Love has always been the ink that stains the pages of history and literature alike. From myths to modern retellings, from whispered sonnets to bloodstained tragedies—love is the story. It is the reason we write, the reason we remember, the reason we rebel. And during Pride Month, we celebrate the many forms that love takes—across time, across gender, across the boundaries of what was once forbidden.
Most of the time, we forget that life is meant to be an experience. We were not born to fully understand it through the prism of logic—no matter how hard we try. We are here to feel it, to perceive it on deeper levels than just the tangible or the visible.
And for that very reason, love cannot be reduced to a single universal experience. Love is the recognition of a soul—there’s no reason behind it, only the melody of two hearts finding resonance in one another. Just like the characters in the stories I’m about to share with you—books where the pride of loving freely meets the shadowed beauty of Dark Academia.
“Lucy Undying”
A sapphic retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this is a story of becoming—and rediscovering oneself—through pain, love, and sacrifice.
It explores love as a timeless force, challenged not only by the outer world but also by the inner monsters we carry, and the mind games people play either to manipulate or to shield themselves from feeling too deeply.
“If We Were Villains”
Dark Academia at its finest, infused with the tragic depth of Shakespearean love.
A story of fragile hearts and possessive love, where the desire to protect—or control—can twist us into the worst versions of ourselves. A tale where friendship can blur into obsession, and the line between love and ruin grows hauntingly thin.
“A Dark and Drowning Tide”
When waters run deep and dangerous, even sworn enemies must come together to solve the mystery behind their mentor’s murder.
A story soaked in Gothic undertones and rich with German folklore, this sapphic academic romance blends darkness, intellect, and desire under the weight of a legacy that might be deadly.
“The Song of Achilles”
This book owns a part of my soul—the myth of love engraved in fire and carried through time.
It’s a tender retelling of the Trojan War through the eyes of Patroclus, the beloved companion of Achilles. A story of devotion, fate, and the kind of love that defies death itself.
“A Treachery of Swans”
Expected to be released on June 24th, this is a sapphic retelling of Swan Lake brimming with magic, deception, and emotional tension.
Odile must choose between duty and desire, as her heart begins to belong to Marie d’Odette—and the fate of the entire kingdom hangs on that very choice.
Love—especially in literature—is rarely simple. It’s transformative, destructive, redemptive, and free. This month, as we honour pride in all its forms, I invite you to dive into stories where love doesn’t always follow the rules, but it always leaves its mark.
Because no matter the setting—whether it’s a cursed castle, a crumbling stage, or the shadows of academia—love remains the thread that ties our humanity together.
Celebrate the stories that let every kind of love take the page.
With love,
A.
ADRIANNA DAGMARA 
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