What is romantasy?
Romantasy is a blend of romance and fantasy in which the love story is as important as the magic. The word joins the two genre names. It became a bestseller category in the early 2020s through BookTok, with fae courts, dragon riders and heroes who are several centuries old and very patient.
What makes a book romantasy
A fantasy novel can contain a romance without being romantasy. The test is whether the plot would collapse without the couple. In romantasy the war, the curse and the throne all bend around two people, and the reader is there for them.
The men of romantasy
The genre has a recognisable hero: powerful, dangerous to everyone else, and undone by one woman. He is often morally grey, usually immortal or close to it, and tends to announce that she is his equal while the court looks on. The slow burn and enemies to lovers are its favourite structures.
Why it took off
Romantasy gives adult readers high stakes and open desire in the same book, written from her point of view. Fantasy had long been sold as a genre for men, romance as a guilty pleasure. Combining them removed the apology from both.
Questions and answers
- What does romantasy mean?
- A genre combining romance and fantasy, where the romantic relationship is central to the story.
- Is romantasy always spicy?
- No. It ranges from closed-door to explicit. Reviews and content notes usually say which.
- What is the difference between romantasy and fantasy romance?
- They are used interchangeably. Some readers use fantasy romance for books where the romance leads and romantasy for an even balance.