Tag: Fantasy


Apr
2026

Romantasy 101

categories: Featured Blend

One of the hottest genres in publishing these days is one that hasn’t been around long: ROMANTASY.  It’s not everyday that a new genre pops up, especially one that is a genre blend, so I definitely wanted to cover it here.

Romantasy is a combination of two genres: romance and fantasy. In a romance, no matter what happens plot-wise, the focus is on the emotional connection between characters, with their attraction and affection building and developing over the course of the story. Their love story is an arc that may have ups and downs, but it always ends in a Happy Ever After (HEA). Fantasy, on the other hand, is a genre with a focus on setting, with elaborate worldbuilding that involves magical elements both strange and wonderful. When you combine the two genres, you should get both those magical worlds and an intense emotional relationships. The balance between the genres and which elements get the lion’s share of the author’s attention varies widely in this genre blend.

Genre, at its most basic heart, is really just a handle to put on a book – usually by a book marketer, but sometimes organically applied by readers. That handle is meant to help people find books that provide a similar reading experience. Eventually, the reading experience is recognizable enough and there is enough volume and staying power for a new genre to warrant having a BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) code (used by bookstores to categorize and shelve books) and a Library of Congress subject heading (used by libraries to catalog books). For romantasy, we’re not there yet, with publishers using the BISAC of “FICTION / Romance / Fantasy” for books that are romance forward and  “FICTION / Fantasy / Romance” for books that are more fantasy forward. As a librarian, don’t even get me started on how behind the trends the Library of Congress is with genre subject headings. I could rant. But even before the official heading, book marketers will glom onto a genre name and slap it on books, usually to capitalize on the success of a tentpole book. Thus is our current state of affairs with Romantasy.

While I’m not on TikTok, I don’t live under a rock. A few years ago there was a series of books that took the book wing of TikTok – known as BookTok – by storm. Countless posts appeared their and on Instagram from passionate readers about their love of books that combined fantasy worldbuilding with swoony romance to provide a reading experience they called “Romantasy”.  Most would say that the early tentpole author for Romantasy was Sarah J. Maas, whose A Court of Thorns and Roses kicked off the series of the same name in 2015. But as popular as Maas became on BookTok, especially during the pandemic, one author does not a genre make. Soon aspiring writers, publishers, and marketers saw the success of Maas with not only ACOTAR, but her Throne of Glass and Crescent City series, and the Romantasy wave began.

More books with romance and fantasy flooded the market in this period. While there are other popular romance fantasy blends that came on the scene alongside Maas, such as Radiance by Grace Draven (2015) I would argue that the publication of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, which combines the fantasy favorite of dragons with the BookTok beloved romance trope of enemies-to-lovers really kicked things into gear in 2023. But some other books that made a splash as the genre was forming include From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout (2020), Gild by Raven Kennedy (2020), The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent (2022), Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole (2023), Powerless by Lauren Roberts (2023), The Wolf King by Laura Palphreyman (2023),  Quicksilver by Callie Hart (2024), A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen (2024), The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (2025), Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry (2025), and Alchemised by SenLinYu (2025)

 

                             

Funny side note: Alchemised and another popular book from 2025, The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley both have their roots deep in one of the springs from which romantasy was birthed: horny grown up Harry Potter readers writing fanfic. Specifically Dramione stories. Fantasy readers who grew up with Harry Potter but longed for more romance — maybe even forbidden romance — ate these stories of good girl Hermione Granger falling for morally gray bad boy Draco Malfoy.

Harry Potter fanfic → Romantasy

→       →

 

What’s interesting to me about romantasy is that writers took whichever pieces of the fantasy toolkit and the romance trope bag that they loved best. For many (whether by inclination or a desire to cash in on Maas’s popularity) it seems to be fae heroes and the dark lure of faerie lands plus the romance tropes of enemies-to-lovers and morally grey heroes. But some dipped into fantasy’s monster bag for vampires, werewolves or ghosts as heroes. From romance, in addition to enemies-to-lovers, we see a fair amount of the grumpy/sunshine trope, fated mates, marriage of convenience, and love triangles. The different ways authors borrow from the genres in blends like romantasy is one of my favorite things about genreblending. It helps readers follow their favorite genre storylines, tropes, and conventions into a new blend. A fan of MM romance might gravitate to Freya Marske’s books, like Swordcrossed. Dark romance readers can find dark romantasies like Kaylie Smith’s Phantasma, while romantic comedy readers might gravitate to a lighter, humorous book like That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming or one with plenty of banter like Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer. The genre, as it grows, has room for many different storytelling styles. The best blends don’t just use the fun set dressing of the genres they combine, however. In the best books the author understands the roots of the genres and why certain tropes appeal to readers. It will be interesting to see if romantasy continues to be as popular as it is today. While an absolute ton of books get shoehorned into the category to take advantage of the fans, it certainly looks like this is a genre blend that will continue even after BookTok moves on.

The reason I’m not afraid that romantasy will ever entirely disappear is because blending of the genres of fantasy and romance is nothing new. After all, the addition of a love story to any genre adds depth to characterizations and emotional stakes to any plot. But early fantasy romantic plotlines were honestly more likely to be tragic doomed romances where the female characters were placeholders for the idea of an end to conflict and a home to go back to. The love interests were just as likely to be a bone to be fought over by rival characters. There are a lot of love triangles in romantasy!  But while some classics of the fantasy have romantic plotlines, most would not be considered super satisfying to the romance reader who expects a “happy ever after” (HEA) for romantically entangled characters. Think George R.R. Martin’s idea of romance, which range from incest to a frankly even squickier rape-to-love arc for one pairing. The Wheel of Time series has romance triangles (quadrangles?) but they are not what most would call truly romantic plots.

Things get better when female fantasy authors get more prominent on the scene. Classic fantasy by Sharon Shinn, Lois McMaster Bujold, Tasha Suri, Mercedes Lackey, Juliet Marillier, Jacqueline Carey, and Robin Hobb have all had much more finesse in incorporating romance into their fantasy stories without sacrificing the core fantasy enjoyment. So to close out my overview of Romantasy, I’d like to play homage to some of the romantic fantasy books that I see as forerunners of this genre. I’d love more readers to dip into the rich history of this “new” genre and pick up of one of these classics:

 

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey (1968): The worldbuilding is top-notch (I can probably still draw a map of Pern in my head) and Fourth Wing fans will enjoy how dragon riders Lessa and F’lar navigate their romance while telepathically bonded to their dragons.

Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop (1998): Dark romance readers will enjoy the edge of violence and corruption that comes with this series. Book one centers on a witch at the heart of a prophecy and the various forces who want to control her. I’m a HUGE fan of Bishop’s Others series, but this one has a ton of fans as well.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier (1999): Based on a Celtic myth, the historical Irish setting is catnip for historical fantasy fans, but the added romance bonus is when the heroine’s quest to break a curse on her brothers brings her into the orbit of a man who becomes her captor-turned-love interest.

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey (2001): For romantasy fans who lean harder in the fantasy direction. Kushiel becomes a courtesan and a spy in a world where the gods have marked her to experience pain as pleasure. Sounds kinky, but it’s a gorgeous book.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (2005): A heroine marked for death evades execution by accepting the post of poison tester for the crown. This reprieve puts her in the heart of a dangerous court and the crosshairs of the kingdom’s spymaster. The series has 6 books and some filler novellas, but this first volume stands alone just fine.

Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson (2007): A romance between a fey king and a mortal woman, this is fated mates for the romance crowd and a good-versus-evil battle for the kingdom for fantasy fans. First in a series of 5 books.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore (2008): Yes, it’s YA, but honestly the heroines of romantasy always skew young. The heroine here has a rare, killing skill that steers her destiny away from the life of privilege she should have had. It can’t prevent her from falling for a royal prince, though.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (2010): After her mother dies, a woman from the barbarian outskirts of the kingdom is summoned to the capital and learns she is the heir to the throne. The court politics are vicious, the gods are invested in the power struggle, and one god in particular might be her destiny.

 

In my next post, I’ll dive into what I think makes romantasy different from paranormal romance, and some books that might appeal to both crowds.


Jan
2026

The Case Files of Henri Davenforth by Honor Raconteur

categories: Review

I wanted to take a moment in this deep freeze of January to sing the praises of a fantasy/mystery series that I found late last year. I have been reading my way through them – fast at first, and then (when I realized I would catch up with the author’s output) slower. I use them as a palate cleanser in my reading diet, and a comforting go-to when I need something reliably entertaining. And while I see they have a decent number of rating on Amazon, I never hear anyone talking about these books. Maybe because they are self-published and in Kindle Unlimited. But if you are looking for a long series (11 books and counting!) to sink into on these long winter nights, you should give this series a try.

As a lover of genre blends, I’m always looking for a new take on an old combination. And with the Case Files I found a new twist on the Mystery/Fantasy blend. When it comes to genre blending, there is always the danger that by adding one genre to another you will create a book that appeals to readers of neither. But for my money, these books are catnip for anyone who loves classic urban fantasy books with interesting worldbuilding, plenty of action, and a kick-ass female detective.  I’d also suggest them if you like portal fantasies where a character from our world is dropped into a fantasy landscape and has to adapt and find their way around.  BUT, they are also something I might hand to someone looking for a clever historical mystery series with strong Sherlock Holmes vibes. Weird combo? Hell yeah! But I swear, it works!

The series starts with Magic and the Shinigami Detective. As I said, these books are portal fantasies, and in book one’s prologue we are cleverly dropped into the point of view of Jamie Edwards, a captive of a magic-wielding madwoman who has kidnapped and experimented upon people from various worlds, of whom Jamie is the sole surviving victim. But the witch, Belladonna, has miscalculated with Jamie. As she is a federal agent with her own skills and abilities and Belladonna’s experiments have enhanced her physically, Jamie is able to overpower Belladonna and kill her. She escapes the witch’s hidden lair, finds civilization, and gets the full realization that she is in an entirely different world – in some ways like our own, but at a Victorian level of technology. And with MAGIC.

The case files then start with a time jump and a point of view shift to Henri Davenforth, a magical inspector with the Kingston police force. He is called out on a case, meets Jamie, and the two are partnered up to solve their first case together. It’s a good one, involving a theft of a powerful artifact from the police evidence locker. I won’t go into detail on the case, but the two complement each other well. Each chapter is written as if it is a case file written (in the beginning) by Henri, detailing the case. It’s a very Dr. Watson thing to do, and when Jamie finds the casebooks, she begins adding her own handwritten commentary. The two build a strong friendship, and the dialogue and banter between them is top notch. I keep coming back to the series not only because Raconteur constructs her mysteries well, but to revisit Jamie and Henri.

The fun of the series for urban fantasy fans is that you do have some great magical world-building. The author does a terrific job of evoking a city that is reminiscent of London, but has plenty of character of its own. The magic systems are not revolutionary, but they are well explained and shown through both the action and some light explication as Jamie is still relatively new to this world and doesn’t have any magic herself. Jamie has some of the expected characteristics of an urban fantasy heroine – she’s strong, resourceful, observant, and sarcastic as hell. She might even be considered overpowered, as she is strong and faster than most due to Belladonna’s tampering, and has an immunity to most offensive magic. Her vulnerabilities are the fact that she cannot ever go home and is always learning new things about her adopted world. Henri is much more unexpected. He’s equally witty and sarcastic, but he’s also not typical fantasy hero material. His magic isn’t the strongest – he’s just very talented at using what he has to the best of his abilities. He’s also a little indolent, expending physical effort only when necessary and very, very fond of his creature comforts. I love him to bits.

For the historical mystery/Sherlock Holmes fans, the setting is wonderful. The Victorian-esque setting is really late-Victorian/Edwardian, as are Doyle’s stories. There are lots of carriages but the automobile is starting to become more common. The other levels of technology are interestingly muddled, as some things that would be done by technological invention are accomplished by magic instead, giving the series a fun steampunk vibe at times. There are plenty of things that Jamie misses from her world, and she finds ways to introduce some of them to her new world, albeit often with a magical assist. Part of the fun of the series are her efforts to replicate things like cell phones. The author is clearly knowledgeable about the mystery genre, and in every outing seems to enjoy playing with some of the classic mystery tropes, including clever heists, baffling burglaries, city-wide crime sprees, and locked room murders. The mysteries tend to be on the cozy-side of things, but are never, ever boring.

Finally, for the cat-lovers in the audience, there are some seriously cute magical felines. Yes, they talk. No it is not too twee.

So if you like urban fantasies but would like a unique historical take, I highly recommend the series. There are 11 books and counting:

  1. Magic and the Shinigami Detective
  2. Charms and Death and Explosions (oh my!)
  3. Magic Outside the Box
  4. Breaking and Entering 101
  5. Three Charms for Murder
  6. Grimoires and Where to Find Them
  7. Death Over the Garden Wall
  8. This Potion is da Bomb
  9. All in a Name
  10. A Matter of Secrets and Spies
  11. All Fun and Games

Purchase on Amazon or the author’s website.


May
2016

Psychics in Science Fiction

categories: Featured Blend

Usually when people think of science fiction, it is a rule-based setting. Near future, far future, alternate past –  the “what if” of a good science fiction novel usually sticks with what could be, if things develop according to the way society is trending and the rules of science allow. But what then do you do with science fiction that adds in something fantastical? For my purposes you get a Science Fiction/Fantasy blend.

Psychic powers are one of the most common fantasy elements that get added to what can otherwise be straightforward science fiction.  There is no scientific basis (at this time!) for psychic powers. No proof that they exist or could exist, or would exist if the conditions were right.  But they are irresistible to authors in many genres. Some even bother to walk through scientific example of why the powers manifest.  But really, they’re just cool. The great thing about genre blends is that authors feel free to borrow whatever cool bits they like from other genres. It’s a big part of why I like blends. So with no further ado, here are some great examples of SF with psychic powers

foundationFoundation series by Isaac Asimov

Start with: Foundation

Asimov’s classic series is the story of a galactic empire in decline. Hari Sheldon is the inventor of psychohistory, the ability to see the future through the use of history, psychology and statistics. He foresees the end of society and brings together humanity’s greatest thinkers to create a safe hold, a foundation at the edge of the galaxy. But that’s not even the psychic part!  There is a character of Mule, whose ability to control others through their emotions makes him a dangerous man, and a threat to Hari’s plans.  There’s some other psychic stuff running through the series, but none of this makes it any less of a classic of the science fiction genre. (more…)


Mar
2015

Planetary Romance

categories: Featured Blend

Some of my earliest and longest-lasting love affairs in SFF is the subgenre of planetary romance. It seems strangely old-fashion now, but when I first started reading science fiction, these were the books I read, loved and wallowed in. So what is a planetary romance? Contrary to what you might think, it is not actually a blend between romance and science fiction (although it can be that too).  If anything, it’s more of a blend between science fiction and fantasy.   (more…)


Jan
2015

Fantasy Cops

categories: Featured Blend

Urban Fantasy is a genre full of crime.  Not every urban fantasy contains a mystery component, but many, MANY do. When you set your fantasy on regular city streets and remove the epic worldbuilding and plots of large-scale political intrigue and clashing armies (think Tolkien, Martin, etc.) you need something to fill that plot hole.  A mystery plot, with its reliable structure of crime, investigation, and resolution is amazingly suited to a blend with fantasy. It is also a plot that lends itself to episodic series, with gradually accumulated world-building allowed to be used over and over again with the same characters, only changing the particular mystery plot du jour. (more…)


Oct
2014

The Troupe by Robert Jackson Bennett

categories: Review

troupe

FANTASY/HORROR/HISTORICAL FICTION

TITLE: The Troupe
AUTHOR: Robert Jackson Bennett
PUBLISHER: Orbit, 2011

THE BOOK: In an undefined turn-of-the-last-century time when vaudeville was still going strong, we meet young George Carole, a piano player at a small Vaudeville theatre in the middle of America somewhere/nowhere. Sixteen-year-old George is working at Otterman’s theatre for only one reason:  he hopes his father will play there someday so he can finally meet the man. But when he does finally track down his father’s vaudevillian troupe, nothing goes as planned.  His father, Hieronymus Silenus, is involved in something bigger and scarier than a simple entertainment and when George see the Silenus troupe play, his life is changed forever. Between the creepy puppet act, the tantalising dancing of the beautiful Colette, and the mesmerizing song that ends the act, George is fascinated.  But it is his encounter after the show with a spooky gray man who sucks all the light out of the world around him that decides George to sign on with the Troupe. Because Silenus is somehow using his show to battle back all the evil of the world.  Or is he? (more…)


Oct
2014

Hot Books for Santa Ana Days

categories: Featured Microgenre

While the rest of the country is enjoying crisp fall days, colorful foliage, and excellent sleeping weather, Southern California had Santa Ana winds blowing through over the weekend. If you’ve never heard of the Santa Ana winds, they are supposed to drive people a little crazy.  Raymond Chandler has a typically awesome quote:

“There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Ana’s that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks. Anything can happen. “

(more…)


Oct
2014

Urban Fantasy versus Paranormal Romance

categories: Featured Blend, infographic

pnrufchart2

(click to embiggen!)

Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.  There seems to be lots of people who love one but not the other.  In most classification schemes and in my book (The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Blends), urban fantasy is technically a subgenre of fantasy, and paranormal romance is a subgenre of romance (just as the names imply!), but the reading reality has always seemed more fluid to me. I read a lot of series that fall under one or another of those subgenre headings, and I’ve never been particularly fussy about what label gets printed on the spine.  When I was in charge of ordering paperbacks for a library, I was forced to care about this issue, as I would be the one that would decide whether a book went on the “ROMANCE” spinner or the “SF/FANTASY” spinner. And believe it or not I found  it surprisingly difficult at times.  Sometimes I would violently disagree with the way the publisher had chosen to market a series. Maybe it was a book that had a cover and a subject heading that screamed romance and I thought it would appeal as much (or more) to fantasy fans.  Maybe the book was all moody urban fantasy on the outside but all steamy romance between the covers.  It was then that I started to think about these books all living on more of a spectrum: all books that shared a real-world, present day fantasy landscape and almost always included a crime/puzzle/mystery plot line. The difference was simply in the amount of romance.

(more…)


Sep
2014

Pirate Week: Fantasy Pirates

categories: Featured Blend

Yesterday I pulled together a list of traditional historical fiction pirates.  While they might not have been as plentiful in the real world as they are in the novels of naval adventure, there is no doubt that pirates really did sail the seas of history. But the idea of pirates is too irresistible not to borrow for other genres. So how about some piracy on imaginary seas? Fantasy has a long tradition of stories of high adventure, with swordplay and settings that hint at history while taking all the imaginative liberties the genre is known for. And some of these action-packed, magical tales even include pirates.

wakeofthebloodyWake of the Bloody Angel by Alex Bledsoe
The series of novels featuring sowrd-for-hire Eddie LaCrosse are always fun, and all feature action and swordplay.  It was inevitable, I suppose that he would cross paths (and swords) with pirates one day.  That day arrives when the woman who runs the bar where he has his office asks him to find the pirate she loved and lost. His ship, The Bloody Angel, disappeared years ago and Eddie enlists the help of a pirate queen to search for the pirate’s fate. This series is funny, fast and a little ridiculous, but in a good way. (more…)