There exists in the realm of storytelling a particular sort of magic—not the kind conjured by wands or whispered incantations, but rather the enchantment that comes from waiting. From longing. From watching two souls circle one another like moths about a flame, knowing they must eventually touch, yet savouring every delicious moment before they do.
This, dear reader, is the art of the slow burn romantasy.
If you have found yourself quite undone by the exquisite torture of Carissa Broadbent’s The Serpent and the Wings of Night, with its vampires and moonlit tournaments and that achingly patient romance—then you have come to just the right corner of the literary world. What follows is a collection of tales guaranteed to set your heart ablaze, one careful ember at a time.
What Makes a Slow Burn Romantasy So Delightfully Unbearable?
Before we venture forth into our recommendations, let us pause to appreciate what makes these stories so terribly wonderful. A slow burn romance does not rush toward its destination like a child racing to unwrap a present. No, it takes its time. The stolen glances. The accidental touches that linger a moment too long. The witty exchanges that mask deeper feelings.
When paired with fantasy—with its dark courts and ancient magic, its prophecies and perilous quests—the slow burn becomes something truly transcendent. The waiting becomes its own kind of adventure.
Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole
In a mortal world colonized by gods and ruled by their cruel magical offspring called the Descended, young Diem Bellator yearns to escape her poor village. Her mother’s sudden disappearance sets her upon a path into the dark world of Descended royalty, where a dying king’s handsome yet enigmatic heir watches her every move.
This BookTok sensation has captured hearts with good reason. Penn Cole weaves political intrigue with romantic tension so thick one might cut it with a blade. Diem must navigate the unwritten rules of love, power, and court politics—and there is a rebel alliance recruiting her for civil war. It is enemies-to-lovers at its finest, with a unique magic system and dragons besides.
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
In the cursed kingdom of Blunder, where mist shrouds everything and magic comes at a terrible cost, Elspeth Spindle carries a dark secret. As a child, she contracted a mysterious fever that left her with an unsettling gift—the voice of a creature called the Nightmare, ancient and cunning, trapped within her mind.
When she encounters Ravyn Yew, the Captain of the King’s Destriers—who also happens to be the king’s nephew and quite guilty of high treason—her solitary existence shatters entirely. Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards to save the kingdom. Rachel Gillig’s debut is poetically gothic, deliciously dark, and the romance builds with the patience of winter frost spreading across a windowpane.
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
Princess Lara was not raised on finery and courtly manners. From the age of five, she and her eleven sisters were isolated in a brutal desert compound, forged into weapons—elite warriors and spies. Her mission: infiltrate the Bridge Kingdom by marrying its king, learn its secrets, and ensure its destruction.
What makes this enemies-to-lovers tale so remarkably satisfying is that Lara and King Aren are truly enemies. They nearly kill each other on several occasions. They plot assassinations. The animosity is real, the tension palpable, and when they eventually come together, the payoff is nothing short of spectacular. Watch them transform from enemies to tentative friends to partners to lovers—each stage earned and achingly beautiful.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
One cannot speak of slow burn romantasy without mentioning the book that taught an entire generation to wait, to yearn, to believe in healing through love. Feyre has survived trials no mortal should endure. Though now granted the powers of the High Fae, she is haunted by terrible deeds performed Under the Mountain.
Enter Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court—protective yet wickedly playful, powerful yet patient. Sarah J. Maas draws inspiration from Hades and Persephone, crafting a romance that unfolds like night blossoms opening under moonlight. The sexual tension is palpable, the banter adds welcome levity, and their connection proves that sometimes the best love stories begin in the darkest places.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Penellaphe—called Poppy—has never known a life that was her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary: never to be touched, never to be looked upon, never to be spoken to. She waits for her Ascension, longing instead to fight alongside the guards against the evil that took her family.
Then Hawke Flynn arrives—mysterious, deadly, and oh-so-impossible to resist. But nothing in this tale is quite what it seems, and the slow-burning romance between Poppy and her enigmatic guard will twist through revelations and betrayals that reshape everything she thought she knew. Jennifer L. Armentrout has won the Goodreads Choice Award for this USA Today bestseller, and deservedly so.
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Inspired by Persian mythology and the epic poem Shahnameh, this tale introduces us to Alizeh—a Jinn working as a servant, hiding in plain sight. To all the world, she is disposable. But ice runs through her blood, marking her as heir to a lost kingdom whose power could liberate her people.
Crown Prince Kamran has heard prophecies foretelling his grandfather’s death. He never imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes would one day soon uproot his entire kingdom—and the world. When these two meet, the chemistry is undeniable and absolutely forbidden. Tahereh Mafi’s prose is richly textured, the romance gut-wrenchingly beautiful, and the cliffhanger ending will leave you desperate for more.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Jude Duarte was seven when her parents were murdered and she was stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, she wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. Standing in her way is Cardan—cruel, sadistic, manipulative, and a prince besides.
Holly Black has crafted what BookTok considers essential reading. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Jude and Cardan involves scheming, manipulation, and undeniable tension that takes the entire trilogy to fully blossom. But this is also Jude’s story—of power, triumph, growth, and perseverance. The slow burn romance is simply one brilliant thread in a tapestry of court intrigue.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
In the hallowed halls of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, historian Diana Bishop calls up an ancient manuscript that has been lost for centuries. A witch who has rejected her magical heritage, Diana wants nothing to do with the supernatural world. But the manuscript awakens forces she cannot ignore—including Matthew Clairmont, a vampire geneticist who has sought this book for hundreds of years.
Their forbidden romance challenges taboos between witches and vampires that have stood for ages. Deborah Harkness weaves history, academia, and supernatural intrigue into a slow burn so intelligent it practically glows. The television adaptation starring Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode proves the enduring appeal of this tale.
A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A prequel to the beloved Blood and Ash world, this tale twists the myth of Hades and Persephone into something entirely new. Princess Seraphena bears a mark identifying her as destined to become Consort of the Primal of Death. Her secret mission: make him fall in love, become his weakness, and kill him. Failure means her kingdom’s slow destruction.
But Nyktos, the Primal of Death—called Ash—is not at all what Sera expected. Their romance becomes the story’s beating heart, examining destiny versus choice, duty versus desire. Jennifer L. Armentrout excels at building tension that simmers across pages, and this tale is no exception.
Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
If The Serpent and the Wings of Night left you craving more of Carissa Broadbent’s particular magic, then her War of Lost Hearts trilogy awaits. Tisaanah was ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child and learned to survive with nothing but sharp wit and a touch of magic. When she joins the Orders—the most powerful organizations of magic wielders—she must apprentice with Maxantarius, a handsome reclusive fire wielder who despises the very institutions she seeks to join.
The romance between Max and Tisaanah unfolds with that perfect slow burn quality, built on a foundation of trust, friendship, and loyalty. Dark magic, political intrigue, and Broadbent’s trademark ability to make readers feel every stolen glance make this trilogy essential reading.
Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes
Princess Faraine has always lived in the background—shunned from court, kept out of sight, unloved by her father and ignored by her mother. When the handsome and enigmatic Shadow King seeks a bride, naturally her beautiful younger sister is chosen. So why cannot King Vor get Faraine’s haunting eyes out of his head?
This super slow burn forbidden romance features an instant connection between two people denied to each other. Sylvia Mercedes tells the story from both perspectives, immersing readers in court politics, intrigue, and the exquisite agony of wanting what you cannot have. There is much pining and thinking about one another—and the build-up is nothing short of swoon-worthy.
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
In a Southeast Asian-inspired world torn by conflict, Talasyn grew up an orphan in a nation under siege. Light magic runs through her veins—power believed wiped out years ago. Prince Alaric is his father’s weapon, sworn to obliterate threats with shadow magic. When their powers clash and merge into something strange and new, a dangerous forbidden attraction reveals itself.
The slow burn between Talasyn and Alaric is extremely slow, but the tension and angst remain ever-present. Unlike many enemies-to-lovers tales where animosity vanishes once attraction develops, here the characters must truly reckon with their history. It is one step forward, two steps back—realistic, complicated, and utterly satisfying.
Why These Books Are Worth Every Moment of Waiting
What unites these tales is their understanding of a fundamental truth: love worth having is love worth waiting for. The slow burn does not merely delay gratification—it builds something richer. Readers come to know these characters deeply. We understand not just that they love, but why they love, and what that love costs them.
Whether you prefer your romance wrapped in gothic shadows, court intrigue, ancient prophecies, or wars between light and dark, these books offer the particular pleasure of patience rewarded. Each stolen glance earns its place. Each confession arrives exactly when it should.
So settle into your favourite reading spot, dear traveller. These adventures await, and they are well worth every deliciously agonizing page.
