Young adult fantasy is kind of a predecessor to what we now know as fantasy romance. These used to be the fantasy books that had a lighter world building and perhaps less intense themes than traditional fantasy. They usually featured some sort of romance and had teenage girls as heroines.
That sort of morphed into romantasy we know today (for example, when ACOTAR was first released, the term didn’t exist, it was just YA fantasy), so there’s a lot of overlap between the genres. But some romantasy books go very deep into the romance part and so they’re not always appropriate for younger readers.
These ones are actually meant for the young adult audience, though fair warning that none of these are okay for very young readers (anyone under 15, I’d say). But whether you’re looking for a book for yourself or for someone in your life, I hope you find what you’re looking for.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
| Series Length | Trilogy, completed |
| Heat Level | Some spice implied, but it only happens maybe once or twice |
| Tropes to Expect | Dark fae court, enemies to lovers, morally gray hero, political scheming |
The Cruel Prince is a famous YA series that you definitely need to read. Fair warning: this one is more fantasy than romance, and if you go into it with that in mind, you’ll find lots to love. This is mainly a political fantasy with very little actual romance; what’s there is very enemies to lovers and it only unfolds over a handful of scenes.
In The Cruel Prince, Jude is a human in a land of fae. She is bullied and tormented constantly, most of all by Cardan, the fae prince. But when a competition begins to see who the next knight will be, she applies, and then she’s also pulled into a sort of spying group with a bunch of other misfits to protect the crown prince (Cardan’s brother), and all the while Jude has to deal with her sister Taryn who only wants to have fun and marry someone, and her stepfather who loves her and wants her to be safe in equal measure.
It’s a complex world full of fae that respects the actual fae lore and there’s really a ton of political maneuvering from everyone, lots of bullying of our humans, lots of betrayal and murder. The romance comes through in bits and pieces, but it’s there, so if this seems like your sort of book, I hope you enjoy!
Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew
| Series Length | Technically not a series, each book can be read as a standalone, but characters from all books appear in each other’s books |
| Heat Level | One spicy scene that’s more emotional and pretty age-appropriate |
| Tropes to Expect | Childhood friends to lovers, star-crossed/curse-crossed lovers, opposites attract, slow burn, forbidden love, loose Peter Pan inspiration, gothic horror elements |
Your Blood, My Bones combines horror, romance, and mystery in such a brilliant way that I’m surprised more people aren’t singing its praises. It can be read as a standalone, though I also recommend The Whispering Dark by the same author, and her follow up novel since the characters do converge at some point in each book.
This one follows Wyatt, whose father just died. She goes to her family home in order to burn it, but then finds her childhood best friend Peter chained up in the basement. The property is falling apart and getting swallowed by the nature around it without someone there to protect it. The only way to do that is for Wyatt to kill Peter. But the only way for Peter to be truly free is to kill Wyatt.
Trapped in that house, the two of them have to come to terms with their feelings for each other, their childhood, and the secrets that lurk there.
Your Blood, My Bones is full of nostalgia, tender feelings and creepy eldritch monsters. It doesn’t have any spice since it’s YA, but that doesn’t make the romance any less charming and swoony. You can find my full review of Your Blood My Bones here, and my review of I Am Made of Death here.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
| Series Length | Completed trilogy + one novella |
| Heat Level | None |
| Tropes to Expect | Deal with a trickster/fate figure, enemies to lovers, love triangle, forced proximity, slow burn, forbidden love, magical curses |
Once Upon a Broken Heart and its sequels are so beloved and praised that you have to give it a try if you haven’t already.
In this book, we meet Evangeline on the day of her boyfriend’s wedding. He’s marrying her stepsister, and Evangeline is convinced that he’s been cursed to do that. So, she goes to find a god to pray to, and one responds: Jacks, who is famously tricky and who does help turn her fate around, but not without a cost.
This truly is a magical love story between Evangeline and Jacks, full of betrayal, longing, and lovely scenes.
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
| Series Length | Completed duology |
| Heat Level | Medium spice, but it’s still suitable for teens I feel like |
| Tropes to Expect | Enemies to lovers, childhood rivals, folklore, missing-persons mystery |
Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t set foot on the isle of Cadence in ten years, perfectly content studying music on the mainland, until he’s summoned home because young girls from his clan have started disappearing. He’s paired up with Adaira, his childhood nemesis and now heiress to the east, since she believes only a bard’s music can call out the island’s spirits and get answers about the missing girls.
Cadence itself is half the draw here: a divided island with two feuding clans, spirits tied to fire, water, earth, and wind, and folklore that feels true and so well-done. It’s a duology (paired with A Fire Endless), so there’s a full arc if you decide to stick with it.
The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden
| Series Length | Three books, completed |
| Heat Level | No spice |
| Tropes to Expect | Slavic folklore, household/forest spirits, forbidden romance, feminist fairy tale |
This is one of my favorite fantasy series. Set in medieval Russia and steeped in Slavic folklore, it follows Vasya, a girl who can see the household and forest spirits that keep her village safe, spirits that everyone else has stopped believing in (and feeding, which is a problem).
As those old protections crumble, Vasya finds herself drawn into a dangerous alliance with Morozko, the frost demon of winter, while contending with a countryside slipping into superstition, suspicion, and real danger for anyone who doesn’t fit the mold of who a proper woman should be.
The writing is gorgeous, cold and fairy-tale-like, and Vasya is a stubborn, complicated heroine. It’s a complete trilogy (The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower, The Winter of the Witch).
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
| Series Length | Completed trilogy + novella |
| Heat Level | Some spicy scenes, but nothing too excessive |
| Tropes to Expect | Girl who can’t die x Death himself, gothic mystery, murder investigation |
I loved this one, and it hit a very specific sweet spot for me: gothic murder mystery with just enough romance to keep things interesting.
Signa Farrow has been passed between a string of guardians since she was a baby, and every single one of them has died under mysterious circumstances. But here’s the thing about Signa: she cannot die, but Death follows her around.
When Signa is finally sent to live with her last remaining relatives at the sprawling, secretive Thorn Grove estate, she learns that the family matriarch has died and her cousin is suffering from the same mysterious illness.
To save what’s left of her family, Signa has to work with Death to figure out who’s behind it, all while their connection turns into something she didn’t expect.
The mystery is pretty good, and the dynamic between Signa and Death really good, so I highly recommend this if you’d like some gothic romantasy.
The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
| Series Length | 4 books, a few novellas, completed |
| Heat Level | No spice |
| Tropes to Expect | Dystopian caste system, hidden powers, love triangle, rebellion |
Mare Barrow is a Red, part of the lower class in a world where your blood color determines your entire fate, while the ruling Silvers possess superhuman abilities and treat Reds as disposable. When Mare discovers she has power of her own despite her red blood, she’s forced into the Silver court under a false identity, caught between a rebellion that wants to use her and a royal family that wants to control her.
I found this a fast, easy read if you’re looking for something that’s both a fantasy and a dystopia. It’s got some great themes, complex characters, and good prose. It’s the first in a four-book series, with a few additional companion novels if you end up wanting more of that world. Also, The Powerless series is not on the list because it blatantly rips off this one, and I found the Red Queen to be much better and more fun to read.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
| Series Length | Finished duology |
| Heat Level | This is more YA, but there is tons of romantic tension |
| Tropes to Expect | Wild Swans retelling, silence curse, arranged marriage, sibling loyalty |
Six Crimson Cranes is a Chinese-inspired retelling of the old “Wild Swans” fairy tale.
Princess Shiori has been hiding a dangerous gift for magic her whole life, since practicing it is forbidden for anyone but sorcerers. On the day of her betrothal, that magic slips out of her control, and the fallout curses her six older brothers into cranes.
To break the spell, Shiori can’t speak a single word or her brothers die, all while a stepmother with secrets of her own is scheming to take the throne, and Shiori is forced into hiding, disguised and alone, trying to find a way to save her family before it’s too late.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
| Series Length | Duology |
| Heat Level | No spice |
| Tropes to Expect | enemies to lovers, princess x non-royalty, slow burn |
This is a dual-POV fantasy set in a world inspired by West African folklore, and it’s got one of the more brutal “ticking clock” premises I’ve read in the genre.
Malik is a refugee who just wants to get his family somewhere safe, but his little sister gets possessed by a demon, and the only way to save her is to assassinate a princess during the week-long Solstasia festival.
That princess is Karina, who’s dealing with the fresh grief of her mother’s murder and is trying to solve it herself, all while unknowingly being someone’s assigned target. The two of them get pulled into each other’s orbit as the festival’s competition unfolds, and neither one has the full picture of what the other is hiding.
Throne in The Dark by A. K. Caggiano
| Series Length | A series of 3 books, plus 2 stories of different couples from the universe |
| Heat Level | Just a pinch of spice |
| Tropes to Expect | Grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, a rom com, opposites attract, a little bit meta because it’s kind of like a parody |
Throne in the Dark feels like a rom com and a parody of sorts of the typical “dark lord meets pretty girl and falls in love”. In this book, whatever the dark lord does somehow works out for the best, and he cannot get to the evil he aspires to.
He sets off on a journey to free his demonic father, but meets a girl that looks innocent but is anything but. Watch them stumble and fall in love in this very charming, very relaxing book. It’s a series too, and there are plenty of books to enjoy here!
Final Words
These have been the best young adult fantasy romance books, and I hope you find at least one book (or series) to enjoy. If not, drop a comment below and I’ll do my best to help you find exactly the kind of book you’re looking for.
