Eleana Assimacopoulos is completing her MA in Publishing at Kingston University and working with The Reading Agency as their Marketing and Communications Intern. In this blog, Eleana shares her reflections on the rise of the subgenre Romantasy, a genre that she loves.
What is Romantasy?
Romantasy blends both romance and fantasy, heavily focusing on female pleasure. It tends to combine magical worlds with established romance tropes such as fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love, forced proximity, and morally grey love interests.
Popularity & Growth
The term romantasy first appeared online in 2008 on Urban Dictionary, marking it as the earliest known use of the label for the genre. The Romantasy subgenre didn’t begin to gain visibility until the COVID-19 lockdowns, when BookTok rapidly expanded into a reading community. However, it didn’t become widely popular until 2023, when the term gained significant momentum on Google Trends and social media, as authors like Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros rose to commercial success. Maas’s romance titles generate more than 14 billion TikTok views, and Yarrow’s Iron Flame became Waterstones highest-selling pre-order title in a single day, demonstrating the genre’s massive reach. BookTok and Bookstagram communities heavily favour romantasy, with the genre described as one of the most popular categories among young women and online fan communities.
A lot of the rise in romantasy comes from the community that started to build around the genre. This leads to romantasy readers to have a sense of belonging within their communities, “Compared to non-readers, regular readers are 86% more likely to report feeling a sense of belonging to their community.” It has also led to many communities being built around romantasy like The Book Nook, where readers can connect, share recommendations, attend events and overall discuss the romantasy books they love.
Alongside the genre’s rise, the concept of book boyfriends has become a major cultural trend within BookTok and Bookstagram. These communities frequently highlight morally grey, protective or idealised male love interests, which fuels fan engagement and drives further interest in romantasy titles. The Guardian reports that young women on BookTok are particularly drawn to “morally grey characters,” contributing to influencers creating romantasy content much like the thecq.bookreview Bookstagram account. This trend has only added to the creation of themed playlists and aesthetic edits, which reinforce the emotional appeal of these fictional men.
Some commentary also suggests that romantasy’s popularity intersects with cultural conversations about dating expectations. CBC notes that romantasy’s appeal is strongly tied to its portrayal of powerful heroines and compelling male characters, which resonates with young female readers and fuels the genre’s staggering sales figures. While claims about “raised dating standards” are more interpretive than directly evidenced, the documented attraction to intense, emotionally expressive, or protective male characters on BookTok supports the idea that these fictional archetypes shape reader fantasies and discussions around modern relationships.
Why do I love it?
I love Romantasy because it perfectly blends emotional stakes with fantastical stakes, offering a full-scale escape from reality. Romantasy takes me into worlds filled with magic, wonder, and strong female protagonists who find unbreakable love. The romance drives character growth, while the fantasy elements raise the stakes both personally and emotionally. Reading Romantasy keeps me on the edge of my seat as the characters I love face growing challenges. It gives me a way to indulge my imagination before stepping back into everyday life, where routines can become predictable and unfulfilling. There is nothing better than finding an amazing Romantasy book that helps me escape reality for a short while. Reading for pleasure, especially in this genre, reduces stress and offers a form of escapism that can serve as a coping mechanism for the emotional challenges everyday life can bring. In a world filled with politics and pressure, it feels important not to forget our imagination.
Eleana’s Recommendations for Book Clubs
YA 14+ Recommendations
📚 A Language of Dragons Trilogy by S.F. Williamson (A Language of Dragons, A War of Wyverns, A Storm of Swallows is expected in 2027)
o Forbidden Romance
o Corruption
o Rebellious
📚 Powerless Trilogy by Lauren Roberts (Powerless, Powerful, Reckless, Fearless, Fearful)
o Rivals-to-Lovers
o Forced Proximity
o He Falls First
📚 Storm Weaver Trilogy by Lauryn Hamilton Murray (Heir Storms, Tide of Fortune is expected in June 2026)
o The Chosen One
o Love Triangle
o Elemental Magic
Adult 18+ Recommendations
📚 The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarrows (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm)
o Enemies-to-Lovers
o Dark Academia
o Morally Grey Characters
📚 Sacred Stones Trilogy by Kate Golden (A Dawn of Onyx, A Promise of Peridot, A Reign of Rose)
o Enemies-to-Lovers
o Captive Romance
o Hidden Powers
📚 Silver Elite Trilogy by Dani Francis (Silver Elite, Broken Dove is expected in May 2026)
o Silver Elite is romantasy-adjacent or a dystopian romance instead of traditional romantasy
o Enemies-to-Lovers
o Secret Identities and high stakes
o Forced Proximity
Discover more
📖 The Art of Reading to Escape from the outside world
📖 Why fiction as escapism is healthy?
Get involved
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📖 If you love Romantasy, comment below your picks for book clubs to try
