Romantasy

Romantic fantasy, or "romantasy", is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that combines fantasy and romance, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the chivalric romance genre. One of the key features of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships, social, political, and romantic.

Romantic fantasy has been published by both fantasy lines and romance lines. As a result of the financial success of authors such as Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros in the 2000s, publishers created imprints to focus on this subgenre. Some publishers distinguish between "romantic fantasy" where the fantasy elements is most important and "fantasy romance" where the romance are most important. Others say that "the borderline between fantasy romance and romantic fantasy has essentially ceased to exist, or if it's still there, it's moving back and forth constantly". Game historian Stu Horvath noted, "the heroes and heroines of romantic fantasy seek social connection and emotional wealth. Instead of carrying on by themselves, they find belonging in a community and a purpose larger than themselves. Magic and psychic abilities are often in-born talents; intelligent animals speak; and societies are egalitarian."

2023–2024 Romantasy trend

In 2023 and 2024, romantic fantasy novels termed "romantasy" became a social media trend. Sales of the books have been widely driven by promotion on social media, particularly the part of TikTok known as BookTok. ''Writer's Digest'' notes much of the credit for the rise in the romantic fantasy genre can be attributed to platforms such as TikTok, where word spreads more efficiently in speed and "influencability." ''The Economist'' notes that the genre has particular appeal to those who grew up reading young-adult fantasy, such as ''Harry Potter'', and are now interested in similar themes, but with adult themes of sex and romance. Popular authors in the genre include Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, whose ''Empyrean'' series have all broken sales records and are due to be made into a TV series. Authors of novels labeled as romantasy are largely women, as is the market, and the novels are known for representing minorities.

Notable examples

Some examples of media in the romantic fantasy subgenre include:

Literature

* ''A Court of Thorns and Roses'' series by Sarah J. Maas
** ''A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, A Court of Silver Flames''
* ''Throne of Glass'' series by Sarah J. Maas
** ''Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, Kingdom of Ash''
* ''Crescent City series'' by Sarah J. Maas
** ''House of Earth and Blood, House of Sky and Breath, House of Flame and Shadow''
* ''Empyrean'' series by Rebecca Yarros
** ''Fourth Wing'', ''Iron Flame'', ''Onyx Storm''
* From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
* ''The City of Brass'' by S.A. Chakraborty
* ''The Ten Thousand Doors of January'' by Alix E. Harrow
* Caraval series by Stephanie Garber
* ''The Cruel Prince'' series by Holly Black
* Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Once Upon a Broken Heart
by Stephanie Garber

The Serpent & the Wings of Nigh
t by Carissa Broadbent

Servant of Earth
by Sarah Hawley

The Sky on Fire
by Jenn Lyons

Bride
by Ali Hazelwood

Heartless Hunter
by Kristen Ciccarelli

The Shadows Between Us
by Tricia Levenseller

Kingdom of the Wicked
by Kerri Maniscalco

The Bridge Kingdom
by Danielle L. Jenson

A Curse So Dark and Lonely
by Brigid Kemmerer

An Enchantment of Ravens
by Margaret Rogerson
* '' The Twilight Saga'' by Stephenie Meyer – A love story between Bella Swan, a human girl, and Edward Cullen, a vampire, set in a world where supernatural beings coexist with humans.
* ''The Immortals'' series by Tamora Pierce
* ''Lost Continent (aka Aronsdale)'' series by Catherine Asaro
* ''Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms'' series by Mercedes Lackey

Films

* ''The Princess Bride'' (1987) – The film adaptation of William Goldman’s novel, which is set in a magical world and features the romantic relationship between Princess Buttercup and her true love, Westley.
* ''Twilight'' film series (2008–2012) – The film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer’s novels, focusing on the supernatural love story between a human girl and a vampire.
* ''The Shape of Water'' (2017) – Follows a mute cleaner at a high-security government laboratory who falls in love with a captured humanoid amphibian creature.
* ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990) – A story set in a visually fantastical world which focuses of Edward, an unfinished artificial humanoid that has scissors for hands, who falls in love with Kim, a teenage girl in an American suburban neighborhood.
* ''Ghost'' (1990) – focuses on a murdered banker, whose ghost sets out to save his girlfriend from the person who killed him – through the help of the psychic.
* ''Legend'' (1985) – A magical adventure in which Princess Lily and a hero named Jack must thwart the Lord of Darkness's evil plot to cover the world in eternal night.

Television

* ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003) – A cult TV series that focuses on the adventures of the teenage girl Buffy whom was chosen to fight vampires and various other creatures, as well as explores her romantic relationship with the vampire Angel.
* ''True Blood'' (2008–2014) – A TV adaptation of ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'' book series by Charlaine Harris. The series is set in a world where vampires coexist with humans and it features the romantic relationship between a telepathic waitress and a mysterious vampire.

Video Games

* ''Xenogears'': A JRPG set in a fictional world ruled by a highly technological country named Solaris. The protagonists, Fei Fong Wong and the Solaris officer Elhaym van Houten, are destined by reincarnation to fall in love with each other.

See also

* Romance novel
* Medieval fantasy

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romantic Fantasy

Fantasy genres
Romance
Film genres
Fiction by genre
Literary genres
Romance genres