When it comes to the genres we have to choose from, we’ve all heard of fantasy, romance, and horror. But what about Bizarro? Or Nordic Noir? Smut Poetry? Turns out, there are countless niche book genres out there that blend the themes, tropes, and styles of multiple classic genres. Here at Bookstr, we’ve explored many of them. Let’s take a deeper look at a few.
Pirate Romance
The allure of the high seas, the exhilaration of freedom, and the heart-pounding jitters of new love? Yes, please. Pirate Romance combines the key elements of the adventure genre — specifically the oceanic sort — and romance. Plus, with pirateering often comes the textural atmosphere of not only life on the water but the rich historical period and social context in which the story takes place. Though a significant portion of the plot must focus on romance to be considered part of the genre, don’t think you’ll be missing out on adventure, conflict, and worldbuilding!
Bizarro Fiction
Packed with strangeness, absurdism, and elements of the unnatural that might make you shudder, Bizarro Fiction is downright weird. It shares the atmosphere of surrealism and the conceptual ponderings of speculative fiction and usually melds the science fiction and fantasy genres with layers of grotesque and thought-provoking imagery. Weirdness doesn’t have to be the main theme, but if people like it because it’s strange or unusual, it’s probably Bizarro.
Angel/Demon Romance
Everyone knows that opposites attract, and that has never been more at the forefront of a romance story than with Angel and Demon Romance. With prominent themes of redemption, compromise, and rejection of the social rules, romance between angels, demons, and even humans, blurs the line between good and evil. Demons can redeem themselves, angels can grow more forgiving, and humans can learn from the divine extremes, and show them what it means to be uniquely, fully, alive.
Underwater/Sea Horror
The vastness of the deep, dark, unexplored oceans is enough to make even the biggest beach enthusiast shudder. There’s simply no telling what lurks in the crevices of the sea floor — or right beneath your feet as you swim out past the sand. Underwater/Sea Horror captures these feelings and heightens them to the extreme. Often, but not always, these stories will mix elements of science fiction and fantasy. But whether the creatures pursuing our explorers as they delve into the depths of the sea are real or imagined, they’re equally terrifying when they’re attacking the submarine.
Why Choose
Originally referred to as Reverse Harem, the Why Choose genre consists of one FMC — female main character — and her multiple love interests. Sounds pretty standard, but where Why Choose diverges from the traditional romance plot is that when the story ends, our FMC doesn’t have to decide who she likes best. She gets to keep them all. Full of typical romance themes like emotional conflict, love, and jealousy, Why Choose also shines a light on alternative lifestyles and highlights the complexities and joys of loving multiple people at once.
Lesbian Steampunk Romance
Steampunk itself is an aesthetic and world-building style that utilizes the mechanical grime and oiled gears of steam-powered machines. It is a retro-futurist genre, usually heavily influenced by science fiction and elements of fantasy. Lesbian Steampunk Romance takes the vibes and atmosphere of the Steampunk genre and infuses it with storylines involving romance between two women. The rich and intricate settings allow for much creativity as characters exist in and interact with the complex mechanical world around them.
Back to School Horror
Back to School Horror is aimed at children who (as we can recall) know all too well the fear and anxiety of returning to the classroom after a summer of relaxation. Interestingly, these horror stories are actually often aimed to ease some of the stress of returning to school by hyperbolizing the problems students may face and thus making them feel more equipped to handle the real problems. After reading about how the protagonists fought off a substitute teacher who was actually a student-eating monster with a thousand teeth or saved their friends from the lockers who suddenly start sucking kids inside and closing the metal doors behind them, how bad can regular old school really be?
Nordic Noir
Often featuring an investigative plotline, Nordic Noir is a genre full of suspense, plot twists, and unexpected discoveries. Also, as the title suggests, the story always takes place in a Nordic nation. Naturally, these storylines are full of winter weather, remote villages, desolate roads, and rich atmospheric presence.
Smut Poetry
Erotic poetry has been around since the days of the archaic Greek Sappho and her lyrical homoerotic musings. Her name is where we get the word “sapphic” from! Similar to its older counterparts, Smut Poetry uses poetic forms with erotic themes to express lust, desire, pleasure, or tell a story about them all. As we know from the rise of modern poetic styles, many poets today write in free verse, but this is not essential to the genre. Some writers make excellent use of rhythm, meter, and rhyme to titillating effects.
Spicy Disney Retellings
Disney has done an excellent job throughout the decades of creating magical worlds, romantic storylines, and characters you want to root for. But, if you’re looking for all of that fairytale magic and sparkle with a little more rated-R content, Spicy Disney Retellings may be what you’re looking for. Notably, due to copyright laws, these are not official Disney retellings, but rather, retellings of the original fairy tales with some of the added whimsy that Disney is known for
Whether you’re into romance, science fiction, poetry, or a blend of all three, there’s sure to be a genre out there for you.
Check out Bookstr’s Crazy Book Genre highlights from 2024 here!
Click here to browse the Bookstr team’s favorite reads!
