There exists a peculiar sort of ache, dear reader, that comes upon one who has turned the final page of an extraordinary tale. You have wandered through the mist-shrouded courts of Prythian, followed an assassin’s deadly dance across Erilea, and now—like a child who has glimpsed Neverland only to find themselves back in the nursery—you find yourself bereft, searching for that next magnificent adventure.
Fear not, for we have gathered here fifteen books of such wonder and enchantment that they shall sweep you away to realms every bit as thrilling as those Sarah J. Maas has conjured. Each possesses that peculiar alchemy of romance and fantasy that makes the heart beat faster and the pages turn themselves.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Here is a tale that has set the world quite ablaze, and for excellent reason. Young Violet Sorrengail was meant for a quiet life among books and scrolls, but her formidable mother—a commanding general with a heart like forged steel—decrees otherwise. Violet must enter the war college and attempt what seems impossible: to bond with a dragon and survive.
What makes this particularly delicious is that Violet’s body is delicate, her joints prone to weakness, yet her spirit burns brighter than dragonfire. She must navigate a brutal training where death lurks at every turn, and where the most dangerous man in the riders’ quadrant, Xaden Riorson, has every reason to want her dead. The Empyrean series has captured readers’ hearts with the same fierce intensity as ACOTAR, and one can quite understand why.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
If ever there was a tale spun from moonlight and malice, it is this one. When Jude was but seven years old, her parents were murdered before her eyes, and she and her sisters were stolen away to the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Now seventeen, Jude desires nothing more than to belong to this beautiful, deadly world—despite being merely mortal.
Prince Cardan is cruelty personified, a fae lordling who delights in tormenting the mortal woman who dares walk among his kind. Yet as political conspiracies swirl and civil war threatens, Jude discovers that the path to power runs through darkness—and perhaps through the heart of the prince himself. Holly Black weaves fae lore with such delicious wickedness that one cannot help but devour every word.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
In the kingdom of Solis, there lives a maiden named Poppy whose existence has been one of solitude and strange ritual. Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, she must never be touched, never be seen, never know pleasure. She is the Maiden, and her Ascension approaches—a destiny she has never questioned.
Then arrives Hawke Flynn, a guard whose golden eyes hold secrets and whose touch awakens something forbidden within her. What unfolds is a romance wrapped in mystery, for not everything in Solis is as it seems. The Ascended who rule may hide monstrous truths, and Hawke himself may be the most dangerous revelation of all. This is enemies-to-lovers rendered with breathless intensity.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
Imagine, if you will, a human woman raised by the Vampire King himself—not as prey, but as daughter. Oraya has spent her life in the House of Night, trained in combat, learning to survive among creatures who would drain her veins given half the chance. Now she enters the Kejari, a legendary tournament held once per century by the goddess of death.
To survive among the most vicious vampire warriors, Oraya must forge an alliance with Raihn, a mysterious competitor whose ruthlessness is matched only by his inexplicable kindness toward her. If you loved the Under the Mountain chapters of ACOTAR, this book shall enchant you utterly. The slow-burn romance and deadly tournament create a tension most exquisite.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
In sun-drenched Sicily, twin witches Emilia and Vittoria guard their secrets carefully, living quietly among humans. But when Vittoria is found murdered in the most terrible fashion, Emilia’s grief transforms into blazing vengeance. She will find her sister’s killer, even if it means dabbling in the darkest forbidden magic.
Her desperate spell summons Wrath, one of the seven Princes of Hell her grandmother warned her about in childhood tales. These demon lords embody the deadly sins, and none can be trusted—yet Emilia finds herself drawn to Wrath’s dangerous allure as they hunt through gothic catacombs and shadowed streets. The setting is lush, the romance is wicked, and the mystery keeps one guessing.
King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day to be her death day—not her own, but her groom’s. To end a years-long war that has ravaged her homeland, she agrees to marry Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, the vampire king called the Blood King, with every intention of driving a stake through his heart on their wedding night.
Her assassination attempt fails rather spectacularly. Adrian, fierce and savage and utterly merciless, threatens to raise her as undead if she tries again. Now Isolde must navigate a brutal vampire court, uncover the truth behind the war, and resist the undeniable pull she feels toward the monster she was meant to destroy. Arranged marriage and enemies-to-lovers blend beautifully in this dark romance.
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
Lara has been raised since childhood for one purpose: to infiltrate the mysterious Bridge Kingdom, learn its secrets, and ensure its destruction. Trained as an assassin in the desert, she knows nothing of love, only duty to her father’s kingdom. When she is sent to marry King Aren, she intends to fulfill her deadly mission.
The Bridge Kingdom controls the only passage between two continents, making it the most coveted prize in all the lands. But as Lara discovers the truth about her husband’s people—and develops unexpected feelings for the king she was meant to betray—she must choose between the life she was trained for and the life her heart desires. The slow-burn romance and political intrigue are absolutely magnificent.
Gild by Raven Kennedy
This is a reimagining of the King Midas myth, and it is nothing like the tale you think you know. Auren has lived in King Midas’s golden castle for ten years, his most treasured possession—for she too has been touched by his power, her skin and hair shimmering gold. She lives in a gilded cage, beautiful and beloved, or so she believes.
When a devastating bargain shatters her trust in the king, Auren finds herself prisoner to an enemy army, marching toward battle. At its heart is Commander Rip, called the King Rot for his terrifying power. This series examines what it means to be truly free, wrapping its questions in lush fantasy and unexpected romance. It begins slowly but builds to something extraordinary.
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
In this world, dragons ascend to become moons when they die—luminous spheres that hang in the sky like memories frozen in light. But sometimes, these moons fall, hatching catastrophe upon the land below. Into this breathtaking setting steps Raeve, an assassin for a rebellion, whose forgotten past holds the key to everything.
Kaan Vaegor wears a crown of melted metal and carries an ache in his chest that never ebbs. When his hunt for answers leads him to a notorious prison—and to Raeve—reality itself seems to shatter. This is fantasy romance at its most ambitious, with dragons and gods, forbidden love that spans lifetimes, and worldbuilding that leaves one quite breathless. Perfect for those who loved both Throne of Glass and ACOTAR.
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
In the mist-locked kingdom of Blunder, Elspeth Spindle survives by keeping secrets. A childhood fever left her with forbidden magical abilities and something else—a creature she calls the Nightmare, an ancient spirit trapped within her mind. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes without cost.
When Elspeth encounters a mysterious highwayman who turns out to be the King’s own nephew, she is swept into a dangerous quest to gather twelve magical Providence Cards and save the kingdom from the dark magic slowly consuming it. The romance between Elspeth and Ravyn unfolds with delicious slowness, and the gothic atmosphere is absolutely enchanting. This has been called perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
If ACOTAR’s Beauty and the Beast inspiration delighted you, here is another retelling most worthy of your attention. Prince Rhen has been cursed to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year until someone falls in love with him—and at each autumn’s end, he transforms into a monster who destroys everything he holds dear.
Harper Lacy never meant to stumble into another world. A woman from Washington, DC, with cerebral palsy and a family falling apart, she was simply trying to help someone on the street when she was pulled into Rhen’s kingdom. She is not the gentle maiden the curse expects, and she has no intention of falling for a prince. The tension between them crackles with wonderful intensity.
These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
Abriella has always despised the fae, and with good reason. When her beloved sister is sold to the sadistic Unseelie king due to an unpaid debt, Brie will do anything to rescue her—even steal three powerful relics from the Seelie court itself. To infiltrate this glittering, treacherous world, she must pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan.
But the Unseelie king has his own misfits helping Brie, led by the mysterious Finn, whose dark charm she finds increasingly difficult to resist. Caught between two dangerous courts and two captivating princes, Brie discovers that nothing in the fae realm is as it seems. The love triangle here is genuinely agonizing, and the faerie politics are delightfully twisted.
Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa
Calypso Lillis is a siren with a secret—a bracelet of black beads climbing up her arm, each one a debt she owes to a being called the Bargainer. Years ago, when she was desperate and afraid, she called upon him for help. Now Desmond Flynn, King of the Night, has come to collect.
What makes this particularly enchanting is the history between them—seven years ago, the Bargainer was her only friend, appearing night after night to make deals and, slowly, to steal her heart. Then he vanished without explanation. Now something terrible is happening in the Otherworld, and they must work together to stop it. The tension between past romance and present mystery is absolutely divine.
Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
Before Carissa Broadbent gave us The Serpent and the Wings of Night, she crafted this tale of Tisaanah, a young woman ripped from her homeland as a child and sold into slavery. With nothing but determination and a touch of magic, she eventually buys her freedom—but the friend she left behind still suffers.
To rescue him, Tisaanah must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a reclusive and powerful fire wielder who has no love for the magical Orders. As war looms on the horizon and Tisaanah proves herself through blood and flame, her feelings for her infuriating mentor become impossible to ignore. This trilogy blazes with passionate romance and hard-won redemption.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
We cannot speak of magnificent fantasy without mentioning the Grishaverse. Alina Starkov is a mapmaker in the First Army, unremarkable in every way—until she reveals a power that could be the key to freeing her war-torn country. She is a Sun Summoner, the one who might destroy the Shadow Fold, a swath of darkness teeming with monsters.
Whisked away to train among the magical elite, Alina must navigate deadly court politics, learn to harness her power, and uncover the truth about the mysterious Darkling who leads the Second Army. The worldbuilding is exquisite, the Russian-inspired setting utterly immersive, and the magic system one of the most inventive in modern fantasy. This series inspired a beloved Netflix adaptation for excellent reason.
Finding Your Next Romantasy Adventure
And so, dear reader, you have before you fifteen doorways to adventure—each promising the heady blend of romance and fantasy that makes the genre so irresistible. Whether you crave dragon riders or vampire courts, fae princes or cursed kingdoms, these books offer that same intoxicating magic that first drew you to Sarah J. Maas.
Perhaps you shall begin with Fourth Wing’s dragons, or lose yourself in the deadly tournaments of The Serpent and the Wings of Night. Maybe the gothic allure of One Dark Window calls to you, or the political machinations of The Cruel Prince. Wherever you choose to wander, know that adventure awaits—the kind that makes your heart race and keeps you reading long past midnight.
For that, after all, is the truest magic of a magnificent story: it reminds us that there are still worlds to discover, still characters to love, still that breathless feeling of turning pages to find out what happens next.
