New to Romantasy? Here's Where I'd Start (And What It Actually Is)
What Is Romantasy, Actually? 🔮
Romantasy is fantasy where the romance is not a side plot. That is the whole definition, and it is the one that matters.
In a regular fantasy novel, the love story might be there, but the quest, war, or magic system is driving the book. In romantasy, the romantic relationship is driving it too. The characters are falling for each other while fighting a war, learning magic, or navigating a court full of people who should not be trusted. Take the romance out and the story genuinely changes shape. That slow build is half the fun.
Romantasy vs Fantasy vs Romance: What's the Difference? ⚔️💕
Here is my plain-English version:
- 🗺️ Fantasy: the world and the quest come first. Romance may show up, but it is not the engine.
- 💌 Romance: the relationship comes first, and the world is mostly a backdrop.
- 🔥 Romantasy: both, at full volume. A fully built fantasy world and a romance that the whole story turns on.
If you love fantasy worlds but always wished the love story got more page time, romantasy is probably your genre. If you love romance but want higher stakes, same answer.
What to Expect From Your First Romantasy 📖
A few honest warnings:
📚 These books are long, and they are usually series. Romantasy rarely does standalone. You are signing up for a world you will live in for several books, with threads that do not resolve in book one. That is a feature, not a bug, but pick a first series you actually want to live in for a while.
🕯️ The slow burn is the point. If you need the couple together by chapter three, some of these books will test your patience. The tension, the banter, the almost-moments: that is what the fandom talks about for years afterwards.
1️⃣ Start at book one of a series, not book three because someone posted a good scene from it. Trust me on this one. And yes, you will develop strong opinions about characters, ships, and which book is best. Welcome to the group chat. 💬
Where I'd Start: The Series That Hooked Me ✨
No list of twenty books I have not read. Here is what actually hooked me:
🧚 Fae courts and a slow-burn romance: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Start with A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. This is the series that pulled me all the way in. It starts in a world that feels familiar enough to follow, then opens up, book by book, into something much bigger. If you like courts, bargains, magic with real costs, and a couple you will root for through several books, this is the safest first step I know.
Fae Fantasy Romance Stickers
🐉 Dragons, danger, and a fast pace: Fourth Wing
Start with Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It drops you into a war college for dragon riders where one wrong move can get you killed, and the romance is tangled up in every high-stakes moment. If you want a gripping, fast-moving story with real danger and a couple you will be thinking about long after the chapter ends, this is a great first step.
Those two are my honest answer, and the reason my Kindle is covered in stickers from these worlds. 🧚🐉
How to Pick Your First One 🤔
Still torn? Ask yourself what you want to feel first. Court politics, magic bargains, and a slow-burn romance in a fae world means ACOTAR. Dragons, danger, and a war college where everyone is a threat means Fourth Wing. Pick the world that sounds most fun to live in for a few weeks, not the one that sounds most impressive.
And a note on my own TBR, because I get asked: the Gilded series by Marissa Meyer, Quicksilver by Callie Hart, and the Everflame series by Penn Cole are still on my wish list, not my finished shelf. 📝 I have not read them yet, so I am not recommending them. They are just next in line once I finish the books I am in.
The Sticker-Brain Part (You Knew This Was Coming) 🏷️
Here is my little ritual for a first book in a new series: if it hooks me, it earns a sticker. My Kindle ends up as a timeline of the worlds I have lived in, and the first sticker from a series always means the most. It says, “this is where I fell for this world.”
So if you pick up your first romantasy this week and it turns out to be the one, mark it. Our bookish designs are in the shop if you want a little flag for it. No pressure, just a reminder, months from now, of the book that started the whole obsession. 💕
Kindle Stickers
Laminated water-resistant vinyl stickers made for your Kindle, laptop, or water bottle. Start your own timeline with the first sticker from your first series.
Get 25% Off Everything in the Shop
Mark your first romantasy with a sticker. Our launch discount is applied automatically at checkout.