Romantasy is basically fantasy that finally admitted what it really wanted: dragons, cursed crowns, and absolutely feral make-outs. It is romance first and quest second, where the emotional arc and the sex are just as important as the magic system. Publishers have spun up entire imprints around it, and between 2023 and 2024, the romantasy boom helped push sci-fi and fantasy sales up more than 40 percent, largely thanks to TikTok.

That’s how you end up with something like Fables & Flames, a full-on romantasy book gala happening this month near the Mall of America: three days of authors, panels, and a fantasy ball where hundreds of readers show up in gowns and elf ears to live out their favorite books in real time. It’s proof that this genre isn’t just an online niche anymore—it’s become it

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