Where to Start with Romantasy (with Heat Meter!)

If you have a soft spot for romance and fairytales, Heather Fawcett’s epistolary novel is a perfect match. It follows the shy and studious Emily Wilde as she journeys to a region in the far north, hoping to study fairies in their natural habitat and record her findings in a diary. 

While she has some trouble fitting in with the crowd, her expedition is interrupted by the arrival of her academic rival, Wendell Bambleby, who is quite charming and has a few secrets of his own. Cozy, delightful, and full of whimsy, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries can be your entry point to this subgenre. 

While not billed as a traditional romantasy, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter has all the ingredients of a satisfying love story along with an inventive magic system. The story follows the dual perspectives of Yumi and Nikaro, who inhabit seemingly different worlds and switch bodies for some reason. 

\It’s a set-up that makes for a solid friendship and later, romantic feelings to develop, even as readers try to solve the mysteries that tie the two fictional worlds together. Although it’s part of the author’s wider Cosmere universe, it can be read as a standalone and is ideal for fans of Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name (2016) and Studio Ghibli films. 

Among romantasy lovers, “enemies-to-lovers” is a very popular trope, and one that Sue Lynn Tan’s Immortal utilizes to its fullest to deliver a passionate and utterly satisfying story. 

The story follows Liyen, the heir to a precarious throne, as she struggles to protect her power and kingdom, even as it means forging an uneasy alliance with the ruthless and alluring God of War.

Now, if you aren’t a patient lover of slow-burn romance arcs, you can try the “insta-love” option. Vividly imaginative, Water Moon is a light read that begins in a cozy pawn shop before touring otherworldly attractions. 

In Samantha Sotto Yambao’s romantasy, the two main characters (despite belonging to different worlds) have great chemistry, even as they are pulled into adventures together that test their bonds of strength and loyalty. 

The first entry in the author’s The Stonewater Kingdom series, The Knight and the Moth, offers a lush and atmospheric tale of love and magic that follows Six, a girl who can divine the future by drowning, and Rory, who’s unlike any of the knights you may have come across. 

Together, the two join forces, but what drives the narrative is yearning, banter, and humor. Overall, a Gothic romantasy that will keep you hooked for more. 

If your palate prefers the steamy side of things, you can’t go wrong with T.C. Kraven’s Of Prophecies & Pomegranates, which, as you may have guessed from the title, is a spicy retelling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. 

Kraven delves deeply into what makes these archetypal characters tick and writes of a love that feels real, raw, and messy—a gorgeously intoxicating read with plenty of intense, super-spicy scenes. 

Finally, if you’re in the mood for a queer love story that feels awkwardly tender and quietly comforting, unfolding against a magical Edwardian England backdrop with a unique magic system, Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light delivers on all counts. 

It perfectly balances an intriguing plot with detailed erotic scenes, following two characters who are deeply unsure of their bodies and each other, yet discovering solace whenever they get together.