If you were to tell the January 2024 version of me that my favorite book I’d read all year would be about young adults at a military college preparing to fight in a war while riding dragons, manifesting superpowers and having sex — detailed, on-the-page sex (the young adults, that is. Not the dragons. Except for that one time.) — I’d have told you to go touch grass. But it’s now December 2024, and Fourth Wing is indeed at the top of my list.
If you haven’t heard of this novel by Rebecca Yarros, despite it so far having spent 74 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list, it might be because you’re not part of the online book communities that catapulted it to viral fame. Your blind spot might also be due to the fact that you don’t read a lot of “romantasy,” the name given to the now wildly popular genre at the intersection of romance and fantasy. Maybe you’ve heard of the other recent blockbuster in this genre, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas? If that’s not ringing a bell either, I bet you’ve at least heard or seen that book’s more common acronym, ACOTAR, even if you had no idea what it meant.
Modern romantasy books tend to follow a similar pattern: a heroine embarks on a harrowing journey in a fantasy realm and along the way she meets a man — or, in ACOTAR’s case, an attractive man-faerie (yes, like “fairy”) — who winds up intertwined in the central points of the plot and her love life. That basic premise has helped both Fourth Wing and ACOTAR sell millions of copies, and that’s just the tip of the romantasy iceberg.
There’s a good chance you’ve heard these books casually referred to on social media with a descriptor like “faerie smut.” I first heard about them that way, too. Mind you, “faerie smut” isn’t the kind of genre I usually go for, but I caved to the voices on the internet engulfing my social media feed as well as friends promising me that I think you would actually enjoy it. They were onto something; I’m certainly glad I decided to dive in. I’m also certain there’s a woman in your life who’s glad she did, too.
Is sex a part of these books? Obviously. But after reading Fourth Wing this year, I realized that by defining these novels by what feels taboo about them — mythical creature sex — people are missing out on what’s really going on here. The point of these books isn’t necessarily to vie for the title of the next great American novel, but the romantasy phenomenon does tell us more about what’s going on in our world than many people like to admit.
Lighting the Romantasy Fire
To understand the hype rallying behind romantasy, it’s important to first understand where it all started: the online world of book recommendations. Whether it be through Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, internet book influencers have been credited for massive increases in book sales over the past several years, with romantasy being one of the space’s most active, and profitable, genres.
In July, Bloomberg reported that romantasy books are projected to jump to $610 million in sales by the end of the year, compared to 2023’s record-high $454 million. Fourth Wing and ACOTAR are two of the biggest success stories, but for those who aren’t into faerie-specific smut, there’s a niche for anything you can imagine: vampire smut (The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent), alien smut (Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon), even minotaur smut (Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta). The range here is pretty much endless — and the variations are not going to slow down anytime soon.
This genre-blending within the longtime categories of fantasy and romance has been a driving force in book sales overall this year. In the first half of 2024, five out of the 10 best-selling books in the U.S. came from the two romantasy authors leading the charge — Maas and Yarros — and with sequels and television adaptations on the way, the momentum behind the genre is stronger than ever. But why now?
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If this literary phenomenon is reminding you a little of the chaotic Harry Potter or Twilight eras, you’re not too off base. Now that I’m going down the rabbit hole of romantasy — I started the ACOTAR series after Fourth Wing — and having a similar experience to a lot of the women who are posting a lot about these books, totally enamored by the stories and the hype around them, I realized something: the success of these romance-fantasy titles is at least partially due to the fact that they’re entry-level genre reads.
They’ve got the basic components down: worldbuilding, magic systems, compelling quests. But in terms of the density of the prose, they remain easy to digest. While George R.R. Martin’s elaborate A Song of Ice and Fire series (which inspired the show Game of Thrones) may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of fantasy, books like Fourth Wing make the category feel less daunting.
The fantasy genre might also conjure up images of a male-dominated readership. However, the main demographic reading these modern romantasy books is adult women, and the novels are primarily written by women, too. These books have given female readers a space for themselves in a genre that has not only primarily catered to male interests, but also been criticized for how women are portrayed.
Still, that broadening of the fantasy audience doesn’t account for the truly monumental number of women who have latched onto these novels. To get at the heart of the craze, you have to look beyond the broad genre and into the books themselves.
Social media fatigue, smartphone addiction, depression, anxiety and stress are all rising among young adults. What better way to escape it all for a moment than reading about some hot faeries? For many women, that’s been an ideal form of escapism, given the more specific fatigue that they’re largely feeling toward men right now. Women are tired of dating men, tired of meeting them through dating apps, tired of the growing political gaps between them. They’re just tired.
Where can she go to read about a man who’s not going to exhaust her, at least in the way that every real, human man seemingly is? Allow me to introduce you to a critical element of these books: the main male character, or MMC.
The MMC is a formulaic character across the romantasy genre. He may be your wife or girlfriend’s book boyfriend. He’s usually some kind of morally gray and mysterious six-foot-seven man with fluffy hair, dark eyes and tattoos. He’s chiseled like a god and usually holds some kind of power, like rule over a kingdom or a magical ability. He also has a sensitive, protective, romantic side for the woman he’s after. Sometimes he’s ancient — as in, he’s been alive for centuries but doesn’t look a day over 27. In that case, you may even hear him referred to as a “shadow daddy.”
The adoration of these men is ubiquitous, and I get it. When I was first introduced to Xaden Riorson, Fourth Wing’s MMC, I was definitely…intrigued. He’s got the hot and inscrutable thing nailed down. He’s tall, has onyx-colored eyes and is a shadow wielder (which means he has the power to control and shift shadows, duh). I’ve been with my boyfriend for almost four years now, and he caught me kicking my feet in the air like a middle school girl while reading the book (not that he cared — your partner shouldn’t be offended by this). And I quickly learned I wasn’t alone. Married women and lesbians alike are admitting their feelings toward Xaden.
And sometimes these books feature sex, but that’s nothing new. Women have been reading novels with sex for decades now. Remember Fabio? The go-to cover model for countless romance books through the ‘80s and ‘90s, all of which were graphic in content in one way or another? Let’s be clear: there’s nothing wrong with reading erotic books — it’s another great form of escapism, one that’s actually good for you. These types of stories can help improve your sex drive and provide you a space to explore any out-there fantasy that interests you without having to feel any shame or judgement. This is especially true now because the covers of these modern romantasy books are, on the whole, pretty tame — there’s no reason for anyone to assume the novel in your hands is packed full of faerie sex.
Romantasy books (and many others in the broader romance genre) are opting for more generic, lighthearted covers, especially compared to those being published at Fabio’s peak. These modern designs are helping break a stigma about reading erotica, ditching long-held biases that come with picking up a book that, sure, maybe isn’t your next award-winning literary fiction read, but one that is worthy of delving into all the same. As someone who was once dismissive of romantasy, Fourth Wing helped me learn how important this genre really is.
No one I talked to ever made me feel ashamed about reading Fourth Wing, which contains some pretty spicy content. Violet, the main character, is entertaining, the story is rich with complex layers and, yes, Xaden is hot. If this is a genre bringing people back to reading, who am I to judge? If anything, I actually felt pretty liberated: I stopped looking down on those enjoying these books and was welcomed in by women who just genuinely loved sharing what they were reading. It’s an enriching way to escape from the world, and what’s wrong with developing a crush on a shadow-wielding dragon rider for a little while?
Yes, romantasy books are having a viral moment, but it’s one that shows a deeper-seated issue: Women need escapes that are dreamt up, designed and written by women, for women.
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