Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
Content warning: this article contains spoilers for “Crescent City” by Sarah J. Maas
Though it is unclear how long the term “romantasy” — a blend of the words romance and fantasy — has been around, the genre has now become rather common in most book social circles.
The idea behind the genre is that the plot has two defining features: romance and fantasy. If a book has too much romance and not enough fantasy, especially if the love interest is a high fae or another fantasy race, the plot cannot survive.
The books typically contain smut — sexually explicit content, also sometimes called “spice” online — though it is not a requirement of the genre. Many romantasy books fade-to-black or have behind-closed-doors moments — scenes where the explicit content is implied but never stated — and the romance is kept clean for readers.
The fade-to-black scenes are typically best for the young adult genre, as it means that underage readers are not consuming sexually explicit content not intended for their age demographic. For example, the book “From Blood and Ash” by Jennifer L. Armentrout is considered one of the spiciest books currently on the market. As this book is one of my current reads, I can safely say that this is true; the book is roughly 20% actual plot and 80% smut and is not suitable for young adult readers, which is why fade-to-black scenes are so important.
Within the last few years, the genre has seen an uptick in readers and number of books sold. Sarah J. Maas, the author of “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” “Throne of Glass” and the “Crescent City” series, has sold over 40 million copies of her books. Maas is currently the biggest name in romantasy, and some would say she created the current blueprint for the genre, as well as for the love interests. It seems that Maas has cracked the code behind the romantasy genre.
One theory to explain the popularity of romantasy is that readers can see themselves in the female main character, also known as FMC in bookish communities. Generally, FMCs are ordinary women, usually in their early to mid-twenties, who are thrust into a world that they are not used to and are not meant for.
These women are also outspoken and don’t always take “no” for an answer, as well as possess some sort of supernatural power, either when they are first introduced or as their stories progress. They are angry, typically traumatized women, but begin to soften and let people in again as their stories progress.
For example, Bryce Quinlan of Maas’ “Crescent City” trilogy is a half-human, half-fae woman who doesn’t want to get caught up in the mess of the Vanir — the immortal, non-human members of her world — but ultimately accepts being thrust into the role of her world’s savior. As the trilogy progresses, readers come to realize that Bryce possesses the Starborne abilities of her fae heritage, abilities that include manipulating starlight and absorbing energy from others. Bryce’s character is best known for her general disdain for Vanir hierarchy and hot pink tennis shoes, which draws readers in because of her relatable nature.
Another theory is that the male main characters, or MMCs, are incredibly hot. They tend to be opposite of their FMC counterparts in the sense that they have experience in their worlds — often hundreds of years older than the women — and eventually become the steady guiding hand in teaching the world’s magic system to her, after they hate each other first, of course. Unlike their counterpart, the MMCs are typically level-headed and calm, only releasing their true rage when someone close to them is in danger. They also start in a position of power over the FMC, although they end up becoming equals as they fall in love.
Bryce’s counterpart and love interest in the “Crescent City” trilogy is Hunt Athalar, a 233-year-old fallen angel, who just so happens to be called the Umbra Mortis, or the Angel of Death. Hunt is part of the triarii, the archangel legion that guards Lunathion, and butts heads often with Bryce as he works on protecting her from forces in the city that are coming after her. They eventually fall in love and learn to work together to save their city.
Fans often give these MMC love interests nicknames like “Shadow Daddy,” alluding to the fact that most of these love interests are tall, dark and handsome, possess the ability to manipulate shadows and yes, are insanely good in bed.
That leads into the third — and least favorite in the bookish community — theory of romantasy’s popularity: the smut. A theory common on the internet, it accuses the women-dominated fanbase of being, essentially, porn addicts. While a lot of romantasy books do contain smut and many fans do enjoy it, a lot of times the actual smut content is only around 30% of the actual novel. And while some readers will not read a book unless it has smut, the amount of content in these books is usually the same as an R-rated movie.
Whatever the reason, these books have united communities across the globe on social media and discussion forums. Profiles dedicated to fanart and other content relating to these works have taken TikTok and Instagram by storm, while also connecting fans.
Events themed to romantasy books have also gained popularity, with the traveling Starfall Ball being the most well-known. Themed as the Night Court from Maas’ “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series, attendees have the opportunity to cosplay as characters from their favorite series and meet people with similar interests.
In the next few months, the romantasy genre has titles soon to hit shelves with fans foaming at the mouth to get their hands on, with the third book in the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros releasing Jan. 21, 2025 being the most anticipated.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
