Recs if you like Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor...

JK Rowling is a bigot who uses her platform to hurt transfolks and other marginalized groups (plus she literally just quoted Mein Kampf on the bird site). If you're still supporting her in 2025, don't bother talking to me.

You liked Harry Potter but you’re angry at the author for being a huge transphobe and you would like some alternatives because you don’t want to give money to her so she can finance transphobia and you have enough of Harry Potter’s racist stereotypes like Cho Chang and other problematic themes in this saga? You’re in the right place! I haven’t read all, if some are misplaced, let me know! Also, if you want more fantasy recs, I have a queer fantasy list! It is addressed to different ages.

Fantasy books with queer rep

For a book to make this list, it needs to start with X, Y, or Z (ignoring "The," "A," "An"), be a standalone or series opener, and have at least a 3.7 star average rating on Pagebound. Pulling from a variety of genres!

Books set in an Asian or Asian-inspired setting or incorporates elements of an Asian culture or mythology. Only the first book in a series is listed.

🎶 Come, little children, I take thee away / into the land of enchantment 🎶 that nostalgic feeling when you were a child and you could see glimpses of a new fantastical world of magic and wonders basically a collection of stories where children and teens discover a new world with hidden dark undertones which also includes BIPOC/LGBTQ+ representation

YA novels with mental health representation.

beautiful fantasy books

A non-exhaustive list of magical middle grade alternatives to the series which shall not be named. Only the first book of those that are part of a series is listed so as not to overwhelm. This will grow as more alternatives are found / published.

Books set in China!

These Diverse Baseline Challenge was created by @bookish.millennial & @themargherita.s (on instagram). In 2025, the goal is to read 1 book by a racialized author each month. This challenge is meant to encourage readers to try genres they historically don’t reach for, find new-to-them racialized authors, and to encourage reflection on our reading habits.

This is a mix of recommendations by the challenge organizers and myself.