Romantasy is the latest book genre people have been gripped by, leading to entire sections of bookstores being created in order to satiate the craze. Shelves are filled with books detailing adventures, dragons, warriors, fae and most importantly love (and lust).
The magical mixture between romance and fantasy has become widely talked about in the last few years, showing that steamy romance and strong female protagonists are what readers want to read. With the addition of #BookTok, romantasy has gone from a small genre to complete mainstream, garnering notoriety across the world.
While the popularity of romantasy may be new, the roots of romantasy come from books published years prior, such as Jacqueline Carey’s “Kushiel’s Dart” and Karen Marie Moning’s “Fever” series, which created the modern blend that readers love—a mixture of magic and romance.
Authors popularized from the rise of romantasy include Sarah J. Maas, with her “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series and her “Throne of Glass” series, and author Rebecca Yarros with her “Fourth Wing” series, which was on the New York Best Sellers list for 78 weeks in a row. Yarros has recently published the third installment “Onyx Storm.”
There is something about genres where magic exists, where worlds can be saved and where love creates connections that are thrilling and complicated. Romantasy novels tend to highlight strong and independent women who follow their morals to the extremes while also juggling interpersonal relationships (ie: that steamy romance everyone loves watching unfold).
The combination of the high stakes reality for the heroines and their romantic relationships makes each page compelling, where you can never guess what exactly will be coming next. Love is not something that falls under the subplot of a romantasy novel; it is the force that drives the action of the novel by intensifying relationship dynamics and plot, which elevates the story.
Romantasy leaves readers interested. Much like the fantasy genre, there is intense world-building and creation that leaves readers enthralled by the settings of the books. It is incredibly important to build a highly detailed world containing a highly detailed society that follows its own rules and regulations. The worlds tend to showcase powerful otherworldly creatures or forces that make it feel whimsical, dark and salvageable via the protagonist’s hands.
Romantasy conjures a wide range of readers and contains diverse representations of characters. The inclusive elements of romantasy add richness to the genre and provide an escape from the world we live in.
Romantasy is about the empowerment of women. Fantasy as a genre tends to lack strong female leads and sidelines their stories mostly whittling them down to only love, whereas in romantasy, the female lead has her own agency and her decisions matter to move the plot forward. These women are powerful and vulnerable, following quests and facing challenges while falling in love with partners that are equally strong-willed.
In 2024, romantasy sales soared comparatively by over 40%, mostly driven by viral book reviews and recommendations found on social media, especially through #BookTok. Authors like Maas and Yarros continue to dominate the genre. Romatasy will most likely continue to expand creating more twists in the genre and what it encapsulates. Whether you’re reading for the dragons, fae, evil forces or lustful scenes, there’s a romantasy book for each reader. There are talks of some popular romantasy series being transferred to film and TV.
Romantasy is a genre perfect for those looking to escape this world and enter one where love and magic collide. With the genre’s character development, intense world-building and romance, every reader can find a page to enjoy.
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