Hi! Welcome back to my site. More importantly, welcome to my BL library. I am your BL librarian.
Today, to ring in the new year, we will be going through my library’s archives and finding all of my favorite BL reads over the past year, 2024. These are what I have read and reviewed over the year, not what came out that year. I’ve split it between the various forms of BL, such as manhwa, manga, novels, and others when applicable, and I’ve linked them below so you can navigate to your preferred format:
One last thing: throughout this post, I have linked each entry with the full review, so if you want more information, you can check those out. With all that being said, let’s get started.
Manhwa
Muhyeok and Naui: My Irresistible Neighbor by Gimmgim
This one came in just barely at the end of the year, and I am so glad it did. It’s your classic neighbors trope with hate-to-love trope, plus it has one of the sexiest tops and my favorite kind of tsundere. It has so much to love.
Full Volume by Albert
If you’re looking for the beefiest of bottoms, look no further. This title is packed full of some of the best BDSM there is. There are plentiful smut scenes and enough humor to keep you cackling for hours. This is a must-read.
Blind Play by YD
Horror and gore are on the rarer side of BL, so this already has a lot going for it on those fronts, but then we have the clever cat-and-mouse game between our main characters. This is the ultimate gambit of life and death, hate and love, and a multitude of many other contradictions.
The Housekeeper’s Load by kang pu con
While the first half of this series isn’t my favorite, that second couple is chef’s kiss. It has some of the most beautiful art out there, with some of my favorite characters from all of manhwa. This whole series is worth reading for that second couple alone.
Banana Scandal by Dolsha
This goes from a straightforward college roommate romance into a deep dive into trauma. There are two couples, and both are amazing in their own ways. The first has most of the lovey-dovey sweetness, while the second couple is all about trauma, pain, and character growth. If you haven’t read this yet, you need to do so as soon as possible.
Unromantic Romance by Jeong Seokchan
This is truly omegaverse excellence. Not only does this variation have the unique setup of omegas being the higher class citizens, but this also has some of my favorite aspects of classic omegaverse like mpreg. Admittedly, this creator is my favorite manhwa creator of all time, so this would be on my favorite list whether it was omegaverse or not, but because it is omegaverse, it makes it a favorite among favorites.
Bongchon Bride by Gaepi
This historical BL is delectable. I didn’t think it would be as good as it was, so this was a wonderful surprise. Our big, burly top is precious, and our bottom is strong and resilient. They are made to be together, and despite all the horrors and trouble they’re forced to face, they find the happiness they deserve. It’s a surprisingly uplifting story for how much drama there is.
Bye Bye by SORIM
Would it be my list if more omegaverse wasn’t on here? This omegaverse is full of miscommunication, pain, anguish, and some of the most powerful resilience there is. It isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s one of those stories that really lingers with you, and I would be doing it a disservice if it wasn’t on my favorites list.
Manga
Zhenniao by Yayohi Monzen
Poisonous birdmen. Enough said. This is such a unique story, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to experience it. It’s historical, with fantastical elements and a painful story of loss that leads to a breathtaking ending. Add on a really shocking extra story, and this makes for an amazing BL morsel.
Link and Ring by Tsuyuki Yuruco
What starts as a college romance leads to an ongoing relationship with immense character growth. I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did, but it ended up as an insta-favorite. It’s so fluffy and sweet, I can’t recommend it enough.
MADK by Ryo Suzuri
This is not a romance. It’s really more of a thrilling, gory, political intrigue art piece with smatterings of smut and obsession sprinkled throughout. This is as gorgeous as it is horrific, and the chess-like battle between our main characters is everything.
Secret XXX by Meguru Hinohara
This is the start of one of my favorite universes of all time. The art is so clean and expressive, and the characters are impossible not to love. If you love rabbits and cute lovey-dovey men, what’s not to love here?
Therapy Game by Meguru Hinohara
This is the follow-up series to Secret XXX. This series delves so much deeper into the characters and, in turn, the world. It’s very closely related to the first since this features the respective brothers of each character in the original couple. We get to see just how our loveable main characters became the people they are, and then we get to see how that affects their ability to love. It’s a compelling series.
A Dominating Prince and His Naughty Habits by Owal
I’m a big fan of Owal. I wouldn’t say all of their titles are winners, but they all have something to enjoy. This one, however, is near perfection as far as I’m concerned. It’s dirty and cruel, and I love it for all that it is. This is a top-turned-bottom story, making it all the more delicious.
Hotaru Dies Tomorrow by Fuyu Saikawa
This is one of those stories that is so unique that I hate that I hadn’t thought of it myself. The desperation, delusion, and obsession are thrilling. Trying to figure out how this relationship, built on the impersonation of a book character, will end is such a good time, and I encourage you to see it for yourself.
My Pudgy Co-worker Is a Snack by Haikin
Fat top? Say no more. I love that we have a fat top who is loved and deemed attractive. I wish we had more because this is such a killer single volume. A full series would be amazing, but I’ll take what I can get. I recommend it.
Comics
Lucifer’s Garden by HamletMachine
This is magnificent. It explores so many variations of pleasure and relationships. The religious iconography, paired with gratuitous lust, makes for wonderful dissonance. It’s a story of few words, but it’s all the more powerful for it.
Conclusion
And those are all of my favorites from the 2024 year. Have you read any of these? Are any of them on your favorite list? Let me know, and comment below.
Otherwise, I’ll catch you next time. Bye!