What Is Romantasy?

Romantasy is fantasy where the love story matters as much as the plot. Take the romance out and the book doesn’t work anymore. That’s basically the whole definition, and it’s also why everyone argues about it.

The word is a mash-up of romance and fantasy. It’s been floating around for years, but it went mainstream around 2023, when Fourth Wing came out and BookTok spent about eighteen months talking about nothing else. Publishers noticed, bookstores built whole tables for it, and now it’s a shelf of its own.

The quick test

Ask two questions:

1. Is there a real fantasy world with real stakes? Magic, politics, a war, a curse. Something that isn’t just a backdrop.
2. Is the romance a main storyline, not a subplot? You’d be annoyed if the book ended without it resolving.

If both are yes, it’s romantasy. A Court of Thorns and Roses is the obvious example. So is From Blood and Ash, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, Quicksilver.

If only the first is yes, it’s fantasy with a romance in it. The Name of the Wind has a love interest, but no one calls it romantasy. If only the second is yes, it’s probably paranormal romance, where the magic is mostly set dressing for the relationship.

Romantasy vs. fantasy romance

Honestly? People use them interchangeably and you won’t get in trouble either way. If you want the nerdy distinction:

• Fantasy romance is a romance novel first. One couple, a guaranteed happy ending, and the fantasy plot exists to serve the relationship.
• Romantasy usually runs longer and wider. Multi-book series, bigger worlds, and the couple might not end up together until book three (or book five, if you’re reading Maas).

Romantasy vs. dark romance

Not the same thing, though they overlap. Dark romance is defined by tone: stalkers, captors, villains and stuff that would be a giant red flag in real life. Most of it is contemporary, with mafia bosses and college secret societies, not fae.

When a romantasy book leans hard into that tone, people call it dark romantasy. The Book of Azrael, When the Moon Hatched and King of Battle and Blood live there.

What about spice?

Spice is the sex. Romantasy runs the full range, from zero (The Cruel Prince, Powerless) to very explicit (Neon Gods, Quicksilver). That’s why we rate every book on our romantasy list for spice separately from darkness. A book can be a 1 on one and a 5 on the other, and those are completely different reading experiences.

The tropes you’ll run into

A handful of tropes show up constantly:

• Enemies to lovers: the backbone of the genre
• Fae: pointy ears, terrible bargains
• Morally gray love interests who have definitely killed people
• Fated mates: the universe decided, and they’re furious about it
• Dragons, mostly since Fourth Wing

Where to start

If you’ve never read any: A Court of Thorns and Roses. Not because it’s the best (the second book is better), but because half the genre is reacting to it, and you’ll get the references.

If you want something faster: Fourth Wing. If you want something meaner and smarter with no spice: The Cruel Prince.

Already read those? Try books like ACOTAR or books like Fourth Wing.