From viral bestsellers with gilded cages and cursed kingdoms to dark fairytales reimagined, this list is packed with stories that mix magic, danger, and romance in the most addictive way possible. Whether you’re new to the genre or already a die-hard...
Sections
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🌲 Haunted Souls & Enchanted Wilderness
⚔️ Enemies, Prophecy & High-Stakes Romance
🐉 Wings, Dragons & Heart-Pounding Survival
✨ Reimagined Fairy Tales & Dark Whimsy
🔥 Trials, Betrayals & Fierce Heroines
🌙 Melancholy & Bittersweet Escapes
🌲 Haunted Souls & Enchanted Wilderness
Lose yourself in enchanted forests, cursed kingdoms, and romances born in the shadows. This section is for readers who love dark magic, eerie landscapes, and heroines learning to find their light in haunted places.
This one broke me in the best way. It’s tender, it’s aching, and it lingers long after you finish. Soto’s writing feels like being tangled up in vines, both beautiful and suffocating, and the romance is threaded with pain and hope that hit me straigh...
Rose in Chains — A love story wrapped in vines and heartbreak
From Blood and Ash was the book that made me remember why I love romantasy so much. Poppy, locked away from the world because of her ‘Chosen’ status, is both soft and steel. The slow-burn tension with Hawke? Absolutely addictive. It’s one of those bo...
From Blood and Ash — A forbidden romance that rewrote my nights
This one gave me that classic, shivery fairy-tale feeling but with a sharper, darker edge. The cursed romance feels doomed from the start, yet you can’t stop yourself from rooting for it. It’s bittersweet and haunting in a way I can’t stop thinking a...
A Cursed Kiss — A dark fairytale that feels doomed (and irresistible)
Summer’s Snow felt like walking through a frost-covered fairytale forest. It’s whimsical and soft, but the love story tucked inside is what made me melt. The quiet moments between characters stay with you just as much as the magical setting.
Summer’s Snow — A soft, frosted tale of magic and love
⚔️ Enemies, Prophecy & High-Stakes Romance
If you love tension that crackles, prophecies that can’t be escaped, and enemies who make the best (and most complicated) lovers, this section is for you. These are the books that keep you up at night with cutthroat politics, sharp banter, and romanc...
Gild pulled me into its gilded cage from the very first page. Auren feels real, the once-slum girl now literally turned to gold, trapped beneath King Midas’s gaze. You can almost feel the cold walls closing in as she learns that luxury doesn’t always...
Gild — A golden cage that hides a dangerous secret
This book is pure fae chaos, and I loved every second. Jude’s determination to hold her own in a world that wants to break her is inspiring, and her love/hate chemistry with Cardan is… addictive. It’s deliciously sharp and unapologetically dark.
The Cruel Prince — Sharp, savage, and wildly addictive
This one feels like a rite of passage into romantasy. Feyre’s journey starts with survival and sacrifice, but it blooms into a story of love, power, and finding your voice. The beauty of the world, the danger of the fae courts, the romance that build...
A Court of Thorns and Roses — The gateway romantasy I’ll never outgrow
🐉 Wings, Dragons & Heart-Pounding Survival
For readers who crave the thrill of the skies, this section is all about dragonriders, deadly trials, and love born in the heart of danger. These books deliver action, high stakes, and romances that burn as brightly as dragonfire.
Fourth Wing hooked me with Violet, she’s a scholar pushed into dragon-riding school, her body weak but her will unbreakable. Watching her claim her strength, tame dragons, and challenge fate made me hold my breath, and fall hopelessly in love with th...
Fourth Wing — Dragons, danger, and a heroine who won’t break
Vampires, deadly trials, and a romance that smolders right alongside the danger, this book kept my heart racing the whole way through. Oraya’s determination to prove herself in a world that sees her as weak made me root for her so hard. And the tensi...
The Serpent & the Wings of Night — Deadly trials and a romance on fire
Fireborne is the perfect mix of politics, loyalty, and dragons. Annie and Lee’s friendship-turned-something-more had me so invested, especially as their choices pull them in different directions. It’s smart, emotional, and epic in scope.
Fireborne — Loyalty, politics, and dragons with teeth
✨ Reimagined Fairy Tales & Dark Whimsy
These are the tales that feel like stepping into a storybook, only darker, sharper, and laced with forbidden desire. Expect gothic castles, wicked bargains, and whimsical twists on the fairy tales you thought you knew. Perfect for when you want roman...
In Once Upon a Broken Heart, Evangeline broke herself for a love destined to shatter. Her bargain with the enigmatic Prince of Hearts, just three kisses, unraveled everything I thought I knew about fairy tales. It’s a story where hope burns brightest...
Once Upon a Broken Heart — A fairytale bargain that still haunts me
If you love your romantasy on the darker, twistier side, this one is for you. Orlaith’s story is haunting and lush, full of secrets and longing. The way the romance is laced with danger gave me chills in the best way, it’s gothic, it’s gorgeous, and ...
To Bleed a Crystal Bloom — Dark, gothic, and dangerously beautiful
This book feels like a fairy tale that grew up with you. Lark can’t speak, but her silence speaks volumes, especially in a world where words hold power. The writing is lyrical, the romance tender, and the magic quietly breathtaking. It’s the kind of ...
The Bird and the Sword — A lyrical fairytale where silence has power
If you love eerie, candlelit castles and romances that feel a little cursed, this one is for you. It’s dripping with atmosphere, creepy and beautiful all at once, and the love story feels like finding warmth in the middle of the storm.
The Cruel Dark — Candlelit castles and cursed romance vibes
This one surprised me. It’s got that blend of eerie beauty and aching love that stays with you. There’s an undercurrent of danger woven through every page, but also a kind of softness that makes the heartbreak hit even harder. It’s not just a love st...
The Rose Bargain — A secret garden full of thorns and longing
🔥 Trials, Betrayals & Fierce Heroines
Step into worlds where every choice could mean survival or destruction. These stories follow heroines forged in fire, caught in webs of prophecy, betrayal, and impossible bargains. If you love dangerous politics, morally grey love interests, and fier...
This series is iconic for a reason. Celaena is unapologetic, brilliant, broken, bold, and following her journey is like watching someone step into their true power piece by piece. It’s brutal, romantic, and addictive.
Throne of Glass — The iconic journey of a heroine who refuses to break
This one had me hooked with its raw edge. It’s fierce and unflinching, with a heroine who refuses to be silenced or tamed. If you like your romantasy with teeth, this is it.
Bound & Barbed — A fierce romantasy with teeth and fire
This book is dripping with betrayal and courtly intrigue. I loved the way it played with loyalty, trust, and the blurry line between love and lies. It’s sharp, emotional, and endlessly twisty.
This Deceit of Ours — Twists, betrayals, and tangled loyalties
This book felt like being swept away in the best way. There’s danger and darkness at every turn, but also a romance that makes you ache for more. It’s lush, dramatic, and completely binge-worthy.
A Dawn of Onyx — A lush romance born in darkness
This one is deliciously dark. The world-building is intricate, the romance is intense, and the heroine is caught between destiny and desire. It had me devouring every page.
A Shadow in the Ember — Destiny, desire, and a world of shadows
Atmospheric and brutal, this book does not hold back. It’s got that haunting mix of faith, power, and forbidden love that feels both dangerous and irresistible. Definitely one that leaves a mark.
The Sin of Saints — Haunting, brutal, and utterly unforgettable
🌙 Melancholy & Bittersweet Escapes
Haunting, beautiful, and a little tragic, this section is for romantasy that aches. These stories blend longing, sacrifice, and atmospheric worldbuilding with romances that linger in your chest long after the last page. Perfect for curling up with wh...
This one felt like a slow exhale. It’s soft, lyrical, and tinged with sadness, but it also glows with hope. It’s the kind of story that feels like autumn pressed between the pages.
Leaves May Fall — Autumn pressed between the pages
I’ll never get over how beautifully gothic this book is. Death himself as a love interest? Yes, please. It’s dark, romantic, and strangely comforting, a story that dances right on the edge of life and loss.
Belladonna — Gothic romance where Death himself steals the spotlight
This book feels like golden light fading into dusk. Isobel’s love for art, the dangerous beauty of the fae, and the bittersweet romance made me feel both enchanted and a little heartbroken. It’s short, but it lingers.
An Enchantment of Ravens — Golden light, fae danger, bittersweet love
This book is a masterclass in slow-burn storytelling. It’s layered, rich, and full of quiet power. The women at its heart are strong in ways that don’t always scream but resonate deeply. It’s haunting and beautiful all at once.
Spinning Silver — A slow-burn fairytale with quiet, fierce women