The third book in the Empyrean Series, titled Onyx Storm, came out last weekꦗ to mixed reactions from fans and critics alikeꦍ.
This new epic tale, which began in 2023 with the release of Fourth Wing, has been a sensation within the BookTok community and beyond, but as they’re keen to let everyone know, the romantasy genre has much more to offer than just the story of Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson.
One could argue that some other well-known names in this burgeoning literary tradition do an even better job of setting up a fictional world and the fantastical courtships within it. If you couldn’t put Onyx Storm down until those last suspenseful pages, or if you found that the𝔍 threequel ultimately disappointed you in key regards, then perhaps other names on this list, consistinജg of the cream of the crop of the romance fantasy landscape, will manage to quench that thirst.
1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
In many ways, Sarah J. Maas publishing A Court of Thorns and Roses in 2015 was the pebble that started the romantasy avalanche in earnest. Stephenie Meyer’s success with Twilight may have spurred novelists to try their hand at a similar story, but just like the many Lord of the Rings clones that succeeded J.R.R. Tolkien and failed to bring anything of substance to the burgeoning high fantasy genre, it wasn’t until ACOTAR that the publishing industry realized Twilight‘s success could be reproduced.
The story of A Court of Thorns and Roses revolves around a young huntress named Feyre Archeron. Feyre lives in the mortal human re🌳alms, separated from the lands of the Faeries by an invisible magic war after a devastating war between the two races. Feyre lives with her two sisters, Nesta and Elain, and their disabled dad in an impoverished village. One day, when foraging for food in the woods, Feyre comes upon a giant wolf and kills it with an ash arrow, only to learn that the animal was a High Fae sentry serving the High Lord of the Spring Court, who comes knocking at the Archeron door to demand reparation. The High Lord takes Feyre away, a life for a life, thrusting our heroine into a world of magic and intrigue and unlikely courtships.
A Court of Thorns and Roses is similar to Fourth Wing in many ways, not least of all its first-person narrative centering around a powerful heroine. If you want an experience that closely parallels Rebecca Yarros’s viral new series, picking up ACOTAR will be your best bet.
2. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
One of the most popular romantasy book series in recent memory, From Blood and Ash follows the story of Poppy Balfour, a young woman known as the Maiden, who is chosen by the gods and prophesied to Ascend and save her kingdom. A Maiden is to live a solitary life, never to be touched, looked upon, or spoken to. Most importantly, a Maiden is never to experience pleasure, dedicating her entire life to the service of the gods and the moment of her ascension. Poppy, being a headstrong heroine, rails against these invisible walls, and🐎 they eventually begin to shatter around her when Hawke, one of her guards, makes her question everything and seek out all that is forbidden to her.
From Blood and Ash is a sprawling fantasy series that originally debuted in 2020. There have been five books in the series so far (From Blood and Ash, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, The Crown of Gilded Bones, The War of Two Queens, and A Soul of Ash and Blood), but a sixth book is coming out this year on June 10, 2025, titled A Primal of Blood and Bone. Jennifer L. Armentrout has plannedಞ a seventh novel for the series, though it is as of yet untitled.
3. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
While One Dark Window, part of The Shepherd King series by Rachel Gillig, is hardly original in a genre beleaguered by hundreds of new books every year (and let’s face it, folks; despite what BookTok may say, romantasy is already running on fumes) the story still manages to aim for a unique angle, blending gothic vibes with admittedly tired romantasy tropes to deliver a captivating story. I usually think of these novels as fast food books, a perfect little break to wind down in between your serious reads, but I was pleasantly surprised by One Dark Window when I picked it up late last year.
The story follows a character named Elspeth, who needs to survive in the mist-covered, dreary kingdom of Blunder, full of dangerous monsters and mischievous beings. Elspeth has no weapons in her arsenal except the Nightmare, which is an ancient spirit trapped in her head, bestowing he💜r with powers at a cost. On her journey, Elspeth meets an enigmatic highwayman who goes by Crispin. Together, Elspeth and Crispin decide to lift the curse pla♍guing Blunder, even as the former struggles with the Nightmare to retain her sanity.
4. The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
A world ruled by vampires. An adopted daughter of an ancient king who never seemed to fit in a world hell-bent on destroying her. A tournament with high stakes, a dance with death itself. The Serpent and the Wings of Night is one of the most popular fantasy books of the past two years, and it’s a small wonder why because Carissa Broadbent’s novel has everything you’d want from an actio🦂n-packed, mysterious, and romantic fairy tale.
The story is about Orayꦜa, the adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king. Oraya enters a legendary tournament hosted by the goddess of death in a trial to prove her worth and save her own life, but she soon learns that going up against all these other vampires whose main talent is fighting and killing will take everything she has to offer, and then some. Oraya allies with one of her rivals, Raihn, who is a ruthless enemy of her father’s crown. Everything about Raihn screams danger and potential destruction, but Oraya learns that despite every instinct instilled in her through years of living in this treacherous world, she is very 🐠much attracted to Raihn and the person he is underneath.
5. Powerless by Lauren Roberts
Perhaps the closest book to Fourth Wing on this list in terms of plot, Powerless is the story of one Paedyn Gray, who has been born an ordinary citizen in a world full of beings with extraordinary power. The power of the Elite is thanks to the Plague, but not everyone who got the sickness was lucky enou෴gh to both survive and be granted special powers. Paedyn is one such individual who is thrust into a world of crime and thievery after the king decrees that all ordinary individuals should be banished from his society.
Paedyn continues to survive in the gutters of a society that has abandoned her, relying on the skills her father taught her to pass herself off as one of the Elite. Things go awry, however, when Paydyn saves one of the kingdom’s princes. She then has to participate in the Purging Trials — a competition where the Elite fight and showcase their strength — even though she possesses no powers. Lauren Roberts’ Powerless was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award in the Favorite 🔴Young Adult Fantasy category, so while the premise may be every romantasy cliche mixed in one uninspired soup, the narrative and the worldbuilding areꦓ still compelling enough to rope in readers.
6. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Now, this might neither be strictly YA nor belong to the romantasy genre, but Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander is a must-read for everyone who loves historical fiction, romance, and perhaps a tinge of fantasy. The world of Outlander is brutal, unflinching, and very much grounded in realism, but the characterization is one of▨ the best across the entire speculative spectrum of storytelling. So much so, in fact, that the romance 🌼sitting at the heart of this timeless tale will have you mentally swooning for it in no time.
The story follows Claire Beachump, a WWII nurse who goes on a little countryside retreat in Scotland with his husband after the war, both to forget the horrors she witnessed in it and✅ so that his partner, a historian, can do a little bit of research into the 18th century Highlands. One night, when visiting a series of standing stones atop a hill, Claire is mysteriously transported to 18th-century Scotland, where she༺ has to fight for her life in a world that’s almost outright barbaric compared to the one she leaves behind.
7. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Taking place in a dystopian world where society has been segregated into the ruling Silver class — who possess godly powers — and the commoner Reds, Red Queen is a story of love, political 💛intrigue, and the resilience of the human spirit. You follow Mare Barrow, a Red who livඣes in the slums of her society, believing that nothing will change for the better. Through the twistings of fate, Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, where she learns that, rather miraculously, she also possesses a strange power.
Learning this, the Silvers announce that Mare is actually a long-lost princess, and as such, she’ll be marrying one of the Silver princes soon. As a seventeen-year-old suddenly pushed into a world of politics where every mistake cou꧋ld be her last, Mare works from the inside to dismantle the Silver regime, helping a resistance group known as the Red G✃uard, all the while juggling her relationship with the two Silver princes, one kind and caring, and the other cunning and dangerous.
8. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
A recent gem in the romantasy landscape, Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross first came out in April 2023. The story is about an 💦18-year-old girl named Iris Winnow, whose brother is fighting on the frontlines of a devastating conflict between the gods of their world. Iris wants to become a columnist at a very popular newspaper to support her family, but when her rival at the paper, a guy named Roman Kitt, learns about the letters Iris is trying to send his brother, the two begin corresponding, being drawn further into the conflict raging on outside the bounds of their day-to-day life.
Divine Rivals depicts a classic enemies-to-lovers tale complete with rich worldbuilding and lyrical prose. Ross explores themes of love, loss, and fate, and the potency of this exploration is further magnificent through the story’s unique structures and the sending of the letters as a plot tool. If you’re looking for a decent romantasy novel that’s more mature and grounded in the way it deals with the genre’s tropes, then Divine Rivals is a must-read.
9. Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Another 2024 debut discussed to death among BookTok influencers and BookTubers, Bride by Ali Hazelwood takes the arranged marriage trope and gives it a fantastical hue. Bride centers൲ around a vampire bride and a werewolf groom, who join together just as their two respective societies flirt with the disaster of war.
The world of Ali Hazelwood’s Bride is dark and gritty, the romance is paranormal and potent, and the worldbuilding and atmospheric storytelling are unique. Be forewarned, though, because Bride features an extremely slow-burn romance, one that’ll have you pulling out your hair in frustration at certain points.
10. Quicksilver by Callie Hart
Now, if you find none of the books on this list to your liking, approach Callie Hart’s Quicksilver as a last-ditch attempt to find a story that sings to the secret rhythm of your war. Quicksilver‘s premise is as cliche as they come: A girl is mysteriously swept away into the land of Faeries, a place that her kind has not set foot in for over a thousand years. There, she finds herself in the middle of a devastating conflict between the different Fae factions, but things really take a turn for the worse when she mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior with enough secrets to warrant at least three more sequels.
Now, I’m not trying to make an unnecessary dig at Quicksilver, but you have to admit that at some point, the sheer lack of innovation in this genre becomes truly disconcerting. That being said, Callie Hart’s book is still a very decently structured, well-paced story that mostly achieves what it sets out to do, and the book’s ending compels you to anticipate the next book in the so-called Fae & Alchemy series, slated for release in November 2025.
Published: Feb 1, 2025 09:31 am