Top Fave Books From Black Authors And/or Black MCs (2025)

Top Fave Books from Black authors and/or Black MCs (2025)

Happy Black History Month from WWC!

In honor of BHM, we've compiled a list of some of our top favorite reads (thus far) that are either by Black diaspora authors and/or the main character is Black. Feel free to add your own to this list!

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Colette’s picks

For my recommendations, I've focused on escapism and/or black woman romances only, because we all can use a bit of joy. These are adult reads by Black authors.

The King’s Seer (series) by L.S. Bethel | Genre: Feudal, Fantasy, Romance, Alt World, BWAM (Hero is Korean-Coded) | Link (My new favorite series)

Voices and Visions by Lashell Collins (Touched Series) | Genre: Mystery, Psychic Detective, Romance, BWWM | TW: Escape from off-screen domestic violence, murder | Link (Love this series so far!)

Taken to Voraxia (Xiveri Mates Series) by Elizabeth Stephens | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Fantasy (BWAlien &Alien) Coded race | TW: Kidnapped bride | Link

Taken to Nobu (Xiveri Mates Series) by Elizabeth Stephens | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Fantasy (BW&Alien) | TW: Kidnapped bride | Link

Unfrozen by Regine Abel | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi BW&Alien/Monster | TW: Torture, experiments (briefly at beginning) Link

I Married a Naga (Prime Mating Agency, #2) by Regine Abel | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Marriage of Convenience BW&Alien/Monster | Link

Rescued by Her Relic by Paulina Woods | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, BW&Alien/Cyborg, Apocalypse | Link 

The Alpha Promise by Hayat Ali | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampires, BWAM | Link

Deena's Deception by G.S. Carr | Genre: Western, Historical Romance, Mail-order Bride, BWWM | Link

Chosen by Tiffany Patterson | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, BWIM (Indigenous hero) | Link

Honorable mentions at the top of my to-read list

Death at a Seance by Carolyn Marie Wilkins | Link

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora | Link

The Gatekeeper by K. Alex Walker | Link

Melanie’s picks

A mix of fictional narratives, memoir, and politics/culture. All adult reads. 

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa | Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance | Link

*Kindred by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi | Link  (*Triple recommended by multiple mods!)

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby  | Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense | Link

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely  | Genre: Mystery | Link

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor | Genre: Mixed/Meta | Link

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates | Genre: Bio & Memoir | Link

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon  | Genre: Memoir | Link

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall | Genre: Politics, Society & Current Affairs | Link

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander | Genre: Politics, Society & Current Affairs | Link

SK’s picks

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin | Genre: Fantasy, Romance | Link

They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib | Genre: Nonfiction, Essay Collection | Link

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaoabi Tricia Nwaubani | Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction | CW: violence and sexual assault | Link

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo | Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction | Link

Copper Sun by Sharon Draper | Young Adult Historical Fiction | CW sexual assault and slavery| Link

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson | Young Adult Realistic Fiction | book deals with racism, incarceration, and the foster system | Link

Jaya’s picks

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste | Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult (violence against activists) | Link

Each of Us A Desert by Mark Oshiro| Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy | Link

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas| Genre: Young Adult, Realistic (racial profiling, Black Lives Matter) | Link

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas| Genre: Fantasy | Link

Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat| Genre: Short Stories (violence in Haiti) | Link

Monster by Walter Dean Myers | Genre: Young Adult (racial profiling) | Link

Meir’s picks

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi (tw for apocalyptic climate conditions)| Link

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi (tw for apocalyptic climate conditions)| Link

This is a two-part series taking place in a sometimes uncomfortably realistic near-future climate apocalypse. Lauren Olamina is a young woman with a hyperempathy disorder who is determined not only to survive, but to make sure her loved ones, her greater community, and humanity as a whole survive as well. To do this, she will have to found a settlement and a religion.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin | Genre: Fantasy | Link

I’m still in the middle of reading this one, but it’s already a compelling and suspenseful story of dynastic succession and powerful but unpredictable magical beings. Don’t spoil it for me!

Jess’ picks

Raybearer duology by Jordan Ifueko | Genre: Fantasy, YA | Link

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson | Genre: Gothic/Horror, Fantasy | Link

James by Percival Everett | Genre: Historical, Literary | Link

Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope | Genre: Fantasy, YA | Link

The Kingston Cycle by C.L. Polk | Genre: Historical, Fantasy | Link

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk | Genre: Historical, Fantasy | Link

Buy local when you can!

We recommend buying your books at your local bookshop (esp. BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ friendly spots) when you can, smaller online bookstores or checking them out at your local library (the Libby app is great for ebooks and audiobooks) or of course at the author's first preference. Also: if a store doesn't have a book, sometimes they can order it for you.

As for online book trackers, The StoryGraph is Black-woman founded!

Happy reading!

~WWC