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The Deep Dive

The Roman(tasy) Empire and Predictions for 2024

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Erica Ezeifedi

Associate Editor

Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack. Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.

View All posts by Erica Ezeifedi

Romantasy was thee It Genre (Subgenre? Genre-blend?) of the year. Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing and its sequel Iron Flame were massively successful. And Goodreads even added a Romantasy category for its yearly Choice Awards. But what is it about the genre combination that made it resonate so much this year? I spoke to Barbara Hagen, VP of Sales and Marketing at ThriftBooks (a Book Riot sponsor), about the appeal of the genre, what made it so popular this year, and what to expect in 2024.

First off, is romantasy very simply the combination of romance and fantasy? Is there more to it? Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and one I gravitate towards whether I’m reading YA or adult books. Often, especially in the YA fantasy books I’ve read, there is some component of romance to the story, which makes me wonder about what exactly makes a book romantasy as opposed to just fantasy. Hagen explained that there’s a little more to it than that.

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