Romantic Fantasy is a subgenre of Fantasy that incorporates elements of both fantasy and romance. In this subgenre, the plot is focused on fantasy elements and the romance is secondary. Typically, these types of books will feature an epic fantasy plotline where a hero/heroine sets out on a journey to save their world, and the social, political, and romantic relationships they form along the way help them to achieve their goals. It is important to note that this is not the same as Fantastic Romance which is a separate subgenre where romance is the central plot and the fantasy elements are secondary. While some publishers still separate these two subgenres, it has become common to see the terms Romantic Fantasy and Fantastic Romance used interchangeably.
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Some Examples of Romantic Fantasy:
Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith
Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J Maas
Truthwitch Series by Susan Dennard
Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo
The Immortals quartet by Tamora Pierce
The Blue Sword and The Hero and The Crown by Robin McKinley
The combination of fantasy and romance has been around since the early beginnings of literature. One famous example of this combination is Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. However, the modern subgenre of Romantic Fantasy was started in the 1980s. Mercedes Lackey was one of the first authors to popularize this style of high fantasy with romantic elements. She was followed by the likes of Robin McKinley and Tamora Pierce, who brought even more readers to the subgenre. Today it is one of the most popular fantasy subgenres, and the majority of Young Adult Fantasy books currently being published can be classified under Romantic Fantasy.
Romantic Fantasy usually takes place in a high fantasy setting. These are worlds created by the author that can sometimes be based on real-world places. For example, Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows is set in the fictional Ketterdam which was inspired by Amsterdam, and the Grishaverse world she has created is inspired by Tsarist Russia. The most common type of setting is a medieval world based on the European Middle Ages.
