Thanks to books like Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, the term “romantasy” has gained a lot of popularity in the past year or two. It’s one of my favorite blended genres, as I am obsessed with romance–and magical book boyfriends tend to be the best kind. Although I love the spicier books of adult and new adult romantasy, there’s something utterly addictive about YA romantasy. Figuring out the world AND falling in love for the first time? Sign me up.
There are so many great books to mention here, but today, I am highlighting YA romantasies featuring royalty and court intrigue.
As a disclaimer, some of these can also be argued as fantasy with romantic elements, but to me, the romance is the greatest magic in these books. Without further ado, here are my top YA romantasy recommendations from the past five(ish) years.
Defy the Night – YA Romantasy by Brigid Kemmerer
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer is such a fun read! It contains all the best features of YA romantasy, including romantic tension and political intrigue in a suffering kingdom. I loved the character of Tessa Cade, and I equally loved Prince Corrick. One of my favorite aspects was the way Kemmerer showed the reality behind ruling a kingdom. It is impossible to please everyone–and to keep them all alive. Published in 2021, this was one of my favorite books that year!
Official Blurb:
A desperate prince.
A daring outlaw.
A dangerous flirtation.
In the Wilds of Kandala, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade has been watching people suffer for too long. A mysterious sickness is ravaging the land and the cure, Moonflower Elixir, is only available for the wealthy. So every night, she defies the royal edicts and sneaks out, stealing Moonflower petals and leaving the elixir for those in need.
In the palace of Kandala, Prince Corrick serves as the King’s Justice, meting out vicious punishments and striking fear into the hearts of agitators and outlaws. Corrick knows he must play this role convincingly–with a shortage of elixir and threats of rebellion looming ever closer, the King’s grip on power is tenuous at best, and Corrick knows his brother is the kingdom’s best hope for survival.
But when an act of unspeakable cruelty brings the royal and the outlaw face to face, the natural enemies are faced with an impossible choice–and a surprising spark. Will they follow their instincts to destroy each other? Or will they save the kingdom together . . . and let that spark ignite?
House of Ash and Shadow – YA Romantasy by Leia Stone
House of Ash and Shadow by Leia Stone is one of my favorite YA romantasy reads of 2024. The concept and characters sucked me in immediately, and I read it in less than 24 hours. By the next day, I was blowing up my friends and sister’s phone, telling them this was a must-read book. Imagine my surprise when my sister told me this author was local to my area! I emailed Leia and she replied with an extremely polite response. She seems lovely!
That aside, this book is such a fun read.Out of all the books on this list, it definitely fits “court intrigue” the most loosely. While we definitely see power struggles and members of royalty, there’s also a distinctly dark academia vibe to the story.
Official Blurb:
Fallon Bane was born with a devastating curse: a single touch from another person will cause her excruciating pain. Thus, she has accepted that she will die without ever being kissed, without even hugging her own father, though it breaks her heart every day.
But when her beloved father falls ill, she breaks into the magical Gilded City to find a healer fae that can save him. When handsome healer Ariyon Madden agrees to help, everything she knows about herself and her curse changes. Because during her father’s healing, Ariyon reaches out and touches her bare skin. She waits for the agony… but it never comes. For the first time in her life, she imagines a new future for herself. However, that fantasy is quickly destroyed, because not only does Ariyon flee from her in disgust when he learns of her curse; he also reveals her existence to powerful fae who want to hurt her.
Fallon is then swept away to a magical academy, where she learns the terrifying truth about her family history and her dark magic. Her life and the future of fae everywhere hang in the balance, and all the while Fallon can’t help but wonder if she will get to touch Ariyon Madden one more time before she dies…
Violet Made of Thorns – YA Romantasy by Gina Chen
Violet Made of Thorns, published in 2022, features one of the most likable, unlikable protagonists I’ve ever read. Violet is as thorny as the title suggests, but I truly enjoyed her character. While there was a certain aspect I didn’t love–and didn’t entirely find true to character–I adored this book overall! Plus, it was available on Netgalley and I was able to read it before it was officially published. It was a fantastic experience.
Official Blurb:
Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he’s crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it.
But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus’s love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus.
Violet’s wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can’t change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom—or doom them all.
The World of Elfhame – YA Romantasies by Holly Black
The Cruel Prince was one of the earliest YA romantasies I read. It was also the first fantasy I’d read that centered on the world of fae. Even now, Holly Black is one of my favorite authors! After devouring The Cruel Prince series, I was thrilled to read a follow-up duology following Jude’s younger brother. I adored the first book of the series, The Stolen Heir, but I struggled with the second in that series. That being said, I still highly recommend romantasy lovers check out these books!
The Cruel Prince
Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
The Stolen Heir
A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.
Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.
Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.
Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.
Did I miss any?
Did I forget a great YA romantasy? Let me know in the comments! This is one of my favorite genres, so if you have recommendations, I want to hear them. I’m also gearing up to write a few more book lists. Is there a genre you’re hoping to see? Once again, let me know here! I will do my best to cover it.
Thanks for reading!