Ace Week, originally called Asexual Awareness Week, was founded by Sara Beth Brooks in 2010 after she discovered her own asexuality. Initial campaigns ran through social media platforms, but in 2011, Brooks organized a committee to overhaul the approach and target mass media, educational organizations, medical professionals, and sex-positive communities. Now going into its 12th year, the event maintains the same general outreach strategy while allowing each year to have its own “flavor.” To celebrate its longevity, explore these books featuring asexual characters in every genre.
Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt
Pitched as Netflix’s Love is Blind meets Casey McQuiston’s Red, White and Royal Blue, the book follows Wren Martin, the asexual student council president, whose first order of business is to abolish the annual Valentine’s Day Dance. But after his rival, VP Leo Reyes, recommends securing a sponsorship from Buddy, the “not a dating” app, to address his budget problems, Wren explores the complexities of falling in love as he begins to develop feelings for one of the app’s mysterious users.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
This book may contain triggering material. CW/TW can be found here.
For fans of Lewis Carroll, C.S. Lewis, and Philip Pullman. Some children fall down rabbit holes. Others slip through a crack in a wardrobe. Most are sent back to their regular worlds. And all end up at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children to recuperate. Nancy is one such child, who longs to return to the magical world that rejected her. But for now, she develops friendships with the other misfits and adapts to life at this peculiar house. It’s almost cozy…
If you just ignore the smattering of murders that have been targeting the children.
Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection, edited by Madeline Dyer
In a mash-up of sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary stories, this anthology highlights the diversity of the asexual community and its members. From surviving haunted cemeteries to space adventures to lessons in outsmarting a water spirit, the sub-identities of the spectrum are each given their chance to shine in 14 unique stories.
Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland
Note: This book may contain triggering material for some readers. CW/TW can be found here.
Kamai and her mother are Soulwalkers—able to visit others in their sleep. But everywhere Kamai goes, the enticing black door follows. Her mother warned her not to open the door, so instead she touches the harmless wood, finding it warm and beating—with a pulse. But when tragedy strikes, opening the door is the only option. An intoxicating blend of court intrigue, romance, and a seductive mystery threatens Kamai’s soul and kingdom. Perfect for fans of Labyrinth and the Phantom of the Opera.
Every Bird A Prince by Jenn Reese
Seventh grader Eren Evers only feels like herself when she’s on her bike. While her friends navigate crushes, Eren races on the muddy trails with the wind in her face. But when she rescues a strange bird on her daily ride, she discovers a forest kingdom under attack by the vile Frostfangs — and they need Eren’s help. Of course, this is a tremendous task for a middle grader, so the birds enlist one of Eren’s classmates to help, forcing her separate worlds to collide. But when it becomes clear that the Frostfangs are hunting in the mortal world, Eren will be forced to embrace her innermost truths, no matter the cost.
Wander the Night by Sydney Cobb
Pitched as V. E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic meets Rory Power’s In a Garden Burning Gold, the novel follows Robin Goodfellow, a servant in the Green Court of Faerie, where magical deceit and fickle monarchs reign forever. But when it’s discovered that the heir to the throne is none other than the boy Robin helped raise, he must reveal his true identity and rebel against everything he’s ever known in this epic fantasy inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
Felicity Montague is back and ready for a quiet, respectable future as a medical student. There’s just one tiny problem: no medical school will accept her because she’s a woman in eighteenth-century Britain. When an opportunity arises to attend a groundbreaking medical lecture in Heidelberg, she jumps at the chance—only to find herself hijacked by her former best friend Johanna, a passionate young woman with secrets of her own, and a runaway bride named Sim. Joined together on a chaotic, continent-spanning journey, Felicity navigates the realities of being an asexual protagonist in a world obsessed with romance, all while dodging pirates, sea dragons, and thieves.
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
Alice Johnston is done with romance. After her girlfriend breaks up with her over a lack of sexual interest, Alice is ready to focus on her summer goals: keeping her cool, binge-watching her favorite shows, and working at her dream library job. But her plans are thoroughly derailed when she meets Takumi, a charming new coworker who is impossible to ignore. As their friendship turns into something more, Alice has to confront her identity as a biromantic asexual and figure out if she can risk her heart again without losing who she is.
Aces Wild by Amanda DeWitt
What happens in Vegas when an all-asexual online friend group attempts to execute a high-stakes casino heist? Shenanigans of the highest order. Jack Shannon runs a secret underground blackjack ring out of his private school basement, but his life turns upside down when his mother is arrested for mob ties. Convinced his family was framed by a rival casino mogul, Jack recruits his trusted internet friends—members of an asexual support group—to break into a secure club, save his mother, and navigate the complexities of love and trust along the way.
The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells
In a corporate-dominated sci-fi future, a self-hacking Security Unit—dubbed “Murderbot” by its own hacked control module—just wants to be left alone to binge-watch soap operas in peace. Instead, it keeps getting saddled with fragile human clients who insist on getting into life-or-death danger. Emotionally awkward, profoundly introverted, and thoroughly uninterested in human romance or sexuality, this snarky, action-loving cyborg navigates a dangerous galaxy while redefining what it means to find family and agency on its own terms.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Set in an alternate America where magic is a normal part of everyday life, seventeen-year-old Elatsoe (Ellie) can raise the ghosts of animals—most happily manifested as her spirited pet ghost dog, Kirby. But when her beloved cousin Trevor is brutally murdered, Ellie’s world shatters. With nothing more than her wits, her knack for uncovering local history, and her ghostly companion, Ellie travels to a sinister, eerie town to unmask a terrifying conspiracy, leaning into her Lipan Apache heritage and her steadfast, aromantic-asexual identity as she brings a killer to justice.
Vicious by V. E. Schwab
Victor and Eli started out as brilliant, ambitious college roommates who shared a cynical fascination with near-death experiences—an obsession that unlocked extraordinary, supernatural abilities known as ExtraOrdinary traits. Ten years later, Victor has broken out of prison, determined to hunt down his former best friend, now bitter enemy, with a brilliant supporting cast and a fierce intellect. Dark, gritty, and morally complex, this gripping tale explores power, ambition, and the deep bonds of chosen family through characters unburdened by conventional romantic distractions.
The Dragon of Ynys by Minerva Cerridwen
Sir Gareth is not your typical knight. He’d much rather bake pastries, tend to his garden, and drink tea than engage in swashbuckling heroics or courtly romance. But when a local dragon starts causing a ruckus in the quiet, queer-normative land of Ynys, Gareth is reluctantly sent on a quest to investigate. Along the way, he uncovers a gentle, slow-burn mystery, redefines what it means to be a hero, and discovers that happily-ever-afters don’t always require a traditional romance.
King of the Rising by Kacen Callender
Set in a brutal, Caribbean-inspired fantasy world where the oppressed Oprens suffer under the tyrannical rule of the born-to-rule Blassan villains, the story follows Lupus broker and former slave Rayden Vask. As the mastermind behind a growing, high-stakes rebellion, Rayden must navigate treacherous political betrayals, deadly warfare, and the heavy psychological toll of leading a revolution. Amidst blood, sacrifice, and the fight for freedom, Rayden’s journey highlights a powerful, unapologetic asexual protagonist whose heart belongs entirely to his people and their liberation.
Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor
In a gleaming, cyberpunk-inspired world where magic has been outlawed and replaced by technology, three diverse teens find their fates dangerously intertwined. Natalia is a smuggler hiding a forbidden, magical clockwork heart; Colin is a devoted soldier fighting for a corrupt regime; and Wren is an inventor caught in the crossfire. As they fight against a society that demands absolute conformity—and grapple with chronic illness, neurodivergence, and a-spec identities—they discover that true strength lies in dismantling the system together.
These books help to tell the story of asexuality and what it means to be asexual. While several sub-identities have yet to find their place in the book market, continued support from readers worldwide helps ensure that books not yet written reach those who need them most.
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