Welcome to my small corner where the romances are questionable and the list of books we need to read grow ever longer.
Today I will be covering the elements of what Romantasy is and giving some of my personal recommendations of where to begin in the genre.
What is Romantasy?
Romantasy, in simple terms, is a book that has a mixture of both fantastical elements and a romance plotline that has an effect on the story. This is a “new” genre of books that has been emerging in popularity on social media, and many publishing houses and authors have been capitalizing on it. These include both adult and YA romantasy. Adult books usually have more graphic scenes, while YA, which stands for young adult, is written for a younger audience (ages 13-18).
However, what exactly is deemed a “romantasy”? This is harder to define because books that are fantasy and also have romance subplots have been around a lot longer than just recently. Now, these books are also being put under the umbrella term of “romantasy”.
I will do my best to include the most popular in my recommendations for new readers, as these have been “verified” romantasy as deemed by the community.
I am not going to give recommendations based on trope or the amount of spice in this post because, if you are starting out, it is likely you don’t know what tropes you like or how much spice you might want to read. I know I didn’t. But let me quickly explain what I mean by this.
Spice in books essentially means smut scenes. I won’t go too much into detail because spicy books are not really what I enjoy reading; however, usually adult romantasy has scenes. While ya romantasy usually has closed-door spice, which essentially means what happens is implied and not on the page.
Tropes are anything in literature that repeats over and over again. Some examples are “the chosen one” and “enemies to lovers”.
So, instead, I am going to break down my recommendations by the amount of fantasy versus romance plotlines without getting into too much detail about all the subgenres of fantasy because, at times, there is some overlap. Also, just to clarify, in this post I am only recommending books I have read!
These are just a starting point, and it does not mean new readers are going to find a five-star book immediately.
The truth is, it takes time and experimenting to figure out what books work the best for you. It took me about a year.
New readers: Recommendations of where to start!
I recommend that new readers start with romantasy that has fewer fantastical elements and lots of romance. Especially if you are a romance reader looking to get into romantasy.
Some good books for this would be:
1. Assistant to the Villain
This is a funny laugh out loud slow burn adult romance. This story follows a young woman who literally becomes the assistant to the villain. The two begin to fall for one another but can never quite get it right.
The romance is agonizing, but I still had a fun time. The worldbuilding is also very easy to understand. This series is currently unfinished and has only four books out as of this posting.
2. Caraval/Once Upon a Broken Heart
These are two completed interconnected YA trilogies. I recommend reading Caraval before Once Upon a Broken Heart just because of spoilers for the series. However, you don’t have to do that.
Caraval follows a girl named Scarlet whose sister goes missing and has been kidnapped by the leader of a circus group called Caraval. The story is very twisty, and the romance is very cute. The worldbuilding relies mostly on the abstract idea of magic and the game of Caraval itself.
You can never trust any men in Stephanie Garber books!
Once Upon a Broken Heart takes place in the same world and follows different characters. I much prefer the romance in these books and the story feels very much like a fairy tale.
3. Belladonna
Belladonna is a completed YA trilogy that follows a girl who can see ghosts and falls in love with death. Yes, death is a real person in this story! The story is gothic and perfect for a fall time read.
Balance of Romance/ Fantasy
I would also recommend starting with books that have 50% romance and 50% fantasy. These have a balance between the romance and fantasy elements without the fantastical elements being too overwhelming.
Some good books for this would be:
- Divine Rivals
This is a completed YA duology. Lovely romance involving war and gods! - A Court of Thorns and Roses
This is an incomplete adult series with five books out. Very popular! - Lightlark
This is an incomplete YA series with four books out. Fun and fast-paced with games and trials! Also, a love triangle. - Kingdom of the Wicked
This is a completed YA trilogy. Enemies-to-lovers involving witches and the circles of hell. - Defy the Night
This is a completed YA trilogy. This one has healer and prince vibes! Also, it has pirates.
For all readers: Some great content creators who cover romantasy
- Cari can read
She covers a mix of all genres, and her content is engaging. She will do monthly wrap-ups, and I really enjoy her spoiler-free reviews. - Jamie Fok
She reads mostly fantasy but has recently been branching out more. Her content is very structured and organized. She does monthly tbr’s (to-be-read) and wrap-ups. As well as vlogs covering her current reads. - JustAli
She reads a good mixture of fantasy and romance. Her videos are very cozy and relaxing to watch. Good to put on in the background while you’re doing something else! I love watching all the unique book challenges she does.
I hope you get something out of this post!
My next post will be talking about the overall top 5 best romantasy books according to me.
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