There’s been a market for fantasy romance, but the explosion ofromantasyas agenre is a more recent phenomenon — and it’s one that has many authors and readers leaning into the relationships and character dynamics of stories over the fantastical elements. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, thoughromantasy books that balance bothtend to be the category’s strongest.
The push for more romantasy is at least partially due to the popularity ofbooks like Sarah J. Maas', though the uptick in interest can also be attributed to the emergence of BookTok.Stories likeFourth WingandDivine Rivalsreceived a ton of traction on the platform, and publishers have rushed to replicate their success.
Readers who prefer romantasy over general fantasy narratives have eaten the recent releases up, ensuring that the genre has continued to grow over the past few years. The popularity of romantasy looks set to continue into the latter half of the decade, given the new releases on the horizon.2025-2030 is going to be an incredible time to be a romantasy reader.
Romantasy Has Seen A Huge Boom In The 2020s & That’s Set To Continue
Romantasy became a well-recognized category and really started to gain popularity in the 2020s, first when BookTok blew up during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and again whenFourth Wingbecame a sensation. The success oftheCourt of Thorns & Rosesbooksin the 2010s proved there was a market for it, and both readers and authors doubled down on that.
Fast-forward to 2025, and new romantasy books are hitting shelves every week — many of which also make the rounds on BookTok, whether they’re going viral because of controversies or because they’re just that good. In the past few months alone, titles likeThe Knight and the Moth,Shield of Sparrows, andSilver Elitehave blown up.
And with moreexciting romantasy books slated to arriveduring the latter half of 2025, there will be other hits, including the much-anticipated sequel toQuicksilver.With the category saturating the market, one might be inclined to believe that the romantasy obsession will fade soon enough. However, that’s doubtful, as there’s just too much to look forward to heading into the back half of the 2020s.
Two Blockbuster Romantasy Sequels Will Likely Arrive In The Late 2020s
While all trends die down eventually, there’s no reason to think that the romantasy hype will dwindle any time soon. After all,two blockbuster releases are likely headed our way in the late 2020s, and they’ll reignite the love of the category even if it does peter out. First, there’sthe nextEmpyrean Seriesbook, which is going to be huge afterOnyx Storm’s cliffhanger ending.
AlthoughOnyx Storm’s sequel doesn’t have an official release timeline just yet — Rebecca Yarros is working on a contemporary romance novel first — it seems inevitable it will arrive before 2030. Even with Yarros taking her time, it’s hard to see the series taking more than two or three years to continue, especially looking at the breaks between her past books.
Additionally,Sarah J. Maas' recentACOTARbook 6 updatesuggests we’ll have another addition to that series before 2030. With Maas already done with the first draft of the upcoming novel, it’s only a matter of time before readers get a release date and plot details. It could still be a few years before thenextCourt of Thorns & Rosesbookhits shelves, but more than that seems unlikely.
Maas' other upcoming releasesalso include even moreACOTARand afourthCrescent Citynovel, though those aren’t as likely to arrive in the next five years. Even so, we could learn more about those additions to her lineup, sparking excitement among romantasy readers. And it’s a great time to enjoy the genre anyway, asthere’s more to anticipate than just Maas' and Yarros' new books.
ACOTAR & Fourth Wing Aren’t The Only Romantasy Series Continuing In The Next Few Years
ACOTARandFourth Wingare the most likely series to keep the romantasy obsession going through the 2020s, butthey’re far from the only hits getting much-anticipated sequels in the next few years.Quicksilverwill be a three-book series, and that means the next installment afterBrimstonewill probably arrive between 2026 and 2030.
When the Moon Hatched, another viral BookTok hit, will also be getting a sequel —The Ballad of Falling Dragons— in 2026, and the belovedAssistant to the Villainseries still has one more installment afterjust-releasedAccomplice to the Villain. The Knight and the Moth, Silver Elite,andShield of Sparrowswill also receive sequels.
With so much to look forward to, it’s difficult to imagine theromantasyhype dying down any time soon. In fact, it could get even bigger, depending on how much discussion surrounds these upcoming releases. Any majorACOTARorFourth Wingtwist has the potential to shake the foundations of the category, but other books could also surprise us.
