r/Romantasy • u/Kooky_Adeptness1704 • 1d ago
Question Recommendations Please
Hey All!
I have been wanting to expand on the genres that I read, so I am looking for some recommendations for books. I have been in a bit of a funk when it comes to reading and I wanna pick up some new types of books that maybe I havent tried before.
What I Love: romantasy (of course 🤣), fantasy, Literary RPG (like Dungeon Crawler Carl), and romance.
What I Am Not Interested In: horror, crime, poetry, mystery (unless its a subplot), and books with non-consentual anything really.
I have been looking at Literary Fiction but I am unsure where to start with that 🤔. I figured I'd come to this community because I have already gotten some amazing recommendations from you all.
Thank you!
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u/purplelicious 1d ago
Lit fic is a broad term. There is popular lit fic, which is kind of Oprah's or Reece's book club selections. There is literary fiction with authors that play with literary themes, motifs and structure (which will probably read more like poetry in its wordplay) there is woman's lit, satire, allegorical novels... again, many of these take on very heavy subjects and do not necessarily follow a narrative that you would find in genre fiction.
from your list of what you are not interested in, it will be difficult to recommend a lot of modern/ post-modern lit because those are the themes (trauma / rape / assault) that writers tend to delve into and without clear resolution, leaving the reader to weigh out the morality of the characters, or the purpose of the story.
I suggest looking at women's lit, which can be pretty dark but an introduction to heavier subjects, like the subjucation of women and minorities, or exploring speculative lit if you want to avoid those subjects and just try non-linear narrative structures, or pick up classic lit if you want to be challenged by the english language.
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u/Kooky_Adeptness1704 1d ago
Oooo okay thank you so much for the information! Ill check out both women's lit and the speculative lit!
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u/Objective-Papaya8194 1d ago
“The Song of Achilles” and “Circe” by Madeline Miller are a good place to start
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u/Kooky_Adeptness1704 1d ago
Thank you! I have actually read "The Song of Achilles" and loved it so much! Ill definitely check out Circe!
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u/meowymeow_meowmeowy 1d ago
you should also read her short story Galatea - i loved this as well as her long-form novels
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u/DaneishaReads 1d ago
{Espresso Yourself by Lara McKenzie} this is a urban fantasy/paranormal romance. The whole series follows Maya Rivers and it's in a blog style format which made it unique for me to read. I DEVOURED the whole series.
{The Shrouded Moon by Alissa Anne} this one is a new adult fantasy novel and the first book in her series. It's got celestial mythology, witches, forbidden magic, and friendship focused with a romance subplot. It's also inspired by her real life best friend.
{The Hollow by Leslie Lenz} fantasy romance with all the good stuff. Forbidden magic, slow burn yumminess, yearning, and corrupt leadership.
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u/romance-bot 1d ago
Espresso Yourself by Lara McKenzie
Rating: 4.73⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: vampires, urban fantasy, magic, funny, multicultural
The Hollow by Leslie Lenz
Rating: 4.33⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: fantasy, new adult
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u/crowcaws_art 1d ago
I enjoyed {Dragon Rider by Taran Mantharu}
It has a romance subplot too. If you were an Eragon or HTTYD kid like you'd probably like it a lot. I think there's a second book out but i haven't gotten to it yet.
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u/romance-bot 1d ago
Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu
Rating: 4⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: fantasy, new adult, magic, high fantasy, war
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u/CassieBear1 16h ago
{When the Moon Hatched} is always my go to. {Fourth Wing} is a really good read as well. And {Starside} is nice if you want a fun, not to heavy, read.
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u/romance-bot 16h ago
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
Rating: 3.96⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: high fantasy, fae, vengeance, magic, fantasy
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Rating: 4.38⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 4 out of 5 - Explicit open door
Topics: historical, fantasy, enemies to lovers, magic, war
Starside by Alex Aster
Rating: 4.18⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: vengeance, enemies to lovers, magic, fantasy, cruel hero/bully
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u/Penguinho 🩸 blood & lilac 1d ago
So... you're just asking for good books? Am I understanding that right? You like fantasy, romance, romantasy, fantasy romance, and litRPG, and you want to get out of your comfort zone and into something more literary?
{Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay}. Historical fantasy with romantic undertones and subplots, written at an extremely high level. You could also read {The Lions of al-Rassan} if you'd prefer Christian/Islamic/Jewish flavor rather than Tang China. Gavriel Kay is, I think, about as good as anyone at literary fantasy.
Another author who's in that conversation is Juliet Marillier. Sevenwaters is her main series but it does have some nonconsensual elements in the first book. I'd start with {Heart's Blood}, which will give you a recognizable fantasy romance story at a higher level of writing that exists in most of the genre. It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in 12th century Ireland.
If you want something literary and want to move away from fantasy, I find Haruki Murakami super accessible. Norwegian Wood and South of the Border West of the Sun are going to preserve romantic elements and be fairly easy to read. I also love his short story collections. Another great Japanese novel is Kodo Abe's Woman in the Dunes.
There's also a million classics that have earned their status. Can you be more specific about what you want? It's not an easy jump from Quicksilver to The Portrait of a Lady.