Huh…I’d say check out some Discworld books, maybe? I’m not really sure exactly how old anyone is in those books and there might be hints of romance, but I wouldn’t say they really feature it at all.
u-lala-lation on
Dendera by Yuya Sato, though the fantasy elements aren’t very strong.
The White Monkey Chronicles by Isabella Ides partly follows a child protagonist, but there are also quite a few adults that become the focus throughout.
ChaoticClock on
Earthsea? Lord of the Rings? Them old classics.
Greatgreenbird on
*City of Blades* by Robert Jackson Bennett – this is the middle book of a trilogy, so you might want to start off with the first one (*City of Stairs*) but this one is centred on the wonderful General Mulaghesh who definitely meets your criteria.
*Paladin of Souls* by Lois McMaster Bujold – one of my absolute favourite fantasy novels, again it’s technically book 2 of a series (the previous one being *Curse of Chalion*, which does have a fairly substantial romance sub-plot) but you can definitely read it as a standalone.
*The Dreamquest of Vellitt Boe* by Kij Johnson – a novella, rather than a novel
The Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams, starts with *The Ninth Rain* – a couple of the characters in this ensemble series are decidedly not youngsters and while there is some romance, it’s not overwhelming
*Of Sorrow and Such* by Angela Slatter – another novella
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Huh…I’d say check out some Discworld books, maybe? I’m not really sure exactly how old anyone is in those books and there might be hints of romance, but I wouldn’t say they really feature it at all.
Dendera by Yuya Sato, though the fantasy elements aren’t very strong.
The White Monkey Chronicles by Isabella Ides partly follows a child protagonist, but there are also quite a few adults that become the focus throughout.
Earthsea? Lord of the Rings? Them old classics.
*City of Blades* by Robert Jackson Bennett – this is the middle book of a trilogy, so you might want to start off with the first one (*City of Stairs*) but this one is centred on the wonderful General Mulaghesh who definitely meets your criteria.
*Paladin of Souls* by Lois McMaster Bujold – one of my absolute favourite fantasy novels, again it’s technically book 2 of a series (the previous one being *Curse of Chalion*, which does have a fairly substantial romance sub-plot) but you can definitely read it as a standalone.
*The Dreamquest of Vellitt Boe* by Kij Johnson – a novella, rather than a novel
The Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams, starts with *The Ninth Rain* – a couple of the characters in this ensemble series are decidedly not youngsters and while there is some romance, it’s not overwhelming
*Of Sorrow and Such* by Angela Slatter – another novella