Fourth Wing (The Empyrean)

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Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series is arguably the most popular romantasy series available right now. It’s got magic, dragons, sex, danger, and an academic setting to bring it all together. The story follows Violet Sorrengail as she is forced to follow in her family’s footsteps and join the elite academy of dragon riders. Survival is no guarantee as she endures a constant threat of danger from her mother’s enemies, deadly dragons, and unexpected romantic feelings.

There are currently only three books in the series, but Yarros recently confirmed she’s already working on the fourth. In the meantime, there’s a Fourth Wing TV series currently in the works for Prime Video and a companion card game was released last year.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses

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A Court of Thorns and Roses (also known as ACOTAR) is the first of three Sarah J. Maas picks we’ve featured here, because she’s truly a master of the genre. A Court of Thorns and Roses follows the perspective of Feyre Archeron, a human girl from a riches-to-rags family who finds herself being dragged off into the magical land of faeries after a hunting incident. It’s a fantastical story of self-discovery and romance with an unexpected fairy tale twist that I won’t spoil for you.

There are currently five books in the series so far with a sixth one on the way, though a release date has not yet been revealed. The series was supposed to be getting a TV adaption from Hulu, but unfortunately the project was scrapped early last year.

The Twilight Saga

Twilight

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Twilight wasn’t the first romantasy series by any means, but it was the first one to become a household name. The Twilight movies got a lot of flack for being overly cheesy, but the Twilight books themselves are actually incredible. Stephanie Meyer’s romantic tale of a high school girl falling in love with a vampire is hard to put down once you get started and there’s so much depth captured in the books that never actually made it to the screen. If you’re basing your opinion of Twilight entirely on the film franchise, you owe it to yourself to go back to the source material.

There are a total of five books in the Twilight Saga. There’s the first four novels, which tell the story through Bella’s perspective, and then a fifth companion book that shifts to Edwards point of view.

Quicksilver (Fae and Alchemy)

Quicksilver (Fae and Alchemy)

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Callie Hart’s Fae and Alchemy series exploded into the romantasy scene with Quicksilver back in 2024 and hasn’t really slowed down since. The story follows a 24-year-old girl named Saeris Fane with strange alchemical powers and a penchant for picking pockets. After an unfortunate run-in with Death himself, she gets suddenly transported to the icy land of the Fae where she finds herself intertwined with a handsome Fae warrior and a centuries-long conflict.

There are currently only two books in the series, but the third book is already confirmed for a November 2026 release. The series is set to receive a Netflix adaptation following a seven figure bidding war for the rights to the story. The adaptation is still in its early stages and doesn’t yet have a release date.

Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass

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Throne of Glass is another epic romantasy from Sarah J. Maas. There’s a lot of debate online about whether ACOTAR or Throne of Glass is the better series, but you’ll need to fully read both before you decide which side you’re on. The story follows a young girl named Celaena Sardothien, an assassin with a traumatic past who is pulled from the depths of slavery to win back her freedom by becoming the king’s champion. She’s forced to contend with nobles, killers, and a hidden magical world as she navigates her feelings for the men who surround her.

The Throne of Glass series is made up of seven books and one prequel, and is already complete. There is supposedly a TV adaptation in the works from Hulu, called Queen of Shadows, but there hasn’t been any sort of update about it for years now.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia)

The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia)

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The simplest way to describe Carissa Broadbent’s romantasy series would be to call it “Hunger Games meets vampires,” but there’s a lot more to it than that. The series is planned to be split up into three distinct duologies over the course of six books, each of which follows a different main character. The first pair of books, known as the Nightborn Duet, follows the story of Oraya. She’s a human who has been raised by a vampire king who’s only chance of continued survival is to enter a deadly tournament held by the goddess of death. As part of the competition, she teams up with a vampire from a different vampiric house named Raihn and a slow-burning romance ensues.

The Nightborn Duet has been completed with book one and two of the series, and the Shadowborn Duet begins with book three. The final book in the Shadowborn Duet is currently set to be released in July of 2026.

From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash)

From Blood and Ash

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Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Blood and Ash series has action, adventure, and all of the sexy moments you’d expect from a modern romantasy. What really sets the series apart, however, is the unique fantasy world and just how truly spicy things get after the first book. From Blood and Ash tells the story of Poppy, a girl caught between gods and mortals whose role as a Maiden leaves her forbidden from experiencing pleasure. She was born to ascend and be found worthy by the gods, but that doesn’t stop her from longing for more.

The Blood and Ash series is currently made up of six books, with a seventh on the way for 2026. Armentrout has confirmed that the final book in the series will be titled The Throne of Bone and Ash.

Bonus: A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire)

A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire)

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If you like Jennifer Armentrout’s Blood and Ash books, it’s also worth checking out the prequel series, Flesh and Fire. The first book, A Shadow in the Ember, follows another Maiden named Seraphena Mierel, who is chosen to be the Consort to the Primal of Death. The series is now concluded with four total books, and the characters from Flesh and Fire make welcome appearances in the Blood and Ash series.

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City)

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City)

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The last Sarah J. Maas pick on our list is her Crescent City series. Unlike Throne of Glass and ACOTAR, House of Earth and Blood is a bit more tame (in terms of romance) and rooted in more of an urban fantasy setting. The story kicks off with Bryce Quinlan, a half-fae and half-human girl, who teams up with an angel named Hunt to track down the demon who killed her friends. The series has a nice blend of mystery, magic, and slow-burning romance all wrapped up in some epic fantasy world building.

There are currently three books in the series with a fourth planned for sometime in the future. Maas has yet to give any details about when it will be released.

Powerless

Powerless

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If you’re looking for a YA romantasy series that doesn’t get nearly as spicy as the more adult books on our list, Powerless is a great starting point. It’s all about a society divided between “Elites” with powers and “Ordinaries” who are powerless. The story follows Paedyn Gray, an Ordinary who poses as an Elite psychic to avoid being banished from the kingdom of Ilya. When she unsuspectingly saves one of the kingdom’s princes, she finds herself thrown into a brutal competition for Elites and falling into a forbidden romance that could end in her doom

The Powerless trilogy is now complete as of April 2025 with the release of Fearless.

Arcana Academy

Arcana Academy

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Elise Kova’s Arcana Academy is one of the newest books on this list, so there’s currently only one book available. Kova isn’t new to the romantasy scene, however, and you may know her from her Married to Magic series, or more recently, Saga of the Unfated. Arcana Academy breaks away from the usual tropes of faeries and vampires with a main character who wields magical tarot cards in a fantastical academy setting.

The second book in the Arcana Academy series, titled Prince of Swords, is currently set to be released on July 21, 2026.

Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor’s degree in communication and over 8 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics — from TV series to indie games and books.