, Tané has trained as a dragonrider since before she can remember, but danger is coming that could throw all three women’s lives up in the air. I can’t wait until my pre-order arrives!

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff
I’m sure the Nevernight Chronicles series will be familiar to lots of you, so it will come as no surprise that the final instalment in the series is on this list. Our protagonist, Mia Corvere, is one of the most badass bisexual babes (heh, alliteration!) I’ve come across; an assassin who is hunted by pretty much everyone, I am so excited to see how this glorious series wraps up.

When Brooklyn Was Queer: A History by Hugh Ryan
As a history graduate and proud bisexual woman, When Brooklyn Was Queer: A History is exactly my cup of tea. Hugh Ryan has studied the queer history of Brooklyn, NY, from 1850s onwards; from Walt Whitman in the mid 19th century to the queer women who worked at the dock yard during World War II. This is a compiled history of a place where LGBTQ+ history has largely been erased, and is such an important book to add to our libraries.

Unbecoming: A Memoir of Disobedience by Anuradha Bhagwati
Anuradha Bhagwati is a bisexual woman of colour, and her story begins when she leaves an Ivy League school to join the US Marines. Raised by strict Indian parents, she thinks she’s prepared – but then she’s faced with all the misogyny, racism and injustice that America has to offer. After leaving in 2004, Bhagwati then goes on to make historic change in the military, lifting the ban on women from pursuing combat roles. This memoir is about being yourself, even if the system isn’t designed to handle you.

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
My final pick for this list is a wholesome YA pick, one that’s probably needed after the last two! Set in Salem (of course), Hannah is a witch who has to keep her powers a secret – if a non-witch sees her use it, she could lose her magic for good. Her world changes, however, when a dangerous blood ritual interrupts a school bonfire, carried out by the Blood Witch. As more evidence of dark magic appears, Hannah has to team up with her ex-girlfriend Veronica to find the dark witch, a task made only more impossible by a chance meeting with a cute new girl in town. This book combines warm fluffy romance with dark suspense mystery and I can’t wait to get to it!

Lorin is a 23-year-old blogger from Edinburgh, Scotland. She has a toddler, too many books and an addiction to tea (milk and two, please). She is bisexual, and is terribly sad she’ll never meet a dinosaur in real life.