The Leaderboard

The Best Romantasy Books, Ranked

303 books, ranked by a single transparent score — not raw star averages, so a beloved book with millions of ratings can’t be unseated by a niche title with a handful. Spice and tropes at a glance.

How the ranking works

Each book’s score is a Bayesian weighted rating — the same method behind the IMDb Top 250. It blends a book’s average rating with how many ratings it has, pulling thinly-rated books toward the catalog mean until they’ve earned their place:

WR = (v / (v + m))·R + (m / (v + m))·C

R is the count-weighted average across rating sources; C is the catalog mean of R; m is the confidence threshold in ratings. Output scaled 0–100. Confidence threshold m = 250. Ratings are sourced from public aggregators; spice and tropes are curated against a fixed rubric.

Best romantasy books — your questions

What is the best romantasy book?

By our composite score, Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas currently leads — but the "best" romantasy depends on the heat and tropes you want. A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing are the most common gateway favourites.

How is this romantasy ranking calculated?

Each book gets a Bayesian weighted score (the method behind the IMDb Top 250), blending its average rating with how many ratings it has — so a niche title with a handful of glowing reviews can’t outrank a beloved book with millions.

What counts as romantasy?

Romantasy is fantasy fiction where the love story is a central, load-bearing pillar and an emotionally satisfying ending is expected — not a fantasy novel with a minor romance subplot.

What’s a good romantasy book to start with?

For most readers, A Court of Thorns and Roses (fae, enemies-to-lovers, spice 3/5) or Fourth Wing (dragons, spice 4/5) are the easiest entry points. Prefer low heat? Start with a closed-door pick from our clean list.

Find your next read (quiz) →The romantasy blog →

Kingdom of Ash

Crooked Kingdom

Queen of Shadows

Empire of Storms

A Court of Mist and Fury

The House in the Cerulean Sea

Six of Crows

Heir of Fire

Empire of the Vampire

The Empire of Gold

House of Earth and Blood

A Court of Silver Flames

Godsgrave

Two Twisted Crowns

Winter

A Court of Wings and Ruin

Cress

The Ballad of Never After

Crown of Midnight

Legendborn

Clockwork Prince

The Kingdom of Copper

House of Sky and Breath

Muse of Nightmares

Legends & Lattes

Strange the Dreamer

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

The Queen of Nothing

Spinning Silver

The Wicked King

A Conjuring of Light

A Shadow in the Ember

Tower of Dawn

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands

Rule of Wolves

The Dream Thieves

Darkdawn

Divine Rivals

One Dark Window

Quicksilver

A Light in the Flame

An Ember in the Ashes

Gleam

The Raven King

A Sky Beyond the Storm

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

Chain of Gold

Days of Blood and Starlight

The Priory of the Orange Tree

Shield of Sparrows

Dark Heir

Shadow Kiss

A Torch Against the Night

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

Bloodmarked

King of Scars

Lady Midnight

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Fourth Wing

The Assassin's Blade

The Gilded Cage

Clockwork Angel

The Once and Future Witches

The Serpent and the Wings of Night

Cinder

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Little Thieves

Ninth House

Powerful

Ruthless Vows

Scarlet

The Prison Healer

A Gathering of Shadows

Apprentice to the Villain

Iron Flame

Our Violent Ends

The Witch's Heart

A Reaper at the Gates

Vow of Thieves

Nevernight