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4 min read
Romantasy books are topping bestseller lists on both sides of the Atlantic. If you’re intrigued by this genre or want to know where to start, we’ve rounded up some of the best romantasy novels to read today.
One of the fastest growing genres in publishing is the combined worlds of romance and fantasy: romantasy. Romantasy authors are selling well in part because of their huge popularity on social media, especially TikTok. The term ‘romantasy’ has over 84 million posts on Booktok, and Goodreads even added a ‘best romantasy’ category to its yearly Choice Awards in 2023.
If you want to know where to start, we’ve rounded up some of the best romantasy novels to read today.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
A big name in the romantasy genre, Rebecca Yarros is an instant Sunday Times bestseller and the author behind the Empyrean series. Fourth Wing – the first in the series – is about what happens when you’re forced to fight dragon riders, especially when everyone wants to kill you and your family. The odds are stacked against Violet Sorrengail – particularly in the face of the ruthless Xaden Riorson – so she has to use her wits to survive each day.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
You may recognise Ali Hazelwood’s name as the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, but now she’s back with a romantasy novel to sink our teeth into. Bride follows a dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha werewolf, which starts off as a marriage of convenience but ultimately becomes a love story.
The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh
Based in 1800s New Orleans, where vampires hide in plain sight, a 17-year-old Celine Rousseau becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld. When a body is found, Celine is forced to battle her attraction to the group’s enigmatic leader, Sébastien Saint Germain, around suspicions about his guilt and her own secrets.
Shop The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh (Hodder & Stoughton); £8.54
From Blood And Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. She’d rather be fighting the evil that took her family, but the choice is not hers. But a Maiden has a heart and when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honour bound to ensure her ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need.
From Blood And Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Evil Eye Concepts); £25.64
Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald
A fresh take on the classic Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, Girl, Goddess, Queen switches things around and follows how Persephone wasn’t kidnapped by Hades but instead jumped into hell. “Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld’s annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.”
Shop Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald (Penguin Random House); £14.24
A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A multi-million selling book and TikTok phenomenon, A Court Of Thorns And Roses is the first instalment in the Sarah J. Maas series and follows Feyre, a huntress that kills what she thinks is a wolf in the woods but a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution.
“Feyre discovers that her captor, Tamlin, is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal Fae. As Feyre adapts to her new home, her feelings for Tamlin begin to change. Icy hostility turns to fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae… Fate brought Feyre to Tamlin for a reason, but saving him from the darkness that threatens his world will lead her down a path that she can never return from.”
Shop A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury); £8.54
Sanctuary Of The Shadow by Aurora Ascher
Sanctuary Of The Shadow is the first in a spellbinding new romantasy series by Aurora Ascher. Full of explosively dark magic, a spicy love affair and grippingly mysterious twists, this compelling enemies-to-lovers novel is an unmissable read for romance and fantasy lovers alike. With fated mates, slow-burn romance and an enchanting circus setting, it’s definitely one to be bookmarked.
Shop Sanctuary Of The Shadow by Aurora Ascher (Transworld); £18.04
Reckless by Lauren Roberts
With more than 60 million views on TikTok, Reckless is the second instalment in this bestselling Powerless trilogy. “After surviving the Purging Trials, ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King and kickstarted a resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to: Kai Azer. But the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts – and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.”
Shadow & Storms by Helen Scheuerer
Shadow & Storms is the epic finale to The Legends of Thezmarr series, and the time has come to make one last stand against the forces of cursed men and monsters. But with allies divided, Thea must race against her own fate to secure the future of the midrealms. Love and loyalty will be tested. In the final war of survival, will Thea and Wilder emerge victorious?
Images: courtesy of publishers
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