What Is Romantasy? The Complete Guide to the Genre
Romantasy is the genre blend of romance and fantasy in which the love story and the fantasy plot are equally essential — remove either and the book collapses. Popularized by BookTok and defined by series like A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, it has become one of the fastest-growing shelves in publishing. This guide explains what romantasy is, how it differs from fantasy-with-romance, where to start reading, and which hand-poured Aarka Origins candles — including officially licensed A Court of Thorns and Roses scents — set the right mood.
Every few years a portmanteau escapes the internet and becomes a bookstore section. "Romantasy" is the current champion: a word readers coined, publishers adopted, and bookshops now print on endcaps. But the label confuses as many readers as it converts — is any fantasy with kissing romantasy? Is it just fae books? This guide sorts it out: the definition, the spectrum, the starter shelf, and the candles to burn while your dragon-riding, bargain-striking, morally grey reading habit takes hold.
What Is Romantasy, Exactly?
Romantasy is a genre hybrid where romance and fantasy are load-bearing in equal measure. The test is structural: in a romantasy, the central relationship drives the fantasy plot and the fantasy plot pressures the relationship — courts fall, wars turn, and magic binds because of who loves whom. That distinguishes it from epic fantasy that happens to include a romance subplot (where you could cut the kissing and keep the book) and from paranormal romance's earlier wave (which kept contemporary settings and added the supernatural). Romantasy builds full secondary worlds — fae courts, dragon colleges, vampire kingdoms — and gives the love story equal billing with the world's fate. Most of the genre also inherits romance's trope vocabulary: enemies to lovers, fated mates, one bed, morally grey princes. If those terms are new, our romance tropes guide is the companion piece.
Where Romantasy Came From
The ingredients are old — romantic fantasy runs back through decades of the genre — but the current wave has a clear arc: A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015) by Sarah J. Maas built the template of fae courts, bargains, and slow-detonating romance; BookTok turned the backlist into a phenomenon; and Fourth Wing (2023) by Rebecca Yarros supplied the moment the word "romantasy" went fully mainstream, dragons and all. Publishers responded with dedicated imprints and special editions, and the portmanteau graduated from hashtag to shelf label. The genre's rise also mainstreamed its spice-level vocabulary — readers now openly sort books by heat as well as trope — though plenty of excellent romantasy keeps the door closed.
The Romantasy Spectrum: Where to Start
Romantasy runs on a spectrum from romance-forward (the relationship is the point; the world serves it) to fantasy-forward (the world is vast; the romance is its heart). Nine real, widely available starting points, sorted along it:
Romance-Forward: The Relationship Is the Plot
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — the modern genre's founding text: a huntress, a fae bargain, and a court of thorns worth the hype. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout — a veiled maiden, a guard with secrets, and the wave's most devoted fandom. The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent — a human raised by the vampire king enters a deadly tournament; enemies to lovers with teeth.
The Middle: Equal Parts Court and Heart
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros — a brutal war college for dragon riders and the enemies-to-lovers arc that made the genre a headline. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black — a mortal girl in the fae court, political scheming, and the internet's favorite terrible prince. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross — rival journalists connected by enchanted typewriters during a war of gods; the spectrum's most tender center.
Fantasy-Forward: The World Comes First
Crescent City (House of Earth and Blood) by Sarah J. Maas — urban fantasy scale, murder investigation stakes, slow-burn heart. The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen — a marriage of convenience between enemy kingdoms, where the politics are as sharp as the yearning. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett — the cozy end of the spectrum: a curmudgeonly scholar, a maddening academic rival, and field notes on the fae.
Setting the Scene: Candles for Romantasy Readers
Romantasy is an atmosphere genre, and Aarka Origins is unusually well equipped for it — including officially licensed A Court of Thorns and Roses candles: Feyre (warm vanilla layered with floral and earthy undertones), Rhysand, and Night Court, poured under license from the Sarah J. Maas series. Beyond the licensed line, match the mood: Star-Crossed Lovers (dark plum, berries, vanilla embers) for doomed bargains, Morally Grey (bergamot, yuzu blossoms, petitgrain) for the princes you shouldn't trust, Book Dragon (orange blossom, spices, patchouli) for the dragon-rider era, Twilight Forest (woods, cypress, moss, chilly breeze) for fae woods at dusk, and Faerie Door (forest floor, spices) for crossing over entirely. All are 100% soy, hand-poured in small batches in North Carolina, with 8 oz jars ($29.99) burning 45+ hours — roughly one Maas doorstopper each. The full shelf lives in the romance candle collection and the book lovers' hub.
Romantasy vs. Its Neighbors
Three boundary lines keep the label honest. Romantasy vs. fantasy romance: readers increasingly use "fantasy romance" for romance-forward books guaranteed a happy ending, and "romantasy" as the broader umbrella — but in practice the terms overlap heavily. Romantasy vs. epic fantasy with romance: if the love story is removable, it's epic fantasy; in romantasy it is the spine. Romantasy vs. paranormal romance: paranormal romance typically keeps our world and adds vampires or shifters; romantasy builds a secondary world with its own courts, magic systems, and maps. None of these borders is policed — the genre grew out of readers refusing to choose, and it wears its hybridity proudly.
What Is Romantasy: Frequently Asked Questions
What does romantasy mean?
Romantasy is a blend of "romance" and "fantasy" describing books where the love story and the fantasy plot are equally central — the relationship drives the world's events and the world's events pressure the relationship. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros are the defining modern examples.
What is the difference between romantasy and fantasy romance?
Many readers use "fantasy romance" for romance-forward books that follow romance conventions (including a guaranteed happy ending) and "romantasy" as the broader umbrella covering everything from romance-led to fantasy-led hybrids. In everyday use the terms overlap heavily, and bookstores shelve them together.
What book should I read first for romantasy?
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is the standard entry point and the source of the genre's template, while Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is the faster, dragon-forward alternative. Readers who prefer a gentler introduction should start with Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross or Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.
Is romantasy the same as ACOTAR?
No — A Court of Thorns and Roses is one series within the genre, though it is the one most responsible for the modern wave. Romantasy also spans dragon-rider books, vampire courts, fae politics, and cozy scholarly fantasy from many different authors.
Why is romantasy so popular?
It delivers two complete payoffs in one book — a fully built fantasy world and a fully developed romance — and BookTok's trope-based recommendation culture made those payoffs easy to advertise. The genre also welcomes readers arriving from either direction, romance or fantasy, without demanding they choose.
Does romantasy always have explicit content?
No. The genre spans every heat level, from closed-door books like Divine Rivals to notably spicy series, and readers commonly sort recommendations by spice level alongside tropes. The label describes the romance-fantasy blend, not the explicitness.
Are there official ACOTAR candles?
Yes — Aarka Origins pours officially licensed A Court of Thorns and Roses candles, including Feyre, Rhysand, and Night Court, alongside its wider romance line. All are hand-poured in 100% soy wax with phthalate-free fragrance oils and lead-free cotton wicks in North Carolina.
What candle should I burn while reading romantasy?
Match the court: the licensed Feyre candle (warm vanilla with floral and earthy undertones) for ACOTAR rereads, Book Dragon (orange blossom, spices, patchouli) for dragon-rider books, and Morally Grey (bergamot, yuzu blossoms, petitgrain) for the genre's untrustworthy princes. Twilight Forest (woods, cypress, moss, chilly breeze) covers any fae forest.
Romantasy is what happens when readers stop apologizing for wanting everything: the map and the kiss, the war and the wedding, the dragon and the slow burn. Start anywhere on the spectrum above, light something appropriately enchanted from the Aarka Origins romance collection — licensed court scents included — and mind the bargains you strike after midnight.
