If These 8 Fantasy Books & Series Were Written By Women, They’d Be Considered Romantasy

That double standard becomes especially noticeable when looking at hugely popular fantasy books written by men. Several celebrated male-authored series contain love triangles, multiple sexual relationships, passionate encounters, seductive immortal beings, and romance that significantly affects the characters and plot. Remove the author’s name and change the gender, and some of these books would almost certainly be marketed a romantasy.

8 The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski

Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher is usually categorized as dark or epic fantasy, but Geralt of Rivia’s complicated love life is impossible to ignore. His relationship with Yennefer is key to his story, while his history with Triss Merigold adds another romantic complication. Geralt also has numerous sexual encounters, making his adventures considerably more intimate than the average monster-hunting fantasy.

The important distinction is that The Witcher rarely treats romance as a simple reward for the hero. Geralt and Yennefer repeatedly separate, reunite, and clash because their relationship is deeply complicated, while desire, jealousy and attraction constantly intersect with magic and politics. That combination of fantasy danger and messy romantic relationships looks remarkably close to ingredients often associated with modern romantasy.

7 The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne

John Gwynne’s four-book The Faithful and the Fallen is best known for its enormous battles, brutal warriors, and sprawling struggle over the Banished Lands. The series begins with Malice and continues through Valor, Ruin, and Wrath, following characters such as Corban as ancient evil and supernatural forces return to the world.

Yet romance and attraction are still woven into the character arcs amid all that violence. Relationships carry emotional consequences, influence loyalties, and help give the young characters something personal to lose as the conflict escalates. Were those same relationships packaged around a female author’s name and emphasized in the marketing, “romantasy” would hardly seem like an unreasonable label.

6 Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight is about Mia Corvere, a teenage assassin who joins the Red Church while seeking revenge for her father’s downfall. The first book follows her through an extraordinarily deadly training environment filled with assassination, betrayal and murder, while the larger trilogy expands her relationships and increasingly dangerous personal connections.

Mia’s romantic life becomes a meaningful part of that plot progression rather than disappearing beneath the action. Godsgrave, the second novel, pushes her further into a world of rivals, conspiracies, and personal attachments as she enters the gladiatorial arena. The combination of female protagonist, sexual content, romance, violence, and lush fantasy aesthetics that are perfect for fans of Throne of Glass is precisely the sort of mix frequently branded romantasy.

5 The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Few fantasy series have a more conspicuous collection of romantic entanglements than Robert Jordan’s 14-volume The Wheel of Time. Rand al’Thor develops relationships with Min Farshaw, Elayne Trakand, and Aviendha, while Egwene is his childhood sweetheart before their relationship changes. Rand eventually loves all three women simultaneously, and Elayne has twins with him.

That is a remarkably romance-heavy setup for one of fantasy’s most famous “serious” epics. Jordan also gives readers romantic pairings involving Perrin and Faile, Egwene and Gawyn, and other major characters throughout the massive story. The romances may occupy only part of the enormous narrative, but if a female novelist had written this sprawling web of love, marriage, jealousy, and intimacy, “romantasy” would probably appear prominently in the series' marketing.

4 The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind follows Kvothe through music, magic, university life, and his transformation into a legendary figure. It also spends considerable time on his fascination with Denna, whose elusive personality and inconsistent appearances turn their relationship into one of the story’s defining emotional threads. Even the publisher’s description explicitly notes that Kvothe has “loved women” and spent a night with Felurian.

Then there is Felurian, the supernatural woman whose encounter with Kvothe moves the novel firmly into sexual fantasy territory. His relationships with women repeatedly become part of how he understands himself, desire, and his own growing reputation. Add seductive fae mythology, intense romantic longing, and a famously beautiful writing style, and the book contains plenty of material that could comfortably sit beside today’s romantasy titles.

3 Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson’s original Mistborn trilogy is hardly marketed as romance. Its main premise involves Vin, a street thief who discovers she possesses extraordinary Allomantic abilities and joins Kelsier’s rebellion against the Lord Ruler. Sanderson himself describes the first Mistborn novel as having “romance” alongside action, magic, character tension and the struggle against a dark ruler.

Vin’s relationship with Elend becomes increasingly important as the trilogy progresses, transforming from attraction into a genuine partnership during an apocalyptic political crisis. Sanderson has even written that the romance between Vin and Elend was initially less planned than other elements, while acknowledging the relationship became an important part of the story. A female author writing a powerful heroine, noble love interest, and romantic partnership amid magical rebellion could easily find her book shelved under romantasy.

2 Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire has enough gothic excess to seem tailor-made for romantasy readers. The world has gone without sunrise for 27 years, vampires dominate humanity, and Gabriel de León becomes the last surviving member of the Silversaints. The story combines vampire mythology, forbidden love, religious conflict, and an intensely personal journey toward redemption.

Kristoff is also unusually direct about the book’s adult content. In his own discussion of the novel, he describes Empire of the Vampire as an adult fantasy containing explicit sex, graphic violence, and morally questionable characters. Put together vampires, forbidden romance, explicit sex, gorgeous illustrations, and a darkly theatrical atmosphere, and it becomes difficult to argue that the ingredients themselves are any different from "romantasy" books written by female authors.

1 A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is one of fantasy’s most influential modern epics, famous for political scheming, shocking deaths and brutal warfare. It is also extraordinarily interested in sexuality. Relationships between characters such as Jon Snow and Ygritte, Daenerys Targaryen and her partners, and Jaime and Cersei Lannister repeatedly affect the plot and reveal character motivations.

Sex is not treated as an incidental detail in Martin’s world. Desire, marriage, adultery, incest, prostitution, and sexual violence all appear across the five published novels, with sexuality frequently tied to power and politics. Scholarship and analysis of the series have repeatedly noted how prominently sex and sexuality feature in the books. If a woman had written an enormous fantasy saga containing this much sex, romance, relationship drama, and political intrigue, it would be fascinating to see how differently publishers and readers categorized it.