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Our Romantasy Primer for Genre Newbies (and Dedicated Fans)
Some say love is the most powerful thing in the world. Some say dragons. We say: Why not both?
Romantasy is the emerging consensus term for a certain style of hybrid novel that combines elements of both the fantasy and romance genres. As with all genre designations, the lines can get a little blurry. But there’s no doubt that, in the last few years, the romantasy aisle has been an increasingly buzzy one on Goodreads. One cool thing about that? Quite a lot of romantasy authors have gotten their start as independent and self-published authors, with grassroots support helping a number of them break out into the larger book world. What we're saying is: Nice work, readers.
For the romantasy newcomer—or for avid readers who've been following along since the Jacqueline Carey days and are looking for fresh new leads—we've assembled a primer on the current state of the field, presented below. Up top, we’ve gathered novels from four genre mainstay authors who have blazed their own trails into the realms of romantasy. These are essentially the most popular romantasy authors on Goodreads since the late 2010s, according to reader ratings, reviews, and Want to Read shelves.
After that, we’ve compiled a list of newly noteworthy novels that have explored and expanded the genre and exploded it in popularity in the last few years. Finally, we offer you the new and upcoming romantasies publishing in 2024 to help you stock your WTR shelf.
Click on the book cover images for more details about each title. If you find any promising leads, add them to your Want to Read shelf.
Genre Mainstays
These are the authors (and their most popular books) you've seen all over Goodreads for years!
Sarah J. Maas
For those who've encountered the acronym ACOTAR in the wild, those letters stand for A Court of Thorns and Roses, author Sarah J. Maas' megahit series featuring a steamy love story set in the realm of faerie. Maas is also the author of the Throne of Glass YA books and the Crescent City adult fantasy series.
Jennifer L. Armentrout
West Virginia author Jennifer L. Armentrout has earned a loyal romantasy readership with her Blood and Ash series and subsequent spinoffs. If you're wondering why so many romantasy book titles are some variation of A Blank of Blank and Blank, Armentrout's (and Maas') books might have something to do with it…
Scarlett St. Clair
With an eye to agency, inclusivity, and sex-positive storylines, author Scarlett St. Clair excavates the steamier bits of Greek mythology in her Hades x Persephone Saga. St. Clair's other series include the Adrian x Isolde books (sexy vampires!) and her Fairy Tale Retellings novellas.
Danielle L. Jensen
Prolific Canadian author Danielle L. Jensen specializes in seductive fantasy for adult readers (The Bridge Kingdom and Saga of the Unfated series) and YA readers (the Dark Shores and Malediction Trilogy series). For a sense of the relative spiciness of each series, check out Jensen’s helpful FAQ page. This year, her latest book has broken out in a big way, introducing her to a whole swath of new readers.
The Dragon Book That Could
Unless you've been living under a rock (have you? That's okay; a nice nap under a rock sounds good to us right now too), you've likely heard of the book that took the reading world by storm last year. Set at a battle college of dragonriders, Fourth Wing and its sequel Iron Flame have supercharged interest in the romantasy genre. Fans won't have to wait long for the next installment of the series, which publishes next January.
New Notables
Dedicated romantasy readers have been swapping recommendations for these titles in recent years, and with the success of Fourth Wing, many of these books are now finding a wider audience. As the saying goes: a rising tide lifts all ships.
Discover 2024's Romantasy Reads
Don't miss this year's new and upcoming standalone and series continuation romantasy titles!
Are you an avid romantasy fan or a relative genre newbie? Which romantasy titles do you recommend to your fellow readers? Drop them in the comments below!
Comments Showing 1-50 of 196 (196 new)
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Law
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Jul 29, 2024 02:28AM
I read four books on this list. Assistant to the Villain was okay. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were disappointing. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses. Can you recommend me a book to read from this list?
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Law wrote: "I read four books on this list. Assistant to the Villain was okay. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were disappointing. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses. Can you recommend me a book to read fro..."One Dark Window.
The Bridge Kingdom was also good too.
Law wrote: "I read four books on this list. Assistant to the Villain was okay. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were disappointing. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses. Can you recommend me a book to read fro..."I truly enjoyed The Bridge Kingdom series. It felt a lot like ACOTAR. Her other book, A Fate Inked in Blood, was amazing. I did enjoy A Deal with the Elf King too.
Gorgeous covers, and I love the titles (indeed, very "Blank of Blank and Blank"! but that kind of predates Armentrout and Maas), but none of them are on my to-read list.
Read most of these. There's still a few on this list to add to my tbr.
Claire wrote: "Not the copy and paste trope genre 😭"Ah, but it's a copy and paste trope genre. That's what a genre is, a cluster of tropes and recognisable stylistic directions.
I was hoping for some fresh new recommendations that'd differ from the typical Sarah J. Mass/Rebecca Yarros YA romantasy format, but alas. I'm sure some of the books here are better written, hidden gems, but there are just certain tropes super common in this genre that repulses my usual reading tastes (absolutely no shade to anybody who loves these books, different strokes for different folks and all). This is a genre I think has infinite potential for unique, diverse new worlds and I hope we see more of that and less loosely-veiled ACOTAR rip-offs.
Law wrote: "I read four books on this list. Assistant to the Villain was okay. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were disappointing. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses. Can you recommend me a book to read fro..."I agree, fourth wing is over hyped.
I would recommend The Hurricane Wars, haven't personally read it but i've seen snippets and it looks fab 💖
No thanks to all of it. WHERE ARE THE MM FANTASY RECOMMENDATIONS!
Law wrote: "I read four books on this list. Assistant to the Villain was okay. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were disappointing. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses. Can you recommend me a book to read fro..."I haven't read it yet, but I would recommend Filthy Rich Fae just based on having read Geneva Lee's Filthy Rich Vampire series. Loved it.
"We say: Why not both?"Because it seems like the moment those two clash, the editor gets thrown out the window as well.
Not every book needs to be 800 pages consisting of little more than tiktok tropes with a few words stuffed in between and then rushed to release in the hopes of being the new Fourth Wing!
It would be nice if the publishers would put as much care into the actual romantasy story as they do for the cover and sprayed edges.
Law wrote: "I read four books on this list. Assistant to the Villain was okay. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were disappointing. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses. Can you recommend me a book to read fro..."My boyfriend and I both LOVED Five Broken Blades and I'm in the middle of Heavenbreaker and enjoying it (although, not sure it's "Romantasy" as there's not a ton of romance)
Kirinna wrote: ""We say: Why not both?"Because it seems like the moment those two clash, the editor gets thrown out the window as well.
Not every book needs to be 800 pages consisting of little more than tiktok..."
or...you could stop relying on Goodreads to tell you which books to read and ignore the TikTok books instead of loudly complaining about books other people like? Are they harming you? Some people like long, silly nonsense. That's ok for them to read. LOTS of people love Ali Hazelwood and I hate her books. They're allowed to read what they like. There are PLENTY of good Romantasy books out there that get slept on if you look.
I have read a few (ACOTAR, Blood and Ash, both of the fourth wing books). Honestly, this genre is either the subplot of romance heavy on the world building, politics, etc... Another times its very romance heavy and thats the whole point. If this genre was to become a thing I feel it would have to even both sides and that is very hard. For example, TOG is full of the story, politics, and war. While ACOTAR is so romantically focused. Both are good in their own way.
Law wrote: "I read four books on this list. Assistant to the Villain was okay. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were disappointing. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses. Can you recommend me a book to read fro..."The Hurricane Wars! Arranged marriage between sworn enemies!
I recommend The Witch Collector book 1-3. One warning; this series is currently pauzed and Weaks is a master of cliffhangers 😱
Why is Cassandra Clare not on the list of genre mainstays, Goodreads? Major oversight there. She’s one of my favorites!
Also when is Sarah J. Maas going to finish the Court of Thorns and Roses series- it seems like she’s abandoning it for her Crescent City series…
Tiffany wrote: "Why is Cassandra Clare not on the list of genre mainstays, Goodreads? Major oversight there. She’s one of my favorites!"Agreed! It doesn't get much more Romantasy than the Infernal Devices.
I just finished A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen and LOVED it! I can’t wait for the sequel and I’m so happy to go read all the books in her backlist!Throne in the Dark is my favorite book this year and possibly my favorite romantasy series of all time. I wish I could get everyone to read it! It’s a completed 3 book series, with 2 spin-off stories (one releasing tomorrow) and it’s on Kindle Unlimited!
Here are some more beloved romantasy series I didn’t see on the list:
Paladin’s Grace
Half a Soul
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon
Graceling
Next up I want to read The Night Ends with Fire- I’ve heard great things.
[...] instead of loudly complaining about books other people like? Are they harming you? Some people like long, silly nonsense. That's ok for them to read. They're allowed to read what they like. Please calm down.
I have not talked about you personally. If I didn't come across clearly, I apologize, but I meant specifically recent releases in a genre that I've read and that I want to be as best as can be instead of rushed so publishers can make a quick buck. I didn't even mention a specific title, but you immediately thought this was about you. You went so far as to think I didn't want to allow people to like stuff.
Me being concerned about the quality of recent releases in a genre I like is not harming you either. Not to mention that I also like long silly nonsense, but that doesn't mean I can't criticize it.
I know it is sometimes difficult to remove yourself from a thing you like if you heavily identify with it, but in the end this is a book and I'm a person, so please try to take a step back next time instead of attacking me.
On topic: I loved The Cruel Prince and Divine Rivals a lot and would recommend them to any newcomers. I'm personally looking forward to The God and the Gumiho, looks like it's going to be a lovely Asian Romantasy read.
highly recommend Trial of the Sun Queen and its sequels 🤩😎
Nisha J. Tuli is one of my favorites at the moment, highly recommend anything she puts out. Especially the ‘Artifacts of Ouranos’ series since the last book of the series is releasing in November!
One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns were fantastic
LMFAOO I read somewhere that the new books try to build their plots around troupes instead of integrating them into their writing… couldn’t have said it better
I’ve only read on book in here. Trial of the Sun Queen. It was okay, I like romantasy books, but I prefer books when there is more fantasy over romance. I have a bunch of the books on this list that I want to read though, like The Hurricane Wars, A Fate Inked in Blood, and some other ones that I just added!! Can’t wait!
Glad to see Goodreads representing a popular genre but will the end year awards return to covering graphic novels, poetry this year after being removed in favour of romantasy?
I asked some of these books And can’t wait to read them and revisited some
Do any of these romantasy novels feature MM romance (besides The Emperor and the Endless Palace )?
Kathleen wrote: "No thanks to all of it. WHERE ARE THE MM FANTASY RECOMMENDATIONS!"Jessamyn Kingley’s D’vaire series
Macy Blake’s The Chosen One universe
Taylor Rylan’s Paranormal Council universe
Sheena Jolie’s The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series (she wrote as S J Himes until her recent divorce)
Richard Amos
Michele Notaro
Jocelynn Drake (not all fantasy)
Rhys Lawless
Stella Rainbow
Minerva Howe
Louisa Masters (more urban fantasy)
Tavia Lark
Zarina Aston
Nazri Noor
Vawn Cassidy
Freya Marske
v e schwab
Jordan L. Hawk’s Whyborne and Griffin and Rath and Rune series
K.D. Edwards
Kai Butler
Spark of the Everflame is amazing! And so are the other books of the Kindred Curse Saga 🥰🥰
When the Moon Hatched and One Dark Window are sooo good!
Chocolate cake haired minxes with silvery blue eyes, half-full orphan status and hope of all mankind stamp is a little hard to digest for me being a wrinkled 40+. Can you recommend something on this list for me? I enjoy lyric prose, strong protagonist, character depth, strong world building.
Me hitting the want to read button for every book I haven’t read yet
অচুপ্তা | acchupta wrote: "I was hoping for some fresh new recommendations that'd differ from the typical Sarah J. Mass/Rebecca Yarros YA romantasy format, but alas. I'm sure some of the books here are better written, hidden..."I found A Feather So Dark to be a bit of a breath of fresh air compared to other Romantasy I've tried (Fourth Wing, Hurricane Wars, etc.) It wasn't the greatest thing ever but it definitely felt like it was doing new things with the genre
Csiki wrote: "Chocolate cake haired minxes with silvery blue eyes, half-full orphan status and hope of all mankind stamp is a little hard to digest for me being a wrinkled 40+. Can you recommend something on thi..."You may enjoy The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy and The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen. Mercy (the FMC from the 1st book) is 30 and Twyla (the FMC from the 2nd book) is 53. I just finished book 2 and Twyla was like a breath of fresh air!
Any less spicy recs ✨? Enjoyed ACOTAR but I’m not huge into the spicy scenes!
You need to add author, Erin PT Canning. I read “The Aerytol Saga” and they are awesome!
Kirby wrote: "Csiki wrote: "Chocolate cake haired minxes with silvery blue eyes, half-full orphan status and hope of all mankind stamp is a little hard to digest for me being a wrinkled 40+. Can you recommend so..."Thanks, I will try them.
Law wrote: "I read four books on this list. Assistant to the Villain was okay. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were disappointing. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses. Can you recommend me a book to read fro..."Read “One dark window” and “When the moon Hatched”
No wonder i have read almost all of them. Some books really dont fit in and/or deserve the hype. But this is a great collection! I hope the ones still on my TBR from this list, actually live up to the hype instead of being repetitive and frustrating.
The games gods play and half king is not out yet, both I am looking forward to. Fourth wing was ok just a lot of plot holes the s@x scenes was random.
Read: Fourth Wing, A Court of Thornes and RosesReading: Iron Flame, A Court Of Mist And Fury, When The Moon Hatched
Yeah this is solid.
Law wrote: "I read four books on this list. Assistant to the Villain was okay. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were disappointing. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses. Can you recommend me a book to read fro..."The Serpent and the Wings of Night did not disappoint me
Kirby wrote: "I just finished A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen and LOVED it! I can’t wait for the sequel and I’m so happy to go read all the books in her backlist!Throne in the Dark ..."
I second the Throne in the Dark rec, my favourite romantasy book fs
Law wrote: "I read four books on this list. Assistant to the Villain was okay. Both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame were disappointing. I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses. Can you recommend me a book to read fro..."Serpent and the wings of night.
I don’t normally comment on things but YOU HAVE TO READ THE HADES SAGA if you’re going to read Scarlett St. Clair’s Hades X Persephone Series. The two series are interconnected and a lot will not make sense in A Touch Of Chaos if you do not. That being said HIGHLY RECOMMEND. I love these books so much! And you get to read Spicy Scenes from both POVs while reading both series.
