If you just finished ACOTAR or Fourth Wing and you’re wandering around your house like a feral book dragon wondering what on earth to read next, welcome home. You’ve officially entered the romantasy portal, and this post is your beginner-friendly guide to ten series that are easy to fall into, emotionally addictive, and perfect for new romantasy readers.

Each series here is something I’ve personally read and rated, and I’m using my own flower rating system to show how much I loved each world.

📚 Quick note: this post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you decide to pick up any of these books through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my little Romantasy Retreat 💖.

The Three SJM Worlds Every Beginner Falls Into

Most of us start this whole journey the same way. We accidentally stumble into ACOTAR and suddenly we’re in deep. It’s basically the gateway drug of romantasy. The author behind that incredible world is Sarah J. Maas and she actually has two other series that connect with it through little easter eggs and hidden details. People call it the Maasverse and there are so many theories out there. Think Disney intertwined-world theories but make it romantasy.

The other two series to add after ACOTAR are Throne of Glass and Crescent City. The running theory is that all three of these worlds will crossover and two of them already have. So reading all three is absolutely worth it if you want the full, theory-filled, easter-egg-spotting experience.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)

My Series Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Spice: 🌞🌞 (heats up later in the series)
Tropes: Fae courts, enemies to lovers, bargains, found family, trials

ACOTAR… what can we even say about the love we all have for this series. This is the one that started everything for me, and probably for you too. But if you’re one of those rare people who discovered romantasy some other way, you absolutely need to read this series. It’s romance first, set in an immersive world you immediately want to jump into and never leave. The characters are unforgettable, the emotions are huge, and I genuinely could not stop reading once I started. The twists and turns are beautiful and kept me glued to every page.

And yes, it’s widely considered a Beauty and the Beast retelling, especially the first book. That’s not an official label from the publisher, but it is something Sarah J. Maas has confirmed as an inspiration, and fans mention it all the time. If you love retellings with deeper layers, this one hits perfectly.

Start your adventure with A Court of Thorns and Roses here

Throne of Glass

My Series Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Spice: 🌞 (light tension, mostly fade-to-black)
Tropes: Assassins, slow burn, chosen one elements, found family, political intrigue

If you just finished ACOTAR, I highly recommend picking up Throne of Glass next. This one is technically young adult and not as spicy, and people love to say it’s more fantasy than romance. But listen… the romance absolutely hooked me, and I’m a romantasy-first reader through and through. I went in expecting it to feel meh or at least nowhere near ACOTAR level, but I’m not going to lie. It stole my heart. Somehow this series crawled right under my skin in the very best way, and I still think about these characters and this story constantly. They seriously live rent free in my head.

One of my favorite things about this series is that it’s fully completed, so you can binge the entire journey without waiting years for the next book. It makes the emotional arc hit even harder.

Now, Throne of Glass does have a specific reading order and I’ll be making that post soon. But since that isn’t up yet, here’s the one thing I wish someone had told me loud and clear: I recommend reading The Assassin’s Blade first. I was told to save it for later because it was supposed to be the more emotional way to read the series, but honestly, I just wanted to get back to the main storyline. I ended up skimming a lot of it because I was too anxious to return to the main plot, and I really wish I had read it first when I would have been fully invested. It also would have given me clearer context for moments that come up later in the series.

That said, this is a very debated topic in the fandom, so do what feels right for you. But personally, I recommend starting with The Assassin’s Blade.

Begin your epic journey with Throne of Glass here

Crescent City

My Series Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Spice: 🌞🌞
Tropes: Urban fantasy, found family, slow burn, angel romance, mystery elements

Crescent City is very different from ACOTAR and Throne of Glass because it’s an urban romantasy. That alone took me a minute to adjust to. The setting is modern and futuristic with a big city vibe, which isn’t what I normally read in this genre. But once I settled into it, I completely fell in love.

This series isn’t completed yet, but it still grabbed me fast. And I’m not sure if it’s just because of the order I read things in, but this was the series where I noticed the most easter eggs from both TOG and ACOTAR. The overlap is definitely there and it makes you so excited for possible crossovers. You’ll constantly be asking yourself if certain things are intentional or total coincidence, and half the fun is trying to figure out what’s connected and what isn’t.

All of that made the experience even better, but I also genuinely fell in love with the world and characters on their own. It stands strong even without the theories.

Get your copy of Crescent City here

The Next Romantasy Worlds to Obsess Over

If you’ve read ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City, you’re probably looking for more worlds to fall into. These seven series are romantic, emotional, easy to follow, and perfect for beginners who want that same addictive feeling without diving into anything too complicated. They’re the natural next steps after finishing the Maasverse.

The Empyrean series (Fourth Wing)

My Series Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Spice: 🌞🌞🌞
Tropes: War college, dragons, enemies to lovers, found family, trials, disability representation, morally gray love interest

Fourth Wing… where can I even start? This is THEEEEEEE series for me. My number one. My heart and soul. I call it my adult Harry Potter because, as a kid, Harry Potter was the series that made me fall in love with fantasy. Fourth Wing stole my whole heart in that exact same way.

I absolutely love these characters and this world. And let’s be real… this series has my favorite book boyfriend of all time. Oh do I love him. The chemistry, the tension, the dynamic—everything hits.

And then there are the dragons. The dragons are honestly the best part. Not in the cliché fantasy-dragon way either. They’re written with so much personality and attitude, it makes the whole world feel electric.

This is the first series you should read if you haven’t yet. It’s immersive, emotional, addictive, and the perfect place to start your romantasy era.

Start the chaos with The Empyrean series here

From Blood and Ash

My Series Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Spice: 🌞🌞🌞
Tropes: Fated mates, slow burn, found family, epic prophecy, banter

From Blood and Ash is easily one of my favorites. The banter between the fmc and mmc is top tier. Like truly some of the best. I also love how the world keeps expanding as we learn things through the fmc’s point of view. Every book gets better and better. And the side characters? Amazing. This whole world is just so addictive.

One thing to know though is that this is an investment series. Personally, I love long series. I love settling into a world and staying there for a long time, so this is perfect for me. But if you’re someone who prefers shorter stories, this might not be your vibe.

This is the main series, but it now connects with two other series that eventually merge and overlap. I cannot suggest strongly enough that you follow the correct reading order. I didn’t, because I didn’t even know the companion series existed when I started, and I regret it so much. Things that should’ve made me scream went completely over my head. I was confused instead of having those big OMG moments. So I really recommend reading it in the order I link below.

Grab your copy of From Blood and Ash here

Find my full From Blood and Ash Reading Order here

Fae and Alchemy (Quicksilver)

My Series Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Spice: 🌞🌞🌞
Tropes: Fae, enemies to lovers, found family, ancient magic, forbidden pull

Quicksilver is one of those series I did not expect to own me the way it did. The world feels so unique and the magic hits that perfect mix of eerie, ancient, and emotional. It’s the kind of series that slowly crawls under your skin until you realize you are way more obsessed than you meant to be.

And the characters. Oh my gosh. I can’t even talk about them without slipping into spoilers, but just know this: certain beings in this world completely stole my heart. I was not prepared. Caring that much snuck up on me in the best and worst ways. More than once my Kindle got yelled at. There are moments of softness, chaos, humor, and absolute emotional destruction in the best way. It is a ride.

What I love most though is the atmosphere. It feels different from everything else in the genre. The vibes are dark and magical but also strangely cozy in places. It’s gripping but never overwhelming and the emotional payoff is so good. Book two especially had me holding my breath more times than I want to admit.

If you want something that feels fresh and a little weird in the best possible way and you want to get attached to things you absolutely did not expect to get attached to, Quicksilver is a must read.

Start your Quicksilver journey here

Crowns of Nyaxia

My Series Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸
Spice: 🌞🌞
Tropes: Vampires, brutal competitions, enemies to lovers, found family, loyalty tests, morally gray romance

Crowns of Nyaxia was such a fun surprise for me. It’s set up as a trio of duologies and only the first two are out right now. I definitely loved the first duo more than the second. I fall hard for my main characters and I prefer to stay with them as long as possible, so shifting into a different couple in the second duo wasn’t my favorite. That is just a personal preference though.

The first duo absolutely stole my heart. The world building, the plot, the emotional moments, the tension, all of it pulled me in right away. I was completely attached to that couple and their journey. The second duo was still good and I did enjoy it, I just wasn’t as absorbed or obsessed as I was with the first. The writing and atmosphere stay strong throughout and the world itself is really easy to get lost in.

If you want something darker with vampire politics, intense competitions, and a romance that keeps you on edge, this is a great series to pick up.

Enter the deadly world of The Serpent and the Wings of Night here

Caraval

My Series Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸
Spice: 🌞
Tropes: Magical competition, sisters, mystery, whimsical fantasy, slow burn, light romance

Caraval was such a fun surprise for me. It feels completely different from most romantasy because the whole world is set inside this magical carnival where nothing is ever what it seems. There is a mystery woven through the entire game and you spend the whole time trying to figure out what is real and what is part of the show. I loved that about it. It felt whimsical and atmospheric and a little chaotic in the best way.

I also really loved the original couple in this series. They hooked me right away. This is another series that switches main characters and normally I do not enjoy that at all. I like to stay with my people. In Caraval though it actually made sense. I was annoyed at first when I realized we were switching to a new fmc in book two, but by the time I finished the series I loved the choice. It added so much depth to the world and the story.

If you want a romantasy with a magical, immersive setting and a fun mystery woven through it, Caraval is such an enjoyable read. It is light, fast, and very easy to fall into.

Start your Caraval journey here

If you want to keep going in this world, Once Upon a Broken Heart is the companion series you can read after Caraval. Or if you read Caraval but never picked up Once Upon a Broken Heart, I highly recommend reading it next.

Start Once Upon a Broken Heart here

Kingdom of the Wicked

My Series Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Spice: 🌞🌞
Tropes: Seven deadly sins, murder mystery, enemies to lovers, witch x demon, dark magic, slow burn tension

Oh did I love this series. Kingdom of the Wicked was everything I wanted and more. I absolutely loved the twist on the seven deadly sins. The way the world is built around them feels clever and fresh and just so fun to read. The characters are such a blast and the dynamic between them kept me turning pages way too late at night.

This series also starts as a murder mystery and that was one of my favorite parts. Trying to piece together what happened, who was involved, and what was actually going on made the whole thing so addictive. It gives the story this darker, moody vibe while still keeping the romance front and center.

I fully fell in love with this world, these characters, the plot, all of it. It is fast, entertaining, emotional, and just so easy to binge.

Unlock the delicious drama of Kingdom of the Wicked here

Kingdom of Lies

My Series Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Spice: 🌞🌞🌞
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, betrayal, slow burn, hidden truths, emotional tension

I absolutely loved this series. I could not stop reading it once I started. The main characters completely pulled me in and the enemies to lovers dynamic was everything. The slow burn is so good and the emotional moments made the payoff even better. This is one of those series where you think you are just going to read a chapter or two and suddenly you are ten chapters deep and fully obsessed.

The world feels rich without being overwhelming and the tension between the characters is honestly what kept me glued to the pages. It had that perfect mix of angst, romance, secrets, and attraction that makes a romantasy series so addictive.

If you want a series that is dramatic, emotional, slow burn delicious, and completely bingeable, this one is such a good choice.

Fall into the fae tension of A Court This Cruel and Lovely here

WANT MORE?

If you’re as obsessed with epic love stories and magical worlds as I am, there’s plenty more to explore here at The Romantasy Retreat:

• Want my book reviews and recaps? Check them out here.
• Want suggestions on what to read next? Find them here.
• Need a reading order or a gift idea for the reader in your life? Explore my guides here.

✨ Retreat into worlds where love and magic await.