The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy

Most frequently described as a blend between the fantasy and romance genres, romantasy typically emphasizes romance-fueled plotlines, relegating the fantasy aspects of such stories to a secondary role. Although romantasy novels are often populated with fantastical (yet canonical) beings such as fae, wizards, monsters, demons, and gods, authors who work in this genre vary widely in the depth of their world-building, and in some cases, the more sophisticated elements of high fantasy receive only cursory attention, while the emotion-driven conflicts between the lead characters take center stage and provide the primary source of momentum in the plot. Yet many of the most widely recognized authors in this genre strike an equal balance between romance and world-building, creating a narrative that blends common romance tropes with intricate descriptions of political intrigue, battle strategies, and complex social relationships. Primary examples include Sarah Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015) and Carissa’s Broadbent’s Crowns of Nyaxia series, the latter of which begins with Serpents and the Wings of Night (2022).

Within this context, Brigitte Knightley’s duology-in-progress honors many key romantasy conventions, and the first novel’s distinct enemies-to-lovers dynamic remains the dominant form of conflict even as the author takes pains to develop a deeply nuanced world and a magical system that adheres to a strictly regimented list of rules.