Village Books\u2019 \u201cresident romantasy expert,\u201d Bee Cabezas, said the phenomenon began during the pandemic with Sarah J. Maas\u2019 massively successful \u201cA Court of Thorns and Roses\u201d (ACOTAR) series. That title graced the bookstore\u2019s bestseller shelf for months. But now, \u201cPeople aren\u2019t asking so much for Sarah J. Maas, but [titles] similar to it,\u201d Cabezas continued.<\/p>\n
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A screenshot shows that the \u201cromantasy\u201d hashtag on TikTok has more than 1.3 million views. (Source: TikTok)<\/p>\n
One of the genre\u2019s foremost authors, Sarah Hawley, just so happens to live in Bellingham. The second installment in her \u201cShards of Magic\u201d series, entitled \u201cPrincess of Blood,\u201d was released on Sept. 30 and became a USA Today Bestseller.<\/p>\n
Hawley, 37, is aware that \u201cromantasy\u201d carries a negative connotation in certain literary circles. But as she points out, the subgenre encompasses a \u201chuge, massive range\u201d of titles, from cozy, escapist comedies (like her own \u201cGlimmer Falls\u201d series) to immersive, high-fantasy epics with detailed worlds and magic systems. \u201cPrincess of Blood\u201d belongs to the latter category.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think all people lump it together and [say] it\u2019s not real literature when some of the best fantasy writing I\u2019ve read comes from these spaces,\u201d Hawley said. \u201cIt just happens to be that there\u2019s a strong romantic subplot.\u201d<\/p>\n
What is \u2018romantasy,\u2019 anyway?<\/p>\n
With more than 1.3 million videos hashtagged as #romantasy on TikTok, there\u2019s no denying the subgenre is trending. Even so, Hawley said romantasy\u2019s precise definition is a \u201cvery hotly debated topic\u201d among authors and readers alike.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the crossover space. You\u2019re going to have a lot of fantasy elements, you\u2019re going to have a lot of romance elements,\u201d she said. \u201cI would say there always has to be a happily-ever-after if you\u2019re writing romantasy, which is sort of the contract of the romance genre.\u201d<\/p>\n
If in doubt, try examining a book\u2019s plot without the romance element: If the story falls apart, it\u2019s likely romantasy. But even that rule has exceptions: Hawley said the first \u201cShards of Magic\u201d book, entitled \u201cServant of Earth,\u201d would likely function fine without the love affair.<\/p>\n
Romantasy books also vary wildly in tone and sexual content \u2014 though Hawley pointed out how plenty of well-regarded high fantasy novels (i.e. \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d) contain graphic sex scenes, too. However, those scenes are often intended to be dark, non-consensual or violent.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think: Why does that have literary merit, but as soon as these characters are doing it in an empowering way,\u201d she said, \u201cor as soon as there\u2019s a happily ever after, or as soon as it\u2019s about women reclaiming power, why does that suddenly make it trash?\u201d<\/p>\n And while \u201cromantasy\u201d is a newer term, romance\/fantasy crossovers have been popular among readers for decades. (Anne McCaffrey\u2019s 1967 \u201cDragonriders of Pern\u201d series, for example, could be considered a predecessor to Yarros\u2019 \u201cFourth Wing\u201d books.) Hawley said these kinds of books come in waves \u2014\u00a0and it\u2019s perhaps no surprise that romantasy blew up in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a big boom in paranormal romance in the early 2000s, actually, from around the time of 9\/11,\u201d she said. In these \u201cbig, dark moments\u201d in the broader world, \u201cPeople feel a sense of powerlessness, and maybe they\u2019re drawn more to stories where there\u2019s the escapism of another world, or a woman fighting evil tyrants.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Princess of Blood\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n Before becoming a professional author, Hawley earned degrees in archaeology. She believes knowledge gleaned in her master\u2019s program translates well to building fantasy worlds.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou think about all the objects and the costumes, how people move through the world and how they interact with it,\u201d she said. Writing fantasy thus involves \u201ca lot of the same narrative-building that you would do on an archeological dig, trying to recreate a story out of all the little pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n In \u201cPrincess of Blood,\u201d the protagonist, Kenna, is a human woman who becomes trapped in the faerie kingdom of Mistei. Hawley drew from Celtic folklore to develop \u201cthese beautiful, trickster, kind of awful creatures that live underground and get into some of the brutality of the original lore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Hawley split Mistei into six houses with \u201calmost elemental\u201d powers: Blood, Illusion, Light, Void, Fire and Earth. From there, she imagined how society would arrange itself: How would the fae dress to signify group belonging? What do they eat? What are their religious beliefs, rituals and holidays?\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of it is about the different myths and narratives that are used, especially by people in power to maintain that power,\u201d Hawley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s not uncommon for fantasy novels (romantasy or otherwise)\u00a0to act as metaphors for real-life society. Hawley said this allows readers to \u201cget lost in a world, but then explore themes that matter to you as a person\u201d \u2014 albeit from a safe distance. Romantic plotlines thus act as \u201cguardrails\u201d to keep readers\u2019 expectations in check.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of readers really want that comfort,\u201d Hawley said. \u201c \u2026 If it\u2019s a romance, or it\u2019s a romantasy, I know everything\u2019s gonna be OK, no matter how dark it gets in the middle. And I think it\u2019s tremendously comforting for people \u2014\u00a0especially in dark times.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018You can\u2019t write a book just because you think it\u2019s marketable\u2019<\/p>\n Less than a month after the release of \u201cPrincess of Blood,\u201d Hawley is already at work on edits for the trilogy\u2019s final installment. She\u2019s also drafting another rom-com fantasy set in a fictionalized version of Bellingham. Hawley finds inspiration in the city\u2019s natural beauty and eclectic, creative community \u2014 and evidently, Bellingham loves her back.<\/p>\n \u201cI think something unique with writers and readers of Bellingham is that they [often] stick to local titles and authors,\u201d Cabezas said. \u201cIt\u2019s really great. When we have local authors like Sarah Hawley who crop up, the entire community immediately supports that author.\u201d<\/p>\n Cabezas added that Village Books is welcoming No. 1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer on Sunday, Nov. 9.<\/a> Meyer is based in Tacoma and will be presenting her new romantasy\/murder mystery, \u201cThe House Saphir,\u201d based on the classic Bluebeard legend.\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, Cabezas pointed out how romantasy isn\u2019t the only trending romance subgenre. \u201cIt kind of feels like people are looking more for vibes than genres,\u201d Cabezas continued. \u201cSo they\u2019re looking for a dark academia vibe, or an enemies-to-lovers.\u201d<\/p>\n These kinds of titles are also popular on #BookTok, a TikTok subcommunity devoted to reading, discussing and reacting to books, often within the romance and fantasy genres. With more than 370 billion views as of 2025<\/a>, #BookTok has been a major sales driver since 2020, and publishing houses have since learned to capitalize on it.<\/a><\/p>\n Hawley is on TikTok<\/a> and acknowledges the platform\u2019s influence in the publishing industry. However, she said the \u201cvast majority\u201d of writers aren\u2019t influencers, but people who love what they do. After all, Hawley wrote the first \u201cShards of Magic\u201d book in 2017 \u2014 years before \u201cromantasy\u201d hit the mainstream.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t write a book just because you think it\u2019s marketable,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have to write it because you love the story.\u201d<\/p>\n Romantasy books you shouldn\u2019t miss, according to Village Books staff<\/p>\n If you want: Fairytale re-imaginings, mermaids and pirates What begins as a tale reminiscent of the \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d fable quickly evolves into a journey full of danger, piracy and enchanting adventure. Join Celeste, a siren princess, as she hunts down a human prince to regain her honor and her kingdom. Little does she know, however, that there is a lot more than just a pair of legs and a forbidden Voice that stands in her way! \u2013 Recommended by Chloe Hovind<\/p>\n If you want: Sapphic vampire romance Dark, sapphic vampire romance written by the bestselling author of The \u201cInvisible Life of Addie LaRue\u201d? Yes please! This book was all I wanted it to be and more, sure to be one of my top reads of the year. Schwab is a master of taking you on a journey through centuries of tangled relationships, glittering parties and deep shadows, as she weaves together three women\u2019s lives, each one of them planted in the midnight soil. \u2013 Recommended by Caitriona Cassel<\/p>\n If you want: Enemies to lovers, fae romance \u201cGaslight, gatekeep, girlboss\u201d has never been more in fashion for Jude Duarte, a human girl forced into the fae realm after Madoc, her vicious stepfather, slaughters her parents. Eager to find safety and security, Jude and her twin, Taryn, must navigate being humans in the often-cruel world of the fae, who seek to destroy them simply for existing. Yet when forced into proximity with bitter, sarcastic, flippant Prince Cardan, Jude finds an intoxicating relationship that tests her limits. \u2013Recommended by Cy Catwell<\/p>\n If you want: Queer love, sci-fi fantasy When star cruiser Demeter loses her crew in a bloody, destructive frenzy, she sets out with a new motley crew of very real monsters. But revenge isn\u2019t the only thing to be found among the stars: Her AI medical system starts to become quite irresistible as they mutually work together to zip across the depths of space to seek out a famous vampire who started this whole mess in the first place. If you\u2019re looking for queer love set in a sci-fi fantasy world, look no further than \u201cOf Monsters and Mainframes,\u201d a story all about revenge and the love we find along the way. \u2013 Recommended by Cy Catwell<\/p>\n If you want: Star-crossed lovers, gods and goddesses, fantastic world-building An immortal goddess and a mortal man walk into each other\u2019s dreams and fall madly in love with each other, all while the world keeps turning and finding ways to keep them apart. This book had me sobbing on multiple occasions, and the ending does not disappoint! \u2013 Recommended by Chloe Quan<\/p>\n Cocoa Laney<\/a> is CDN\u2019s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com<\/a>; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/05-romantasy-sarah-hawley20251006-SO-1024x663.jpg\")
Authors Sarah Hawley, left, and Ann Aguirre discuss their writing process and favorite characters from past works, among other topics, during a promotional tour for Hawley\u2019s new book, \u201cPrincess of Blood.\u201d (Santiago Ochoa<\/a>\/Cascadia Daily News)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/03-romantasy-sarah-hawley-20250930-SO-1024x644.jpg\")
Sarah Hawley poses with a stack of books from her series, \u201cThe Shards of Magic,\u201d inside the Village Books and Paper Dreams reading gallery. \u201cPrincess of Blood\u201d is the second book in the series and Hawley\u2019s latest release. (Santiago Ochoa<\/a>\/Cascadia Daily News)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/9780593818381-661x1024.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
Sarah Hawley drew inspiration from Celtic lore when writing the fae kingdom of Mistei for her new book. (Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/06-romantasy-sarah-hawley20251006-SO-1024x700.jpg\")
Sarah Hawley, Ann Aguirre and a room full of fans share a laugh during a conversation with the two authors hosted by Village Books and Paper Dreams. (Santiago Ochoa<\/a>\/Cascadia Daily News)<\/p>\n
Then try: \u201cVoice of the Ocean\u201d by Kelsey Impicciche<\/p>\n
Then try: \u201cBury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil\u201d by V.E. Schwab<\/p>\n
Then try: \u201cThe Folk of the Air Trilogy\u201d by Holly Black<\/p>\n
Then try: \u201cOf Monsters and Mainframes\u201d by Barbara Truelove<\/p>\n
Then try: \u201cWild Reverence\u201d by Rebecca Ross<\/p>\n