Hello everyone! So I’ve been having the worst luck with romantasies lately.
I loved a court of thorns and roses and throne of glass, it’s not that I don’t like romantasy. These books did have cringy romance, I admit that, but at least there were actual high stakes and actual war/lore around the story and actual things going on. There were twists that I didn’t all see coming, and it wasn’t just the twist that the fmc fell in love with the bad guy she’s been lusting after since the 5% mark and not the boring guy we’ve known she wouldn’t pick since about the same time.
I have started so many fantasy books this year with fae, and it’s horrible. I don’t want to find ten errors in the few pages that come with the sample. I don’t want to have a male love interest that’s just abusive but in a sexy way. I would like, like with throne of glass, an actual fucking STORY, not just an overly angsty romance, but ~make it fae~.
Can anyone recommend me some fantasy books that are not high fantasy (like Brandon Sanderson, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones etc) but that nevertheless take some thought?
I’ve liked Throne Of Glass, ACOTAR, Arc of a Scythe, Queen of the Tearling, Shadow and Bone Series, Six of Crows, also Divine Rivals and LOVED Tress of the Emerald Sea (but couldn’t get into Mistborn)
I didn’t like a curse so dark and lonely, serpent and dove, kingdom of the wicked, once upon a broken heart, violet made of thorns, the iron king, the shadows between us and many, many others I gave up on.
by tanja510
6 Comments
Try Merry Gentry series by Laurrel K Hamilton. First book is Kiss of Shadows.
A Wild & True Relation, by Kim Sherwood. May be more historical fiction than fantasy, but it’s on my list so thought I’d put it out there.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/mar/17/a-wild-true-relation-by-kim-sherwood-review-smugglers-and-lovers
It’s technically YA, but maybe The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black? The romance is somewhat secondary to the main plot, but the whole thing is really layered and well written IMO.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik might be worth checking out too. I didn’t personally vibe with the romantic elements of the story, but I know a lot of other readers did!
I’m assuming you’re looking for straight (M/F) romance? Then:
* **All Souls** (trilogy) by Deborah Harkness
* **Strange the Dreamer** by Laini Taylor
* **Going Postal** by Terry Pratchett
There is a sub for this!
r/fantasyromance
Not a big fairy reader, but maybe An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson.
Non fae:
Dragons – I don’t see Fourth Wing on your list. It gets a bad rep from reading snobs but it’s a romantasy in an interesting world with high stakes that just that falls prey to the same tropes that other books in the genre do. I enjoyed it, it’s a good time.
Djinn – The City of Brass (Daevabad Trilogy) by S.A. Chakraborty . Big world, high stakes