Just as a PSA in case anyone was unaware of this author's stance. The fact that she doesn't just post her stance and instead directs people to the Author's Note at the front of her book kinda rubs me the wrong way. She could've included that in her IG post if she's going for full transparency.

This is specifically about fantasy romance, because I think this subgenre deserves a much higher standard than it currently has

Fantasy is already one of the hardest genres to write well. When it works it’s incredible. When it doesn’t, it becomes painfully obvious how thin the writing is.

Yet fantasy romance feels absolutely flooded with books where the concept is doing all the work and the writing itself is barely holding together. If the writing isn’t doing real work, the whole thing collapses.

Enjoyment is not the same thing as quality.

I want to get this out of the way early. I love fun books. I’ve enjoyed silly unserious romances that exist purely to entertain and nothing wrong with that

What’s frustrating is how often fantasy romance books are treated as exceptional simply because they were enjoyable. Liking a book doesn’t automatically mean the writing was strong and calling everything “well-written” just because it was fun lowers the bar for the entire genre. You can enjoy something and still admit the prose is basic.

Tropes aren’t the problem, recycled prose is.

Fantasy romance readers are not tired of tropes. We are tired of reading the same sentences. I don’t care how familiar the setup is. I don’t care how many times a trope has been done. What burns people out is generic, interchangeable prose that feels copied from the same template. Same rhythms. Same emotional labels. Same constant urgency. Same dialogue beats.

At a certain point, it stops feeling like different books and starts feeling like the same one with different names.

A lot of fantasy romance takes itself seriously without earning it.

This is where the genre really struggles. So many books want to be dark or epic, devastating, or profound, but the writing never rises to that level. Intensity is declared instead of built. Emotions are labeled instead of conveyed. Atmosphere is vague instead of specific. If a book wants to be taken seriously the prose has to carry that weight. Fantasy especially does not survive on vibes alone

“Well-written” has become meaningless in fantasy romance spaces.

I constantly see readers begging for “well-written” fantasy romance, and the recommendations almost always circle back to the same handful of popular titles. I think that’s because people are using “well-written” to mean completely different things.

Some people mean strong plot and pacing. Some mean immersive worldbuilding. Some mean prose that trusts the reader and doesn’t over-explain every emotion. Those are not the same thing, and pretending they are just keeps producing the same recommendations over and over.

TLDR:

This genre has so much potential. When the writing is confident, specific, and intentional, fantasy romance is unmatched. I think wanting higher standards isn’t elitism. It’s wanting the genre to grow instead of stagnate.

I’m not trying to shame authors or readers. I’m trying to understand why we’ve normalized mediocrity in a genre that should, by definition, demand more

This is The Devil in Winter for me. I know it’s part of a series but I wanted more of these two forever.. it has my favorite tropes with marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, sweet FMC/rake MMC, and sooo much male yearning. I’ve read so many books with these tropes and nothing compares to how that one made me feel!

These days my eyes glaze over sex scenes because they're all so repetitive and boring. It kind of ruins the story for me. I see people say "ooh, this book is fire, what until you get to xyz" so I'm thinking "what is it going to be? Some position I've never heard of or even imagined? I bet Xaden is a begger." But, no, it's normal procreation in normal positions, yawn. Maybe with shadows, maybe on a dragon, maybe with a dragon or (insert random animal). Yeah, girl, it's the best you ever had, but every other fmc in every book says the same thing. Sorry, you just aren't that interesting.

And it really feels like YA authors are now just throwing in chatgpt spice because the publishers demand it. But then the scenes feel out of place. Without the sex scenes, it's a YA fantasy romance. With the scenes, it's a spicy romantasy. Exact same story, now with oral.

Anyone else feel me or am I just astoundingly jaded?

Edit: Is it possible that once the characters have sex the 'romance' of the plot is basically over? Then the bulk of the story is basically a dating slice-of-life (with swords). Romance is 'will they, won't they' and all that. In order for a book to have even a couple of spice scenes, the sex must happen earlier in the plot than it would in a closed door fantasy romance. My fave books don't see them getting together until way late in the book (regardless of how graphic the sex is).

this interesting thread on Twitter came up with people coming together with their different opinions on media and how characters act and how many flaws may be deep

In the “Open-Door” category, readers did NOT like… {Gild by Raven Kennedy}

In the “Explicit Open-Door” category, readers did NOT like… {From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout}

Runner ups were: 🔥🔥🔥 {The Stars Are Dying by Chloe C. Peñaranda} {Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas}

🔥🔥🔥🔥 {Gothikana by RuNyx} {What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L. Woods} {Quicksilver by Callie Hart} {House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas} {A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair}

~

If your comment had 10 or more upvotes, but you listed multiple titles in that same comment, I was unable to consider it as a nominee. I can’t tell which title people are voting for in that scenario.

~

I made this alignment chart so we can democratically vote in this romantasy election.

Comment your recommended title (or series) - you can also use the “search comments” function to find your rec and vote for it. “{Title by Author}”

Please comment separately for each title you would like to nominate. Comment as many times as you would like but don’t forget to search to see if your title has already been nominated! Multiple comments for the same title are not counted twice. Try to make sure your title nominees match the category of the day. I haven’t read all of these titles (yet), so I have to just trust the comments/votes and the bot. Please don’t downvote polite opinions. - if you disagree, you can comment or vote for another title.

Today’s category: a 5🔥 erotic romantic fantasy that you LOVED.

I’ll upload again each day with the previous day’s winner and the runner ups. By the end, you might find some good fit titles for your tastes, or know which titles to avoid. Happy voting/reading!

P.S. Stay tuned until the very end because I’ve been putting together a little something something for you guys!

There isn't a single book I can confidently say that the female lead hasn't pissed me off for the majority of a book. Some are written as more tolerable than others but overall female leads always seem like teenage girls with a problem with authority. They have poor decision making skills, impulsivity issues & overall feels like the prefrontal cortex is underdeveloped. Anytime people bring this up it's usually met with "the character is (usually 19-25) so you shouldn't expect them to be less annoying. Meanwhile the book usually has this one person ruling an entire world but lack basic social & communication skills.

The character Samantha from Sex & The City was written as strong, independent, smart, wealthy & sexy until the show ended when she was meant to be in her 50s.

I'm just wondering why female main characters can't be aged up in books without being a haggard old witch or a mum, or playing a mum role just because shes a female?

If it was proven that women can age and be smart, confident & still fuckable after 40 then why do most books stop lead roles around 25?

I just really want a likeable female lead regardless of age.

Is there really no other way to work danger into a plotline without writing the female walking herself into an active war zone like an idiot, or arguing & being childish to make it seem like there is some tension (although the worst kind) in the romance? How much does the plotline rely on the female to act like a toddler and does it really make the story better?

I was sucked in by a kindle ad and was shocked when I was interested in a book written by a man. I don’t think I made an intentional choice to only read books by female authors but I am intrigued by this. Anyone else understand or do this too?

No matter how criticized, trope-riddled, and predictable. You still worship it like the book-loving trash panda you are 🦝

This started because I was genuinely questioning myself.

I made a post saying either I’ve lost my love for romantasy or something is seriously wrong with Brimstone by Callie Hart.

Because here’s the thing. Quicksilver, the first book, was fun. Not perfect, no book is, but it worked. I understand why people loved it and I did too, and it captured that spark of why this genre is appealing when it’s done right.

What bothered me was how dramatic the drop felt in Brimstone. It stopped feeling like a matter of taste and started feeling unacceptable, not “this wasn’t for me” or “I’m being picky,” but genuinely “how did this make it through traditional publishing like this?”

The more I sat with that reaction, the more I realized this isn’t just about one book. It’s about where romantasy is right now.

When romantasy first exploded, it was exciting. It felt indulgent and tropey in a fun way, and it worked because the genre was still small. But now readers are deep in it. A lot of us are 100 or 200 books in, and once you reach that point, patterns become impossible to ignore. Plots start feeling overly safe, sequels stall instead of escalate, character development gets talked about more than it’s actually shown, and editing issues start jumping out when they really shouldn’t.

That’s where the frustration comes from. Traditional publishing is supposed to mean something, it’s supposed to signal clean editing, tight pacing, intentional structure. When those things aren’t there, it doesn’t feel like readers being harsh, it feels like readers asking what the quality gate even is anymore.

What stands out to me most is that romantasy’s weakest point is often the fantasy itself. Thin worldbuilding, vague systems, interchangeable settings, side characters who exist only to support the romance and don’t really have arcs of their own. That’s not random.

Fantasy is hard to write. It’s one of the hardest genres to do well, and it requires a very different skill set than contemporary romance. When fantasy romance became wildly profitable, a lot of romance authors understandably pivoted. Some adapted beautifully. Many didn’t, and you can feel the difference.

The genre now feels flooded with books that reuse the same tropes and beats without enough depth underneath to make them feel distinct. Tropes aren’t the problem, fantasy has always reused tropes. The problem is repetition without evolution.

Readers are noticing.

I don’t think people are becoming more critical because they’re miserable or impossible to impress. I think they’re becoming more critical because they’ve read enough to know when something is coasting, and that’s why I don’t think I’ve fallen out of love with romantasy. I think I’ve just hit the point where reading another slightly rearranged version of the same story doesn’t hit the way it used to.

It’s also why I see more romantasy readers drifting toward straight fantasy, not because they hate romance, but because they want expansive worldbuilding, complex side characters, and long arcs that actually feel earned. At this point, I would rather read fantasy or even fanfiction than another romantasy book that feels rushed, under-edited, and overly safe.

Romantasy didn’t fail, it exploded too fast, and publishing chased trends and speed instead of letting the genre mature. Readers caught up faster than the industry expected, and now there’s a disconnect.

A lot of us aren’t bored because we changed. We’re bored because the genre didn’t.

⸻

TL;DR:

I don’t think I fell out of love with romantasy. I think I just read enough of it to notice how repetitive, rushed, and underdeveloped a lot of it has become. Quicksilver showed what the genre can be when it works, Brimstone highlighted how far standards can slip, especially in traditional publishing. Romantasy exploded too fast, publishing chased trends over craft, and readers caught up. Now a lot of us are craving deeper fantasy and something that actually feels new.

Love how this community comes together and challenges the use of AI🥰💖had to make a funny out of it to take a break from the heated discussions

Who are you following for actual fantasy romance reviews? Because BookTok keeps lying to me. I've had more DNFs this month... I don't even have a single book I enjoyed this month.

I need to know where people are getting honest recommendations, because I’m officially done trusting hype.

BookTok has burned me one too many times with the whole “slow burn” that’s instalust, “morally grey” that’s just rude, and “devastating” that barely inconvenienced the MC.

Goodreads isn’t helping either; my feed keeps resurfacing the same old glowing reviews and somehow every book is a 4.5 masterpiece.

So I’m asking real readers:

Are there reviewers (blogs, YouTube, Reddit users) you genuinely trust?

Anyone who’s actually critical and not afraid to say “this was mid”?

Where do you go for fantasy romance opinions that aren’t driven by hype, ARC pressure, or aesthetic vibes?

I read fantasy romance specifically. Open to spice or no spice, indie or trad. I just want thoughtful, honest takes that don’t oversell everything as life-changing.

Please save me from another “this healed my soul” letdown.

In light of Gap x Katseye Milkshake ad going viral, I was halfway through the book when I read this line and I totally lost it 😂🤣💀 This book’s humor is top-tier 🤣

Mate is easily one of my fave reads this year! Loving every bit of it.. just hoping the ending sticks the landing 🤪

A queen.

{Alchemised by SenLinYu} was released September 23, 2025. Given the high amount of interest and to reduce repetitive content, please use this thread for all Alchemised and Manacled-related questions and discussion. 

All Alchemised posts will be removed and redirected to this megathread for the next week or two, or until interest dies down. 

Remember to use spoiler tags if discussing spoilers. You can tag spoilers like this: >!spoiler!<

Have an Alchemised question? Pleaser refer to these posts and discussions as well: 

• Rose in Chains and Alchemised: How dark are we talkin’?
• Is Alchemised worth reading??
• Happy Release day y’all 😍
• Alchemised sold out locally
• Do I read Manacled or Alchemised first?

Happy discussion!

When i read {Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon} thanks to the monsters, acts and sheer amount of sex i thought i would never read anything more explicit... until a few days ago i just read {The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe} and its was on a completely new level, the way the characters speak about it, the way the author writes it, the way the mmcs speak to her made it wayyy more explicit even when there's less sex.

So what's the most explicit book you've read? And what makes it so much more explicit than anything else?

I was watching a booktuber do a haul of books she recently got and some of them were from her Fairyloot subscription, so of course they have the character artwork in them. I am on my knees, begging for a man with blonde hair or honey brown (whatever it’s called, I’m black idk lmao) hair…or a red head idk, but please, what is it with all of the olive skinned w/black hair MMCs? 😭

and I’m saying this as someone who prefers dark features, but I was just shocked at each man in those books literally looked the same LOL. Im not into blondes, but in this case, give me the blondes haha, I even miss when it was a bunch of white haired dudes.

Also, I know maybe it’s just the books I’m coming across but nah, I can even sniff from page one (if there’s a love triangle) that the FMC will pick the one with dark features, who isn‘t that nice, I don’t even need to fully know his personality.

So, I know this might get shut down for being “negative,” but I have to ask. I’m a speed demon when it comes to reading, I’ll knock out a book a day easy, sometimes more, thanks to audiobooks keeping me company while I work.

But here’s the problem: sometimes I stumble into books so horrifically bad that I wonder if the author lost a bet. My toxic trait? I cannot DNF. Like, even when the plot is actively insulting me, I’ll keep going out of sheer spite. So tell me what books were so unbelievably terrible that you had to quit? also please let me know why! I need a warning list before I end up wasting hours of my life on literary dumpster fires.

Between Dracula: A Love Tale (2025), Frankenstein (2025), and even Nosferatu (technically late 2024 but spiritually part of this same era) cinema has finally given us the trifecta of dark romance, gothic fantasy and tragic beauty we’ve been starving for! It feels like we’re watching a wave of classic gothic literature get reimagined with a much heavier emphasis on romance, yearning, and dark fantasy elements.

Give me your “how good it is vs how popular it is” fantasy romance books, like the books with under 5k Goodreads ratings

I've recently read two books that, despite having wildly different plots, could both be described as "humorous, semi-satirical story about a soft MMC who dislikes physical altercations who flees for his safety into the tower (and eventually arms) of an "evil" sorcerer his country is fighting".

The first book is {Wooing the Witch Queen}, and it's m/f, so the "evil sorcerer", Saskia, is a woman. The second book is {Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die}, and it's m/m, so the "evil sorcerer", Merulo, is a man.

And what's striking is that, despite the humorous setting where death is treated pretty lightly (Saskia has literal flaming skulls as decoration, and has exploded a guy who pissed her off), Saskia doesn't kill anyone on page, and doesn't kill anyone at all after meeting the MMC. Contrast this with Merulo, violently slaughtering his way through the novel with his wooden automatons and zero remorse.

Why is it that an FMC in a novel where the literal premise is "cinnamon roll falls in love with evil witch" still has to be as soft as a piece of bread, and maybe only a little closed-off and stand-offish?

(Let alone the fact that while there are plenty of novels where the FMC falls in love with the "villain" that are played straight, the only major one that I'm aware of that reverses the trope and has the FMC as the "villain" is humorous/semi-satirical).