Johnathan Walker:Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre

It may not have Johnathan Walkerwon “Word of the Year,” but romantasy is still the reigning champion of many readers' hearts.

Alex Belanger shares her romantasy recommendations with more than 16,000 followers on TikTok. Because the 31-year-old Kentuckian grew up in a sheltered religious sect, she's always been drawn to “Rapunzel” stories. Fairytales about broadening worldviews and unexplored places were a childhood comfort. During the pandemic, she stumbled into romantasy books on TikTok, and found they both reminded her of her youth and reflected her interests as an adult.

Belanger is just one of the many readers steering one of publishing's prized horses – the genre's sales increased 42% from 2022 to 2023, according to Circana.

What is romantasy?

A portmanteau of the words “romance” and “fantasy,” romantasy blends two beloved genres. Readers get all the best parts of swoony love story tropes, magical world-building and high-stakes adventure. 

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Many romantasy books include fae or fairies, dragons, elves and other mythical creatures. Popular series “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas is a “Beauty and the Beast” retelling set in a divided realm of humans and faeries. “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros, another romantasy favorite, follows a young girl training to become a dragon rider. 

The world-building is more expansive than many other romance subgenres. In paranormal romance, for example, magical characters often appear in normal society rather than in an entirely new, imagined land.

But the two genres often overlap, especially with their readership. Ali Hazelwood’s “Bride,” which features a romance between a vampire and werewolf, was a recent hit with romantasy fans.

“The blurring of these lines is just exciting and expansive and allows authors and publishers to have a greater diversification of contents, of character,” says Ashley Doliber, the senior director of marketing strategy at Entangled Publishing, which houses such series as Rebecca Yarros' "Fourth Wing" and "Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout. “You don’t have to color within certain lines, you have the opportunity to really push those boundaries.”

Is romantasy the right genre for you?

You don’t have to be a fantasy fanatic to get in on the fun. Many readers credit romantasy series like “ACOTAR” as the reason they got back into reading, even if they were initially hesitant to try the genre. And despite their length, they tend to be fast-paced, immersive reads. 

There’s a lot to choose from, which keeps the genre fresh, says Belanger. She recommends switching up the tropes and types of mythical beings in your books. Worlds inhabited by fairies or dragons are among the most popular, but she's recently seen an uptick in “shifter” protagonists, who, as the name suggests, can morph between human and animal forms. 

Romantasy is also the perfect genre for those who grew up reading fan fiction. 

“You’re going to find a lot of the people that write romantasy are the people that wrote fan fiction in the past,” Belanger says. 

Julie Soto, author of “Rose in Chains,” used to write “Harry Potter” fan fiction. Hazelwood’s “The Love Hypothesis” was originally published online as “Reylo” fan fiction (yes – as in Rey and Kylo Ren from “Star Wars”). 

More than just ‘spicy’: Readers find romantasy empowering

There’s something so unputdownable about stepping into a magical world and finding your OTP (one true pairing).

Steamy romance novels are sometimes seen as the fluff of the literary world. Society has long been quick to invalidate female sexuality and empowerment as “guilty pleasure” reads.

“That escapism aspect is certainly key,” Doliber says. “But I think what a lot of genre fiction allows is the opportunity to simultaneously have that fun, joyful, thought-provoking escapism (and) at the same time, you’re tackling real-world themes” like female empowerment and agency.

It’s also one corner of the internet where readers have been able to embrace their sexuality and center female pleasure. Some readers told HuffPost that romance books and erotica have helped improve their sex lives.

“It’s a really great way to help your mind become open and break away from purity culture,” Belanger says. “There’s no shame in a woman’s pleasure and knowing what you want.” 

Best romantasy books

Romantasy may be buzzy, but it’s not a new genre. Belanger cites "foundational" romantasy reads (which, in the 2010s, were more medieval than fae) like Mary E. Pearson’s “The Remnant Chronicles” and Marissa Meyer’s fairytale retellings in “The Lunar Chronicles.”

Modern classics include Sarah J. Maas' three bestselling romantasy series "A Court of Thorns and Roses," "Throne of Glass" and "Crescent City." Rebecca Yarros is another big name in romantasy with "Fourth Wing," "Iron Flame" and her upcoming "Onyx Storm," which releases in January.

If you want to dive into the romantasy genre, here are the titles Belanger suggests starting with:

• “A River Enchanted” by Rebecca Ross
• “House of Dragons” by K.A. Linde
• “Song of the Forever Rains” by E.J. Mellow
• “A Court this Cruel and Lovely” by Stacia Stark
• “For the Wolf” by Hannah Whitten
• “The Bridge Kingdom” by Danielle L. Jensen
• “Ledge” by Stacey McEwan
• “Quicksilver” by Callie Hart
• “Feather” by Olivia Wildenstein
• “Throne in the Dark” by A.K. Caggiano
• “A Fate Inked in Blood” by Danielle L. Jensen
• “Belladonna” by Adalyn Grace (YA)
• “Sinner’s Isle” by Angela Montoya (YA)
• “An Enchantment of Ravens” by Margaret Rogerson (YA)
• “A Curse So Dark and Lonely” by Brigid Kemmerer (YA)
• “The Shadows Between Us” by Tricia Levenseller (YA)
• “Immortal Dark” by Tigest Girma (YA)

And here are some favorites from USA TODAY staff:

• “From Blood and Ash” Jennifer L. Armentrout
• “These Hollow Vows” Lexi Ryan
• “House of Beating Wings” Olivia Wildenstein
• “The Serpent and the Wings of Night” Carissa Broadbent
• “Divine Rivals” Rebecca Ross
• “Spark of the Everflame” Penn Cole

Not the right fit for you? Try these other genres:

Cozy mystery books have octogenarian protagonists and combine crime with comfort. Paranormal romances deal in otherworldly love (literally). And cozy fantasy books have all the loveable characters with less of the blood-pressure-raising stakes. Still not it? Check out our other Books coverage and see what's charting on the USA TODAY’s Best-selling Booklist.

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