Books like 'Some Desperate Glory'
Readers who enjoyed Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
futuristic young adult science fiction lesbian romance time travel dark paranormal futuristic fantasy aliens
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Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff
Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church hierarchy think she's far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she's no closer to ending the men who destroyed her familia; in fact, she's told directly that Consul Scaeva is off limits... -
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor's haunted space station.She answered the Emperor's call.She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.In victory, her world has turned to ash... -
A Journey of the Heart by Catherine M. Wilson
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsIn Book II of the trilogy, Tamras’s apprenticeship as a warrior isn’t turning out quite the way she expected. Her unconventional choices lead to her crossing swords, almost literally, with Vintel, the war leader of Merin’s house. She finds herself embroiled in a power struggle she is doomed to lose, but the loss sends her on a journey that will change her destiny and decide the fate of her people... -
Compass Rose by Anna Burke
In the year 2513, the only thing higher than the seas is what’s at stake for those who sail them.Rose was born facing due north, with an inherent perception of cardinal points flowing through her veins... -
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The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri
The prophecy of the nameless god—the words that declared Malini the rightful empress of Parijatdvipa—has proven a blessing and curse. She is determined to claim the throne that fate offered her. But even with the strength of the rage in her heart and the army of loyal men by her side, deposing her brother is going to be a brutal and bloody fight... -
Always Human by Ari North
First serialized on the popular app and website WebToon, Always Human ran from 2015-2017 and amassed over 76,000 unique subscribers during its run. Now reformatted for a print edition in sponsorship with GLAAD, Always Human is a beautifully drawn graphic novel about a developing relationship between two young women in a near-future, soft sci-fi setting... -
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Her city is under siege.The zombies are coming back.And all Nona wants is a birthday party.In many ways, Nona is like other people. She lives with her family, has a job at her local school, and loves walks on the beach and meeting new dogs. But Nona's not like other people. Six months ago she woke up in a stranger's body, and she's afraid she might have to give it back... -
If Tomorrow Doesn't Come by Jen St. Jude
We Are Okay meets They Both Die at the End in this YA debut about queer first love and mental health at the end of the world-and the importance of saving yourself, no matter what tomorrow may hold.Avery Byrne has secrets. She's queer; she's in love with her best friend, Cass; and she's suffering from undiagnosed clinical depression... -
The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMurder. Secrets. Sacrifice: Three women seek the truth of the empire's past. And the truth they find has the power to ignite a war in the sequel to The Final Strife, the continuation of a visionary fantasy trilogy inspired by Africa and Arabia.Anoor is the first blue-blooded ruler of the Wardens' Empire. But when she is accused of a murder she didn't commit, her reign is thrown into turmoil... -
Fates Parallel Vol. 1 by DarkTechnomancer
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsIt's easy to wager everything when you have nothing to lose.It's a hard life for a young mortal girl, living on the streets. After Lee Jia narrowly escapes a fate worse than death, her last ditch effort to flee her pursuers and survive the winter finds her accidentally enrolled in a brand new academy for immortals...Categorized as:
fantasy paranormal queer magic legends & fairy tales science fiction young adult f-f -
I'm in Love with the Villainess Vol. 3 by Inori
In this critically acclaimed romantic comedy, a reincarnated gamer pursues her villainous lady love at a fantasy girl's academy! (And don't miss the manga adaptation, also from Seven Seas.) Ordinary office worker Oohashi Rei wakes up in the body of the protagonist of her favorite otome game, Revolution... -
Crier's War by Nina Varela
Impossible love between two girls —one human, one Made. A love that could birth a revolution.After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, Designed to be the playthings of royals, took over the estates of their owners and bent the human race to their will...Categorized as:
fantasy futuristic dystopian paranormal queer young adult science fiction from hate to love -
Honor Bound by Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre
Zara Cole was a thief back on Earth, but she’s been recently upgraded to intergalactic fugitive. On the run after a bloody battle in a covert war that she never expected to be fighting, Zara, her co-pilot Beatriz, and their Leviathan ship Nadim barely escaped the carnage with their lives. Now Zara and her crew of Honors need a safe haven, far from the creatures who want to annihilate them... -
The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz
Clara Gutierrez is an AI repair technician and a wanderer. Her childhood with her migrant worker family has left her uncomfortable with lingering for too long, so she moves from place to place across retro-futuristic America. Sal is a fully autonomous robot. Older than the law declaring her kind illegal due to ethical concerns, she is at best out of place in society and at worst vilified... -
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Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction by Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler, Darcie Little Badger
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLove After the End is a new young adult anthology edited by Joshua Whitehead (Lambda Literary Award winner, Jonny Appleseed) featuring short stories by Indigenous authors with Two-Spirit & Queer heroes, in utopian and dystopian settings... -
Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsA deadly competition for the throne will determine more than just the fate of the empire in this duology opener.Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy. Her mother sacrificed everything to bring peace to the quadrant, and her uncle has successfully ruled as emperor for decades... -
Honor Lost by Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre
Space renegade Zara Cole may have finally met her match. Lifekiller—a creature that can devour entire planets is spreading terror throughout the universe, and it seems nothing can stand in the monstrous godking’s way.Reeling from a series of battles, Zara and her wounded band of allies are going to need a strategy before they face Lifekiller again... -
Failure to Communicate by Kaia Sønderby
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAs one of the only remaining autistics in the universe, Xandri Corelel has faced a lot of hardship, and she's earned her place as the head of Xeno-Liaisons aboard the first contact ship Carpathia. But her skill at negotiating with alien species is about to be put to the ultimate test... -
Girls at the Edge of the World by Laura Brooke Robson
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsSet in a world on the edge of an apocryphal flood, this heart-stoppingly romantic fantasy debut is perfect for fans of Rachel Hartman and Rae Carson.In a world bound for an epic flood, only a chosen few are guaranteed safe passage into the new world once the waters recede. The Kostrovian royal court will be saved, of course, along with their guards... -
Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard
Return once more to the deadly and dazzling world of Red Queen in Broken Throne, a beautifully designed, must-have companion to the chart-topping series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard... -
The Warrior's Path by Catherine M. Wilson
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsIn Book I of the trilogy, Tamras, our hero, arrives in Merin’s house to begin her apprenticeship as a warrior, but her small stature causes many, including Tamras herself, to doubt that she will ever become a competent swordswoman... -
Safe Passage by Rachel Ford
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsGo big or go home. For privateer Captain Magdalene Landon, it's all about going big. For Kay Ellis, it's about getting home. Together, they're about to architect the most daring heist in the galaxy. Kay knows too much. She knows it’s a matter of time before a Conglomerate hitman finds her. She’s desperate for safe passage back to Union space... -
The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis stunning YA debut is a timely and heartfelt speculative narrative about healing, faith, and freedom.Seventeen-year-old Marisol has always dreamed of being American, learning what Americans and the US are like from television and Mrs. Rosen, an elderly expat who had employed Marisol's mother as a maid... -
The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsRyann Bird dreams of traveling across the stars. But a career in space isn’t an option for a girl who lives in a trailer park on the wrong side of town. So Ryann becomes her circumstances and settles for acting out and skipping school to hang out with her delinquent friends. One day she meets Alexandria: a furious loner who spurns Ryann’s offer of friendship...Categorized as:
futuristic fantasy queer young adult science fiction contemporary f-f from hate to love -
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The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis
First Sister has no name and no voice. As a priestess of the Sisterhood, she travels the stars alongside the soldiers of Earth and Mars—the same ones who own the rights to her body and soul. When her former captain abandons her, First Sister’s hopes for freedom are dashed when she is forced to stay on her ship with no friends, no power, and a new captain—Saito Ren—whom she knows nothing about... -
In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland
A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead.In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic... -
Kashimashi, Vol. 1 by Satoru Akahori, Katsura Yukimaru
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsBeing a girl is harder than it looks...For Hazumu, this couldn't be truer, because just the other day, she...was a he. Shunned by the girl of his dreams, Hazumu loses himself in the mountains and is promptly squashed by an oncoming space ship. The alien inside, feeling guilty, rebuilds Hazumu's body.. -
Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre
Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead of moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed... -
Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsTwo girls on opposite sides of a war discover they're fighting for a common purpose--and falling for each other--in Zoe Hana Mikuta's high-octane debut Gearbreakers, perfect for fans of Pacific Rim, Pierce Brown's Red Rising Saga, and Marie Lu's Legend series.We went past praying to deities and started to build them instead..Categorized as:
fantasy dystopian futuristic queer science fiction f-f young adult from hate to love -
We Unleash the Merciless Storm by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Rated: 3.91 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this nail-biting sequel to Tehlor Kay Mejia’s critically acclaimed fantasy novel We Set the Dark on Fire, La Voz operative Carmen is forced to choose between the girl she loves and the success of the rebellion she’s devoted her life to. Perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and Anna-Marie McLemore.Being a part of the resistance group La Voz is an act of devotion and desperation... -
Stars, Hide Your Fires by Jessica Mary Best
“A delightfully mischievous adventure full of intrigue, betrayal, and a touch of romance. Get ready to join your new favorite rebel crew.”—Dahlia Adler, author of Cool for the SummerA wanted thief. A murdered emperor. A killer loose on the station.Knives Out goes sci-fi in this gripping YA mystery set in space.As an expert thief from a minor moon, Cass knows a good mark when she sees one...Categorized as:
queer dystopian futuristic science fiction young adult mystery f-f political-intrigue -
Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden
Rated: 3.87 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsEscaping Exodus is a story of a young woman named Seske Kaleigh, heir to the command of a biological, city-size starship carved up from the insides of a spacefaring beast... -
The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield... -
Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
Rated: 3.84 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsWelcome to Andover… where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship—only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain... -
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City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn
Rated: 3.79 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAs darkness closes in on the city of shattered light, an heiress and an outlaw must decide whether to fend for themselves or fight for each other. As heiress to a powerful tech empire, seventeen-year-old Asa Almeida strives to prove she's more than her manipulative father's shadow... -
The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
Rated: 3.85 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsCas has fought pirates her entire life. But can she survive living among them?For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific... -
The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood
What if you knew how and when you will die?Csorwe does. She will climb the mountain, enter the Shrine of the Unspoken, and gain the most honored title: sacrifice. On the day of her foretold death, however, a powerful mage offers her a new fate... -
Forget This Ever Happened by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Rated: 3.77 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsSometimes there's a town called Indianola. And sometimes there isn't.Summer, 1993. Claire has been dumped in rural Indianola, Texas, to spend her whole vacation taking care of mean, sickly Grammy. There's nothing too remarkable about Indianola: it's run-down, shabby, and stifling hot, a pin-dot on the Gulf Coast.Well, there is one remarkable thing, she discovers. Something otherworldly... -
Radio Apocalypse by Kayleigh Gallagher
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt’s been nearly seven thousand days since the world ended. Seven thousand days of devastation, seven thousand days of shifting wastelands and dangerous creatures, seven thousand days of a vicious fight for survival. Humanity has long gone silent, except for two voices...Categorized as:
dystopian fantasy queer science fiction young adult f-f post-apocalyptic length-medium -
Cyber's Change: Sapiens Run Book 1 by Jamie Davis
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe was raised to fear them. But now she's become her own worst enemy…America, 2055. Cass is equal parts excited and nervous to leave her Sapiens Movement enclave. Stepping away from her technologically-conservative family for the first time, she sets off for college with dreams of saving humanity... -
Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 13 ratings‘She loved me as I loved her, fierce as a bloodied blade.’When teenage queen Lia inherits her corrupt uncle’s bankrupt kingdom, she brings a new spymaster into the fold ... Xania, who takes the job to avenge her murdered father... -
Renegade Rule by Ben Kahn, Rachel Silverstein
Rated: 3.64 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsPrepare for competitive gaming like you've never seen it!The Manhattan Mist have beaten the odds to land themselves in the national championships for Renegade Rule, one of the hottest virtual reality games in existence. But they're in for competition fiercer than they ever imagined, and one team member's entire future could be at stake...Categorized as:
queer new adult young adult f-f science fiction contemporary friends to lovers from hate to love -
Radical by E.M. Kokie
Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDetermined to survive the crisis she’s sure is imminent, Bex is at a loss when her world collapses in the one way she hasn’t planned for.Preppers. Survivalists. Bex prefers to think of herself as a realist who plans to survive, but regardless of labels, they’re all sure of the same thing: a crisis is coming. And when it does, Bex will be ready... -
The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
Alternate Cover edition for ISBN 9780316542753Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought.Luca needs a turncoat... -
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The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsFrozen meets Mad Max in this epic teen fantasy duology bursting with star-crossed romance, immortal heroines, and elemental magic, perfect for fans of Furyborn.Generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. But seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two... -
Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor
Rated: 3.70 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Lunar Chronicles meets Rook in this queer #OwnVoices science-fantasy novel, perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer and Sharon Cameron.A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher's chest: an illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog -- donning the moniker Technician -- to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner's tyrannical laws... -
We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children, but both are promised a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class...Categorized as:
fantasy dystopian queer young adult contemporary f-f from hate to love science fiction -
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again...Categorized as:
fantasy futuristic dystopian dark paranormal queer young adult legends & fairy tales -
Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but in fact, she's one of Quadara's most skilled thieves and a liar. Varin, on the other hand, is an honest, upstanding citizen of Quadara's most enlightened region, Eonia. Varin runs afoul of Keralie when she steals a package from him, putting his life in danger... -
Super Adjacent by Crystal Cestari
In this fresh new take on the world of superheroes, explore what it's like to be the non-super half of a dynamic duo. Spoiler it's not easy being super-adjacent.Claire has always wanted to work with superheroes, from collecting Warrior Nation cards as a kid to drafting "What to Say to a Hero" speeches in her diary...
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