If you liked
Books like A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses turned Sarah J. Maas into the engine of the romantasy boom: a mortal huntress, a faerie court, and a slow-burn romance that detonates over the back half of the series. If you finished it and want more of that high-stakes fae politics and heat, these are the reads.
The shortlist
What to read next
Fourth Wingby Rebecca Yarros
“Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 2023 review. Violet Sorrengail, a fragile scribe, is forced into the brutal dragon-riding war college. The first book of the Empyrean series and the romantasy novel that defined the 2023-2024 BookTok moment.”
Iron Flameby Rebecca Yarros
“Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros 2023 review. The second Empyrean book picks up the morning after Fourth Wing's cliffhanger and runs eight hundred pages of war-college politics, signet escalation, and the slow-burn enemies-to-lovers payoff the audience came for.”
The Priory of the Orange Treeby Samantha Shannon
“The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 2019 review. A standalone epic fantasy across four kingdoms preparing for the return of a banished ancient dragon. Canonical contemporary literary epic fantasy.”
The Cruel Princeby Holly Black
“The Cruel Prince by Holly Black 2018 review. Jude Duarte, a human raised in the High Court of Faerie, navigates Prince Cardan's cruel politics. Canonical contemporary YA romantasy.”
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRueby V. E. Schwab
“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab 2020 review. A young Frenchwoman in 1714 trades her future for immortality and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. V. E. Schwab's standalone literary fantasy.”
The Atlas Sixby Olivie Blake
“The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake 2022 review. Six powerful magicians are recruited for the Alexandrian Society. Only five will be initiated. The first Atlas trilogy book and the canonical BookTok-era dark academia romantasy.”
FAQ
Common questions about A Court of Thorns and Roses read-alikes
- What is the number-one read-alike?
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It is the other pillar of the current romantasy wave: dragons and a brutal war college instead of faerie courts, but the same propulsive slow burn and the same fandom overlap. Iron Flame is its sequel, so you have a full arc waiting.
- I want the fae courts and the political scheming.
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is the sharpest faerie-court intrigue here, colder and more cunning than Maas. The Priory of the Orange Tree gives you sprawling epic-fantasy politics with a queer romance at its center.
- I want the romance but more standalone.
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a single-volume, deeply romantic fantasy about a woman who trades her soul and is cursed to be forgotten. No series commitment, and the yearning is off the charts.
- I want something a little darker and more literary.
- The Atlas Six leans into morally grey magicians and a competitive, seductive edge. It is less romance-forward than ACOTAR but scratches the same "beautiful dangerous people" itch.
The original