The Best Romantasy Books
Romantasy is where most people end up after ACOTAR. Fae courts, dragon riders, bargains made at midnight, and a love interest who is almost certainly lying about something. This list is the stuff we'd actually hand a friend, roughly in the order we'd hand it over, whether you call it romantasy or fantasy romance.
Every book has two ratings. Spice is how much is on the page, from none to "close the curtains." Darkness is everything else: violence, cruelty and how much the book hurts. A 1-spice, 4-dark book and a 4-spice, 1-dark book are very different reads, and Goodreads won't tell you which is which.
Last updated
The list
Series appear once, at book one. Spice and darkness are rated 0 to 5.
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1. A Court of Thorns and Roses
Beauty and the Beast with fae and a lot more blood. The first half is slow and the second half under the mountain is why everyone kept going. Book two is where it gets good, honestly.
- Fae
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Curses
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Torture, Murder, Dubious or non-consent
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2. Fourth Wing
Violet is fragile and was supposed to be a scribe. Instead she's at a war college where cadets push each other off parapets and the dragons pick who lives. Fast, bingeable and meaner than the cover suggests.
- Dragons
- Academies and War Colleges
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, War, Death of a loved one
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3. From Blood and Ash
Poppy is the Maiden, veiled and untouchable, and her new guard Hawke is far too interested in her. Very talky, very horny, and the twist lands if you don't see it coming.
- Vampires
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping
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4. The Cruel Prince
A mortal girl raised in Faerie after the man who murdered her parents adopted her. Jude wants power, Cardan wants her gone, and nobody in this court is nice. No spice, all knives.
- Fae
- Enemies to Lovers
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
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5. The Serpent and the Wings of Night
A human girl raised by the vampire king enters a deadly tournament where the prize is a goddess's favor. Hunger Games energy, gorgeous writing and a rival who's very hard not to like.
- Vampires
- Deadly Trials
- Enemies to Lovers
- Gods and Mythology
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
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6. Quicksilver
Saeris is a thief who touches the wrong thing and gets hauled into the fae realm by a very rude fae warrior. Long, crude in a fun way and properly spicy once it gets there.
- Fae
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Murder
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7. Throne of Glass
An assassin dragged out of a salt mine to compete for the king's favor. Book one reads young. Stick with it, because by book four it's a full-blown fae war epic.
- Assassins
- Deadly Trials
- Love Triangle
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
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8. A Broken Blade
Keera is the King's Blade, a half-fae spy who drinks to forget what she's done for a human king. Hunting a rebel called the Shadow drags her back toward the fae lands she abandoned. Indigenous-inspired and slower than the hype. Readers rate the first two books highest.
- Assassins
- Fae
- Court Intrigue
- Enemies to Lovers
Content warnings
Self-harm, Suicide or suicidal thoughts, Drug or alcohol abuse, Murder, Sexual assault
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9. A Court This Cruel and Lovely
Prisca has hidden her magic her whole life. Then a fae prince turns up who needs exactly that, with a curse sitting in the middle of it. Clear ACOTAR comp and a fine one to read next.
- Fae
- Enemies to Lovers
- Deals and Bargains
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
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10. A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Harper, a girl from DC with cerebral palsy, gets snatched into Prince Rhen's cursed kingdom, where every autumn ends with him turning into a monster. The quiet guard commander Grey steals the whole book. Clean YA, more about duty than kissing.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Curses
- Forced Proximity
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Death of a loved one
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11. A Cursed Kiss
Keelynn's sister died from a Gancanagh's cursed kiss, so she teams up with a witch and the half-fae Tadhg to bring her back. Irish folklore all the way down. There's a lot of miscommunication, but Tadhg carries it.
- Fae
- Curses
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Murder, Graphic violence
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12. A Dawn of Onyx
A healer gets caught fleeing her village and ends up working in the enemy king's castle, and yes, the brooding commander is more than he looks. If you've read ACOTAR, you'll know exactly where this is going, and that's sort of the point.
- Captor and Captive
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence
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13. A Deal with the Elf King
A village healer gets claimed as the elf king's bride. Softer than most on this site, but it's a full fae-bargain story in one book.
- Fae
- Arranged Marriage
- Deals and Bargains
- Curses
Content warnings
Death of a loved one
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14. A Discovery of Witches
Diana is an Oxford historian and reluctant witch who calls up a bewitched manuscript at the Bodleian, and suddenly every creature in town is watching her, including the very old vampire Matthew Clairmont. Lots of wine, research and yoga. Slow, and people love it anyway.
- Witches
- Vampires
- Forbidden Love
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Stalking
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15. A Fate Inked in Blood
Viking romantasy. Freya is a shield maiden with a prophecy on her head and a jarl's son who is very much not her husband. Feels like Vikings meets a political chess game.
- Gods and Mythology
- Slow Burn
- Forbidden Love
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
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16. A Feather So Black
Fern is a changeling who never fit at the human court that raised her, and the Otherworld is calling her back. Built on Irish myth with a love story that should not happen. Gorgeous prose, and a pace you have to be in the mood for.
- Fae
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
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17. A Promise of Fire
Cat is a soothsayer hiding in a traveling circus until Griffin, a warlord, figures out what she can do and carries her off. The Greek gods meddle constantly. Banter-heavy and steamy, and Griffin is an alpha who actually listens.
- Gods and Mythology
- Captor and Captive
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
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18. A River Enchanted
Jack Tamerlaine comes home to the isle of Cadence after ten years away to help find missing girls, called back by the heiress who used to torment him. The island's spirits of wind, water and earth are the Fair Folk in all but name. Quiet and atmospheric.
- Slow Burn
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fae
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Death of a loved one
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19. A Shadow in the Ember
Sera was raised to seduce and kill the Primal of Death, who was promised her as a bride and then never came to collect. When Nyktos finally shows up, the plan gets messy fast. Long and repetitive in the middle, and a prequel world for Blood and Ash readers.
- Gods and Mythology
- Arranged Marriage
- Assassins
- Enemies to Lovers
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse, Murder
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20. A Tempest of Tea
Arthie runs a tearoom by day and a blood bar for vampires by night, and saving it means pulling off a heist with a crew of misfits. Her history with Jin simmers in the background. Ornate prose and a slow first act.
- Vampires
- Found Family
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
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21. A Touch of Darkness
Persephone bets with the god of the dead and loses. Hades and Persephone in modern day, with all the jealousy that comes with it. A comfort read for a lot of fans.
- Gods and Mythology
- Deals and Bargains
- Possessive Hero
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
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22. A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
Mariel botches a spell and summons Ozroth, a grumpy demon who's stuck with her until she agrees to a bargain. She refuses. So they fake date to annoy her mother instead. Small-town cozy fantasy with much more open-door heat than the cover lets on.
- Demons
- Witches
- Deals and Bargains
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse
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23. An Enchantment of Ravens
Isobel paints portraits for fae patrons who pay in enchantments. She paints human sorrow into the eyes of Rook, the autumn prince, and he hauls her off to stand trial for it. Short and pretty, a little thin on romance, but the fae are genuinely uncanny.
- Fae
- Forbidden Love
- Forced Proximity
- Curses
Content warnings
Graphic violence
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24. An Heir Comes to Rise
Faythe is a human in a fae-ruled kingdom hiding the fact that she can slip inside other people's minds. Once the wrong king finds out, she's a weapon whether she likes it or not. It starts YA-ish and slow, and fans swear the series improves a lot from book two.
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Fated Mates
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
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25. Ash
Cinderella with a fairy named Sidhean who wants to take Ash away forever, and the King's Huntress Kaisa, who teaches her to love the woods again. A quiet, lyrical sapphic retelling where the fae are cold and the human is warm.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Fae
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
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26. Assistant to the Villain
Evie needs a job, and the Villain needs an assistant who won't flinch at heads on spikes. It started as the author's TikTok skits and reads like it: an office comedy that's goofy, cozy and not remotely dark despite the title.
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Slow Burn
- Forbidden Love
- Found Family
Content warnings
Graphic violence
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27. Belladonna
Signa can't die, which is how she ends up orphaned at a gloomy Victorian estate where a ghost wants her to solve her own poisoning. Her love interest is Death himself, mostly in shadow form. Cozy-spooky and very October.
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
- Gods and Mythology
Content warnings
Murder, Death of a loved one
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28. Blood of Hercules
Alexis Hert takes a blood test and lands in a Spartan war academy built inside a Coliseum, where her mentors are gladiators Achilles and Patro and her professors are heirs to the underworld. Everyone is cruel to her. Unhinged, funny in a bleak way, and much meaner than the cover.
- Gods and Mythology
- Why Choose
- Academies and War Colleges
- Deadly Trials
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse, Self-harm, Death of a loved one
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29. Bonded by Thorns
Beauty and the Beast, except there are four fae beasts and nobody has to choose. Cozier than most here, but steamy.
- Fae
- Why Choose
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Curses
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
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30. Bride
A vampire is married off to the Alpha of the werewolves as a peace treaty. Hazelwood's banter in a monster romance. Lighter on the dark, heavy on the yearning.
- Arranged Marriage
- Vampires
- Fated Mates
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
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31. Bride of the Shadow King
The shunned princess nobody notices gets picked as the Shadow King's bride instead of her golden sister, and goes off to a fae kingdom that may not want her either. More yearning than heat, and very soft-hearted for a book with this title.
- Fae
- Arranged Marriage
- Slow Burn
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, War
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32. Caraval
Scarlett finally gets her invitation to Caraval, a magical week-long game, and her sister vanishes the night they arrive. Julian the sailor is her very unreliable partner. Dreamy and purple, and you won't know what's real, which is either the point or the problem.
- Deadly Trials
- Deals and Bargains
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping
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33. City of Bones
Clary watches three teenagers kill something in a New York club that nobody else can see, and that's her introduction to the Shadowhunters, Jace in particular. Snarky and very 2007, and the book's infamous twist fueled a decade of forum fights.
- Demons
- Love Triangle
- Forbidden Love
- Found Family
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Kidnapping
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34. Clockwork Angel
Tessa sails to Victorian London to find her brother and gets taken by the Dark Sisters, who force her to learn she can shapeshift. The London Institute's Shadowhunters pull her out, and Will and Jem become the love triangle Clare fans cry about most.
- Demons
- Love Triangle
- Found Family
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Death of a loved one, Graphic violence, Drug or alcohol abuse
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35. Court of Ruins
Reyna Darragh would rather swing a sword than smile at court, but a political marriage could end the war faster than her blade ever will. A short, steamy KU fae romance that doesn't waste your time.
- Fae
- Arranged Marriage
- Enemies to Lovers
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, War
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36. Crave
After her parents die, Grace moves to her uncle's boarding school in Alaska, which is full of vampires, witches and dragons. Jaxon is the brooding one. Long and very Twilight, and the guy most fans actually ship doesn't show up properly until book two.
- Vampires
- Academies and War Colleges
- Forbidden Love
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Murder, Kidnapping
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37. Curse of the Wolf King
Beauty and the Beast with a bookworm who'd rather be a spy. Gemma Bellefleur needs King Elliot's curse broken so she can buy her freedom, and he needs someone to fall for him before it kills him. Funny, cozy, a good palate cleanser between dark reads.
- Fae
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Curses
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Graphic violence
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38. Darkfever
Mac goes to Dublin to find out who killed her sister and finds out she can see the fae. They're nothing like the stories. The romance with Barrons takes several books and gets very dark. This was dark fae before dark fae was a shelf.
- Fae
- Morally Gray
- Slow Burn
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
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39. Daughter of No Worlds
A former slave with a talent for magic gets recruited into an order of warriors. Broadbent before Nyaxia, and the slow burn here is properly slow.
- Slow Burn
- Forbidden Love
- Found Family
- Deadly Trials
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence, War
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40. Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Karou is a blue-haired art student in Prague whose foster father is a monster, literally, and whose errands go through doors that open anywhere. Then an angel shows up and the doors start burning. The back half turns into a long flashback, and that's where the heartbreak is.
- Forbidden Love
- Demons
- Found Family
Content warnings
War, Genocide, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
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41. Daughter of the Moon Goddess
Xingyin, the moon goddess Chang'e's secret daughter, flees the moon and ends up training as an archer beside the Celestial crown prince. Lush and episodic, pulled from Chinese myth. The middle drags a bit and the love triangle stays mild.
- Gods and Mythology
- Love Triangle
- Slow Burn
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence
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42. Divine Rivals
Iris and Roman are rival reporters at the same paper while a war between two gods creeps toward their city. She types letters to her missing brother on a magic typewriter, and someone writes back. Soft, sad and very You've Got Mail.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Gods and Mythology
Content warnings
War, Death of a loved one, Drug or alcohol abuse
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43. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Emily is a prickly Cambridge professor who goes to a frozen northern village to study the local Folk, and her charming, lazy rival Wendell Bambleby invites himself along. Told through her field journal. Cozy and very funny, with real faerie menace underneath.
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Enemies to Lovers
- Deals and Bargains
Content warnings
Kidnapping
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44. Faebound
Two elven sisters, a disgraced soldier and a fortune teller, get exiled and stumble into the fae everyone said were extinct. The main romance is sapphic.
- Fae
- Forbidden Love
- Enemies to Lovers
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
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45. Fall of Ruin and Wrath
Lis is an orphan with a knack for seeing things she shouldn't, and she uses it doing jobs for dangerous people, until she crosses paths with Thorne, a very powerful immortal. Classic Armentrout: banter, heat and a lot of internal monologue. The sequel is a long time coming.
- Forbidden Love
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse
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46. Fire in His Blood
After the dragons came back and wrecked the world, Claudia is scraping by for her family when she ends up tangled with Kael, a dragon shifter. Ruby Dixon doing what she does: a little bit sexy, a lot cute, and very low stress for a post-apocalypse.
- Dragons
- Captor and Captive
- Possessive Hero
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence
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47. Fireborne
Annie and Lee were both orphaned by a revolution and now compete to lead the new regime's dragonriders. His family was the old regime the revolution burned. Political, closed door, and the bond between riders and dragons is the best part.
- Dragons
- Academies and War Colleges
- Deadly Trials
- Love Triangle
Content warnings
War, Genocide, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
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48. For the Wolf
Red, the queen's second daughter, is sent into the Wilderwood as a sacrifice to the Wolf and finds a grumpy Warden named Eammon bleeding into the trees to keep them back. Red Riding Hood meets Beauty and the Beast with forest horror. Slow and tender.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Curses
- Forced Proximity
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Gore, Graphic violence
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49. Fortuna Sworn
Fortuna is a Nightmare who can see the fears of anyone she touches, and when her brother goes missing she ends up a prisoner of the Unseelie Court. Getting out costs her something very fae. Bleak, messy, and the love interest debate is half the fun.
- Fae
- Captor and Captive
- Deals and Bargains
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, Human trafficking, Graphic violence
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50. Frost
Torin, the icy Seelie king, needs a queen to save his kingdom and holds a deadly competition to pick one, and a sarcastic human woman with nothing to lose ends up in it. The Bachelor with fae and frostbite. Quick, snarky and steamy.
- Fae
- Deadly Trials
- Enemies to Lovers
- Arranged Marriage
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
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51. Gild
Auren is King Midas's gilded favorite, living in an actual birdcage and calling it love. Then raiders grab her on the road and a fae commander named Rip becomes her problem. Gild is slow and mostly setup. Glint is where the series takes off.
- Captor and Captive
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Human trafficking, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder
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52. Gilded
Rumpelstiltskin from the miller's daughter's side. Serilda's tall tales catch the Erlking's attention, he locks her in his haunted castle to spin straw into gold, and a ghost boy named Gild does it for her. Long and slow in the middle, but the Wild Hunt is properly creepy.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Curses
- Deals and Bargains
- Captor and Captive
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Murder, Death of a loved one, Physical or emotional abuse
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53. Gods of Jade and Shadow
Casiopea scrubs floors for her awful grandfather in 1920s Mexico until she opens an old chest and frees Hun-Kamé, the Maya god of death. They road-trip to get his throne back. More fable than romance, with a bittersweet ending.
- Gods and Mythology
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
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54. Grave Mercy
Ismae escapes a brutal marriage into a convent whose nuns serve the god of death, mostly with poison and knives. Then she's sent to the Breton court posing as Duval's mistress. More politics than stabbing, and the slow trust between them really works.
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
- Forced Proximity
- Gods and Mythology
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Murder, Graphic violence
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55. Half a Soul
A faerie stole half of Dora's soul when she was a child, so she can't feel fear or embarrassment, which makes her a menace at Regency balls. Then she meets Lord Elias Wilder, the rude court magician. Austen with faeries and a very soft heart.
- Fae
- Curses
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Harm to children, Physical or emotional abuse
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56. Heartless
Before she was the Queen of Hearts, Cath just wanted to open a bakery and dodge a proposal from the King of Hearts. Then the court joker Jest shows up. You know how it has to end and Meyer makes you hope anyway. That ending hurts.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Forbidden Love
- Arranged Marriage
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Murder
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57. Heartless Hunter
A witch rescuing other witches from the gallows fake-dates the hunter tracking her down. Both are lying about everything. Twisty and quick.
- Witches
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
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58. House of Earth and Blood
Urban fantasy Maas: phones, clubs, angels and a half-fae party girl hunting whoever killed her best friend. The first 200 pages are a slog and the last 200 are a sprint.
- Fae
- Demons
- Morally Gray
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Murder, Drug or alcohol abuse, Death of a loved one
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59. House of Salt and Sorrows
Annaleigh lives in a seaside manor with her sisters, four of whom have already died, and the rest keep sneaking off to enchanted balls every night. The Twelve Dancing Princesses as gothic horror. The romance is light. The creep factor isn't.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Curses
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Murder, Gore
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60. Hunted
Yeva, a huntress in a snowy Russian-style kingdom, tracks the Beast that killed her father and ends up his prisoner, being trained to hunt for him. Beauty and the Beast with folktales, a bow and a heroine who hates the ballroom.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Captor and Captive
- Curses
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Animal death, Death of a loved one
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61. Hush, Hush
Nora's new lab partner Patch is a fallen angel, though she doesn't know that yet, and he's frankly a creep about it. This was the dark paranormal YA boyfriend of 2009. It hasn't aged well, and lots of readers still remember it fondly.
- Forbidden Love
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
- Stalker Romance
Content warnings
Stalking, Murder, Graphic violence
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62. Immortal Rose
Viola is the illegitimate Rosebourne heir and a perfumer, roped into making the one scent that could save Albion's king while a royal spymaster watches her every move. Regency gloss with some grit underneath. Ends on a cliffhanger, fair warning.
- Court Intrigue
- Forced Proximity
- Morally Gray
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence
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63. King of Battle and Blood
A princess marries the vampire king to save her people and plans to kill him on the wedding night. A lot spicier than her Hades books.
- Vampires
- Arranged Marriage
- Enemies to Lovers
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Murder
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64. Kingdom of the Wicked
Sicilian witch summons a prince of hell to find out who killed her twin. Wrath is the best part, and the spice goes up a lot in book two.
- Witches
- Demons
- Enemies to Lovers
- Revenge
Content warnings
Murder, Gore, Death of a loved one
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65. Kiss of the Black Flame
A bookbinder gets traded to immortal warriors and told to restore a living book. The craft details are lovely and the bargain with Archer has real heat. It's long, though, and the middle loops one time too many.
- Deals and Bargains
- Captor and Captive
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Graphic violence
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66. Kushiel's Dart
Phèdre is a courtesan and spy who finds pleasure in pain, sold into a world of political betrayal. Dense and long, with real kink, and it was doing romantasy 20 years before the word existed.
- Court Intrigue
- Gods and Mythology
- Morally Gray
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Dubious or non-consent, Torture, Sexual assault, War, Graphic violence
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67. Lady of Darkness
Scarlett Monrhoe and her sisters were raised to torture and kill on command, and she is very good at it. Book one is long and stingy with the romance. Readers who push on say the later books are where it catches fire, in every sense.
- Assassins
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Found Family
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Murder, Torture, Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
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68. Lament
Deirdre, a shy harpist, plays the competition of her life alongside a gorgeous flute player named Luke, who happens to be an assassin sent by the Faerie Queen to kill her. Early Stiefvater, a bit rough, steeped in Irish folk music.
- Fae
- Assassins
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Murder
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69. Legendborn
Bree joins an early college program at UNC after her mom dies and stumbles into a secret society of Arthurian descendants who hunt demons. Grief drives the whole thing, and the way it digs into Southern history sets it apart from every other King Arthur book.
- Demons
- Dark Academia
- Deadly Trials
- Love Triangle
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Graphic violence, Murder
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70. Lightlark
Every hundred years the island of Lightlark appears for the Centennial, a deadly game where six rulers fight to break their curses. Isla, the Wildling ruler, is hiding more than most. The TikTok hype was enormous and the reviews are split. Read it for the twists, not the prose.
- Deadly Trials
- Curses
- Love Triangle
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence
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71. Lore
Every seven years the Greek gods are made mortal and hunted through New York, and whoever kills one takes its power. Lore walked away from the hunt after her family was murdered. Then a wounded Athena turns up on her doorstep. Punchy YA, a little long.
- Gods and Mythology
- Deadly Trials
- Revenge
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence, Sexual assault, Death of a loved one
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72. Losing Wendy
Peter Pan retold as a mystery, with Wendy Darling, winged fae, mating marks and something killing in Neverland. Enemies to lovers on a very slow fuse. Darker than the premise sounds, and not everyone liked where it takes Wendy.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Fae
- Fated Mates
- Enemies to Lovers
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence
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73. Neon Gods
Hades and Persephone in a modern city run by the Thirteen. She runs away from a forced engagement to Zeus and makes a deal with the one man nobody crosses. Quick and very steamy.
- Gods and Mythology
- Deals and Bargains
- Forbidden Love
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
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74. Night of the Witch
Sixteenth-century Germany, where the witch trials are real and so is magic. Fritzi is a witch, Otto is a witch hunter, and they need each other to find her missing brother. Alternating chapters with real historical dread underneath.
- Witches
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Torture, Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
75. Once Upon a Broken Heart
Evangeline Fox makes a deal with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, to stop the wedding of the boy she loves. The price is three kisses, collected whenever he likes. Sugary fairy-tale prose with a hero who is absolutely not a hero.
- Deals and Bargains
- Curses
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Murder, Death of a loved one
-
76. One Dark Window
There's a monster living in Elspeth's head, and it talks. Gothic, foggy, strange in the best way. Feels like a dark fairy tale someone forgot to tame.
- Curses
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Death of a loved one, Murder
-
77. Phantasma
Ophelia Grimm is a necromancer with a cruel voice in her head who enters the Prince of the Devils' deadly game, where only one player wins a wish. Caraval meets a haunted manor, with a lot more heat. The cover did plenty of the selling on BookTok.
- Deadly Trials
- Deals and Bargains
- Demons
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Suicide or suicidal thoughts, Graphic violence
-
78. Poison Study
Yelena is a day from the noose when she's offered a job as the Commander's food taster. Valek, the chief of security, poisons her so she can't run. An old-school slow burn from 2005 and still one of the better captor romances out there.
- Captor and Captive
- Slow Burn
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Physical or emotional abuse, Torture, Murder
-
79. Powerless
Ordinary humans are hunted in a kingdom of the gifted, and Paedyn fakes her way into a deadly royal competition. YA, clean, very addictive.
- Deadly Trials
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
-
80. Radiance
Ildiko is a human noblewoman married off to Brishen, a Kai prince whose people find humans just as ugly as humans find them. They become friends first. Kind, funny and grown-up, a monster-adjacent arranged marriage with zero cruelty between the leads.
- Arranged Marriage
- Slow Burn
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
-
81. Ravenous
Cole kicks off a new arc set in her Immortals After Dark world, with rival supernatural factions in the Skein and enemies who absolutely should not be sleeping together. It's a fresh starting point, so you don't need twenty backlist books first.
- Forbidden Love
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
-
82. Red Queen
Silver blood rules and red blood serves, and Mare is a Red with a power she shouldn't have. The king hides her in plain sight by betrothing her to his younger son. Peak 2015 YA: two princes, an arena and a twist people still argue about.
- Court Intrigue
- Love Triangle
- Forbidden Love
- Arranged Marriage
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, War
-
83. Rhapsodic
Callypso is a siren with a wrist full of black beads, each one a favor she owes Des, the Bargainer. Seven years after he vanished, he shows up to start collecting. The flashback chapters are heavy, and the burn is slower than the cover suggests.
- Deals and Bargains
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Possessive Hero
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Harm to children, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Graphic violence
-
84. Seraphina
In Goredd, dragons can fold themselves into human shape, and the treaty keeping the peace is barely holding. Seraphina is a court musician hiding exactly what she is. The romance with Prince Lucian is slow and sweet, and the prose is gorgeous if you don't mind a gentle pace.
- Dragons
- Forbidden Love
- Court Intrigue
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Murder, Physical or emotional abuse
-
85. Serpent & Dove
A witch on the run ends up married to a witch hunter. It's exactly as chaotic as it sounds, with a dark streak that shows up in the back half.
- Witches
- Arranged Marriage
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse
-
86. Shadow and Bone
Alina is a mapmaker who turns out to be the Sun Summoner, so she's hauled off to the Little Palace to train under the Darkling while her best friend Mal is left behind. Half the fandom read the trilogy for the Darkling and nobody's sorry.
- Love Triangle
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
- Academies and War Colleges
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, War
-
87. Shield of Sparrows
A dutiful princess who was never meant to rule seals an old treaty with her own blood and gets sent across the sea to a husband she barely knows, in a realm the gods filled with monsters. A legendary monster hunter rides along and resents her. Fast, smooth and full of misdirection.
- Arranged Marriage
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
88. Silver Under Nightfall
Remy Pendergast is a disgraced vampire hunter and a duke's bastard who ends up allied with a vampire heiress and her betrothed, a vampire prince. All three fall for each other. Dense worldbuilding, gory fights and a queer polyamorous romance right up front.
- Vampires
- Why Choose
- Court Intrigue
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Physical or emotional abuse
-
89. Six Crimson Cranes
Princess Shiori's stepmother turns her six brothers into cranes and curses her so that every word she speaks kills one of them. The Six Swans through East Asian folklore, plus the betrothed she tried to ditch. Gentle YA with real heart.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Curses
- Arranged Marriage
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Graphic violence
-
90. Sky in the Deep
Eelyn spots her supposedly dead brother fighting for the enemy clan, then gets captured and has to winter in their village. Viking-flavored, short and bloody, with the enemy slowly turning into family. No spice at all.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Captor and Captive
- Forbidden Love
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
-
91. Sorcery of Thorns
Elisabeth grew up in a library where grimoires growl and turn into monsters if you damage them. When one gets loose, she's stuck with Nathaniel, a snarky sorcerer, and Silas, his demon servant, who steals every scene. Cozy and creepy at once.
- Demons
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
-
92. Spark of the Everflame
Diem is a mortal healer in a kingdom run by the Descended, godlike rulers who treat humans as disposable. Her mother disappears, a rebellion wants her, and a Descended prince named Luther keeps showing up. A self-published hit that got a big reissue, and the series is finally finished.
- Gods and Mythology
- Forbidden Love
- Court Intrigue
- Love Triangle
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
93. Stolen Songbird
Cécile is kidnapped and dragged under the Forsaken Mountain to marry Tristan, a troll prince whose people are cursed to stay buried there. These trolls are beautiful and vicious, closer to fae than fairy tale ogres. The rebellion subplot is the sleeper hit.
- Captor and Captive
- Arranged Marriage
- Forbidden Love
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
-
94. The Book of Azrael
Dianna is a shape-shifting monster who does terrible things for her maker. Liam is a god-king forced to work with her. The main characters really aren't nice people, and it's dark and very horny.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
- Gods and Mythology
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Torture, Murder
-
95. The Bridge Kingdom
Raised to be a spy, married off to the enemy king she's supposed to destroy. Tight and fast. Great if you like your heroine competent and in over her head.
- Arranged Marriage
- Enemies to Lovers
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, War, Physical or emotional abuse
-
96. The Darkest Part of the Forest
In Fairfold, tourists come to gawk at a horned boy asleep in a glass coffin in the woods. Then Hazel finds the coffin smashed and empty. Two romances, one of them queer, and a brother-sister story that hits just as hard.
- Fae
- Curses
- Found Family
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
-
97. The Emperor's Enemy
Zora Ravenal, a knight mage from the north, gets forced into a partnership with a terrifying Royal Mage in the middle of a war. Real enemies to lovers with great banter. The secret-keeping gets repetitive, and the warnings are heavier than you'd guess.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, War, Murder
-
98. The Ever King
Erik Bloodsinger, the sea fae pirate king, is mostly teeth and grudges, and he kidnaps the earth fae princess Livia Ferus right off her own shore. Salty, Viking-flavored and a blast once she starts biting back. You can skip the Broken Kingdoms books.
- Captor and Captive
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fae
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence, Torture, Murder
-
99. The Hollow Kingdom
Kate and her sister move to Hallow Hill, and Marak, the six-fingered goblin king, decides Kate is going to be his bride. Older YA and oddly sweet, the original goblin-husband book for a lot of readers. Marak is genuinely ugly and somehow it works.
- Captor and Captive
- Arranged Marriage
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Deals and Bargains
Content warnings
Kidnapping
-
100. The Hurricane Wars
Talasyn is a soldier on the losing side of a war, and Alaric is the shadow-wielding prince of the empire that's winning. Their magic works best together, which neither of them likes. It started as Star Wars fanfic and still feels like it, for better or worse.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Slow Burn
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
-
101. The Iron King
On her sixteenth birthday Meghan Chase learns she's the daughter of the Summer King, right as her little brother gets stolen into the Nevernever. Puck, Ash of the Winter Court and fae made of iron. Very 2010 YA, and Ash is why people still recommend it.
- Fae
- Love Triangle
- Forbidden Love
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence
-
102. The Kiss of Deception
Princess Lia bolts from her arranged wedding to a seaside village, and two new boys turn up: the prince she jilted and the assassin sent to kill her. The book hides which is which for a long time. That trick is the whole fun.
- Assassins
- Love Triangle
- Arranged Marriage
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence, Murder
-
103. The Last King of Faerie
Dru Blackthorn gets kidnapped from a nightclub and held prisoner in Faerie by Ash Morgenstern, while Kit and Ty have to stop sulking at each other long enough to go on a quest. The start of the last Shadowhunters trilogy. YA heat, out November 3.
- Fae
- Captor and Captive
- Forbidden Love
- Found Family
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence
-
104. The Never King
Peter Pan snatches Winnie Darling, a descendant of Wendy, because he thinks she knows where his shadow went. Vane and the fae twins Kas and Bash come with the package. Neverland as a violent, hedonistic island. Check the author's content warning page first.
- Why Choose
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Captor and Captive
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Murder, Graphic violence
-
105. The Shadows Between Us
Alessandra plans to seduce the Shadow King, marry him and kill him. He's got plans too. YA and clean, but the heroine is delightfully ruthless.
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
- Enemies to Lovers
Content warnings
Murder
-
106. The Stolen Heir
Suren, the runaway child queen of the Court of Teeth, has been living feral in the New England woods when Prince Oak turns up asking for help on a quest. Set after The Folk of the Air, sadder than Jude's books, and Oak is far more slippery than he looks.
- Fae
- Court Intrigue
- Morally Gray
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence, Murder
-
107. The Sweetest Fiend
Pied Piper retelling. The Piper clears a plague from her city and takes 130 people as payment, her included. The first half is plague and survival, the back half gets very explicit, and it ends mid-fall.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Fae
- Captor and Captive
- Deals and Bargains
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence
-
108. The Veiled Kingdom
Nyra has spent her whole life hiding that she's really Verena, the lost fae princess of Marmoris, and Dacre, the man she can't stop wanting, has no idea. Fast and very spicy, light on worldbuilding. That's either the appeal or the problem.
- Fae
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
109. The Wrath and the Dawn
The caliph of Khorasan takes a new bride every night and kills her at dawn. Shahrzad volunteers to avenge her best friend and keeps herself alive with stories. A Thousand and One Nights retelling with slow enemies to lovers and gorgeous food and clothes.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Enemies to Lovers
- Arranged Marriage
- Curses
Content warnings
Murder, Death of a loved one, Suicide or suicidal thoughts
-
110. The Wren in the Holly Library
Kierse is a thief in a New York still scarred by a war with monsters, and she gets caught breaking into the house of Graves, a centuries-old something who offers her a job instead of killing her. Beauty and the Beast bones and plenty of heat. The first act is slow.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Morally Gray
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
111. The Wretched Divine
Grace's adult debut: a knight bonded to an angel has to team up with a demon to find a cure. Way darker than Belladonna and a bit overstuffed, but the emotional core is the most complicated thing she's written.
- Demons
- Forbidden Love
- Enemies to Lovers
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
-
112. These Hollow Vows
Brie hates the fae, then her little sister gets handed over to the Unseelie to pay a debt. Her way in is posing as a bride for the Seelie prince Ronan while the shadowy Finn works his own angle. Pick a team early, because readers are still arguing.
- Fae
- Love Triangle
- Court Intrigue
- Deals and Bargains
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
-
113. These Vile Hearts
Maddox is type 1 diabetic, just lost her job and her insurance, and makes a deal with a dryad queen: kill the Redwood King and get cured. Then she mistakes his cursed brother Castor for him. Funny, angry about real healthcare, and a very good debut.
- Deals and Bargains
- Curses
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Murder
-
114. These Violent Delights
Romeo and Juliet in 1926 Shanghai. Juliette is heir to the Scarlet Gang, Roma is heir to the rival White Flowers, and a contagion is making people tear their own throats out. Atmospheric and gory, with a monster in the Huangpu River.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Gore, Graphic violence, Murder, Suicide or suicidal thoughts
-
115. This Monster of Mine
A legal thriller in a Rome-inspired city. Four years after someone threw Sarai from a tower, she's back as a Petitor who can hear lies, assigned to Tetrarch Kadra, the feared judge whose voice sounds exactly like her attacker's. She works with him by day and plots against him by night.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Revenge
- Morally Gray
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Torture, Murder, Physical or emotional abuse
-
116. Throne of the Fallen
Envy gets his own book and Maniscalco cranks the spice way past Kingdom of the Wicked. A spin-off you can read on its own.
- Demons
- Forced Proximity
- Enemies to Lovers
- Curses
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder
-
117. To Kill a Kingdom
Lira is a siren who takes a prince's heart every year on her birthday. Elian is a prince who hunts sirens. Her mother curses her into a human body and sends her after him anyway. The Little Mermaid with knives, in one fast standalone.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Curses
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
-
118. Vampire Academy
Rose is a half-vampire bodyguard in training, and her best friend Lissa is a Moroi royal. They get dragged back to St. Vladimir's after two years on the run, and her mentor Dimitri is extremely off limits. Mean girls, compulsion and blood, all very 2007.
- Vampires
- Academies and War Colleges
- Forbidden Love
- Found Family
Content warnings
Self-harm, Dubious or non-consent, Graphic violence
-
119. Voidwalker
Fi is a smuggler who can walk the Void between worlds, and a job gone wrong drops her in front of Antal, an antlered daeyari lord whose species eats humans. He'll spare her if she helps him find whoever attacked his city. Predator and prey, with claws and tails and a lot of heat.
- Deals and Bargains
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Gore, Murder
-
120. When the Moon Hatched
An assassin with a huge chip on her shoulder, a sky-king with a dragon and a lot of history between them. Huge, purple-prosed and divisive. People either love it or bounce off hard.
- Dragons
- Fated Mates
- Possessive Hero
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Torture, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping
-
121. Wicked
Ivy Morgan hunts fae in the French Quarter, and the Order's new transfer Ren Owens is way too charming to trust. New Orleans urban fantasy with classic Armentrout banter, lighter than Blood and Ash and more fun about it.
- Fae
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
- Touch Her and Die
Content warnings
Graphic violence, Murder, Death of a loved one
-
122. Wicked Fox
Miyoung is a gumiho in modern Seoul who has to feed on men's energy to survive, and Jihoon is the boy she saves from a goblin in the woods. K-drama structure, lots of family grief and food. Sweet, sad and a little slow in the middle.
- Gods and Mythology
- Forbidden Love
- Curses
Content warnings
Death of a loved one, Graphic violence, Murder
-
123. Wicked Lovely
Aislinn can see faeries and survives by never letting them know. Then Keenan, the Summer King, decides she's the girl who'll break his curse and simply will not leave her alone. One of the original YA fae books, and Seth is still the better boyfriend.
- Fae
- Love Triangle
- Forbidden Love
- Curses
Content warnings
Stalking, Physical or emotional abuse
-
124. Wicked Saints
A girl who talks to gods, a blood mage prince and a war that never ends. Moody and extremely Slavic. The romance is with someone who's very clearly a villain.
- Gods and Mythology
- Villain Gets the Girl
- Forbidden Love
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Self-harm, Gore, War, Torture
-
125. Wildwood Dancing
Every full moon Jena and her sisters slip through a portal in their Transylvanian castle to dance with the folk of the Other Kingdom. Twelve Dancing Princesses with a dash of the Frog Prince, and Gogu the frog steals the show.
- Fae
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Curses
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
-
126. Wings
Laurel finds out she's a faerie when a giant flower blooms out of her back, still one of the most memorable reveals in YA paranormal. Sweet human David versus gorgeous faerie Tamani. Young and gentle, a 2009 time capsule.
- Fae
- Love Triangle
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Graphic violence
-
127. Wintersong
Liesl trades herself to the Goblin King to get her sister back from the Underground, and the bargain turns into a marriage. Labyrinth for grown-ups, with music at its heart. Lush and moody, though some readers feel the second half drifts.
- Fae
- Deals and Bargains
- Captor and Captive
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Death of a loved one
-
128. Zodiac Academy: The Awakening
Twins Tory and Darcy Vega find out they're the lost heirs to the Fae throne and get dropped into Zodiac Academy, where four Celestial Heirs want them gone. Book one is mostly bullying and pranks, which is a dealbreaker for some. Stay and it becomes a nine-book obsession.
- Academies and War Colleges
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fae
- Forbidden Love
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence, Drug or alcohol abuse
Questions people ask
What is romantasy?
Romantasy is fantasy where the romance carries as much weight as the plot. If you took the love story out, the book would fall apart. Think A Court of Thorns and Roses or Fourth Wing, not a fantasy epic with a love interest on the side.
What should I read after A Court of Thorns and Roses?
Quicksilver by Callie Hart and From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout are the two closest in feel. If you want less spice and more scheming, try The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.
Which romantasy books are the spiciest?
King of Battle and Blood and Neon Gods are the only two we rate 5 out of 5. Quicksilver, The Book of Azrael, When the Moon Hatched and A Court of Mist and Fury are all a 4. Check the content warnings too, since spicier often means darker.
Is there clean romantasy with no spice?
Yes. The Cruel Prince, Powerless, The Shadows Between Us and Wicked Saints all have little to no on-page sex. Throne of Glass starts clean and stays mild for a long time.
Which romantasy series are finished?
The Folk of the Air, Serpent & Dove, The Powerless Trilogy, Kingdom of the Wicked and The Shepherd King are all complete. ACOTAR, The Empyrean and Crowns of Nyaxia are still going.