13 Romantasy Books With Strong Goodreads Rankings
Epic quests feel even more irresistible when magic and romance collide on the page.
Romantasy has surged in popularity by pairing high-stakes fantasy worlds with love stories that linger long after the final chapter.
Late nights come easily with these books, where adventure fuels emotion and relationships carry just as much weight as battles and spells.
Goodreads readers have embraced these highly rated favorites, drawn to dragon riders, powerful witches, and romances that unfold alongside unforgettable journeys.
Reader Note: This content is for informational and entertainment purposes.
Our book selections and genre categories are based on public ratings and subjective interpretations, meaning they may vary from official publisher rankings or other literary lists.
1. Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros
With millions of ratings and a high average score, this book has taken the reading world by storm.
Violet Sorrengail enters intense military-style training academy where students train to become dragon riders, but she was never meant for this dangerous path.
The romance sizzles while the action never stops, making it perfect for anyone who loves high-stakes adventure mixed with heart-pounding feelings.
Readers often find themselves losing sleep over this one because every chapter ends with a cliffhanger that demands just one more page.
2. Six Of Crows – Leigh Bardugo
If heists, found family, and slow-burn romance sound like your ideal combination, this book delivers all three beautifully.
Kaz Brekker leads a crew of misfits on an impossible mission through a richly imagined fantasy world inspired by Dutch and Scandinavian cultures.
Though the romance takes its time developing, the emotional payoff feels earned and genuine, which readers absolutely adore.
With a 4.46 rating and over a million fans on Goodreads, this story proves that patience in love can be incredibly rewarding.
3. Clockwork Angel – Cassandra Clare
Steampunk meets shadowhunters in Victorian London, creating a magical atmosphere that feels both historical and fantastical.
Tessa Gray discovers she possesses a unique ability that makes her valuable to dangerous supernatural forces, and two mysterious brothers become her protectors.
The love triangle actually works here because both romantic interests feel fully developed, giving readers genuine feelings about who Tessa should choose.
Earning a 4.31 rating from nearly 900,000 readers, this book transports you to a world where automatons walk the streets and demons lurk in shadows.
4. Iron Flame – Rebecca Yarros
Picking up where Fourth Wing left off, this sequel deepens everything readers loved about the first book while raising the stakes even higher.
Violet faces new challenges in her dragon rider training, and the romantic tension grows more complicated as secrets from the past surface.
Though some fans debate whether it matches the first book’s magic, over 1.5 million readers still gave it an impressive 4.29 rating.
Maybe the best part is how the world expands beyond the war college, revealing political intrigue that makes you question everything you thought you knew.
5. Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
Time travel romance reaches its peak when a World War II nurse touches an ancient stone and finds herself transported to 1743 Scotland.
Claire Randall must navigate a dangerous historical period while falling for a Highland warrior named Jamie Fraser, whose honor and passion make him unforgettable.
Actually, this book launched an entire phenomenon, inspiring a beloved TV series and proving that historical romantasy can captivate modern audiences.
With a 4.26 rating from over a million Goodreads users, it remains a cornerstone of the genre decades after its original publication.
6. From Blood And Ash – Jennifer L. Armentrout
Chosen from birth to serve a higher purpose, Poppy has never known freedom or the touch of another person until a mysterious guard arrives.
Forbidden romance blooms as dark secrets about her world begin unraveling, revealing that everything she believed might be a carefully constructed lie.
Readers praise the chemistry between the main characters, which crackles with tension from their very first interaction.
Holding a 4.21 rating from over 800,000 fans, this book kicks off a series that keeps readers completely hooked through multiple installments and late-night reading sessions.
7. The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue – V.E. Schwab
Making a desperate bargain to escape an unwanted marriage, Addie gains immortality but loses something precious: the ability to be remembered by anyone she meets.
For three hundred years she lives as a ghost among humans, leaving no mark on the world until she meets someone who remembers her name.
Essentially, this book explores what it means to matter, to be seen, and to leave a legacy when the universe seems determined to erase you.
Nearly 1.4 million readers gave it a 4.17 rating, captivated by its poetic prose and heartbreaking meditation on love across centuries.
8. City Of Bones – Cassandra Clare
Clary Fray thinks she is just an ordinary Brooklyn teenager until she witnesses a murder committed by tattooed warriors wielding glowing weapons.
Suddenly thrust into the hidden world of Shadowhunters who protect humanity from demons, she discovers shocking truths about her own past and family.
While the romance develops slowly, the world-building hooks readers immediately with its blend of modern New York and ancient magical societies.
Over two million Goodreads users rated it 4.07, making it one of the most popular entry points into young adult urban fantasy and launching a massive franchise.
9. A Darker Shade Of Magic – V.E. Schwab
Imagine four different versions of London existing side by side, each with varying levels of magic, and only a few rare individuals can travel between them.
Kell is one of these travelers, smuggling artifacts between worlds until a dangerous object falls into his hands and threatens all realities.
He teams up with a scrappy thief named Lila who dreams of adventure beyond her grey, magic-less London, and their chemistry lights up every scene.
Rated 4.04 by over 400,000 readers, this inventive take on parallel universes offers both thrilling action and a romance that grows naturally through shared danger.
10. A Discovery Of Witches – Deborah Harkness
When historian Diana Bishop accidentally calls up an enchanted manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, she attracts attention from creatures she has spent her life avoiding.
Matthew Clairmont, a centuries-old vampire and fellow scholar, becomes both her protector and the source of a forbidden attraction that violates ancient laws.
The story weaves together academic research, magical lore, and a mature romance that unfolds with patience and depth.
Holding a 4.02 rating from over 550,000 Goodreads members, it appeals especially to readers who enjoy their fantasy grounded in real historical settings and scholarly detail.
11. Uprooted – Naomi Novik
Every ten years, the Dragon chooses a young woman from the village to serve him in his tower, and everyone expects him to pick the beautiful, graceful Kasia.
Instead, he selects clumsy, ordinary Agnieszka, who discovers she possesses a wild, untamed magic that works nothing like the Dragon’s careful spells.
Their prickly relationship transforms slowly as they battle the corrupted Wood that threatens to consume everything, blending Slavic folklore with fresh magical systems.
With a 4.02 rating from over 260,000 readers, this standalone novel proves that fairy tale retellings can still surprise and enchant us.
12. The Cruel Prince – Holly Black
Raised as a mortal in the treacherous High Court of Faerie, Jude refuses to be weak or invisible despite lacking magical powers.
She particularly wants to prove herself to Cardan, the youngest and cruelest prince, who seems to delight in tormenting her at every opportunity.
However, the line between hatred and desire blurs dangerously as political schemes draw them into an alliance neither expected.
Over 1.7 million Goodreads users gave it a 4.01 rating, drawn to its morally grey characters and the delicious tension of enemies who cannot stop thinking about each other.
13. Shadow And Bone – Leigh Bardugo
Orphan mapmaker Alina Starkov discovers she possesses a legendary power that could be the key to saving her country shaped by prolonged conflict from eternal darkness.
Whisked away to train with the Grisha, her nation’s magical elite, she must navigate courtly intrigue while the mysterious Darkling takes a dangerous interest in her abilities.
The world-building draws inspiration from Tsarist Russia, creating a unique setting that feels both familiar and fantastically different.
Though rated slightly lower at 3.92 by over a million readers, it launched the beloved Grishaverse and inspired a popular Netflix adaptation that introduced the story to even more fans.
