Fantasy romance has taken the world by storm. People are leaving real-world stories behind and picking up fantasy. With everything going on in the world, we need an escape. Reading has always provided this, but fantasy has a different level to it. Whether that is with dragons, fae, witches, or vampires, these books have caught our attention. These are my top five fantasy romance reads of 2024.
A Court of Thorns and Roses is a book that follows a teenage girl who is a hunter who kills a wolf in the woods. This wolf ends up being a faerie, so this causes Feyre to be kidnapped and taken into the Prythian, the fae realm. Her captor ends up being someone with a lot of power and she uncovers the secrets of the land. This book was a little slow initially, but once you’re in it you don’t want to put it down. It was one of my later reads because the thought of a whole series was overwhelming but so far it is amazing. The ending of the book makes you really hooked for the rest. There are plot twists, love, betrayal, loyalty, mysterious bargains, trials, and so much more.
Powerless follows Paedyn, an ordinary girl in a city of elites, who are people with powers. Paedyn lives in the slums and has to fight to survive on the streets while keeping her true identity a secret. She ends up saving a prince without knowing it was him. Then because of this show of strength is thrown into the Purging Trials. The Purging Trials are events held to show off their superhuman abilities, and a direct statement that ordinaries are forbidden. This is a fast-paced youth-adult read. We get to see a potential love triangle, leaning more to one side. But the best part of this book is the banter we get between the main characters. There are many romance tropes in here, I don’t mind that kind of thing but if you hate the overlapping this might not be for you.
The Veiled Kingdom follows Nyra, a princess who escapes her evil father the king. A rebel organization captures her and is supposed to kill her but she hides her true identity. She is trained to fight with the rebels. Dacre, the rebel commander’s son, and Nyra fall into a forbidden passion for one another. This book shows the fine line between love and hate. This is a super quick that gets you hooked. Some people don’t like Holly Renee’s writing because there can be typos but I think this is one of her best books. The second book just came out and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
The Serpent and the Wings of the Night follows Oraya, the adopted human daughter of the vampire king Vincent. Vincent went to the human lands and saved Oraya from the rubble, now she is grown and about to fight in the Kejari, a trial that takes place every 100 years. If you win the trials you are granted a wish from the vampire goddess Nyaxia. Oraya planned on winning and becoming powerful like her father. There are two tribes within the nightborn vampires, Hiaj and Rishan; they are completely against each other. Vincent is Hiaj and Raihn is a Rishan, and who Oraya has to have an unlikely alliance with. We have enemies to lovers trope, with some giant plot twists. This was a very well-written book, with great world-building, and very developed characters. This is a duology so you don’t have to commit to a large series. But Broadbent has written other books in this universe if you are interested.
Heartless Hunter follows Rune who is a young witch that hides in plain sight as a socialite. A revolution ran through where she lives that forces witches to be hunted. Her grandmother forced Rune to turn her in so that the Republic would see Rune as an ally. In the night Rune sneaks around and is known as the Crimson Moth, the witches’ savior. She has to find someone in society to marry who has enough information to continue saving witches in the shadows. We end up seeing a bit of a romance between our witch Rune and a witch hunter. This book will absolutely get you out of a book slump. It is fast-paced and captivating. I read this book so fast and cannot wait for the second to come out. This is also a duology so it is not a huge commitment. This has secrets, dark magic, plot twists, enemies to lovers, and high stakes. Such a fun read I highly recommend it!