The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Romantasy is a recent subgenre that blends the common tropes of both romance and fantasy genres. Although the term “romantasy” was largely popularized by the many #BookTok reviewers and influencers on the social media platform TikTok, the subgenre predates the term and was first identified as “fantasy romance” or “romantic fantasy.” Romantasy has proven to be an amorphous and fluid category whose defining characteristics have been hotly debated among readers and writers alike. Some argue that romantasy is a romance plot line set in a fantasy world, while others contend that the subgenre features fantasy plots with explicit sex scenes. Still others argue that romantasy requires an even balance between a romance-based internal conflict and an external, concurrent fantasy plot line. While there is still disagreement, this third option appears to be the most widely-accepted (Lob, M. K. “What is Romantasy, Anyway?” Writer’s Digest Online, 27 Feb 2024).

Though some readers and reviewers argue that romantasy began with the rise of Sarah J. Maas’s Court of Thorn and Roses series and Jennifer Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash series, earlier contributors to the subgenre include Jacqueline Carey, who wrote the Kushiel’s Dart series (Donaldson, Kayleigh. “Romantasy is Everywhere, But Its Legacy Long Predates TikTok.” Paste Magazine, 20 March 2024). It is also important to note that there is considerable overlap between the subgenres of romantasy and paranormal romance, the latter of which features romantic interactions between humans and paranormal beings and often take place in contemporary urban settings. By contrast, most romantasy is set in alternative fantasy worlds, even though the plots continue to rely heavily on popular romance tropes. Although some critics have raised concerns about the lack of diversity in romantasy, pointing to a predominance of straight, white characters, a handful of successful romantasies have featured greater diversity, such as Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light.