A Romantasy Series I Really Loved

Plus, my thoughts on the genre's burgeoning popularity and a few fun links.

Hi, again.

First of all, thanks for your kind words on my last newsletter. Writing about postpartum leaves me a bit vulns (shout out to my group chat for coining that abbreviation), so any kind of feedback means a lot.

Second, I’ve been meaning to discuss romantasy with you—a fairly new, but loose term for books that fall in the categories of both fantasy and romance. The line there is very blurred—the wild, wild west of the book world, if you will—because there is not necessarily a clear definition of its boundaries. For example, a fantasy romance would have a happily ever after, whereas a fantasy with romantic elements need not abide by such rules. Romantasy can skew either way depending on the novel, which gives it a bit of chaos, but for the most part, you’ll tend to see an HEA at the end of a series (but, no promises).

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I’ve wanted to chat about romantasy for awhile now, but I’ve held back for several reasons. For one, it’s my favorite genre to read, so any kind of round-up would be fifty books long. Two, BookTok has exhausted their opinions on it (which is largely the same opinion), so do we really need another? And three, I’m a little sensitive about it! But, let me explain.

In truth, I love fantasy. Before I went on a romance spiral, I was an avid fantasy reader. N.K. Jemisin, JRR Tolkien—you name it, I read it. But then, years ago, when I decided to write a Young Adult fantasy novel, I started reading tons in that category for research. Leigh Bardugo and Holly Black. Tomi Adeyemi, Marie Lu, Victoria Aveyard, Tareheh Mafi, Sabaa Tahir. I gravitated to the romance in their stories, which ultimately led me to romantasy—and more specifically, the forefathers (foremothers?) of the genre: Diana Gabaldon, Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Cassandra Clare, and Jacqueline Carey, among others.

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At the time, I didn’t know many others who shared my love of fantastical romance. In fact, my affinity for the genre was often met with sly remarks or jokes whenever people asked what I was reading. As a textbook Aquarius, the societal scorn only fueled my love for it. I felt like I was gatekeeping a treasure trove, like these series were made for me (and kudos to authors who draw readers in so thoroughly that you feel as if it’s written only for you). In reality, it was a completely false (and delusional) sense of ownership because the genre was already quite popular when I discovered it.

And now? Romantasy has skyrocketed, firmly part of the cultural canon. Even though I used to get many a “lol really” for reading about immortal faes (rude!), I’m actually really happy that I no longer have to read it in secret, that people are discovering how great this genre can be. It will only help legitimize romance as a whole, which is my life goal!

And speaking of immortal faes, I’m guessing you know enough about Sarah J. Maas—who has recently become the go-to starter author for romantasy—that a deep dive on her three beloved series is not needed, but if you do want me to get into her library, I’d be happy to, so let me know. In the meantime, this review of ACOTAR brings me a lot of joy:

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Anyway, that was a very long-winded intro for my true purpose, which is to say that it would be too hard for me to do a proper round-up of the genre, but I’ll share a series here and there when it’s worth mentioning, like Rachel Gillig’s Shepherd King duology, One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns.

Because I’ve sampled a large majority of the genre, it takes a lot for a series to stand out. The Shepherd King duology was so different from anything I’ve read in either romance or fantasy, let alone romantasy. I mean, the heroine has a monster called Nightmare living in her head who’s slowly taking over. That alone was enough to spark my interest. The romance (not with the monster, to be clear), which I’ll discuss later, is the icing on the cake.

The story takes place in a dark and gothic world—a kingdom infected with volatile magic and shrouded in a deadly mist. Over the course of the duology, the heroine and her monster are swept up in a quest to cure the kingdom of its dark magic.

Gillig’s storytelling is masterful and alluring, with a heavy, intoxicating quality that drags you into her world completely. She doesn’t fall on gimmicky tropes or tried-and-true storylines that we’ve all seen before. Even her magic system is different from any I’ve come across. Gillig’s characters (side characters included) are beautifully flawed and achingly realistic, made even more so when she switches to multi-POV in the second book. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for them.

As for the romance, it’s deliciously slow-burn, the chemistry so good that you won’t even miss its lack of spice (0.5/5 on the spice scale). I’d consider it mostly closed door, but the dynamic between the heroine and her love interest sparks. The fact that they’re kept apart (no spoilers!) for the majority of the series makes the yearning between the two all the sweeter. Another positive of Gillig’s switch to multi-POV in the second is an additional romantic storyline to love.

One important thing to note: the series started slow for me due to information overload in the beginning. This happens often with fantasy because an author has to build a world from nothing. Don’t give up on it! I promise that the pace picks up. You won’t regret it.

Paperback friends: find One Dark Window here and Two Twisted Crowns here (or better yet, grab copies at your local bookstore). It’s also newly free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. YAY!

Please let me know if you read it!

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And now, a few fun links.

LOL at my graphic design skills | pants, sardine necklace, wine, pajama set, shorts, toiletry set, anklet, gallery wall, bag

• I definitely set an alarm for the release of these Donni cropped linen pants and I’m so glad I did because they sold out FAST. I also ordered the brown (I have no willpower) and I’ve been wearing both nonstop since they arrived. Preorder them here!

• I can’t get over how cute this Clare V. sardine chain is. Not only is it a fun summer accessory, but I think my toddler, who’s obsessed with my necklaces, will get a kick out of it.

• I recently had this Solminer orange wine (called Sunhoney!) at Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos and enjoyed it so much that I hopped over to their tasting room (down the street) and bought a few bottles to take home. The butterfly on the label makes it even more special (we say our late daughter visits us daily as a butterfly).

• The majority of my interests lie at the intersection of pointelle and pajama sets, so you better believe this set by Minnow drew my attention.

• These organic cotton twill shorts come in 24 colors, but how are we supposed to choose? I haven’t picked a color yet, but I know I’ll live in them all summer. The description says they run large, but I still plan to size up and roll them for more of a lived-in, these-are-actually-my-husband’s vibe (though, to be fair, he likely wouldn’t wear violet shorts).

• I’ve been eyeing expensive versions of this monogrammed toiletry set, but before I took the plunge, I did a quick search on Etsy and found this one for much cheaper. I can’t vouch for the quality yet, but I did order them so I’ll let you know how they are!

• Mally Goldman recently shared this rainbow anklet and I’ve never ordered something so fast. It’s soooo good in person, too.

• I recently discovered that Framebridge has a “gallery wall” service, where you can plug your photos into a mish-mash of frames they’ve already curated. Genius! I can’t wait to create one for our hallway.

• I love tiny woven bags for the summer and brought this one on a recent trip to Santa Ynez. It might be the tiniest and cutest of them all?!

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In the next Romance Adj., a summer reading list! Thanks, as always, for supporting.

In case you missed it:

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*I occasionally use affiliate links and will receive a small percentage of a sale linked through this newsletter. For books, I always advocate to borrow from the library (Libby!) or buy in your local bookstore. If you’d like to buy online, consider bookshop.org