10 Romantasy Novels to Add to Your TBR List

In this cozy, charming debut, Emily Wilde — a Cambridge professor and expert on the study of faeries — ventures to a remote Scandinavian village to conduct research on a mysterious group of faeries known as the Hidden Ones. Emily’s research trip is soon riddled with complications, one of them being the unannounced arrival of her annoyingly attractive academic rival, Wendell Bamblely. Is he there to sabotage her work or steal her research? Or is he keeping an eye on Emily for other reasons? You’ll have to read to find out!

This longtime romantasy favorite (it was first published in 2017!) follows sisters Scarlett and Tella, who escape from their abusive father to an enchanted island where Caraval — a magical, immersive, once-a-year performance — takes place. But the games, the sisters realize, are not what they expected, and they can no longer easily distinguish truth from reality. After Tella is hidden by Caraval’s enigmatic organizer, Legend, Scarlett is given five days to find her sister. With the help of a mysterious, handsome performer named Julian, she must unravel Caraval’s secrets once and for all — or risk losing Tella forever.

If you’ve been consuming bookish content for a while now, you’ve probably heard of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. As a staple romantasy on BookTok that took off amid the recent pandemic, it fully deserves a place on our list.

This dark coming-of-age story, which is set in a world of faeries off the East Coast of the United States, follows Jude Duarte, a human forced to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie after the mysterious murder of her parents. Desperate to fit in with the magical creatures around her, Jude goes on a journey to win a place at the Court, and no one can stand in her way — not even arrogant Prince Cardan, who Jude grudgingly considers to be more beautiful than any other faerie in Elfhame.

When aspiring violinist Ilana Lopez agrees to stay with her aunt in Prague, her father’s homeland, for the summer, the last thing she expects to find is a Jewish cemetery behind her aunt’s house — and a charming ghost named Benjamin. As Ilana spends more and more time with him in the magic-filled streets of Prague, she slowly finds herself falling in love. But how will she find a way to stay with Benjamin forever? And why is he unable to leave Prague in the first place?

If you like your fantasy in “romantasy” to stem from mythology, this captivating novel — which explores the legend of Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess — might be right up your alley. Tan weaves a tale of magic and secrets as Xingyin, who grew up on the moon, embarks on a dangerous journey to save her mother from the clutches of the Celestial Emperor. 

And here’s your romance: the Celestial Emperor has a son, who is, of course, a total dreamboat. There’s also the inscrutable Captain Wenzhi, so Xingyin’s quest has just gotten even more complicated — especially since she must disguise her true identity and feelings from both men if she wants to save her mother.

This Persian mythology-inspired novel centers around Alizeh, an orphaned servant who finds out she’s the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom. Rumors of unfulfilled prophecies regarding King Zaal’s death start spreading across the kingdom, and although Alizeh knows she is destined to rule, certain people at the palace will stop at nothing to prevent her from taking the king’s throne — including the crown prince Kamran, who finds himself unexpectedly falling for her.

Here’s a third novel steeped in mythology — but this time, the inspiration comes from traditional Indian tales. After Maya, daughter of the Raja, is forced to marry a stranger for political reasons, she’s sent to the nation of Akaran to become its new queen. Her new home, however, is filled with the unexpected: gardens made of glass, a tree that holds memories, and danger lurking in the shadows. 

As Maya slowly falls for her new husband and starts diving deeper into the hidden truths of Akaran, she discovers an ancient mystery that must be solved, with the fate of both the human world and the Otherworldly realm depending on her success — or failure.

This gripping debut combines elements that Natasha Bowen has expressed interest in for many years: namely, Black mermaids and West African traditions. 

It centers around Simi, a Mami Wata (a mermaid-like being that guides the souls of enslaved people who die at sea to the afterlife), and Kola, the beautiful man she rescues from drowning. The catch? According to an ancient law, Mami Wata are not supposed to save humans lost at sea. To prevent the Mami Wata from getting wiped out of existence, Simi and Kola must therefore go on a dangerous quest to find the Supreme Creator, Olodumare, and ask for forgiveness — and fight against falling in love with each other in the process.

Romantasy plus Shakespeare? Yes, please. If you’re a Shakespeare lover, this one’s for you: Gong’s novel, complete with two rival gangs and two star-crossed lovers in 1920s Shanghai, is a loose interpretation of the Bard’s most famous tragic romance, Romeo and Juliet — perfect for fans of the Baz Lurhmann film adaptation.

Former flapper Juliette Cai is determined to take her rightful place as heir of the criminal-run Scarlet Gang, but complications arise when a chance encounter leads her to her rival — and first love — Roma Montagov, the heir of the White Flowers. As Juliette struggles with her conflicting feelings towards Roma, rumors of a plague-like madness and a menacing monster start sweeping the streets of Shanghai. Will Juliette and Roma put aside their differences and work together to keep their city safe? Or will they watch as everything and everyone they love gets torn apart?

Set in a world inspired by Ancient Rome, this dual-narrative novel centers around Laia, a resident of the Martial Empire whose brother, Darin, is arrested for treason. To save Darin from a horrible fate, Laia agrees to spy for a group of rebels who want to take down the Empire. While serving as the slave of a cruel commandant, she meets Elias, a tall, dark, and handsome soldier who dreams of escaping the oppressive regime he’s been forced to fight for. Despite the sparks flying between them, Laia must keep her true identity hidden and find a way to free her brother — before it’s too late.