Therapist's Top 5 Romantasy Recommendations
When I was in 6th grade something Incredibly Important happened, not only to me, but to the entire world:
Robert Pattinson's sparkly abs. ✨
Sitting in a theater full of mostly girls my age-ish (and their fathers, bless them) with only a rough idea of Twilight's plot having not actually read any of the novels, a collective buzzing of anticipation, excitement, and undiluted adoration rippled through the rows of seats as Pattinson's Edward Cullen sneered the now notorious words, "This is the skin of a killer, Bella."
So naturally, I thought to myself, "Yeah... I'm gonna need to read these books."
Fast forward to the present day, with over 200 titles saved on various bookshelves in my Goodreads, most of which fall into the Fantasy, Historical, and Romantic Fiction genres, you can say something of a fixation and lifelong love was born in that theater in 2008.
As a now-adult and a therapist, I've often cited various stories, series, plot points, character arcs, and so on during sessions with my clients when it's become apparent that we share this common interest. And much to my surprise, sometimes without any prompting on my end, my clients have brought them up entirely on their own. The discussions we've had about how a client sees themselves within an especially impactful piece of literature, poetry, song lyrics, or D&D campaign have been so full of laughter and reflection.
Only recently did it occur to me to start bringing these beloved stories of profound triumph, love, and resilience into the therapy space in a structured way. If you are a lover of both epic journeys AND becoming more attuned to your inner world, feel free to reach out and see if one of your longtime favorites might be waiting to teach you even more about yourself, or if I may have a recommendation you wouldn't have otherwise considered!
In the meantime, get to know me a little bit better through my *spolier-free all time Top 5 Romantasy Recommendations I'd give to anyone asking me for my personal favorites below and the themes you could bring to a Bibliotherapy session (or keep in mind if reading them independently).
Spice Ratings Explained
No 🌶️ - There is no spice, explicit imagery, or detailed sexual encounters. Rated E for everyone.
🌶️ - Romantic elements exist, may contain minor, non-explicit sexual tension. No detailed descriptions of sexual acts.
🌶️🌶️ - Sex is implied but not described ("fade-to-black"/"closed-door") in this book/series.
🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Sex happens and is described ("open-door") in this book/series. Sexual encounters are somewhat descriptive/explicit but not particularly lengthy or pornographic in nature. Sex is part of, but does not overpower, the plot.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Sex happens frequently and vividly throughout this book/series. Sexual encounters are highly descriptive/explicit and may be lengthy. Sex drives the plot forward.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Sex is the plot of this book/series. Sexual encounters are extremely descriptive and may be shocking, lengthy, and/or taboo.
5 . Quicksilver
Fae & Alchemy Series by Callie Hart
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Description: Fae, enemies-to-lovers tension, a sharp-tongued heroine, a very morally questionable love interest, and enough sexual tension to make you occasionally put the book down and stare at the ceiling, HELLO. Beneath all the magic and mayhem, the story also digs into trust, control, vulnerability, identity, and what it means to let someone actually know you. Plus, the MMC is an absolute force.
Bibliotherapy Themes
Hyper-independence
Learning to receive care
Trust and betrayal
Fear of vulnerability
Anger as protection
4 . Spark of the Everflame
The Kindred's Curse Saga by Penn Cole
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Description: Spark of the Everflame follows a young woman who is doing her best to live a relatively normal life until, unfortunately for her, the universe decides that will no longer be an option. What follows is magic, political intrigue, family secrets, forbidden romance, and a truly impressive number of Very Complicated Feelings. Contained within all the fantasy drama is a story about identity, belonging, choosing your own path, and figuring out who you are when the life you thought you wanted isn’t necessarily the life that’s meant for you. And, lemme tell ya, the slow burn sparks, glows, heats and... well... burns. Ugh, it's just too good.
Bibliotherapy Themes
Family secrets
Attraction vs. compatibility
Choice paralysis
Relationship power dynamics
Social class and inequality
3 . Daughter of No Worlds
The War of Lost Hearts Series by Callie Hart
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Description: A woman who has spent years fighting simply to survive some truly horrific things gets the chance to build a life that belongs to her, and, naturally, things do not exactly go according to plan once she has the chance. This story addresses significant trauma, healing, freedom, self-worth, trust, and learning that surviving vs actually living are very different things. Also, Hart somehow made the name Maxantarius actually grow on me?
Bibliotherapy Themes
Systemic/governmental abuse
Hypervigilance
Shame
Life beyond survival
Parental loss
2 . When the Moon Hatched
The Moonfall Series by Sarah A. Parker
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Description: Do you enjoy weeping at lush, winding, sometimes over-the-top-lengthy prose? Always wanted an animated inanimate object as a pet? Do you have a print out of the Lady of Shalott somewhere in your house? If you answered yes to any of these questions or like your romantasy with dragons, assassins, and a heroine who has approximately zero interest in making anyone else’s life easier, When the Moon Hatched might be for you. At its heart, it’s a story about grief, survival, identity, and what happens when the walls you’ve built to protect yourself start to come down. I had to take a walk in silence when it was over.
Bibliotherapy Themes
Feeling fundamentally misunderstood
Working memory vs. the body's memory
Distinguishing danger from safety
Being alone vs. being lonely
Grief and loss
1 . Throne of Glass
Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas
🌶️🌶️.5
Description: The series of my heart. The one I compare all the rest to. What starts as a pretty straightforward games-and-trials fantasy somehow turns into an absolute behemoth of a story about friendship, found family, power, grief, identity, and becoming the person you’re meant to be. If you enjoy epic fantasy, complicated characters, devastating emotional arcs, and a story that gets considerably bigger than where it starts, this one is worth the commitment. I want every person I know to read these books.
✨(If you're considering reading the ToG series, I highly recommend the Romantic Reading Order paired with the Tandem Read found here. Also DON'T GOOGLE ANYTHING about these books or their characters. You WILL get spoiled.)✨
Bibliotherapy Themes
Survivor's guilt
Perfectionism and impossible expectations
Found family
Revenge vs. healing
Autonomy and agency
The effects of authoritarianism, fascism, and other forms of governmental abuse, coercion, and control
Honorable Mention: The Outlander Series
by Diana Gabaldon
2 to 4 🌶️s depending on which book in the series you're on
Description: A World War II nurse accidentally finds herself in 18th-century Scotland, where apparently being separated from everything and everyone she knows is only the beginning of her problems. Outlander blends historical fiction, romance, adventure, war, family, and time travel into one enormous story about love, survival, and belonging. Honorable mention because minus the VERY occasional time-travel, vague allusions to witchcraft (it's probably witchcraft, right guys?), basically unexplained paranormal phenomena, and heavy roots in Scottish folklore, this is basically a historical romance, not exactly Romantasy.
Bibliotherapy Themes
Sexual violence and its aftermath
Complicated grief
Separation and reunion
Cultural displacement
Aging and changing identity
So there you have it! This therapist's Top 5 favorites from the Romantasy genre. If these books sound interesting to you, I'd encourage you to check out your local bookstore to see if they have them in stock. If none of these sound like books you'd like to read, contact me here for other recommendations, romantasy or otherwise.
And if you're not seeing a book or series you've enjoyed or plan to read on this list or on my Goodreads (don't forget to check the TBR!), send me a recommendation! I'm always on the lookout for my next favorite.
Until next time, happy reading!
📚 Emily
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