“Romantasy” is a beloved sub-genre of romance novels, mixing love stories, fantastical settings, magical creatures, and supernatural elements. Is it just the love stories that we’re after, or is there something else that we’re seeking? In the romance fantasy genre, stories can be split up by the type of fantasy they provide.
Some fantasy romance is completely fantastical, with otherworldly settings and characters that offer an escape from our problems. Other stories are realistic fantasy, where the settings and characters resemble us and our world, with magic and fantasy hiding in the corners.
Two popular BookTok “Romantasies” are a good example of the differences in these stories. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen and The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston are different but still carry the impact of the genre. Fantasy romance books typically offer three main human needs: comfort in grief, escape, and empowerment of self. Their characters also defy norms of gendered behavior, learning to own their identity, worth, and power and working on themselves to be better through their troubles.
Why do we love “romantasy?”
What makes “romantasy” such a popular genre? Is reading about wild creatures and faraway worlds that much better than traditional romance? People tend to seek out a bit of magic within our own real-life experiences. Some prefer stories unlike anything in our lives, while others seek realism with magic. Either way, we all gravitate toward stories to emphasize humanity and emotions of love. We all could stand to feel more magical in our lives, and these novels give that to us.
Among the popular “romantasy” BookTok topics has been a discussion of the different kinds of romance novels that cross over with fantasy. There are three sub-genres: romantic fantasy, fantasy romance (or “romantasy”), and fantasy with romance as the subplot. In @bookbaddiebri’s TikTok, she describes the qualities of each while giving contemporary examples. Whether a story is a romantic fantasy, a fantasy with a romance subplot, or a “romantasy,” it gives readers something. That “something” is the key to their popularity.
@bookbaddiebri Replying to @✨Jessica Reads✨ this is how i have come to understand these subgenres! #fantasyromance #romanticfantasy #fantasybooktok #booktokfyp ♬ original sound – bri monet 💋
“Romantasy” novels are especially popular in times of social divide and unrest. People turn to stories that can simultaneously reflect our experiences and take us out of our world for a moment. The world is sometimes scarier than fiction, and romantasy stories make us feel seen while creating distance from the things that make us feel insignificant and scared. Stories give us what we can’t give ourselves in the moment: the closure and peace of what is known. Given the recent rise of sociopolitical tensions, it makes sense that “romantasies” are experiencing another rise in popularity.
Readers who are in a transitional time of life tend to cling to stories that give them hope for the future. Gen Z is climbing out of childhood, graduating from college, and journeying into the world of adulthood. Seeking out fantastical elements from childhood and searching for love and relationships as adults all come into play in romance fantasy. Healing from trauma, discovering unexpected romance, finding your place, and stepping into your future self are common tropes of the genre.
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy takes place in a fantastical world of magical animals, demigods, undead zombie creatures, and the wilds of an untamed nature. Hart is a keeper of dead bodies as well as reanimated ones, and Mercy is an undertaker tasked with preparing the bodies for burial. The world relies on their cooperation; yet they can’t stand each other–until Hart begins sending anonymous letters to vent about his troubles. This sparks a kinship between the two, as they anonymously share their woes and find unexpected comfort in each other. In @book_reviews_kill’s video, he describes how the various elements work in tandem to create very human feelings in an inhuman world.
@book_reviews_kill #Inverted The Undertaking Of Hart & Mercy #review ##bookreview #booktok #romance ♬ Relaxing Japanese-style piano song inviting nostalgia – Akiko Akiyama
The island is an extremely different world from our own, with magical and supernatural creatures like zombies and talking animals. The inhabitants of the world are mysterious and wild, but they all contain multitudes. Hart, Mercy, and even the zombies all evolve over time to reveal complex layers of character. The way that the world and its inhabitants intertwine with one another supplies a meaningful twist that ties into the romance.
Hart and Mercy can’t stand each other at first, even though they have to work closely. This results in their nicknames for each other, H(e)artless and Merciless, which constitute a love-hate greeting. Hart puts up a wall out of grief, and Mercy has no time for Hart’s attitude with her various identity and family problems. As they pour their feelings out in their anonymous letters, not knowing who the reader is, their vulnerability allows them to see who they really are. Over time, the romance grows into an intimate bond between two people who are broken but healing.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
The Seven Year Slip is a realism fantasy romance in a world much more like our own, with magical elements that differ from traditional fantasy. Main character Clementine is grieving the loss of her aunt, from whom Clementine inherited a special apartment. One day, she discovers that the apartment has a slip in time when she meets Iwan, previous inhabitant from seven years prior. They meet later in the present, sharing a romance layered with sentimental nostalgia and grief after loss. In beanchambers’s BookTok review, she explains that what the book lacks in fantastical world-building is made up for in perspective, magic, and a deep emotional connection that rivals time and space.
@beanchambers My favorite romance book to talk about is the seven year slip! Just my opinion, i bought the book myself! #thesevenyearslip #sevenyearslip #ashleyposton #berkleypublishing #romancebooks #romcombooks #bookthoughts #bookreview #books #bookish #booktok ♬ original sound – BEAN
Clementine knows her late aunt’s apartment well, having heard the stories of its magic, but she has never witnessed it herself. While settling into her new home, Clementine wakes up one day and encounters Iwan, a man she has never met. The apartment and world are the same–except it is seven years in the past.
Clementine is in an awkward place; she is experiencing an identity and career crisis, the loss of her aunt, and now a mysterious man is in her apartment. Iwan is a dishwasher who dreams of being a chef while living in a family friend’s apartment for the summer. When the two meet, they build an instant connection, spending the entire day together in the apartment’s seven-year slip. The two discuss life, grief, and loss, as well as what they want in the world. Both feel a sense of idleness, and through vulnerable discussions of their inner feelings, they learn to chase their dreams.
What do we get from romantic fantasies?
One of “romantasy’s” biggest flexes is empathic, magical women who seek to make the world a better place as they heal. Many readers of romance novels and “romantasy” books tend to be empathic. Women using their magic to advance the forces of good models a level of autonomy and power for readers. Mercy honors her power by being who she needs to be, and Clementine’s magic apartment brings her on a similar journey of self-discovery. This is perhaps something we all need, and in @_itsamandanicole’s TikTok, she explores the concept in greater detail.
@_itsamandanicole Also who’s currently reading Onyx Storm I wanna chat 🐉 #romantasybooks #romantasybooktok #intuitivehealing #femininepower ♬ original sound – It’s Amanda Nicole
Another popular part of “Romantasies” is the concept of second chances after trauma, loss, and grief. Clementine lost her aunt, and Hart lost his mom, and both of them are able to heal from their grief and find love in Iwan and Mercy. Iwan and Mercy experience loss and grief, and both find peace in their lives. These stories offer healing that inspires people to push forward. “Romantasies” teach us that life doesn’t have to be perfect or rich with light, love, and community.
“Romantasies” tend to deal with hard emotions mixed in with the extraordinary, supernatural, and magical elements. Among these feelings are feelings of doubt about yourself and your place in the world, existential dread, and worthlessness. Male “romantasy” characters defy toxic masculinity, hyper-machismo, and emotional unavailability. Some are like Hart, loudly grumpy, others like Iwan, quietly listening, but they have a wide depth of emotions. These characters benefit everyone, not just women, but also men who reject toxic masculinity, whom can feel unrepresented in romance.
Why is fantasy romance important as a genre?
Fantasy romance novels fill three needs of readers: escape, empowerment of self, and hope after grief. In both books, the characters go through a wide range of traumas, and at times, they falter, but they still persevere. Each couple’s journey involves death, internal struggle, existential dread, and uncertainty. At the end, the characters better understand themselves and their place in the world, and they come to love themselves and find purpose in their lives.
The female characters are empowered through healing to use their magic for the greater good. The male characters overcome existential dread and learn to comprehend and express their feelings.
“Romantasy” novels may seem frivolous to some, but there is meaning in the fantasy and magic. These stories and authors are far from the only popular ones, as fellow Trill writer Lilly Wright demonstrates in her article Like Sarah J. Maas? Read These 6 Books to Fill Your Romantasy Craving. The characters and worlds feel real, despite whatever magic may lie within them. It’s why we turn the page, buy the books, and work to heal ourselves…because it’s human.
