Why romantasy is everywhere for women: Stories that promise what real life can’t – love that lasts

For many women, the cumulative weight of what sociologists call the “mental load” – the invisible labour of managing households, relationships and careers – can make rest feel less like an indulgence and more like a necessity.

With rising costs, economic uncertainty and the constant negotiation of work and family responsibilities, the last few years have been marked by widespread emotional fatigue.

Perhaps that’s why so many women are now reading stories where the emotional investment is guaranteed to pay off: the world of romantasy – a genre that mixes fantasy settings with central love stories and sometimes explicit sex scenes.

According to Bloomberg, by 2024, the industry was estimated to be a US$610 million (S$788 million) market.

A Circana BookScan report, which tracks physical book sales in the United States and countries including the United Kingdom, Spain, Australia and India, noted that in the first quarter of 2025, adult fiction grew by 1.9 million book sales.

Romance and romantasy led all genre groupings in the US – but the numbers are only part of the story.

In romantasy, the heroes would rather risk everything to protect the heroine than worry about everyday problems. Male partners are already emotionally aware. Female pleasure is a priority, and most importantly, the relationships always last.

Books like A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J Maas and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros have drawn millions of readers precisely because they offer something real life rarely delivers: emotional certainty.

Yarros’ Onyx Storm, the third book of her The Empyrean series, sold 2.7 million copies in its first week when it launched in January 2025, becoming the fastest-selling adult novel in 20 years, according to The New York Times.

What may appear to be a surge in popularity reveals something deeper about how women are reading, desiring and imagining intimacy today.

SO, WHAT IS ROMANTASY, EXACTLY?

There is no single agreed-upon definition of romantasy. The genre covers a wide range, from closed-door romance to very explicit content. What brings these stories together is the blend of fantasy worlds with central romantic relationships.

Romance novels focus on emotional connection, while fantasy centres on magical worlds and quests. Romantasy brings these together. Characters pursue both love and survival while navigating romantic and sometimes explicit relationships with friends, enemies or supernatural beings.

In fantasy books like Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings, romance is minor. Romantasy flips this, making the romantic relationship the focus, even though world-building still matters.

These stories offer classic fantasy elements like battles between good and evil, magical schools, mythical creatures, and made-up worlds, but focus more on personal experiences. 

Female protagonists embark on their own journeys, confronting power, danger, and responsibility while building relationships that are central to the story.

They may find themselves drawn to rivals, forced into uneasy alliances, or compelled to cross social or political boundaries. These dynamics create emotional tension as compelling as the quest itself.

For instance, in Empire Of Sand (2018) by British author Tasha Suri, a young woman with forbidden magical abilities is forced into a political marriage, where survival depends as much on navigating a dangerous relationship as it does on power or strategy. The book is the first of The Books Of Ambha duology.

YES, IT’S ABOUT SEX – BUT NOT HOW YOU THINK

Some might dismiss romantasy as just smut. Romantasy is partly known for its sexually explicit content, and fans often talk about a book’s "spice level".

What sets romantasy apart from erotica isn’t how much sex is in the story, but what it means. Erotica is mostly about sexual encounters, while romantasy weaves intimacy into a bigger emotional story.

For many readers, having sexuality centred on female pleasure feels almost like a fantasy itself. In these books, devotion itself is seen as erotic.

Love interests are often shown as emotionally caring, protective and deeply loyal – qualities often missing in traditional fantasy and sometimes, in real life.

More importantly, these stories focus on intimacy that grows from emotional safety and true devotion. It’s the kind of relationship where loyalty is unwavering, even when everything else is falling apart.

THE FEMALE GAZE, REWRITTEN

The readership is overwhelmingly female. According to Nielsen, 84 per cent of romance readers are women, with more than half aged between 18 and 44.

One of the biggest characteristics of romantasy is its focus on the female perspective – many romantasy authors are women, unlike the mostly male world of traditional high fantasy.

In classic fantasy, women are often shown as trophies or tragic characters. In romantasy, women take an active role.

The stories put female characters at the centre, showing them as both strong and emotionally complex. They seek power, handle politics, and make choices that shape not only their love lives but also the fate of entire kingdoms.

ASIAN ROMANTASY BOOKS – A GROWING TREND

Many top-selling romantasy books are set in Western worlds and feature traditional beauty standards, but this is starting to change. Asian authors are increasingly bringing their cultural heritage into romantasy.

Korean-American authors like Jayci Lee and Axie Oh incorporate Korean mythology, while Filipino author Thea Guanzon’s The Hurricane Wars trilogy (2023) weaves Southeast Asian weather patterns into fantasy romance.

Malaysian author Sue Lynn Tan’s Daughter Of The Moon Goddess (2022), which draws on Chinese mythology, won a 2023 Alex Award, given by the American Library Association to adult books with crossover appeal to young readers.

Singapore has fantasy writers who include romance in their stories, but there aren’t any well-known romantasy authors yet.

FROM CULT CLASSICS TO A GLOBAL BOOM

Fantasy stories with explicit sexual relationships are not new. Kushiel’s Dart (1999) by Jacqueline Carey explored kink and sexual autonomy in ways unusual for mainstream fantasy.

Paranormal romance became popular in the 21st century, with the Twilight (2005-2008) series making supernatural love triangles famous. Vampire Academy (2007-2010) and The Mortal Instruments (2007-2014) followed, making magical schools and forbidden love even more appealing.

The romantasy boom likely started during the pandemic. Studies show that reading during COVID-19 helped people deal with stress and loneliness.

BookTok made emotional reactions to favourite novels go viral, giving older books new attention. Maas’ A Court Of Thorns And Roses series, first published in 2015, became a sensation as videos of readers reacting to plot twists spread online during the pandemic lockdown.

The momentum continues, extending beyond English stories. In March, Chinese streaming platform iQIYI and Netflix released Pursuit Of Jade, a 40-episode Chinese historical drama adapted from Tuanzi Laixi’s novel Chasing Jade.

The series blends slow-burn romance with war-driven storytelling. According to China Daily, the country’s national English newspaper, the show’s debut topped iQIYI’s international chart for Chinese-language dramas.

Pursuit Of Jade was a Top 10 hit on Netflix in nine countries, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, according to figures on its website. The show drew 1.8 million views in a single week. 

The adaptation’s success demonstrates romantasy’s global reach and its commercial appeal beyond Western markets.

THE REAL FANTASY

What draws people most to this genre is what it promises about love itself. In romantasy, relationships require effort. Characters deal with conflict, betrayal, and pain. They must be open, choose to trust and fight for what they want.

In romantasy, emotional effort always pays off – vulnerability is rewarded, and perseverance leads to lasting love. In real life, however, you can be vulnerable, work through conflict, fight for a relationship – and it can still fall apart.

Romantasy offers something reality often cannot – the assurance that doing everything right will be enough. Where courage and devotion survive every trial. Where love, once earned, endures.

That kind of certainty might be the biggest fantasy of all.