Romance in Fantasy Fiction

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We all know there are certain tropes, certain themes in genre fiction. It's basically how we categorize them as well as what we come to expect as readers. One fairly new expectation is that of strong romance themes in Fantasy Fiction. After all, the gold standard for a long time has been Tolkien and he never overplayed the intimacy side, no matter how the films were portrayed.

For a fantastic recap on this topic, see Helen Lowe's posts in 2019 - her Year of Romance in Fantasy Fiction.

Since I was raised on Tolkien's books, the romance in my early series, even Urban Fantasy which is notoriously sexy, the romantic themes stay in the background of the adventures. But that habit all came to a crashing halt when I started writing Young Adult Fiction, novels for the 12 - 18+ year olds. 

I was told straight up by my editors to go deeper into the romantic side.

And they didn't mean just more stolen looks and kisses. The romance had to bring more meaning to the plot, more relevance to character growth arcs and more fulfilment, or devastation, in the end. Basically, more emotions. And, these characters are not love-sick fools, at least, not for long... 

Young Adult fantasy romance books often feature strong female protagonists like Victoria Aveyard's Mare Barrow from the Red Queen series. Or, Sarah J. Maas's huntress Feyre in A Court of Thorns and Roses.

I've explored why reading Fantasy Romance is actually good for you - enhancing emotional engagement, empathy, excitement, fulfilment, and increasing the happy brain messengers... I've found, over the years, that writing it is good for authors for the same reasons. 

It's a road to discovering more about character development, goals and motivations, and ultimately more about ourselves. Right now, I am in the thick of this reminder as I await notes from my editor on Book #3 in the Amassia Series. There are some romantic you might not expect and I hope they bring true delight.

What are some of your favorite Fantasy Romance novels? I'd love to see if I have read them too.

Let me know in the comments.

xxKim (aka AK Wilder)

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About Kim Falconer

Kim Falconer, currently writing as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is working on the third book, out in 2024.

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site