Was the Romance obsession REALLY a surprise? 👀

Was the Romance obsession REALLY a surprise? 👀 In hindsight, my fangirling over Epic Fantasy books might have had clues...

[anivijudi]

I love romance, but the best romances have a lot more to the story than just the romance.

[claracatlady]

*translation:* We don’t like romances that have no substance and JUST circle around the romance, with seemingly meaningless conflict and generic remnants of a “plot”

[meganb.higgins]

"the slutty dragon shifter said so, " is so accurate that I almost fell over laughing

[gew]

The inheritance cycle “romance” is objectively hilarious as an adult. Eragon: “I’m 16! I’m a man!” Meanwhile Arya: “that’s cool. I’m hundreds of years old, a literal princess, a diplomat and am fighting in the rebellion”

[chrysanthemumspark]

"Christopher knows what he did" YES my teenage self feels seen

[ArtemisDalmasca]

"Christopher knows what he did." OH my gosh that got me! I love the Inheritance cycle and was so bummed about Eragon & Arya!

[thatsnotfunnymrskatie]

“We don’t talk about the Inheritance Cycle. Christopher knows what he did.” 🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭 DANG RIGHT HE DOES!

[cmm]

I'm the exact opposite. I THOUGHT I was a romantic for years. Then I realised that what I am actually interested in is the societal factors keeping them apart/bringing them together, witty banter, and gorgeous/intriguing historical settings. And the love story is peripheral. It's not even necessary to me anymore - I DNF'd Ivanhoe as a teen because I was disappointed to find it wasn't a 'real' romance; just finished reading it again and it's the BEST. If you want 'strong women' Rebecca and Rowena RULE. And for once the toxic guy DOESN'T get the girl. Not even considered for one second.

And 'romance' books and films where the ONLY thing keeping them apart is their own emotional hangups and their relationship is otherwise pure slush get thrown across the room 😂

[Sourcoolness]

It's one thing to enjoy romance subplots, the genre of Romance is entirely its own thing

[xxmelancholicxx]

I had the opposite. I thought I liked romance for years because I read so much supernatural romance as a child. Turns out I just really liked vampires!

[apollolewis]

I’m weirdly the opposite because i will get annoyed when romance takes up too much of the time in epic fantasy but when I actually read a romance book I’m obsessed with the main couple (or yelling at them, I do both)

[AnnabelleGundersen-ijme]

The Brandon Sanderson relationships are so real😂😂 I obsessed over them too

[danielaivanova]

Navani and Dalinar are so good! I never thought I'd be that invested in middle aged people's love lives.

[adedow]

Not me rooting for Eowyn to find love, Aragon to take his rightful throne so he could marry Arwen, and for Han and Leia to just admit what we all know.

[meganreese]

I felt that Inheritance reaction in my soul! 😂 That said, I can accept Eragon and Arya because they're both going to live long enough that they could still come together. It lives on in my fanfiction brain 😉

[Emerald.She-Ra]

Okay, Nynaeve and Lan broke my heart. When he called her "Mashi'ara", I cried. Same when our favourite braid-tugging, Yellow Aes Sedai began to raise the Golden Crane once more.❤

[rzuue]

I feel that, but I am not into romance novels for one particular reason: I don’t want to immediately know (or be able to tell) who the love interest is, who they’ll end up with. I want to discover the romance with the characters and ship them first before the story leans into it and proves me right. It makes me care so much more for it

[the.empress.missjena]

I believe the exact words "If Lan and Nynaeve get together, this will all be worth it" left my mouth and/or fingers at some point in my WoT phase.

[dgmisal]

I love a good romance as PART of a larger narrative. I loved Adolin and Shallan, and Elen and Vin, and Aragorn and Arwen, and lots of others... but not as the whole point of the book. That said, I really like Robin McKinley did a great a great job with her two retellings of Beauty and the Beast.

[a.b.cooper]

CHRISTOPHER 👏 KNOWS 👏 WHAT 👏 HE 👏 DID 👏

Edit: it has been brought to my attention Elizabeth might've been talking about Eragon and Arya. Tbh I forgot they were a thing because my first thought was Murtagh and Nasuada - their relationship (not necessarily them getting together, but at least seeing it develop) would've been so interesting. I think it could've been great, but we barely saw them together in the first book, and not at all until the last, and by then their feelings for each other felt unearned.