Black History Month Romantasy Recs
Working Title: Celebrating diverse voices in romantasy because love knows no bounds.
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As romantasy continues its upward trajectory, new readers are discovering a love for this fun, escapist, sexy new genre. Many commentators have rightly noted, however, the biggest titles have been written by white, cisgender women. Those books are fantastic, fun romps—they are the same books I’ve reviewed here. But there are a lot more voices out there that need to be heard and promoted on platforms like this. What better time to lift up the Black Queens in our community than Black History Month?
Here are five titles to add to your TBR immediately. They showcase the fact this is a genre open to all voices 💗
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
The first volume in a YA duology, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is set in the fictional land of Ziran and draws heavily on the author’s upbringing in Ghana. The story is told in dual POVs. The book opens by introducing us to Malik, a young man trying to escape his war-torn homeland as he and his sisters illegally enter Ziran. The magic that flows through him has been mistaken for mental illness, leaving him crippled with anxiety. Readers are then introduced to crown princess Karina, a young woman traumatized after escaping the fire that killed the first crown princess and her father. Magical land spirits intervene in their lives, pitting Malik and Karina against each other to the death.
This book excels at mental illness representation, and I thought the worldbuilding—from the descriptions of tribal masks, to the flora and fauna—was fantastic. Some folks that prefer hard-magic systems to soft-magic did find some of the fantasy elements were convenient. Also, the enemies-to-lovers couple doesn’t meet until the book’s midpoint. However, this is a solid debut. I’m looking forward to reading book two, A Psalm of Storms and Silence, published in 2021.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
The Gilded Ones is the first book of the Deathless trilogy. Great news! The third book was published this month. Here is another YA series you can binge, though please note this series portrays graphic violence against women. This was likely inspired by the author’s experiences living in Sierra Leone during the civil war, which makes the violence acceptable in my opinion. Part of reading is to escape… but another huge part of reading is becoming aware of the experiences of others and being able to see the world through someone else’s eyes.
At the age of sixteen, the members of Deka’s village undergo a blood ceremony. Possessing red blood means you become a member of the village. The discovery of golden blood leads to a fate worse than death—or so Deka believes. Unable to die, Deka leaves the only home she has ever known to fight for the emperor alongside other women like her.
While the romance is a bit of a slow burn, we also have LGBTQ rep here, so hooray! Some readers felt the pacing was off, and my personal opinion is this title would have worked better as an adult series that allowed for more pages.
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
While this might fall better into the urban fantasy category rather than romantasy, I’m going to include the Legendborn on this list as a must-read title. The story begins with 16-year-old Bree Matthews, who is reeling from her mother’s death three months prior. Seeking to understand the circumstances surrounding how exactly her mom died, she stumbles upon the demon-slaying Legendborn, descendants of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Wanting to know more, Bree undertakes an attempt to infiltrate the organization.
What follows is an amazing dive into complex worldbuilding filled with monsters and magic, a fully diverse cast of characters, epic fights, and all your favorite romance tropes including a love triangle.
Book two, Bloodmarked, was published in 2022. Book three, Oathbound, is set for a 2025 publication date.
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
The first book of a planned trilogy, Faebound delivers a secondary fantasy world of fae and elves through an African lens. It is also a tale of two sisters that explores colonialism, war, and includes one M/F romance and a sapphic romance. I don’t own this one yet, but I cannot wait to see it on my shelf.
From the publisher:
DIVIDED BY BLOOD.
IMPRISONED BY FATE.
BOUND BY DESIRE.
Yeeran is a warrior in the elven army and has known nothing but violence her whole life. Her sister, Lettle, is trying to make a living as a diviner, seeking prophecies of a better future.
When a fatal mistake leads to Yeeran’s exile from the Elven lands, they are both forced into the terrifying wilderness beyond their borders. There they encounter the impossible: the fae court.
The fae haven’t been seen for a millennium. But now Yeeran and Lettle are thrust into their seductive world – torn between their loyalty to each other, their elven homeland, and their hearts. . .
Vicious Bonds by Shanora Williams
The final book on this list is also the sexiest. Those of you looking for a spicy read this month—look no further! Author Shanora Williams has made the switch from writing romance to romantasy, and this Queen delivers. Two words: telepathic sex.
Vicious Bonds is the story of Willow who hails from North Carolina. She is drawn through a portal and drops into the world of Vakeeli, where she encounters Caz, the Monarch of Blackwater. Upon meeting, they realize they’ve been communicating telepathically across time and space due to a tether connecting them.
The fantasy elements? Perhaps they aren’t as in-depth as seen in some of the other titles on this list. In some ways, that makes this easy to get into for readers newer to the genre. But if you are a big fan of romantasy tropes, including fated mates, mind-to-mind communication between mates, one bed at the inn, and the grumpy hero-sunshine-heroine, you’ll want to add this to your Kindle right away. It’s free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited.