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I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

Jamison Shea

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There will be blood. Ace of Spades meets House of Hollow in this villain origin story.

Laure Mesny is a perfectionist with an axe to grind. Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cutthroat world of the Parisian ballet, she will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take center stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood. The primordial power Laure gains promises influence and adoration, everything she’s dreamed of and worked toward.

With retribution on her mind, she surpasses her bitter and privileged peers, leaving broken bodies behind her on her climb to stardom. But even as undeniable as she is, Laure is not the only monster around. And her vicious desires make her a perfect target for slaughter. As she descends into madness and the mystifying underworld beneath her, she is faced with the ultimate choice: continue to break herself for scraps of validation or succumb to the darkness that wants her exactly as she is—monstrous heart and all. That is, if the god-killer doesn’t catch her first.

From debut author Jamison Shea comes I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, a twisted dark fantasy that lifts a veil on the institutions that profit on exclusion and the toll of giving everything to a world that will never love you back.

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Posts about this title from Celestial

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 16

you can’t trust ANYONE in these books … watch your back.

you can’t trust ANYONE in these books … watch your back.

📚 books mentioned: - That Which Feeds Us by Keala Kendall - Our Sister’s Keeper by Jasmine Holmes - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

👗💄: - dress is from Anthropologie, rented from Nuuly - eyeshadow is Blends Artistry Palette from Blend Bunny Cosmetics and The Spring Symphony Palette from Dandy Lion Cosmetics - eye shimmer are single duochromes (Prism and Solar Rush) from Ourbella Cosmetics - eyeliner is 24 Hour Waterproof (Vanilla) from Persona Cosmetics - mascara is Lash Extensions XL from Milani - lip combo is Hablame Lip Liner Pencil (Morado 02) from Aora Mexico and Glow Diamond Tinted Lip Oil (0920) from glow

thank you to Get Underlined and Bindery Books for the gifted copies!

#horrorbooks #scarybooks #disturbingbooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @getunderlined @bindery_books @fiercereads @anthropologie @blendbunnycosmetics @dandylionsco @ourbella.us @milanicosmetics @aoramakeup @glowishere


3 books

2

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 8

💭 do you have a favorite book dedication?

💭 do you have a favorite book dedication?

recommending books i enjoyed using their dedications (part two)!

📚 books mentioned: - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - Lucha of the Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia - Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar - These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa - The Black Girl Survives in This One, edit by Desiree S. Evans - Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle - Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic: An LGBTQ+ Young Adult Fantasy Anthology of Unforgettable Adventures, edited by g. haron davis - A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper - Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson - We Have Reached the End of Our Show by Ali Gordon - Nimona by N.D. Stevenson - The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

👗💄: - dress is from Mac Duggal, rented from Nuuly - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Get Underlined, HarperCollins, Saga Press, Wildling Press, and Berkley Pub for the gifted copies!

#bookrecsfromdedications #bookdedications #bookrecs #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @fiercereads @getunderlined @knopfyoungreaders @flatiron_books @simonteen @harpercollins @sagapressbooks @riverheadbooks @wildlingpress @acebookspub @berkleypub @macduggal

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book dedications • recommending books based on their dedications • book dedication recs • horror books • fantasy books • science fiction books • literary fiction • unique books • diverse books • Fierce Reads • Make Me A World • Knopf • Flatiron • Simon Teen • Riverhead Books • ACE Books


12 books

1

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 25

recommending books using their opening lines (a series!)

recommending books using their opening lines (a series!)

📚 books mentioned: - You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White - Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews - A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan - Model Home by Rivers Solomon - These Memories Do Not Belong to Us by Yiming Ma - The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-ran, translated by Gene Png - Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - Beasts of Carnaval by Rosália Rodrigo - These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa

thank you to Saga Press, Fierce Reads, Mariner Books, Bloomsbury Books, MIRA / HTP Hive, and Get Underlined for the gifted copies!

#bookrecsfromfirstlines #bookfirstlines #bookrecs #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @sagapressbooks @fiercereads @mcdbooks @marinerbooks @bloomsburybooksus @bloomsburypublishing @groveatlantic @readmirabooks @htp_hive @getunderlined

.

book recs based on first lines • recommending books based on their opening lines • horror books • fantasy books • sci fi books • thriller books • literary fiction books • audiobooks • unique books • diverse books • MCD Books • Grove Atlantic


10 books

5

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 20

“i just ask Chat GPT for book recs” SHUT UP

“i just ask Chat GPT for book recs” “it can actually summarize entire books for you so you can read one in just 5 minutes” “i ONLY use AI for” - STOP IT. LEAVE ME ALONE!

here are human book recs from a human!! and also they’re all really really good.

📚 books mentioned: - The Seep by Chana Porter - The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson - The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs - Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark - Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - The Honeys by Ryan La Sala - Lakewood by Megan Giddings

👗💄: - sweater is from Farm Rio - eyeshadow is Mírame from Aora México - lip combo is Suede Matte Lip Liner (Moonwalk) from NYX Cosmetics and Bisou Balm (Bonbon Myrtille) from Violette FR - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Harper Voyager, Heartdrum, Peachtree Teen, Quill Tree Books, and Scholastic Press for the gifted copies!

#horrorbooks #horrorbookrecs #disturbingbooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @soho_press @harpervoyagerus @harpercollins @tordotcompub @peachtreeteen @quilltreebooks @fiercereads @scholastic @amistadbooks @farmrio @aoramakeup @nyxcosmetics @violette_fr

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horror book recommendations • science fiction books • best horror books • diverse books • Saga Press • Harper Voyager • Heartdrum • Tordotcom • Peachtree Teen • Quill Tree Books • Fierce Reads • Scholastic Press • Amistad


9 books

1

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 10

YA best of 2025

young adult authors continue to put out some of the boldest, most fascinating, and most inclusive books out there!

i read mostly adult, but it’s fun to dive back into YA and feel only a little jealous of the kids that will get to experience these worlds as teenagers.

📚 books mentioned: - A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury - Lucha of the Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - The Coven Tendency by Zoe Hana Mikuta - These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa - Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi

👗💄: - dress is from Lacemade - eyeshadow is In A Trance Palette from Colourpop and The Lord of the Rings Middle-Earth Palette from Glamlite - shimmer are Eyeshadow Singles (Blushing Lizard and Mermacculate) from Half Magic - eyeliner is Vegan Longwear Eyeliner (Lilac) from Pacifica - lip combo is Lip Lingerie Liner Stain (Up To No Good) from NYX Cosmetics and Wicked: For Good Glinda Glossy Balm from r.e.m. beauty - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Simon Teen and Get Underlined for the gifted copies!

#youngadultbooks #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @simonteen @getunderlined @fiercereads @disneybooks @lacemadeofficial @colourpopcosmetics @glamlite @halfmagicbeauty @pacificabeauty @nyxcosmetics @r.e.m.beauty

.

young adult book recommendations • best young adult books of 2025 • favorite YA books • fantasy books • horror book recs • diverse books • diverse young adult reads • Simon Teen • Get Underlined • Fierce Reads • Disney Hyperion


6 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 10 2025

which one convinced you the most? 🙌

which one convinced you the most? 🙌 part twenty-two of one star goodreads reviews of books i enjoyed!

📚 books mentioned: - Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu - The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones - Model Home by Rivers Solomon - Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei - You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White - The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - Fire and Ice by Erin Hunter

thank you to Vintage, Saga Press, Grove Press, Flatiron, and William Morrow for the gifted copies!

#onestarreviews #negativebookreview #bookreviews #goodreadsreviews #booktokhumor #nycinfluencer #nycbooktok #starrysteph #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #grovereader #FlatironPartner @ireadvintage @sagapressbooks @mcdbooks @groveatlantic @orbitbooks_us @flatiron_books @williammorrowbooks @fiercereads @harpercollins


10 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Oct 20 2025

what’s your favorite jordan peele movie?? (i honestly can’t decide.)

what’s your favorite jordan peele movie?? (i honestly can’t decide.)

📚 books mentioned: - Jackal by Erin E. Adams - Model Home by Rivers Solomon - Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova - The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs - The Coven Tendency by Zoe Hana Mikuta - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

🎞️ films mentioned: - Get Out - Us - Nope

👗💄: - sweater is from @shopcider - ghost hair clips are from @mykitsch - eyeshadow is from @adriananicholecosmetics - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Bantam, Heartdrum, and Disney Hyperion for the gifted copies!

#jordanpeele #horror #horrorbooks #horrorbookrecs #horrormovies #getout #us #nope #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram @bantambooks @ballantinebooks @mcdbooks @zandoprojects @harpercollins @disneybooks @fiercereads @universalpictures @monkeypawproductions @jordanpeele


6 books

3

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 16 2025

i would, unfortunately, gruesomely perish in these worlds. but i would have fun first (sometimes).

i would, unfortunately, gruesomely perish in these worlds. but i would have fun first (sometimes).

📚 books mentioned: - Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase - These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa - Killer on the Road by Stephen Graham Jones - Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

thank you to Get Underlined and Saga Press for the gifted copies!

#fantasybooks #fantasybookrecs #horrorbooks #horrorbookrecs #bookishopinions #GetUnderlinedPartner #SagaSays #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @erewhonbooks @getunderlined @sagapressbooks @clarionbooks @fiercereads @harpercollins


4 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 2 2025

choose your (book) crisis!!

choose your (book) crisis!!

because a character never seems to have an easy, happy time in a book that i pick up.

📚 books mentioned: - Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim - Killer on the Road/The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones - The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei - Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones - Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan - Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

Thank you to Simon Teen, Saga Press, and William Morrow for the gifted copies!

#chooseyourcrisis #chooseyourbookcrisis #chooseyourcharacter #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #scifibooks #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #SimonTeenInfluencer #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @simonteen @erewhonbooks @sagapressbooks @flatiron_books @delreybooks @kensingtonbooks @fiercereads @henryholtbooks @williammorrowbooks


10 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 26 2025

you’d better be reading these 5 horror books this summer!!

you’d better be reading these 5 horror books this summer!!

📚 books mentioned: - Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker - The Reformatory by Tananarive Due - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - The Coven Tendency by Zoe Hana Mikuta (Disney Hyperion) - Model Home by Rivers Solomon

thank you to The Hive/MIRA Books, Saga Press, and Disney Hyperion for the gifted copies!

#horrorbooks #horrorbookrecs #horrorbookreview #besthorrorbooks #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @htp_hive @readmirabooks @sagapressbooks @henryholtbooks @fiercereads @disneybooks @mcdbooks


5 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 1 2025

you never know how a magical bargain will end …

you never know how a magical bargain will end …

📚 books mentioned: - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea - Death’s Country by R.M. Romero - Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

thank you to Peachtree Teen for the gifted copy!

#horrorbooks #fantasybooks #darkfantasybooks #fantasyhorrorbooks #magicalbooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @fiercereads @peachtreeteen @torbooks


3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 18 2025

bookish brand trip?!? | shelves and the city los angeles 2025 vlog!

Shelves and the City (the sequel) was just as special as the first. and truly much more exciting for me because I got to hop across coasts!

disclosure things: Shelves and the City a bookish brand trip (centered around BookTok, but most of us are on Bookstagram and BookTube as well) created by HarperCollins, specifically Avon Books, Harper Voyager, William Morrow, and Epic Reads. Our flights, meals, hotel, and group activities were paid for. We were not required to post or do anything in exchange (though of course we all are, haha) - this was a gifted appreciation trip.

📍Locations and things mentioned: - Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons hotel - Reparations Club - https://rep.club/ - Erewhon lol - Fox Studios - LouLou Santa Monica - Playland Arcade on the Santa Monica Pier

☆ featured links ☆ 💫 join me on bindery (celestial - exclusive content, discord, book club, and more): https://celestial.binderybooks.com/ 👗 $30 off of your first nuuly rental (nuuly doesn't sponsor me in any way - this is just a referral link - but boy am i open to it): https://share.nuuly.com/steph4962

↓ find me in more places ↓ 🎵 tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starrysteph 📸 insta: https://www.instagram.com/starry.steph 📚 storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/starrysteph 🦋 bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/starrysteph.bsky.social 📖 goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/147956803-steph-starrysteph 💌 email: starrystephbooks@gmail.com more (news articles, discount codes, etc.): https://beacons.ai/starrysteph

☆ resources ☆ 🇵🇸 learn more about the history of Palestine: https://decolonizepalestine.com/ 🇨🇩 learn more about what's happening in the DRC: https://friendsofthecongo.org/ 🇸🇩 Sudan Solidarity Collective: https://sudansolidarity.com/

los angeles book tour | booktok booktube bookstagram | brand trip vlog | harpercollins | shelves and the city | reparations club | bookfluencer trip | book influencer brand trip | beverly wilshire four seasons hotel | erewhon | fox studios lot | lou lou santa monica | playland arcade on the santa monica pier


4 books

2

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 2 2025

trans book recs from SATC!

sourcing trans book recs from some of the COOLEST and LOVELIEST bookish creators at shelves and the city 2025!!!

and just remember - even though the @transrightsreadathon is over, you should read trans book year round!

📚 books mentioned: - Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi (@michael.laborn) - Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead (@fromthemixedupdesk) - Ash’s Cabin by Jen Wang (@raethereviewer) - She of the Mountains by Vivek Shraya (@aubs.kamilah) - The Prospects by KT Hoffman (@serareadthat) - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea (@kenzibooks) - Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (@krystallotuslang and @nycbookhoe) - A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee (@_chronicallybookish) - The Unpopular Vote by Jasper Sanchez (@mnmbooks) - A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (@pawneepubliclibrary_) - Drag Me Up by R.M. Virtues (@tritneyslibrary) - The Deep by Rivers Solomon (@bookrvws) - In Universes by Emet North (@booksthat_slay) - The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa (@cemeterygay) - Dragonfall by L. R. Lam (@novelniah) - Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore (@aceofbooks) - Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (@emmaskies) - Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid (@daphsreads) - and i had to include @allisonsaplusreads clip 😭

thank you to the harpercollins team for gathering us all for an extraordinary weekend. @harpercollins @harpervoyagerus @epicreads @avonbooks

#shelvesandthecity #shelvesandthecityla #transrightsreadathon #trr25 #transbooks #readbannedbooks #bookrecommendations #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram


5 books

1

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 22 2025

what are you reading for the 2025 trans rights readathon??

what are you reading for the 2025 trans rights readathon?? drop your (mood reader or not) TBRs below! @transrightsreadathon

📚 books mentioned: - Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi - Model Home by Rivers Solomon - Metal From Heaven by August Clarke - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea

#transrightsreadathon #trr25 #fantasybooks #scifibooks #transbooks #readbannedbooks #GetUnderlinedPartner#bookrecommendations #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram #queerbooks @getunderlined @mcdbooks @erewhonbooks @hotkeybooks @fiercereads


4 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 16

you can’t trust ANYONE in these books … watch your back.

you can’t trust ANYONE in these books … watch your back.

thank you to Get Underlined and Bindery Books for the gifted copies!


3 books

2

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 8

💭 do you have a favorite book dedication?

💭 do you have a favorite book dedication?

recommending books i enjoyed using their dedications (part two)!

thank you to Get Underlined, HarperCollins, Saga Press, Wildling Press, and Berkley Pub for the gifted copies!

.


12 books

1

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 25

recommending books using their opening lines (a series!)

recommending books using their opening lines (a series!)

thank you to Saga Press, Fierce Reads, Mariner Books, Bloomsbury Books, MIRA / HTP Hive, and Get Underlined for the gifted copies!

.


10 books

5

ofpagesandprint\ \ Dahlia\ \ • Apr 16

Join for free

Author Interviews for the Trans Rights Readathon!

For this year’s Trans Rights Readathon newsletter, I interviewed @petralordauthor, @aidenschmaiden, @km_enright, and @danaiwrites and am thrilled to share our interviews with you all here. 🫶🏼

Thank you to Petra, Aiden, K.M., and Danai for chatting with me, and thank you to the @transrightsreadathon team for having me! ✨

#transrightsreadathon #authorinterview #fantasybooks #yabooks #bookishcommunity


9 books

3

Ronnica Reads\ \ Ronnica Fatt\ \ • Mar 17

Join for free

The Trans Rights Readathon starts today, and here is my TBR. Not pictured: Queen of Faces by Petra Lord and Awakened by A.E. Osworth. What will you be reading?\ \ \ \ Join for free or login

Trans Rights Readathon Starts Today!


17 books

2

Wanderland Reads\ \ Sayer\ \ • Mar 16

Join for free

Sapphic Speculative Fiction Expands the Imagination\ \ Many people approach queer romance through familiar frameworks. Modern settings. Recognizable social rules. Families that resemble the structures most of us grew up around. I wrote about this a week or two ago, about looking beyond contemporary romance for great sapphic stories.\ \ Those stories matter. They reflect lived experience and present-day struggles.\ \ Yet some of the most thought-provoking sapphic stories appear in places where the rules look completely different.\ \ Speculative fiction offers writers a simple but radical tool. The ability to ask what happens when the world operates under different assumptions?\ \ What happens when gender does not function the way our societies expect?\ \ What happens when colonial hierarchies collapse or never existed in the first place?\ \ What happens when family and community follow different structures?\ \ Sapphic speculative fiction thrives in these questions.\ \ What counts as speculative fiction?\ \ Speculative fiction serves as an umbrella term for stories that imagine worlds different from our own.\ \ Fantasy explores magic, mythology, and alternate societies.\ \ Science fiction looks at future technology, space exploration, and evolving social systems.\ \ Alternate history reimagines historical timelines.\ \ Dystopian and utopian fiction examine political systems taken to extreme outcomes.\ \ Magical realism blends ordinary life with elements that challenge reality.\ \ All of these genres share a common feature. They build worlds where the assumptions we treat as natural begin to shift.\ \ When those foundations move, storytelling changes.\ \ Reimagining gender systems\ \ Many speculative worlds question the rigid gender frameworks common in contemporary culture.\ \ Some settings include fluid understandings of gender. Others remove the strict gender hierarchy. Some societies organize identity through entirely different categories.\ \ When gender works differently, relationships evolve as well.\ \ Characters express attraction without the scripts that dominate many romance narratives. Partnerships develop around compatibility, trust, or shared goals rather than predetermined roles.\ \ For readers, this shift opens new ways of thinking about identity and connection.\ \ Challenging colonial power structures\ \ Speculative fiction often explores empire, conquest, and resistance.\ \ Many worlds center characters fighting against oppressive systems or rebuilding communities after political collapse. Some stories draw inspiration from Indigenous traditions or non-Western perspectives to imagine societies structured around different values.\ \ Within these settings, sapphic characters frequently appear as leaders, rebels, scholars, or explorers. Their relationships unfold inside larger struggles over power, survival, and cultural memory.\ \ Love does not exist in isolation. It grows alongside questions about justice, resistance, and the future of entire communities.\ \ Rethinking family and community\ \ Another striking feature of speculative fiction involves how stories approach family.\ \ The nuclear family model rarely stands as the only option. Characters often live within chosen families, cooperative communities, traveling crews, or political alliances.\ \ Romantic relationships exist inside these broader networks of care.\ \ Two people falling in love may also share responsibilities to their crew, their village, or their resistance movement. Partnership becomes part of a wider web of loyalty and support.\ \ For many readers, this structure feels both imaginative and deeply familiar.\ \ Common tropes in sapphic speculative fiction\ \ Speculative fiction combines romance with adventure and conflict. Certain narrative patterns recur.\ \ A princess guarded by a loyal warrior or knight who begins to question her duty.\ \ Rival soldiers from opposing factions are forced to work together.\ \ A scholar and a fighter navigating a dangerous quest.\ \ Political enemies are forming uneasy alliances during a rebellion.\ \ Explorers encounter unfamiliar worlds and build trust through survival.\ \ These tropes create tension, intimacy, and emotional growth while the larger story unfolds.\ \ Why these stories expand the imagination\ \ Speculative fiction does more than entertain. It shifts perspective.\ \ When readers step into worlds built on different assumptions, the systems shaping their own lives become visible. Gender roles, political hierarchies, and family structures reveal themselves as historical constructs rather than permanent truths.\ \ Sapphic speculative fiction takes this imaginative shift even further.\ \ Queer women appear not as side characters but as central figures in the story of the world itself. They lead revolutions. Build communities. Explore unknown territories. Fall in love while reshaping the societies around them.\ \ These stories ask readers to imagine something larger than representation.\ \ They ask us to imagine entirely different ways people live together.\ \ An invitation to explore\ \ If you have not spent time with sapphic speculative fiction, consider this an invitation.\ \ Explore fantasy worlds where magic reshapes power.\ \ Read science fiction that questions identity in future societies.\ \ Look for stories where love grows alongside resistance, exploration, and discovery.\ \ These books stretch the imagination in ways that linger long after the final page.\ \ I am especially interested in reading more sapphic speculative fiction this year.\ \ Which books expanded your worldview?\ \ Which stories stayed with you long after you finished them?\ \ Here is a list of books I've read and books on my TBR!\ \ \ \ Join for free or login

Worlds Where Sapphic Stories Rewrite the Rules


26 books

3

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 20

“i just ask Chat GPT for book recs” SHUT UP

here are human book recs from a human!! and also they’re all really really good.

thank you to Harper Voyager, Heartdrum, Peachtree Teen, Quill Tree Books, and Scholastic Press for the gifted copies!

.


9 books

1

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 10

YA best of 2025

young adult authors continue to put out some of the boldest, most fascinating, and most inclusive books out there!

i read mostly adult, but it’s fun to dive back into YA and feel only a little jealous of the kids that will get to experience these worlds as teenagers.

thank you to Simon Teen and Get Underlined for the gifted copies!

.


6 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 10 2025

which one convinced you the most? 🙌

which one convinced you the most? 🙌 part twenty-two of one star goodreads reviews of books i enjoyed!

thank you to Vintage, Saga Press, Grove Press, Flatiron, and William Morrow for the gifted copies!


10 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Oct 20 2025

what’s your favorite jordan peele movie?? (i honestly can’t decide.)

what’s your favorite jordan peele movie?? (i honestly can’t decide.)

🎞️ films mentioned: - Get Out - Us - Nope

thank you to Bantam, Heartdrum, and Disney Hyperion for the gifted copies!


6 books

3

R&R Reads\ \ Ebony\ \ • Oct 7 2025

Join for free

\ \ Join for free or login](https://randrreads.binderybooks.com/item/doa9KcUCUiyPb3Iwt7vQ/)

(Review) I Feed Her To The Beast and The Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea


1 book

1

R&R Reads\ \ Ebony\ \ • Oct 4 2025

Join for free

\ \ Join for free or login](https://randrreads.binderybooks.com/item/Oj9oilnBfXlJLczVbxdr/)

Q3: longest reading wrap up | july, august, september #bookrecommendations #bookreview

this didn't need to be that long... thanks for watching!


20 books

3

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 16 2025

i would, unfortunately, gruesomely perish in these worlds. but i would have fun first (sometimes).

thank you to Get Underlined and Saga Press for the gifted copies!


4 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 2 2025

choose your (book) crisis!!

choose your (book) crisis!!

because a character never seems to have an easy, happy time in a book that i pick up.

Thank you to Simon Teen, Saga Press, and William Morrow for the gifted copies!


10 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 26 2025

you’d better be reading these 5 horror books this summer!!

you’d better be reading these 5 horror books this summer!!

thank you to The Hive/MIRA Books, Saga Press, and Disney Hyperion for the gifted copies!


5 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 1 2025

you never know how a magical bargain will end …

you never know how a magical bargain will end …

📚 books mentioned: - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea - Death’s Country by R.M. Romero - Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

thank you to Peachtree Teen for the gifted copy!

#horrorbooks #fantasybooks #darkfantasybooks #fantasyhorrorbooks #magicalbooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @fiercereads @peachtreeteen @torbooks


3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 18 2025

bookish brand trip?!? | shelves and the city los angeles 2025 vlog!

Shelves and the City (the sequel) was just as special as the first. and truly much more exciting for me because I got to hop across coasts!


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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 2 2025

trans book recs from SATC!

sourcing trans book recs from some of the COOLEST and LOVELIEST bookish creators at shelves and the city 2025!!!

and just remember - even though the @transrightsreadathon is over, you should read trans book year round!

thank you to the harpercollins team for gathering us all for an extraordinary weekend. @harpercollins @harpervoyagerus @epicreads @avonbooks

#shelvesandthecity #shelvesandthecityla #transrightsreadathon #trr25 #transbooks #readbannedbooks #bookrecommendations #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram


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Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 22 2025

what are you reading for the 2025 trans rights readathon??

what are you reading for the 2025 trans rights readathon?? drop your (mood reader or not) TBRs below! @transrightsreadathon


4 books

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Mar 14 2025

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Did you fly through your read of Oathbound? Do you now have a Bree-shaped hole in your heart? Do you need some way to fill the void in your soul? Well, luckily, there are so many other wonderful YA Urban/Contemporary Fantasy books out there that you can dive into next!\ \ Here are 10 recommendations for books I don't see on the book internet nearly as often as I should and why you should read them:\ \ Wings of Ebony by J. Elle \ \ Read if you want: Explorations of grief, God-inherited-power, and timely social commentary \ \ Similar to Legendborn, Wing of Ebony features a young Black protagonist who has recently lost her mother and inherited an ancestral power. Through this she discovers a hidden world of magic wielders and an evil specifically targeting the neighborhood and community she loves.\ \ Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas \ \ Read if you want: More convening with ghosts, culturally diverse magic systems, and complex look at the "bad boy" trope\ \ If you love Sel and want another story with a "bad boy" that approaches their character with nuance and heart then Cemetery Boys is your book. Thomas allows Julian to fully defy the labels put on him in a way that will pull at your heartstrings.\ \ Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia \ \ Read if you want: Explorations of grief and family legacy steeped in monster-based mythology\ \ Okay, this is actually a middle grade novel, but that doesn't actually matter, so moving on. Like Bree, Tristan is also struggling to cope with grief after the loss of his best friend in a tragic accident. When he accidentally opens a rift between worlds allowing monsters into the human world–hello, Shadowborn Gates–he must become the hero he was always meant to be.\ \ Tangleroot by Kalela Williams \ \ Read if you want: Explorations of legacy, history, and generational trauma within a southern universtiy setting\ \ Tangleroot is not really fantasy, but I wanted to include it anyway, because it feels connected to the Legendborn Cycle in a lot of different ways. First major similarity is the university setting and the way it confronts institutionalized racism. Moreover, the way that Williams weaves together the historical mysteries with the present day reminds me a lot of Volition and Bloodwalks.\ \ Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams \ \ Read if you want: Secret magical societies, mysterious power, and a university setting\ \ Okay, the publisher literally comps Legendborn in the description... But truly, Blood at the Root is very similar on a lot of levels, but takes place at a magical HBCU. Without spoilers, this book also has a very similar mystery to the one Bree is wrapped up in in Oathbound with the missing rootcrafters.\ \ Alex Wise vs. the End of the World by Terry J. Benton-Walker \ \ Read if you want: Possession-based magic systems, mythology, and Black kids saving the world\ \ This is another incredible middle grade novel that everyone should read. Have you picked up that I love middle grade yet? Alex draws his power from a god, but like Bree, that possession can come with both good and bad. Also like Legendborn, this one plays into well-known lore–the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Oh, and the friendships in this book are top tier.\ \ Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker \ \ Read if you want: Generational magic systems and secret magical societies hiding in the real world\ \ I love this one for Legendborn because the main characters have to go through the same journey of uncovering their family's secrets that Bree encounters with her own mother. There's also a lot of emphasis on the way the magical and non-magical worlds interact (i.e. onceborns). Also, don't let the cover fool you, this is NOT a historical novel.\ \ I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea \ \ Read if you want: Demon possessions and claiming what you're owed\ \ This one is a crossover into the YA-horror genre, but I think it still has appeal to fantasy lovers. In this novel, Laure, a young Black ballerina decides to make a deal with a powerful demon in order to claim her rightful spot in the prestigious Parisian ballet world. Oh, and she also maybe falls in love with a demon, for those who ship Bree and Sel.\ \ Zodiac Rising by Katie Zhao \ \ Read if you want: Mythology-based story, academic setting, and generational magic systems \ \ Zodiac Rising is almost one-to-one in the way the magic system works, but centers on the Chinese zodiacs rather than Arthurian Lore. The descendants of the original zodiacs attend a secret elite boarding school, but when something goes wrong, they have to break a curse.\ \ Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston \ \ Read if you want: An incredible young heroine claiming her place in a world that wants to exclude her\ \ Ending with one last middle-grade suggestion! When Amari's brother goes missing, she takes his spot in tryouts for an secretive paranormal investigative unit to get answers. Amari goes up against the children of some of the world's wealthiest people and encounters a lot of the same things that Bree does during her own Kingsmage tryouts. Also, like Bree, Amari has a secret that might disrupt the entire system.

10 Diverse YA Fantasy Books to Read after Legendborn


10 books

Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Feb 10 2025

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Happy Black History Month from Sapph-Lit 💗

Remember that Black history is also American history, it doesn’t stop & start in just one month. These books are for every month of every year! Read up, open your purse, and buy titles you’re interested in from indie bookstores 🫡✨


48 books

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Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Apr 17 2024

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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://notsowellread.binderybooks.com/item/zI3M1LW2u55CSq2H3dDv/)

Books that Could Burn Your Motherf****** Village to the Ground

Here's a quick list of books that bring that sweet, sweet feminine rage and general Kiki Rockwell vibes


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