Readers who enjoy their fantastical tales woven with swoonworthy romance have a number of titles to look forward to in the coming season. We spoke with six authors writing in the romantasy genre about blending the two categories in their latest books.
Kendare Blake
What intrigues you about the blend of romance and fantasy?
For me, the fantasy comes first! It has to be a great premise in a world I can’t wait to poke around in. But inevitably the romance element becomes one of my favorite parts of the story. People fall in love. We like to root for that. The hope of happily-ever-afters has been instilled in us since we were kids. And fantasy, with its epic stakes and moments of high drama, lends itself particularly well to those kinds of big, sweeping emotions. Fall in love at a garden party? That’s cute, and I like it. Fall in love against the backdrop of a dragon war? That’s a frickin’ opera of pain and triumph.
What were the inspirations behind the fantastical universe you created for this book?
In Champion of Fate, I leaned on the fantasy loves of my youth. I say that like it’s novel, but I always lean on the fantasy loves of my youth. So, lots of ancient Greek influence: I was very into The Iliad in particular, and its world of heroes and glory. Also, in my pitch for Champion of Fate, I like to say I smashed together the Wonder Woman Amazons with the Jedi Order.
How would you describe the dynamic between the lovers of your story?
It’s very allies-to-lovers-to-absolute trainwreck. He’s the one hero she’s not supposed to fall in love with, so of course that’s like catnip. And he’s been in her head since she was a little girl, when she accidentally caught a glimpse of him. Years of building a guy up in your head and then you meet him and he’s a swoony hero? Her failure was inevitable.
What has been your favorite aspect of pulling from these two genres?
My favorite aspect has been how well they work together. Neither fantasy nor romance has to take the wheel: you can have it all!
Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake (Quill Tree, Sept. 19 $19.99 ISBN 978-0-06-297720-5).
J. Elle
What intrigues you about the blend of romance and fantasy?
Romance and fantasy both make my imagination giddy. I love the way romance pulls at this deep desire in many of us to be loved. And fantasy is a medium of storytelling that removes the bounds of the real world. I can’t fathom a better mashup—threading a nostalgic, stomach-butterfly feeling through a story that literally transports you. It’s like falling in love but in the most euphoric, dramatic way. I can’t resist stories like that. Some of the most beloved stories over time have make-believe and a love story at the center. It’s the perfect blend of escapist literature for me.
What were the inspirations behind the fantastical universe you created for this book?
House of Marionne sparked with the idea of a tiara growing out of someone’s skull. I couldn’t get the juxtaposition of beauty and darkness out of my head. Inspired by that contrast, I decided to play with the concept of morally gray decisions. I’m so compelled by the motivations people use to make decisions, and the way our perspective on people shifts when we’ve seen the world from their perspective. This felt perfect for a story with richly complex characters. Those are the ones who stick with me long after the last page of a story. I was compelled to pen a story that really wrestles with atrocious decisions and where blame lies. Is the monster to blame or the person who created the monster? It’s not an easy question and I love that.
I also really wanted to write something with lots of kissing, ha ha.
How would you describe the dynamic between the lovers of your story?
An intoxicating, emotional rollercoaster. We have Jordan, a guy who lives and breathes duty to a magical Order which, we’ll just say, has its issues. And Quell, a girl who is dying to be a part of this world, even at the risk of erasing herself. That just screamed obvious romance to me. It was important to me to start the story with a connection between them right off. So many of us have had that nostalgic feeling when you meet someone you really like because they’re cute or you like the way they look at you or some unknown thing that just gives you butterflies every time you’re in their presence. I wanted that on the page. From that undeniable chemistry, I wanted a slow-burn deeper emotional connection that challenged the core of who Quell and Jordan are.
House of Marionne by J. Elle (Razorbill, Aug. 29 $19.99 ISBN 978-0-593-52770-2).
Chloe Gong
What intrigues you about the blend of romance and fantasy?
I think blending romance and fantasy allows you to pull out aspects of both that wouldn’t otherwise be at the forefront. Fantastical settings can allow a romance to be pushed to its extreme; and romantic plotlines can make a fantasy world feel more dangerous and heightened because of the stakes in having a loved one at risk. Both the fantasy and the romance genre depend on believability—whether in world-building or in characters’ relationships—and having new avenues to explore depth by blending the two together is so much fun to me.
What were the inspirations behind the fantastical universe you created for this book?
Foul Heart Huntsman is historical, so I had an existing basis to work from! I’m a big believer that history is an arena we can use to explore our present, especially when it comes to questions about humanity, family, and all those timeless themes that are going to stick around no matter where or when you are. I thought, let’s take 1930s Shanghai and throw the characters into a perilous time of spies and double-crossing, and see what revelations about love they’ll stumble onto there.
How would you describe the dynamic between the lovers of your story?
There are three sets of lovers in Foul Heart Huntsman, so I have many answers here. Rosalind and Orion—the main pairing—are “Eldest Daughter with Trust Issues Meets Second Son with People-Pleasing Tendencies.” Oliver and Celia are “Duty Is the Most Important Thing to Me… Or Is Love?” And finally, Phoebe and Silas are “Cat and Mouse,” so that I won’t spoil any reveals for anyone who hasn’t read Foul Lady Fortune yet.
What has been your favorite aspect of pulling from the two genres?
Fantasy romance offers so much to work with. I can bring the angst level up to 100 because I’m working well outside the parameters of our usual limits. For example, instead of Rosalind having normal trust issues, she’s frozen in time and hasn’t aged in four years, to really hammer in how stuck she is in the past before Orion scoops her out. When Foul Heart Huntsman opens, instead of a regular obstacle in the way of the romance, Orion is entirely brainwashed by his mother and it’ll take immense work for him and Rosalind to know each other—and love each other again. Delicious.
Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong (McElderry, Sept. 26 $21.99 ISBN 978-1-66590-561-9).
Rachel Griffin
What intrigues you about the blend of romance and fantasy?
I have always loved stories that tie magic to emotions, and the way the two interact with each other. I think it’s a fascinating way to explore the range of our feelings and the effects they can have. Because of that, I’ve always been intrigued by—or downright obsessed with, in some cases—books that blend romance and fantasy. I jumped on board the paranormal romance train at a young age and never looked back, so the rising popularity of romantic fantasy has been an utter delight for me, both as a reader and a writer.
What were the inspirations behind the fantastical universe you created for this book?
My inspiration always starts with nature, and Bring Me Your Midnight was no different. This book is heavily inspired by my love of the ocean. I started scuba diving about seven years ago and was amazed by the silence and calm of being underwater, and that feeling was given directly to my main character. In many ways, this book is a love letter to the sea. I’m also very inspired by setting, and there’s a small island off the coast of Washington that I’ve always loved, and I thought it would be the perfect home for a coven of witches. I think of the setting in this book as a reimagined Pacific Northwest. Add in an enchanted tea shop and magical perfumery, and it’s basically the cottagecore, atmospheric island of my dreams.
How would you describe the dynamic between the lovers of your story?
It’s a forbidden romance between two characters who start off hating each other. Their world views, beliefs, and values are very conflicting, and they challenge each other throughout the book to question the things they’ve been taught and come to their own conclusions. It’s an intense first love, and the main character will ultimately have to choose between duty and happiness.
What has been your favorite aspect of pulling from the two genres?
I absolutely love romance and love fantasy, so pulling from both resulted in the most fun I’ve ever had writing. This book poured out of me, and I don’t think I’ll ever have another writing experience quite like it. Working on Bring Me Your Midnight was pure joy the whole way through, even on deadline!—it was really special in that way.
Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin (Sourcebooks Fire, Aug. 1 $18.99 ISBN 978-1-72825-615-3).
Jason June
What intrigues you about the blend of romance and fantasy?
I mean, that’s such a double whammy, right? You’ve got all the fun of those flirtatious electric tingles and that knowing in your character’s soul that they’re meant to be with someone, plus the electric tingles of actual magic! It just seems like the perfect combo to me. Not to mention magic and romance have so many real-life parallels. I’m a firm believer that we do have magic as humans that comes through in our connections with others. Isn’t “magical” the best way to describe that buzzing of love through your veins and your heart? So to pair that up with fantasy is just the perfect match.
What were the inspirations behind the fantastical universe you created for this book?
What I really wanted to do in The Spells We Cast was talk about the power humans actually have in real life. We escape to fantasy realms to imagine what it would be like to possess magical abilities, but I think we’ve already got them. It can best be described through energy. We all know that feeling when you walk into a room and know when something exciting is going to happen or know when the vibe feels off and your intuition is telling you to get out. That’s magic! We’ve already got it! I wanted to play on that and pull that out, specifically in this super-polarized world we live in where you can feel divisiveness in the air. In my fantastical universe, I created this world where human hate creates literal monsters that have to be battled. It’s a not-so-subtle nod to our current world where the further we push people away, the more we make them monsters in our minds, and the more difficult it eventually becomes to recognize each other’s humanity again. So to battle those monsters, I created magicians who’ve been granted powers of magical species like elves, fae, goblins, nymphs, and sprites to help get the job done of getting rid of the big baddies.
How would you describe the dynamic between the lovers of your story?
This is totally a sunshine-meets-grump dynamic! Nigel is our lead, a hopeful, elf-descended gay cowboy who meets the very curmudgeonly Ori, a sprite-descended wood carver slash toy collector. They have to compete against each other to get into the Guild where, if they make it, they’ll be tasked with destroying the monsters that humans create. If they lose, they’ll be stripped of their power. So they start as rivals, who may or may not grow into something more… wink wink wink.
What has been your favorite aspect of pulling from the two genres?
I really love writing scenes where magical powers respond to the sensations your heart and body go through when you find yourself developing feelings for someone. Those butterflies in your belly, making magic dance from your fingertips, the caress of a crush making your power flare up, the beating of your heart creating a rhythm your magic can sync up with. The physical sensations of romance create this sort of choreography for magical powers to follow that is just so fun to write!
The Spells We Cast by Jason June (Disney/Melissa de la Cruz Studio, Oct. 3 $17.99 ISBN 978-1-368-08923-4).
Emily Thiede
What intrigues you about the blend of romance and fantasy?
My favorite stories are deeply character-driven, full of banter, and fraught with tension. By creating that kind of story in a fantasy world, I get the extra fun of incorporating dangerously high stakes and otherworldly, romantic settings. To me, that’s the perfect kind of escapism.
What were the inspirations behind the fantastical universe you created for this book?
I’ve always enjoyed the contrast between X-Men’s Wolverine and Rogue—a surly outcast with a power that seems positive but has left him disconnected from society, who feels compelled to protect a lonely girl who is desperate for connection but denied it due to her own dangerous powers. In [the first book of the duology] This Vicious Grace, Alessa has been chosen by the gods to save the world, but she keeps accidentally killing her magical suitors instead, which isn’t winning her any popularity contests, so she begs an outcast marked as a killer to become her temporary bodyguard. It has all my favorite elements drawn from both fantasy and romcoms, set on a vibrant, colorful fantasy island inspired by my favorite place on earth, the Amalfi Coast of Italy.
How would you describe the dynamic between the lovers of your story?
“Hostile-at-first-sight” to friends to lovers, when a sarcastic ADHD girl who hasn’t had anyone to talk to in years makes it her mission to use her arsenal of innuendo to win over the taciturn, grumpy outcast she coerced into becoming her temporary bodyguard.
What has been your favorite aspect of pulling from the two genres?
The creative freedom that comes with combining genres means I get to explore fantastical worlds and put my characters through an emotional wringer, because all bets are off when you’re warring with the gods. I love hearing from readers who say they laughed, cried, held their breath, and swooned while reading.
This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede (Wednesday Books, Dec. 5 $20 ISBN 978-1-250-79407-9).
