• Books are listed by series name where applicable.
• In some cases, especially Dragons, the section may refer to creatures with strong significance in the world, even if they are not the POV character
• Books highlighted in purple have main characters of color.
• * denotes upcoming titles

AI

• The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow (YA)
• World Running Down by Al Hess
• The Outside by Ada Hoffman
• Toward Eternity by Anton Hur
• Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove

Aliens

• Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders (YA)
• Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki – T
  
• Key Lime Sky by Al Hess
• We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson – G (YA)
• Adaptation by Malinda Lo – B, Polyam (YA)
• Teixcalaan by Arkady Martine
• Walking Practice by Dolki Min
• The Last 8 by Laura Pohl – AroB (YA)
• The Seep by Chana Porter – T
• Failure to Communicate by Kaia Sonderby

Androids, Automatons, Cyborgs, and/or Robots

• The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz – A
• Crier’s War by Nina Varela
• The Hades Calculus by Maria Ying

Angels

• Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron (f/f)
• Of Dragons, Feasts and Murder by Aliette de Bodard (m/m)
• How Not to Date an Angel by Lana Kole (m/gf)
• Rom and Yuli by Amara Lynn (m/nb)

Assassins

YA

• Assassins: Discord by Erica Cameron
• *The Bloody and the Damned by Rebecca Coffindaffer
• The Butterfly Assassin by Finn Longman – AA
• Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller – GF

Adult

• The Perfect Assassin by K.A. Doore – A
• Empire of Light by Alex Harrow
• A Game of Hearts and Heists by Ruby Roe

Astronauts

• The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Bodyguards

• A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
• The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

Criminals

These include thieves, mercenaries, and other petty criminals.

• Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault – Bigender, Aro
• Stars, Hide Your Fires by Jessica Best
• Rook & Rose by M.A. Carrick
• Spellhacker by M.K. England (f/nb YA)
• The Afterward by E.K. Johnston (f/f YA)
• Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn
• Persephone Station by Stina Leicht
• Galactic Hellcats by Marie Vibbert
• The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner – B

Demons and Demon Hunters

• Deadline by Stephanie Ahn – L
• The Fall that Saved Us by Tamara Jerée (f/f)
• Rom and Yuli by Amara Lynn (m/nb)
• The Diablo’s Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa
• The Demon Equilibrium by Cathy Pegau (f/f)
• Demon in the Whitelands by Nikki Richard (m/i+gnc)
• The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
• The Demon Next Door by Chace Verity (bi m/f PNR)

Detectives/PIs

• Fortitude Smashed by Taylor Brooke
• The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
• A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell (Amz)

Djinn

• A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark (Amz)

Dragons

MG

• Sir Callie by Esme Symes-Smith

YA

• The Divine Traitors by Kamilah Cole
• Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst – B
• The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey
• Lady Dragon by A.M. Strickland
• Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells – B

Adult

• In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard (f/f)
• Of Dragons, Feasts and Murder by Aliette de Bodard (m/m)
• Scatter by Molly J. Bragg (f/f)
• The Second Mango by Shira Glassman (f/f)
• Dragonfall by L.R. Lam
• Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (f/f)
• Magic & Marvels by Max Walker (m/m)

Druids

• The Dragori by Ben Alderson (m/m)
• The Soulstealers by Jacqueline Rohrbach

Dybbuks

• The Forbidden Book by Sacha Lamb
• The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

Elves

• The Dragori by Ben Alderson (m/m)
• City of Spires by Claudie Arseneault
• Ariah by B.R. Sanders

Fae/Fairies

YA

• The Halfling Saga by Melissa Blair
• The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon
• Master of One by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
• Ash by Malinda Lo
• Ironspark by C.M. McGuire
• A History of Glitter and Blood by Hannah Moskowitz
• The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton
• A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttlesworth

Adult

• Realm of Fey by Ben Alderson
• Broken Wings by L.-J. Baker
• *The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic & Murder by Kiri Callaghan
• Tales of the Fae by L.J. Hamlin
• A Queen of Blood and Glitter by Benjamin Kissell
• The Faerie Hounds of York by Arden Powell
• Lava Red Feather Blue by Molly Ringle
• Shatterproof by Xen Sanders
• The Fae Queen’s Captive by Sierra Simone
• Close Quarter by Anna Zabo

Falconers

• Skybound by Alex London

Ghosts and Ghost Hunters

• The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson
• Missing, Presumed Dead by Emma Berquist (YA)
• Sanctuary by Andi C. Buchanan
• Love at First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi (bi4bi m/f PNR)
• The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould (YA)
• *We Were Never Here by Sophia Hannan (YA)
• Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall (YA)
• I am the Ghost in Your House by Mar Romasco Moore (YA)
• Haunting Melody by Chloe Spencer
• The Science of Ghosts by Lilah Sturges and El Garing (GN)
• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (YA)
• Violet Ghosts by Leah Thomas (YA)
• She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran – B+ (YA)
• Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters (YA)
• The Haunting Between Us by Paul Michael Winters (YA)

Giants

• A Tale of Mirth & Magic by Kristen Vale

Gods/Goddesses

• The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco (YA)
• The Divine Traitors by Kamilah Cole
• The Ourobouros by H.E. Edgmon (YA)
• Ravensong by Cayla Fay (YA)
• To Cage a God by Elizabeth May
• These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa (YA)
• Forgotten Gods by Marie Rutkoski (YA)

Golems

• Hearts Alight by Elliot Cooper
• A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff (MG)
• The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez
• From Dust, a Flame by Rebecca Podos (YA)
• This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria – A (YA)

Hackers

• Spellhacker by M.K. England (f/nb)
• “A Drop of Stolen Ink” by Emily Lloyd-Jones in His Hideous Heart

Harpies

• My Heart is Ready by Chace Verity
• *Talons and Nightshade by Jessi Ann York

Knights and/or Squires

Female

• Where Shadows Bloom by Catherine Bakewell
• Sapphic Lady Knights by Mariah Rae Birch
• The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond
• The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino
• Valerin the Fair by Rien Gray
• The Knight Legends series by Bridget Essex
• The Afterward by E.K. Johnston (f/f YA)
• A Knight to Remember by Ceilie Simkiss
• The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri

Male

• The Winter Knight by Jes Battis
• The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman
• A Hex for Hunger by Alistair Reeves

Non-Binary

• The Story of Silence by Alex Myers
• Splinter & Ash by Marieke Nijkamp (MG)
• Sir Callie by Esme Symes-Smith (MG)

Mages/Magicians/Magic Users/Sorcerers

(See also: Witches, Wizards, and Warlocks (incl. Brujxs and Stregas)

YA

• Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron
• The Fascinators by Andrew Eliopulos
• When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey – Q
• The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska
• Reverie by Ryan La Sala
• Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens
• The Black Veins by Ashia Monet
• Ink in the Blood by Kim Smejkal
• Sofi and the Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley
• Briar Girls by Rebecca Kim Wells

Adult

• Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright
• Evocation by S.T. Gibson
• The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton
• The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
• The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
• Tomes & Tea by Rebecca Thorne
• Malice by Heather Walter

Mechas

• Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
• The Starmetal Symphony by Alex White
• Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Merfolk

YA

• The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember (Bf/f)
• Out of the Blue by Jason June

Adult

• Walking on Knives by Maya Chhabra
• *Endless Blue Beneath by Shannon K English
• Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
• A Bone in His Teeth by Kellen Graves (m/nb)
• When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa V. Kelley
• Sea Lover by J.K. Pendragon (Tm/m)
• The Fate of Stars by S.D. Simper – B
• The Deep by Rivers Solomon
• Moon-Bright Tides by RoAnna Sylver (f/f)
• Love Rising by Piper Vaughn (m/m)
• *The Siren’s Kiss by Leslie Vedder
• Your Heart Will Grow by Chace Verity (Pm/Tf)
• Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner (f/f)

Monsters

In most of these cases, monsters are the antagonists.

• Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron (YA)
• My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham (YA)
• The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht
• Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (YA)
• Monster by Jessica Lewis (YA)

Musicians

• Sofi and the Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley

Necromancers

YA

• For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig + (P YA)
• Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler
• Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh (Bf/f)

Adult

• The Impossible Contract by K.A. Doore
• Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – L
• A Hex for Hunger by Alistair Reeves

Nobility

• Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
• A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

Nymphs and Dryads

• Evergreen by Devin Greenlee (Amz)
• Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

Orcs

• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Amz)
• The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

Pilots/Spaceship Captains

• Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
• The Disasters by MK England
• Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie

Pirates (Space)

• The Red Scholar’s Wake by Aliette de Bodard
• The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie (f/f YA)
• Barbary Station by R.E. Stearns
• Born Andromeda by K.M. Watts

Pirates (Water)

YA

• The Curse of Ophelia Cray by Christine Calella – A
• A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee (f/f)
• In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens (m/m)
• The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara (f/f)
• The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa (transmasc)
• The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall (f/nb)

Adult

• Peregrine Seas by R.C. Ballad
• Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn – AG
• Compass Rose by Anna Burke (f/f)
• *Rears & Vices by E.M. Caro
• Peter Darling by Austin Chant (m/m)
• A Song of Silver and Gold by Melissa Karibian (f/f)
• The Vengeance by Emma Newman
• Leading Aegis by Z.R. Reed
• Hunt on Dark Waters by Katee Robert – B
• Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland
• The Pirate and Her Princess by Alli Temple
• A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne
• *The Siren’s Kiss by Leslie Vedder

Psychics, Seers, and Telepaths

• Hild by Nicola Griffith
• How to Get Over the End of the World by Hal Schrieve (YA)

Reapers

• This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings

Rebels and Revolutionaries

• Battalion of the Dead by Kat Dunn
• Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
• This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke
• Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller

Royalty

YA

• The Winter Duke by Clara Eliza Bartlett – Bf
• Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran
• Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst + (f/f)
• The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine (m/f)
• Noble Falling by Sara Gaines (f/f)
• Rule by Ellen Goodlett + (f/f)
• The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp and Gabrielle Kari (GN)
• Furyborn by Claire Legrand + (YA)
• So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens (m/m)
• These Feathered Flames by Alexandra Overy (f/f)
• The Poison Within by Rachel Marie Pearcy
• Forgotten Gods by Marie Rutkoski
• Betrayal Prophecies by Adrienne Tooley

Adult

• The Queen of Ieflaria by Effie Calvin (f/f)
• Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard
• The Second Mango by Shira Glassman  (f/f)
• The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs (bi4bi m/f)
• The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman
• A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
• From Under the Mountain by C.M. Spivey
• The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
• Malice by Heather Walter

Saints

• Extasia by Claire Legrand
• The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling

Selkies

• Seven Tears at High Tide by CB Lee (m/m YA)
• The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag (f/f YA)
• Blood on the Tide by Katee Robert (f/f)

Shapeshifters (incl. Werewolves)

Female Protags

• A Pack of Her Own by Elena Abbott – T
• Hunt of Her Own by Elena Abbott
• Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst (m/f YA)
• Full Shift by Jennifer Dugan and Kit Seaton (YA GN)
• Second Nature by Jae (f/f)
• Martis the Brazen by Rien Gray
• Her Wolf in the Wild by Rien Gray
• Bearly a Lady by Cassandra Khaw (f/f)
• Goldenseal by Gill McKnight +
• Wild by Meghan O’Brien (f/f)
• The Better to Kiss You With by Michelle Osgood
• Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve (YA)

Male Protags

• The Dragori by Ben Alderson + (m/m YA)
• Green Creek by T.J. Klune
• The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman

Non-Binary Protags

• *Witchlore by Emma Hinds (YA)
• Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
• The Golden Court by A.K. Mulford
• Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu

Sirens

• Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn
• A Song of Silver and Gold by Melissa Karibian

Soldiers

• The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
• The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
• Sworn Soldier by T. Kingfisher

Spies

• Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran (YA)
• Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly
• This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
• The Spy With the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke (YA)
• The Pirate & Her Princess by Alli Temple

Succubus

• Snake Eyes by Hillary Monahan (f/f)
• The Fall that Saved Us by Tamara Jerée (f/f)
• Making Love by Aidan Wayne

Superheroes and Super Villains

Female

• Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen – B
• Scatter by Molly J. Bragg (f/f)
• Super Adjacent by Crystal Cestari
• The Nemesis Series by April Daniels – T
• Cinnamon Blade: Knife in Shining Armor by Shira Glassman (f/f)
• Unsung Heroine by Sarah Kuhn
• Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad #1) by CB Lee (f/f) – B
• Not Your Backup (Sidekick Squad #3) by CB Lee – A
• Faith Herbert Origin Story by Julie Murphy – B
• Girl Reporter by Tansy Rayner Roberts
• Cute Mutants by S.J. Whitby
• Shattered by Lee Winter

Male

• The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune
• Superior by Jessica Lack
• Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad #2) by CB Lee – T
• You First by J.C. Lillis (m/m)
• Hero by Perry Moore (YA) – G
• Junior Hero Blues by J.K. Pendragon
• Infinity Son by Adam Silvera – G, B
• Rise of Heroes by Hayden Thorne

Non-Binary

• Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault – Aro

Swordsmen

• Valiant Ladies by Melissa Grey (YA)
• Swordcrossed by Freya Marske

Time Travelers

• This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (f/f)
• The Unintentional Time Traveler by Everett Maroon – T
• The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz
• A Darkly Beating Heart by Lindsay Smith – B

Treasure Hunters

• A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee
• A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White

Vampires

Female

• Honeybloods by I.S. Belle (YA)
• Where Shadows Meet by Patrice Caldwell (YA)
• Reaper by Rin Chupeco
• This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings
• *Bite Me by Jennifer Dugan and Kit Seaton (YA GN)
• Hungerstone by Kat Dunn
• A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
• The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl (YA)
• House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
• Love Bites by Ry Herman
• The Ex-Wives of Dracula by Georgette Kaplan
• Youngblood by Sasha Laurens (YA)
• *Good Mourning by Circe Moskowitz and Caleb Hosalla
• The Vengeance by Emma Newman
• Blood on the Tide by Katee Robert
• Kingdom of Immortal Lovers by Ruby Roe
• everafter by Nell Stark and Trinity Tram
• Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London
• The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling (YA)
• Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon + (f/f NA)

Male

• Lord of Eternal Night by Ben Alderson
• Keep it in the Dark by Justin Arnold (YA)
• Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite
• Reaper by Rin Chupeco
• The Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood and Boyfriends by Jamie D’Amato
• Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright
• Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman – T
• A Vile Season by David Ferraro (YA)
• The Fealty of Monsters by Ladz
• Hemovore by Jordan Castillo Price (Amz)
• The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig (YA)
• *Dead & Breakfast by Rosiee Thor and Kat Hillis
• Human Enough by E.S. Yu – P, A

Nonbinary

• Reaper by Rin Chupeco
• Court of the Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland (Demigirl)

Vikings and Valkyries

• Heathen by Natasha Alterici – L
• The Winter Knight by Jes Battis
• Thyra’s Promise by Natalie Debrabandere – L
• Valkyrie by Amanda Hocking – B
• The Helheim Prophecy by Tiana Warner

Warriors

• The Cursed Queen by Sarah Fine (YA) – B
• When Women Were Warriors series by Catherine M. Wilson

Witches, Wizards, and Warlocks (incl. Brujxs and Stregas)

MG

• Snapdragons by Kat Leyh
• The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag (MG)

YA

• How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy
• The Brilliant Death by AR Capetta – Demigirl, Genderfluid LI
• The Lost Coast by AR Capetta (f/f, NB, A)
• *A Great and Powerful Tyranny by Victoria Carbol
• The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke – L
• Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova (Bf/f)
• Practical Rules for Cursed Witches by Kayla Cottingham
• Coven by Jennifer Dugan
• The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon – T
• Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton
• The Witchery by S. Isabelle
• Tally the Witch by Molly Landgraff – T
• Witches of Ash & Ruin by E. Latimer – B+
• No Charm Done by Tori Anne Martin
• Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta
• The Coven Tendency by Zoe Hana Mikuta
• The Ones We Burn by Rebecca Mix – L
• It Ends in Fire by Andrew Shvarts – B
• These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling (f/f) – L
• The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (m/m) – T
  
• Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey (m/m)
• Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley
• Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (f/nb)
  
• The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters

Adult

• Witch Please by Ann Aguirre – Bm
• Boss Witch by Ann Aguirre – B+
• Incendiary by Virginia Black
• Caroline’s Heart by Austin Chant (Tm/Tf)
• Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi (m/f PNR)
• Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper (f/f PNR)
• Back in a Spell by Lana Harper (f/nb PNR)
• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
• Tales from Verania by T.J. Klune
• A Course in Magic by Melissa Marr (f/f)
• *Witch of the Shadow Wood by Tori Anne Martin
• Witchmark by C.L. Polk (m/m)
• *Vengefully Matched by Audrey Goldber Ruoff (f/f)
• The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
• *With All My Haunted Heart by Isabel Sterling
• The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri

Zombies and Zombie Hunters

YA

• Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer
• Wranglestone by Darren Charlton – G
• Highway Bodies by Alison Evans
• The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson – G
• Dread Nation by Justina Ireland – B
• Take All of Us by Natalie Leif
• Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve – GQ

Adult

• Dead Lez Walking by G. Benson
• The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller
• Charon Docks at Daylight by Zoe Reed
• *This Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne
• Elegy for the Undead by Matthew Vesely