I read 43 romantasy books and these 10 are MUST READS

I read 43 romantasy books and these 10 are my absolute favorite. Also, here are my top 5 fantasy books with GREAT romances!

✨ Here's a list of all the romantasy I've read (in case you want us to discuss any of them further in the comments) -- in no particular order (and it turns out there are 45 series/standalones):
1. Cruel prince
2. Acotar
3. Fourth Wing
4. Serpent & the wings of night
5. Divine rivals
6. Caraval
7. Once upon a broken heart
8. To kill a kingdom
9. One dark window
10. Elements of Cadence
11. Crescent City
12. Throne of Glass
13. The undertaking of Hart & Mercy
14. Blood Grace
15. A king so cold
16. An enchantment of ravens
17. Sorcery of thorns
18. From blood and ash
19. Kingdom of the Wicked
20. Zodiac Academy (books 1 to 4)
21. Rhapsodic
22. Secret society of irregular witches
23. Bridge kingdom
24. Emily Wilde's encyclopedia of faeries
25. Half a Soul
26. Foxglove King
27. Wilderwood duology
28. What lies beyond the veil
29. These Hollow Vows duology
30. A Shadow in the Ember
31. The Wrath & the Dawn
32. Belladonna
33. Faebound
34. Dance of Thieves
35. Chain of Iron
36. City of bones
37. The Prison Healer
38. Between Wrath & Mercy
39. What the river knows
40. Swordheart
41. An ember in the ashes
42. The Bonds that Tie
43. The black witch
44. Payback is a witch
45. Chain of Iron

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Timestamps:
00:00 My struggle with Romantasy
00:41 Book 10
01:27 Book 9
02:26 Book 8
03:45 Book 7
05:03 The problem of Romantasy vs YA/ Fantasy Romance
05:42 Book 6
07:09 Book 5
08:14 Book 4
09:24 Book 3
10:38 Book 2
11:41 Book 1
12:55 Fantasy book 5
14:06 Fantasy book 4
15:16 Fantasy book 3
16:31 Fantasy book 2
17:29 Fantasy book 1

00:00

[Naeglin]

Omg so happy that you mentioned Strange the dreamer. I agree 100%!!! So beautiful, I wish more people knew about them.

[mypoeticdarling]

Ooooh you should try The Queendom of Shadows & Steel by R. Skye!! I just read it when it first released in September and it is one of my top reads of the year. It's set in the elven realm and the FMC is one of my new favorites. There's feminine rage, forbidden love, slow burn, magic, and it's detailed really well. I'd love to hear what you think! The author is a newer one and I think it's her debut novel.
It's on Kindle Unlimited which is even better 🥰

[HonestFiction]

Ahhh loved this video!!

OMG that edition of Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is STUNNING!!!

*Haha, when you intro’ed with - I’ve been tempted to read a lot of romantasy” - my brain immediately went to “it’s me, HI, I’m the problem it’s me 🎶 “ 🙋🏻‍♀️🫥

[hollypurden]

Wow im so surprised you mentioned Strange the Dreamer! By far my favourite book! As you say the lush writing, beautiful yet heartbreaking love story. It shocks me that its getting love again! Love to see it. Also lowkey would be an amazing film, animated maybe?

[nadeshkaholmes]

I haven't read much romantasy because I've had not so good experiences with the popular books but I know there's beautiful books out there and I completely trust your opinion so I will read these. I love your videos so much ❤

[monisharmuk]

I always love how much hard work you put into each video. I will definitely read your recommendations! I really appreciate how you put a disclaimer before mentioning Addie La Rue because I am perhaps one of those who did not like it.On another note, I find the single lamp behind you so warm and cozy.. Thai just dozing off under the warmth of the lamp is a vibe in itself!

[adrianv]

Fourth Wing was the worst book I've ever read. I'm glad it didn't make the list, even if it's just because of its overwhelming popularity. Love the video, thanks.

[elenahaszing]

Yess, the night circus. It is one of the most romantic romance stories I have ever read (as a big fan of romantasy and fantasy romance). Indeed, not the main plotline, but just amazing.
This is also such a fun video, really excited to read some of these recommendations!! ❤

[ZoeMcDash]

You mentioned some of my favorite books of all time! I have the special additions of Yumi and Strange the Dreamer; I love them that much! They’re just stunning novels! I also adored A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless! Other books that are at the top of my romantasy list are Daughter of No Worlds trilogy and The Mages of the Wheel series starting with Reign and Ruin! 💗

[amyirbybooks]

Love this list! 😊 I haven’t read many of these as I am not much of a spice person either. But I like getting new recommendations to try.

[TomerArmarnik]

Thank you for the great list of books.
From the ones that I have read, to me Strange the dreamer was the magical experience.

[laku_u]

You are indeed the best of friends 😂 Humbleness (or lack of) and all!
Thank you for shouting Blood Mercy out! And Fireborne of course, but that comes without saying! I totally agree with you about Half a Soul, I had fun with it when I read it but I keep thinking back on it as something pretty unique. I've noticed most fantasy romances include different races/species of beings, almost as much as classic fantasy used to, but they tend to be superhumans rather than in-human, and I've found I really prefer the latter. So not simply humans just taller, hotter and with wings, but with completely different worldviews and ways to interact with the world. The fae in Half a Soul were one of my favorite depictions of it, and reminded me of the ones in the Folk of the Air trilogy, which I also adored because the author did not pull any punches in portraying them as completely different from us.

[valliyarnl]

Yesss I’ve been waiting for this video 🧚🏻‍♀️🩷✨

[BeachThornton]

hey i enjoy your videos and i am a big romantasy reader and i wanted to ask whats wrong with a tropey book (i am interested in your opinion on the serpent and the wings of night i did think that had a lot of tropes in it and i personally didnt enjoy it as much (i gave it 3.75 stars on goodreads))
ALSO I EMILY WILDE ITS SUCH A COZY READ AND IF YOU LIKE THAT I THINK YOU WOULD LIKE THE CRUEL PRINCE
(just saw at 5:23 that you actually read the cruel prince and now i am scared)

[affectingmandela]

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter shows that Sanderson knows how to do romance properly (except for the very ending, he still doesn't know how to finish a book, but that's like saying your Ambrosia nectar was a little off). And since his wife has been pushing him to put more romance in his stories, it makes one wonder how much he would actually focus on it naturally, because dude likes his tragedy romance (Wax, Lightbringer, Tindwyl, Dalanar, Kaladin, and more) Also, another series that has good but tragic romance is the Willowfire Trilogy. It's scifi fantasy, with romance being in the background yet still driving the narrative forward. It literally took the game Starcraft, and said "what if this happens on a different world, a fantasy world, what would happen?"

[fariyaahmed]

This is my first time watching your videos and we have such a similar taste in books! Instant subscribe 🫶

[JohnSaxon-vwvi]

Fantastic video love 🥰 it glad that I have found you again love your Aussie family friend John ❤❤❤

[alusarmiento]

I was so confused when suddenly The Lies of Locke Lamora blinked on the screen hahahaha. My brain is fried today and I really needed this video. There are a lot of books that I want to try because, honestly, the romantasy that I used to read was pretty bad and I want to give it another go!

[ridingwilding]

My favorite romance in a Urban Fantasy is Ilana Andrews series Kate Daniel’s. This is definitely a slow burn romance. A relationship developing over a few books allows for an investment in the characters before a romance begins.
There is action, humor, a well crafted magic system, and a romance that is a fun build due to differences in cultural differences.

[ms.annaong]

Personally, I loved The Traitor Queen (book 2) and The Inadequate Heir (book 3) more than The Bridge Kingdom. But this is one of my top favorite series, waiting for book 5 and 6.