Julia Rittenberg
Contributing writer · Books · Romance
Currently reading: The Lonely City
✏ A letter from the editor
Hey, Meredith here, Managing Editor at Pix Media, dropping in to introduce you to our newest Pix Plus contributing writer: Julia Rittenberg! Each month, Julia will be dissecting the latest from the bookish world of romance and sharing her favorite picks in Worth the Read.
Julia has shared her love of books with readers of Book Riot, Publishers Weekly, and Playgirl, and has experience behind the scenes in the publishing world. A lifelong romance lover, she's especially into medieval historical romances these days and loves how openly readers are embracing the genre. As Julia puts it, "There's truly a lid for every pot." We're so excited to have her share her expertise with Pix Plus readers each month! Happy reading 💕
Every pick is independently selected by our editors.
If you buy something through our links we may earn commission.
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What is romantasy anyway?
Have you read ACOSH? Did you go to a midnight release party? Did you get the ACOTAR-themed underwear? Oh, and did you hear about the Violet and Xaden casting? If those questions are all gibberish, don’t worry. I’m here to help.
As a longtime book culture writer over at Book Riot, I have followed the rise of “romantasy” with interest and joy. Put simply, the portmanteau covers the blend of romance and fantasy: the terms of the fantasy (epic, high, low, urban, paranormal) may vary, but they are unified by a strong central romance. And most crucial to this recent romantasy boom: explicit, on-page sex.
You may have heard of the series kicked off by the 2015 title A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, which hit big on BookTok in 2022. In 2023, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros broke sales records and the subsequent books in the series dominated the bestseller list. Other BookTok beloved titles include Quicksilver by Callie Hart and From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Magic, fae, and dragon recommendations starting tearing through bookish communities.
Where did this come from?
It’s not that new, actually! Consider the fantasy elements of Beauty and the Beast. Even further back than that, what do you think Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was all about, if not some sort of fantastical romance? Gothic romance brought together fantastical elements and elevated emotionality. But another huge turning point in the fantasy romance genre was the writing of Anne Rice.
Interview with the Vampire in 1976 opened up a whole new genre explosion, and Rice explored even more magical creatures like witches, ghosts, and werewolves. Many brilliant romantasy writers followed. In 1998, Anne Bishop kicked off her Black Jewels saga with Daughter of the Blood, establishing her bonafides in high fantasy and romance.
In 2001, Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey presented a magical alternate medieval history, and the rest of the series drove deeper into romance as well, despite not being marketed as romance. I attended a book event for Freya Marske’s book A Power Unbound at the end of 2023, and she said that the first book in her trilogy (A Marvellous Light, published in 2021) wasn’t even marketed as romantasy. The rise of the term hit the book world out of nowhere, and the niche grew alongside the writers and the fans.
Why does it persist?
Unlike “serious” fantasy, desire and sex are hugely important in romantasy. For instance, relationships in ACOTAR have an effect on political alliances. In Fourth Wing, the main character Violet and her dragons, Tairn and Andarna, are working against the Basgiath leadership. In Quicksilver, Saeris accidentally places herself in the middle of a centuries-old Fae conflict.
Romance makes fantasy work better.
But an ungenerous read of the romantasy trend is that it’s just a bunch of hyper-horny readers looking for escapism. However, I would argue that romance makes fantasy work better. In the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, Aragorn and Arwen’s relationship is a footnote. The movies made it a central aspect of the story, giving emotional weight to Aragorn’s journey. In everything from mildly magical worlds to intense high fantasy, characters are more compelling when they have something worth fighting for.
And as romantasy grows, there are plenty of other “takes” on the subgenre. Not all romantasy is high-stakes warring, and some are about day-to-day lives that happen to have magic. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldtree is a great representation of the low-stakes “cozy” trend.
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5 perfect entry points to romantasy
If you are looking to get into romantasy, you’re lucky: there’s more choice than ever. Here are some of my favorite recent entry points.
If you like a slowburn romance:
The Someday Garden
by Ashley Poston
This is light on fantasy and dips more into magical realism, so if you’re not totally sold on romantasy, this is a good place to start. While grieving her best friend, Sophie Drear goes to Lilymoor, a place she and Harriet once said they would go back to. Sophie starts tending the garden of Lilymoor, and finds a portal to a magic garden within it. There, she meets Cyrus, who also has a special relationship with Lilymoor.
It’s a slowburn and definitely more of a character study, so perfect to check out if you’re looking to get your feet wet. It’s a beautifully written story about remaking your life in the aftermath of grief.
If you like epic worldbuilding:
Swordheart
by T. Kingfisher
With Kingfisher’s signature humor, this novel is perfect for readers who enjoy new takes on folktales. A widow named Halla is granted an inheritance from her great-uncle. However, his family attempts to force her to marry her cousin in order to get the fortune. Instead of subjecting herself to that fate, she picks up a sword. An immortal warrior named Sarkis comes out, and explains he is duty-bound to protect her. The journey is dangerous, with bandits and monsters made of jelly coming after them.
Kingfisher is remarkably adept at worldbuilding, seamlessly weaving in other languages and cultures while keeping the focus on Halla and Sarkis’ budding relationship. Similar to Sarah J. Maas, many of Kingfisher’s romantasy series take place in the same world. If this title hits, your TBR may grow exponentially.
If you like cozy fiction:
The Phoenix Keeper
by S. A. MacLean
The concept of this book is so fun: magical zookeeping. Aila is hell-bent on finding a way to save the endangered phoenix species through bringing a new breeding program to the San Tamculo Zoo. She watches over a phoenix named Rubra. To set up the romance, she needs the help of her former enemy, Luciana the griffin-keeper.
This book represents a type of “cozy” romantasy. It deals with the quotidian concerns of working at a magical zoo, with unicorns and undersea monsters and more, represented with adorable illustrations. The relationship between Aila and Luciana is slowly developed, but it’s adorable and it makes sense how they move from enemies to accomplices to girlfriends.
If you like enemies-to-lovers 🌶️:
The Hurricane Wars
by Thea Guanzon
This is high fantasy and high spice (meaning on-page sex). Guanzon is releasing the final installment of this series this year so it’s the perfect time to catch up. This book is also chock-full of the tropes that have come to define the current romantasy boom: enemies-to-lovers, a high-stakes war, and intense worldbuilding.
Talasyn has light magic, which is dangerous in her world because that type of magic kicked off the Hurricane Wars of the past. Prince Alaric uses shadow magic to quell the light, in service of his father the Night Emperor. However, Talasyn and Alaric enter an alliance through marriage, and work through their attraction while they both have to plan to destroy each other in battle.
& If you want even more enemies-to-lovers 🌶️🌶️:
A Fire in the Sky
by Sophie Jordan
Jordan has been writing romantasy by any other name for decades, so she’s far from a trend-rider when it comes to writing about courtly intrigue, magical secrets, and dragons. We follow Tamsyn, a servant in a kingdom where magic has seemingly been banished. She is forced to marry Fell, a fierce warrior, in place of the princesses she serves.
The marriage immediately goes sideways so we have an enemies-to-lovers arc at the same time as a forced marriage (two beloved romantasy tropes). Tamsyn is in danger because of her marriage, but Fell realizes there’s more to her than meets the eye. Magic and dragons are not dead, only sleeping.
No matter the journey you take with romantasy, you’re sure to find a creative world and crackling chemistry. The one constant you’re likely to find is sprayed, decorative edges.
Julia Rittenberg, Contributing Writer @ Pix Media
Julia Rittenberg is a writer and lifelong book lover who spent seven years writing for Book Riot, and sharing her love of romance (and books in general) in Publishers Weekly, Playgirl, and a variety of publications. She's worked behind the scenes in publishing with Archipelago Books, the Feminist Press, and Workman. Her love of books started early, attending author events in New York with her family, though she could usually be found in the corner reading Gail Carson Levine. These days, she's especially into medieval historical romances and loves how openly readers are now embracing the genre.
Currently reading: The Lonely City by Olivia Laing. I like to sprinkle in a nonfiction essay collection between romance reads! Laing has an amazing talent for making me consider art more deeply.