Some love stories are simply too good to put down. These are the romantasies we’re reading and recommending this month.
Starside
The unmissable adult romantasy from bestselling author, Alex Aster. Enter the enchanting and deadly world of Starside, where swords have magic and power isn’t inherited – it’s claimed.
Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals –the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic.
Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life.
Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only one: vengeance. Countless dangers await on Starside. With a blade most would kill to take, Aris can’t trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious knight who betrayed her years ago and who may now be the key to her survival.
But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family’s death. And when it’s revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what’s coming.
These Shattered Spires
In a rotten and bloody world, four magical rivals are forced to work together to avoid certain death in a deadly competition. A queer, gothic fantasy YA, perfect for fans of The Atlas Six and Gideon the Ninth.
Entombed beneath a tooth-filled sky, the world rots. Those yet to succumb to the curse of decay inhabit Fourspires Castle, home to arcanists from across the four magical disciplines – blood, bone, stone and botany.
The castle is thrown into chaos when the ruler of Fourspires is assassinated. To crown a new ruler, the arcanists and their human familiars are forced to kill or be killed in the Slaughter, a bloody fight for succession at the top of the Fifth Tower.
When Nixie, a botanical familiar, learns that her fate can be avoided and the rotting curse of Fourspires lifted, she’ll stop at nothing to save herself. But she must work with familiars from across the rival disciplines to find four magical curse keys and climb the deadly Fifth Tower.
Tidespeaker
Corith Fraine has the power to control water with her words.
Corith has spent much of her life in an elite magic institution, training to serve one of the realm’s noble households. When she secures a post with House Shearwater, an aristocratic family living on a wave-battered island, she feels honoured. Until she discovers that her predecessor drowned in mysterious circumstances.
To avoid the same fate, Corith must harness the wild, unforgiving tides and cater to the whims of the enigmatic Shearwater siblings. But as she starts to unravel their secrets, she finds herself drawn to the brooding youngest brother, Llir.
With her loyalties pushed to breaking point, these treacherous waters may just pull Corith under.
Whether you’re reading for escape, comfort or connection, these romantasies offer moments worth slowing down for, one page at a time.
Join the FENNEC Book Club here
