Dragons, fae and gods · 13 books
Romantasy, ranked by spice
Romantasy is where BookTok spice ratings disagree the most, because the romance shares the page with a war, a magic system and four hundred pages of politics. Two books can both be sold as spicy romantasy and sit two heat levels apart. This list puts the fantasy and paranormal romance we review on one heat scale.
Watch the endings. Romantasy runs on series, and many of these stop on a cliffhanger with the couple's arc unfinished. Each entry says whether the book stands on its own or where to start the series. If you need a finished story tonight, the standalone list is the better shelf.
What qualifies Fantasy or paranormal setting (magic, fae, gods, vampires, shifters). Sorted by heat.
A Court of Mist and Fury
The sequel that made BookTok lose its mind.
spicyHappy for now. Book 2 of A Court of Thorns and Roses: read A Court of Thorns and Roses first.A Court of Wings and Ruin
The war arrives. The High Lady is ready.
spicyHEA. Book 3 of A Court of Thorns and Roses: read A Court of Thorns and Roses first.A Touch of Darkness
She lost a bet to the God of the Dead.
spicyHappy for now. Opens Hades x Persephone Saga; the story continues.Bride
A vampire bride, a werewolf alpha, and a very bad idea.
spicyHEA. Book 1 of Bride, reads standalone.arranged marriageenemies to loversvampireshifterforced proximity
Fourth Wing
The book that made dragons hot again.
spicyEnds on a cliffhanger. Opens The Empyrean; the story continues.From Blood and Ash
The Maiden cannot be touched. Her guard did not get the memo.
spicyEnds on a cliffhanger. Opens Blood and Ash; the story continues.Iron Flame
Year two. Bigger dragons. Bigger lies.
spicyEnds on a cliffhanger. Book 2 of The Empyrean: read Fourth Wing first.Pestilence
She shot the apocalypse. It took her home.
spicyHEA. Book 1 of The Four Horsemen, reads standalone.Quicksilver
A thief, a fae warrior, and a portal she should not have opened.
spicyEnds on a cliffhanger. Opens Fae & Alchemy; the story continues.A Court of Thorns and Roses
Where BookTok was born.
open-doorHappy for now. Opens A Court of Thorns and Roses; the story continues.Onyx Storm
The map gets bigger. The war gets closer.
open-doorEnds on a cliffhanger. Book 3 of The Empyrean: read Fourth Wing first.The Serpent and the Wings of Night
The only human in a vampire death tournament.
open-doorEnds on a cliffhanger. Opens Crowns of Nyaxia; the story continues.Kingdom of the Wicked
She summoned a prince of Hell. He stayed for dinner.
kissing-onlyEnds on a cliffhanger. Opens Kingdom of the Wicked; the story continues.
Quick answers
- What is the spiciest romantasy book?
- Nothing in our romantasy shelf goes past 4/5. At 4/5: A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Touch of Darkness, Bride, Fourth Wing, From Blood and Ash, Iron Flame, Pestilence, and Quicksilver.
- What romantasy is not very spicy?
- Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco, at 2/5 (closed door).
- Which romantasy books end on a cliffhanger?
- Fourth Wing, From Blood and Ash, Iron Flame, Quicksilver, Onyx Storm, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, and Kingdom of the Wicked. Plan to have the next book ready.
More lists
- Every BookTok book we review, ranked by spiceThe whole shelf, hottest first. One glance tells you where each book sits.
- Dark romance with a happy endingStalkers, mafia, villains. Every one of them still lands the HEA.
- BookTok books that aren't too spicyMildest first. The yearning is the point; the scenes are a footnote.
- Spicy standalones with no cliffhangerHot, finished, and no next book required. 4/5 heat and up.
- Spicy books whose authors publish content warningsEvery book where the author publishes a content-warning list, linked to the source.
- Spicy contemporary romanceHockey, billionaires and small towns. No magic, no dark-romance tag.
How we build these: heat is our editorial 1 to 5 rating, tropes are our own tags, content warnings come only from the author's published list, and nothing on this page is paid placement. Want your own cut? Use the Spice Finder or read the glossary.