If you’re looking for books with aromantic representation I recommend, you’ve come to the right place! The Asexual and Aromantic Database contains hundreds of entries for characters in prose fiction, and while that is a great tool to discover new books and have an overview of what’s out there, it also doesn’t distinguish between awesome stories and terrible ones. This list is a record of aromantic books I’ve read, and how much I personally enjoyed them.
* = author is ownvoices for aromantic representation (an absence of star could only mean that I do not have the information)
(C) = aromantic representation is canon within the text
The Favs
These are books featured in the database I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed. Books on the list are both excellent stories and contain great examples of aromantic representation, while containing only minor aggressions (if any). These books are not perfect, but they contribute significantly to a better and more varied landscape of aromantic representation.
A Promise Broken – LYNN E. O’CONNACHT*
Arèn, aromantic and asexual (C) [Entry #188]
Four-year-old Eiryn tries to grieve her mother while her uncle and caretaker, Arèn, fights accusations of her upsetting the world’s balance with a song.
Archivist Wasp / Latchkey – NICOLE KORNHER-STACE*
Wasp, aromantic and asexual [Entry to come]
Text to be added.
Baker Thief – CLAUDIE ARSENEAULT*
Claire/Claude, bisexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #394]
Denise Jalbert (the Spinster), asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #400]
Emmanuelle, demisexual and demiromantic [Entry #397]
Livia, grayasexual and grayromantic (C) [Entry #396]
Yuri, autochorrissexual and aromantic [Entry #399]
Baker by day, thief by night, Claire must find her disappeared twin while dodging the investigator on her case… a woman who just happens to be her new, favourite customer.
Awakenings (The Chronicles of Nerezia series) – CLAUDIE ARSENEAULT*
Horace, aromantic and asexual (C)
Aliyah, asexual and aromantic (C)
Rumi, asexual and quoiromantic (C)
In which … an optimist with countless failed apprenticeships, an anxious lizard artificer, and an amnesiac elf traverse a haunted world in a magical, sentient Wagon to unravel the mystery behind the elf’s missing memories (and play lots of board games).
Birthday Landscapes – E. H. TIMMS*
Cavallan Kee (Val), grey-asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #352]
A disabled and aromantic warrior-mage and legend returns home on leave in time to celebrate his twin children’s birthday with his family.
Chameleon Moon [CM]/The Lifeline Signal [TLS] – ROANNA SYLVER*
Anh “Annie” Minh Le, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #216]
Lisette, asexual and aromantic [Entry #215]
Wren, asexual and aromantic [Entry #214]
Jenny Strings, grey-asexual and demiromantic [Entry #218]
The quarantined city of Parole is burning, sinking into lava. Inside [CM], superhero bar singer Evelyn Calliope tries to help Regan, an anxious lizardman, regain his memory and save the city. Outside [TLS], three teens race across a haunted desert to bring invaluable information for those inside Parole’s shield. And through it all, queer disabled heroes fight for their found families.
City of Strife (City of Spires series) – CLAUDIE ARSENEAULT*
Cal, aromantic and asexual (C) [Entry #159]
Nevian, sex-repulsed asexual and demiromantic (C) [Entry #33]
Hasryan, heterosexual and questionning aromantic (C) [Entry #158]
Yultes, grey-asexual and greyromantic [Entry #160]
Brune, aromantic and asexual [Entry #161]
Garith, aromantic and heterosexual
In the City of Spires, bickering merchant families still vie for power through eccentric shows of wealth. An idealistic noble triggers a war against the cruel Myrian Empire and an assassin tries to escape hanging for the one crime he didn’t commit, upturning the lives of many in a clash of magic and betrayals.
Come Drink With Me – MICHELLE KAN*
Yām Gōng-Tēon and Yèuhng Sām-Leuhng, two aromantic spectrum MCs (C) [Entry to Come]
A Dragon and a Phoenix make their living on earth in a Cantonese opera house in this aromantic chinese fairytale.
Common Bonds – Edited by CLAUDIE ARSENEAULT*, C. T. CALLAHAN*, ROANNA SYLVER*
Nineteen stories with aromantic characters
Speculative short stories and poetry with platonic relationships at its heart.
Cucumber – PENNY STIRLING*
Two asexual spectrum aromantic MCs (C) [Entry to Come]
Two queerplatonic partners in a sword & sorcery duo push back against the hierarchy of relationships and the idea of “just friends” in this striking poem.
Elatsoe – DARCIE LITTLE BADGER*
Elatsoe, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #346]
To be added.
Far Removed – C. B. Lansdell*
Prim, asexual and aromantic (C)
A charismatic and innovative politician uses his resources to help a young insurgent escape the capital; below, a disgraced sculptor shapes masks for others of her caste, and is called upon for the escape. In the politics of Apidecca, their fates will quickly become entwined.
The Ice Princess’s Fair Illusion – LYNN E. O’CONNACHT*
Edel, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #414]
Gregor, demisexual and arospec (C) [Entry #415]
To ensure she will never be forced into marriage, Marian pushes back suitors with cold cruelty–under the day her father promises to marry her to the first beggar to come. Edel, who knows well the weight of society’s expectations, ensures she gets the hand, and they must learn to trust and respect each other to survive.
Margins and Murmurations/Conserve and Control – OTTER LIEFFE
Ash, aromantic (sexual attraction undefined) (C) [Entry #393]
An aromantic trans woman with the ability to move through time return to a highly-militarized city with her lifelong friend, Pinar, to help queer activists, sex workers, and other organizers of the underclass rebel. [MM]
The Midnight Bargain – C. L. POLK
Ysbeta, aromantic and asexual (C) [Entry to come]
Text to come.
Nkásht íí – DARCIE LITTLE BADGER*
Josie, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #165]
Friends of misfortune, Josie and Annie investigate a man’s car crash after he insists a malevolent spirit drowned his baby girl. A brilliant short story steeped in Lipan Apache ghost lore.
Not Your Back Up – C. B. LEE
Emma, asexual and aromantic-spectrum (C) [Entry to come]
Emma may not have superpowers, but she’s a master planner and she’ll contribute to their fight against supervillains. Third book in the Sidekick Squad Series.
Party of Fools – CEDAR MCCLOUD*
Andromeda, asexual and sapphic
Vallora, asexual and sapphic
Gladys, asexual and aromantic
Reed, asexual and aromantic
Jinny, pansexual and aromantic
Immortal Emperor Vallora sneaks out of the palace to go on a worldwide food tour, and a pair of rebels are eager to show her around. But first they must escape the capital before her bodyguard catches up.
Sea Foam and Silence/A Harmony of Water and Weald – LYNN E. O’CONNACHT*
Maris, asexual and demiromantic (C) [Entry #189]
Bernhard, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #190]
Maris has only a month before she turns into sea foam, and she has no voice to help her. Love comes in many form, however, and she is no closer to understanding which will earn her life among friends and family on land.
Summer Bird Blue – AKEMI DAWN BOWMAN
Rumi, asexual and questionning aromantic (C) [Entry #442]
Rumi’s life is music, and her music had always happened with her sister. When Lea dies in a car accident, Rumi is shipped to her aunt’s place in Hawaii to grieve, and find her way back to the music she always loved.
Stake Sauce Act 1: The Secret Ingredient is Love, No Really – ROANNA SYLVER*
Jude, graysexual and grayromantic (C) [Entry #353]
Eva, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #354]
IN WHICH: A cute punk-rock vampire and a disabled firefighter-turned-mall-cop with a dark past join forces to battle the forces of evil–vampires that hunt the streets of Portland.
The Stones Stay Silent – DANNY RIDE*
Leiander, asexual and aromantic (C)
Kevv’ach, asexual and aromantic (C)
Leiander is forced to leave his home when he is blamed for the plague sweeping the land, but the journey becomes one to seek his deepest wish: to beseech the gods and be remade into the man he is–and with him on the journey is his oldest and truest friend, the night demon Kevv’ach.
The Unbalancing – R. B. Lemberg*
Erígra Lilún, asexual and aromantic (C)
The star beneath the islands of Gelle-Geu sleeps restlessly, threatening their safety. A new celebrated starkeeper and a local poet must find a way to work together despite sparks flying.
Two Dark Moons | Three Silver Stars – AVI SILVER*
Sohmeng Par, aromantic and pansexual (C)
Hei, aromantic and asexual (C)
Anhschen, asexual (C)
When Sohmeng Par falls from her mountain, she is quickly cornered by a colony of reptilian predators–and spared by an eccentric exile. Forced to adapt to the vibrant jungle, she learns much about it, as well as the troubles that hail it.
Unbury the Bones – Coyote JM Edwards*
Grim, nonbinary, aspec
A vampire and their cheerful wereworlf partner to unravel the strange coincidences that led to a man’s death — and through it, they must learn to accept their deathly powers and the depths of their friendship with a good wolf.
Vespertine – Margaret Rogerson*
Artemisia, aromantic and asexual
A nun working with the dead awakens an ancient revenant, a malevolent spirit that now shares her body. But as they unravel secrets behind the saints and the church, their bond grows until she must confront all she had been led to believe.
We Go Forward – ALISON EVANS
Christie, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #364]
Two sad queer girls roadtrip around Europe (Germany, Austria and a little of Prague) while developing a deep and supportive friendship.
Werecockroach – POLENTH BLAKE*
Rin, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #378]
Pete, touch averse, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #379]
As aliens hover above London, three flatmates scuttle across the city to escape. They have more in common with coackroaches than hoarding cardboard and hissing at people, however.
The Recs
These are books I’ve read with aromantic characters with good representation that either contain a significant flaw, or didn’t really capture me. These frequently include books when the character’s orientations are mentioned but not explored. To be very clear: I enjoyed these reads and recommend them. They might be one of your fav; they simply aren’t mine.
An Accident of Stars – FOZ MEADOWS
Gwen Vere – allosexual (queer) and aromantic (C) [Entry #178]
When an Australian teenager follows a world walker through a magical portal, she lands herself in the middle of a deadly web of politics and a potential civil war. Saffron’s fate is intertwined with that of many women, and the whole world hangs in the balance.
A Word and A Bullet – RACHEL SHARP
Janie, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #207]
When the real apocalypse hits, three zombie-LARPs friends discover their skills may not be enough to get them through the road trip to safer communities in Canada.
Backgame – LEV MIROV
The Necromancer, asexual and aromantic [Entry #186]
A necromancer raises his fellow magician and best friend, a trans man, to give him a second chance at life without the interruptions of dysphoria.
Beyond the Black Door – A. M. STRICKLAND*
Kamai, demiromantic and asexual [Entry #370]
Text to come.
Faerie Godmother’s Apprentice Wore Green – NICKY KYLE
Dea, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #201]
The village of Styesville has a dragon problem, but when Dea — a faerie godmother’s apprentice — comes to investigate, she discovers the problem runs much deeper than a simple creature.
How My Best Friend Rania Crashed A Party And Saved The World – ADA HOFFMAN
Emma, aromantic (sexual orientation undefined) (C) [Entry #149]
Rania is a World Saver, but her current boyfriend, Jacob, is using his relationship status with her to move up in the world and refuses to break up. Emma, her best friend and a Relator, puts her entire network to crash an Upward Mover party and help Rania out.
Kaikeyi – Vaishnavi Patel
Kaikeyi, aromantic and asexual (C)
Princess Kaikeyi can affect the binding plane, and with it, influence her relationships. With it, she seeks independance–for herself, and other women of her kingdom. A retelling inspired by the Ramayana.
Lemon & Salt – CLAUDIE ARSENEAULT*
Lemon, aromantic spectrum (sexual orientation undefined) (C) [Entry #163]
Salt, aromantic spectrum (sexual orientation undefined) (C) [Entry #164]
Two aromantic singers renegotiate their queerplatonic partnership through a one-of-a-kind concert. Puns included!
Natural Outlaws and Fractured Sovereignty – S. M. Pearce*
Blythe, Kalen, I think another?
Two thieves with everything to lose get wrapped up in a deadly heist at a rival nation’s royal court.
No More Heroes – MICHELLE KAN*
Fang, asexual and greyromantic [Entry #196]
Would-be heroes with barely-mastered superpowers investigate numerous Vigilante deaths in this cinematic and action-packed story about camaraderie and persistence.
Nothing Good to Say – E. H. TIMMS*
Cuss, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #166]
Gruff aroace warrior travels around the world saving children while ignoring the aphobic rumours trailing him.
Rainbow Ice Cream – POLENTH BLAKE*
Tyler, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #204]
A vampire who really only wants to sell ice cream from his truck gets drafted into trouble when he tries to save his reckless friend.
Second Chance – CHELSEA M. CAMERON
Serena Nolan, demisexual and demiromantic (C) [Entry #347]
When Serena Nolan decides to spend the summer at her cousin’s house and queer café, she doesn’t expect to run into her ex, Fiona … or to discover she’s still very much in love.
Syncopation – ANNA ZABO
Zavier Demos, pansexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #389]
After a viral confrontation with one of his bandmate, Ray and his fledgling band are in a tight spot, and in need of a new drummer. Enter Zavier Demos–insufferable, sexy, talented… and Ray’s high school crush.
Tarnished Are The Stars – ROSIEE THOR*
Nathaniel Fremont, asexual and aromantic (C) [Entry #427]
Text to come.
The Trouble – DARIA DEFORE
Danny Kim, gay and aromantic (C) [Entry #355]
Danny Kim is the Korean American lead singer of The Trouble, a local indie band, and horribly bad with maths. Despite a rocky start at a concert, Danny hits it off with his accounting TA, Jiyoon, and must learn to balance school, the band, and his relationship.
Walking the Wall of Papered Peaces – PENNY STIRLING*
Florence, asexual and demiromantic (C) [Entry #372]
A asexual clockmaker pursues her non-binary plumber fiancé on a quest along a magical wall of origami animals to work out communication issues in their relationship.