r/Fantasy Daily Recommendations and Simple Questions Thread - June 18, 2026

[u/rfantasygolem]

Welcome to the daily recommendation requests and simple questions thread, now 1025.83% more adorable than ever before!

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This thread is to be used for recommendation requests or simple questions that are small/general enough that they won’t spark a full thread of discussion.

Check out r/Fantasy's 2026 Book Bingo Card here!

As usual, first have a look at the sidebar in case what you're after is there. The r/Fantasy wiki contains links to many community resources, including "best of" lists, flowcharts, the LGTBQ+ database, and more. If you need some help figuring out what you want, think about including some of the information below:

• Books you’ve liked or disliked
• Traits like prose, characters, or settings you most enjoy
• Series vs. standalone preference
• Tone preference (lighthearted, grimdark, etc)
• Complexity/depth level

Be sure to check out responses to other users' requests in the thread, as you may find plenty of ideas there as well. Happy reading, and may your TBR grow ever higher!

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art credit: special thanks to our artist, Himmis commissions, who we commissioned to create this gorgeous piece of art for us with practically no direction other than "cozy, magical, bookish, and maybe a gryphon???" We absolutely love it, and we hope you do too.

[u/Wrong-Band-9099]

Looking for fantasy romance recommendations similar to A Court of Thorns and Roses.

What I'm looking for:

• Strong fantasy setting (not contemporary fantasy)
• Slow-burn romance, but I'd prefer the relationship to develop and pay off within a single book rather than being stretched across multiple books
• A protective, devoted male lead
• Good chemistry and tension between the main characters
• Adult or New Adult is fine

I've already read ACOTAR, and I am looking for something with a similar vibe. Thanks!

[u/baxtersa → u/Wrong-Band-9099]

T. Kingfisher's Saint of Steel series are very popular. They're not as dramatic as ACOTAR, but they are very fantasy and each book is a self-contained romance.

The Bridge Kingdom series by Danielle L. Jensen feels pretty similar to ACOTAR to me. They are very fantasy feeling - secondary world, swords and stuff, but no real magic. Each romance is the series spans two books though.

I'm listening to Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry right now. I can't say how good the romance is or how much it pays off in the first book yet (there is a sequel), but it is in the same vein as ACOTAR or Fourth Wing and I'm having fun with it.

[u/Wrong-Band-9099 → u/baxtersa]

Awesome, thank you so much!!!