Goodreads Choice Awards 2023: Best Romantasy of the Year
The 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards has unveiled a new category for one of the best books of the year and it’s Best Romantasy! I couldn’t agree more that this was a necessary and popular category to add and I’ve got the entire list of 20 nominees up for Best Romantasy in the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards below.
I have to say that the shoo-in winner has to be Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros given that it has dominated the best-seller lists and has captivated fans of romantasy, fantasy romance, and general fantasy among others.
Jennifer L. Armentrout is amazing with not one, not two but THREE nominees for Best Romantasy this year!
And don’t worry that you don’t see Divine Rivals on this list which is one of my favorite young adult fantasy romance books of the year and one of Barnes & Noble’s nominees for Best Book of the Year. It made the list of nominees for Best Young Adult Fantasy.
It is definitely one of the best romance novels of 2023 in my eyes so I was happy to see it on this list.
Check out all of the nominees for Best Romantasy below (listed from most to least ratings on Goodreads) and if you’re looking for the nominees for this year’s best romance, check out my post on the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards Nominees for Best Romance!
*Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
2023 Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Romantasy Nominees
Fourth Wing
by Rebecca Yarros
4.65 on Goodreads
709,330 ratings 116,984 reviews
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My Review of Fourth Wing
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history.
Now, the commanding general―also known as her tough-as-talons mother―has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, the end of your life is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would take out Violet to better their own chances of success.
The rest would end her just for being her mother’s daughter―like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
Yet, with every day that passes, the battle outside grows more dangerous, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the ledger of those lost continues to rise.
Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Related: Fourth Wing Series Books in Order, Most Anticipated New Romance Books of 2023
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King
by Carissa Broadbent
4.20 on Goodreads
100,570 ratings 10,397 reviews
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In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.
The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.
When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom–and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.
But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power – and the devastating love that could be her downfall.
A Soul of Ash and Blood
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
3.99 on Goodreads
41,040 ratings 5,145 reviews
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My Book Review of A Soul of Ash and Blood
A great primal power has risen. The Queen of Flesh and Fire has become the Primal of Blood and Bone. And the battle Casteel, Poppy, and their allies have been fighting has only just begun.
Gods are awakening across Iliseeum and the mortal realm, readying for the battle to come.
But when Poppy falls into stasis, Cas faces the very real possibility that the dire, unexpected consequences of what she is becoming could take her away from him.
Cas is given some advice, though—something he plans to cling to as he waits to see her beautiful eyes open once more: Talk to her.
And so, he does. He reminds Poppy how their journey began, revealing things about himself that only Kieran knows in the process.
But it’s anybody’s guess what she’ll wake to or exactly how much of the realm and Cas will have changed when she does.
Related: From Blood and Ash Series Order
Assistant to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
3.97 on Goodreads
35,658 ratings 7,550 reviews
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ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.
But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.
Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.
After all, a good job is hard to find.
Sorrow and Starlight
by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
4.07 on Goodreads
34,055 ratings 4,158 reviews
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All stars must fall.
Bloody, lost, broken. We live to fight another day. But with so much stolen from us, can the fates ever twist in our favour again?
My sister and I have been torn apart by shadows and despair, and now we each stand alone.
Our sorrow is spun like a web, trapping us tight, and I fear our enemies will soon come to feast upon our souls.
But if I have my way, the merciless sky will have dealt us its final fortune. It’s time for us to take back the power that’s been ripped from our grasp and turn the tide of this war.
All stars must fall, and all Phoenixes must rise. Long live the Savage Queens.
Related: Zodiac Academy Series Books in Order
The Coven
by Harper L. Woods and Adelaide Forrest
3.97 on Goodreads
22,674 ratings 3,176 reviews
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Revenge. Raised to be my father’s weapon against the Coven that took away his sister and his birthright, I would do anything to protect my younger brother from suffering the same fate.
My duty forces me to the secret town of Crystal Hollow and the prestigious Hollow’s Grove University—where the best and brightest of my kind learn to practice their magic free from human judgment.
There are no whispered words here. No condemnation for the blood that flows through my veins. The only animosity I face comes from the beautiful and infuriating Headmaster, Alaric Grayson Thorne, a man who despises me just as much as I loathe him and everything he stands for.
But that doesn’t mean secrets don’t threaten to tear the school in two. No one talks about the bloody massacre that forced it to close decades prior, only the opportunity it can afford to those fortunate enough to attend.
Because for the first time in fifty years, the Coven will open its wards to the Thirteen. Thirteen promising students destined to change the world. If the ghosts of Hollow’s Grove’s victims don’t get them first.
Fall of Ruin and Wrath
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4.10 on Goodreads
18,705 ratings 2,859 reviews
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My Book Review of Fall of Ruin and Wrath
Long ago, the world was destroyed by gods. Only nine cities were spared. Separated by vast wilderness teeming with monsters and unimaginable dangers, each city is now ruled by a guardian―royalty who feed on mortal pleasure.
Born with an intuition that never fails, Calista knows her talents are of great value to the power-hungry of the world, so she lives hidden as a courtesan of the Baron of Archwood. In exchange for his protection, she grants him information.
When her intuition leads her to save a travelling prince in dire trouble, the voice inside her blazes with warning―and promise. Today he’ll bring her joy. One day he’ll be her doom.
When the Baron takes an interest in the travelling prince and the prince takes an interest in Calista, she becomes the prince’s temporary companion.
But the city simmers with rebellion, and with knights and monsters at her city gates and a hungry prince in her bed, intuition may not be enough to keep her safe.
Calista must choose: follow her intuition to safety or follow her heart to her downfall.
A Dawn of Onyx
by Kate Golden
4.02 on Goodreads
13,976 ratings 2,108 reviews
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Arwen Valondale never expected to be the brave one, offering her life to save her brother’s. Now she’s been taken prisoner by the most dangerous kingdom on the continent, and made to use her rare magical abilities to heal the soldiers of the vicious Onyx King.
Arwen knows better than to face the ancient, wicked woods that surround the castle on her own, which means working with a fellow prisoner might be her only path to freedom. Unfortunately, he’s as infuriating as he is cunning—and seems to take twisted pleasure in playing on Arwen’s deepest fears.
But here in Onyx Kingdom, trust is a luxury she can’t afford.
To make it out of enemy territory, she’ll have to navigate back-stabbing royals, dark magic, and dangerous beasts. But untold power lies inside Arwen, dormant and waiting for a spark. If she can harness it, she just might be able to escape with her life—and hopefully, her heart.
Related: Best Dark Fantasy Romance Books
Rule of the Aurora King
by Nisha J. Tuli
4.02 on Goodreads
13,530 ratings 1,234 reviews
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Freed from the golden clutches of the Sun King, Lor now finds herself in the hands of Nadir, the Aurora Prince. Convinced she’s hiding something, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her talk. But Lor knows the value of secrets—she’s been keeping them her entire life—and she’s not letting hers go without a fight.
When Lor and Nadir team up to search for a lost item that holds the key to her past and her future, she isn’t sure she can trust him. All she knows is she won’t fall for another royal fae’s promises again.
With the Sun King determined to reclaim her, Lor must keep on the move, but nowhere is safe. Not until she destroys him and the Aurora King. But she soon learns that the future of Ouranos depends on much more than avenging her shattered legacy.
A Fire in the Flesh
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4.20 on Goodreads
12,680 ratings 1,629 reviews
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The only thing that can save the realms now is the one thing more powerful than the Fates.
After a startling betrayal ends with both Sera and the dangerously seductive ruler of the Shadowlands she has fallen madly in love with being held captive by the false King of the Gods, there is only one thing that can free Nyktos and prevent the forces of the Shadowlands from invading Dalos and igniting a War of Primals.
Convincing Kolis won’t be easy, though – not even with a lifetime of training. While his most favored Revenant is insistent that she is nothing more than a lie, Kolis’s erratic nature and twisted sense of honor leave her shaken to the core, and nothing could’ve prepared her for the cruelty of his Court or the shocking truths revealed.
The revelations not only upend what she has understood about her duty and the very creation of the realms but also draw into question exactly what the true threat is. However, surviving Kolis is only one part of the battle.
The Ascension is upon her, and Sera is out of time.
But Nyktos will do anything to keep Sera alive and give her the life she deserves. He’ll even risk the utter destruction of the realms, and that’s exactly what will happen if he doesn’t Ascend as the Primal of Life.
Yet despite his desperate determination, their destinies may be out of their hands.
But there is that foreseen unexpected thread—the unpredictable, unknown, and unwritten. The only thing more powerful than the Fates…
Related: Flesh and Fire Series in Order
The Foxglove King
by Hannah F. Whitten
3.82 on Goodreads
12,200 ratings 2,933 reviews
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When Lore was thirteen, she escaped a cult in the catacombs beneath the city of Dellaire. And in the ten years since, she’s lived by one rule: don’t let them find you. Easier said than done, when her death magic ties her to the city.
Mortem, the magic born from death, is a high-priced and illicit commodity in Dellaire, and Lore’s job running poisons keeps her in food, shelter, and relative security. But when a run goes wrong and Lore’s power is revealed, she’s taken by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks sanctioned to use Mortem working for the Sainted King.
Lore fully expects a pyre, but King August has a different plan. Entire villages on the outskirts of the country have been dying overnight, seemingly at random. Lore can either use her magic to find out what’s happening and who in the King’s court is responsible, or die.
Lore is thrust into the Sainted King’s glittering court, where no one can be believed and even fewer can be trusted. Guarded by Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, and continually running up against Bastian, August’s ne’er-do-well heir, Lore tangles in politics, religion, and forbidden romance as she attempts to navigate a debauched and opulent society.
But the life she left behind in the catacombs is catching up with her. And even as Lore makes her way through the Sainted court above, they might be drawing closer than she thinks.
Slaying the Vampire Conqueror
by Carissa Broadbent
4.15 on Goodreads
10,547 ratings 1,513 reviews
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Sylina has sacrificed everything for her goddess–her soul, her freedom, her eyes. Life in service to the Arachessen, a cult of the Goddess of Fate, has turned Sylina from orphaned street-rat to disciplined killer, determined to overthrow Glaea’s tyrannical king.
But when a brutal vampire conqueror arrives on their shores, Sylina faces an even darker adversary. She’s tasked with a crucial mission: infiltrate his army, earn his trust… and end him.
Atrius is a terrifying warrior carving an unstoppable path through Glaea. Yet when Sylina becomes his seer, she glimpses a dark and shocking past–and a side of him that reminds her far too much of parts of herself she’d rather forget.
Sylina’s orders are clear. The conqueror cannot live. But as the blood spilled by Glaea’s tyrant king runs thicker, her connection with Atrius only grows stronger. A connection forbidden by her vows. A connection that could cost her everything.
A Court This Cruel & Lovely
by Stacia Stark
4.26 on Goodreads
9,703 ratings 1,051 reviews
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For years, when I fell asleep, I dreamed of a man with blazing green eyes and a cruel smile. The day I meet him, the ruthless mercenary leaves me to my end.
Just hours after humans are born, the gods take what little power we have. In return, they protect our borders from the vicious, merciless fae.
The humans who manage to keep their power are known as the corrupt. And they are burned.
When my forbidden power is discovered, I’m forced to flee my tiny village and the life I adore.
To survive, I make a desperate bargain with the mercenary who abandoned me at my weakest.
Our deal is simple: I’ll help him and his mysterious friends sneak into the city. And he’ll help me learn to wield the strange, dark power I’ve always kept hidden. The power that may just be the key to my survival.
But the ruthless mercenary is hiding secrets of his own. Secrets that threaten the safety of everyone I love. Secrets that could tear this kingdom—and perhaps even this world—apart.
The Hanging City
by Charlie N. Holmberg
4.09 on Goodreads
7,688 ratings 790 reviews
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Seven years on the run from her abusive father, and with no hope of sanctuary among the dwindling pockets of human civilization, Lark is out of options. Her only leverage is a cursed power: she can thrust fear onto others, leaving all threats fleeing in terror.
It’s a means of survival as she searches for a place to call home. If the campfire myths of her childhood are true, Lark’s sole chance for refuge could lie in Cagmar, the city of trolls—a brutal species and the sworn enemies of humanity.
Valuing combat prowess, the troll high council is intrigued. Lark could be much more useful than the low-caste humans who merely labor in Cagmar. Her gift makes her invaluable as a monster slayer to fight off the unspeakable creatures that torment the trolls’ hanging city, suspended from a bridge over an endless dark canyon.
Lark will do anything to make Cagmar her home, but her new role comes with a caveat: use her power against a troll, and she’ll be end her life. Her loyalty is quickly put to the test when she draws the hatred of a powerful troll who loathes humankind.
Still, she finds unexpected friendship in the city and, even more surprisingly, love. But if everything else doesn’t undo her, being caught in the arms of a troll surely will. Now in the fight of her life, Lark has a lot to learn—about her past, about trust and hope when all seems lost, and above all, about the extraordinary power of fear itself.
Throne of the Fallen
by Kerri Maniscalco
4.27 on Goodreads
6,843 ratings 1,282 reviews
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Sinner. Villain. Wicked.
The Prince of Envy has never claimed to be a saint. But when a cryptic note arrives, signaling the beginning of a dangerous game, he knows it will take more than a hint of sin to win and save his falling demon court.
Riddles, hexed objects, anonymous players, nothing will stand in his way, though none of his meticulous plans prepare him for her, the frustrating artist who ignites his sin like no other…
Virtuous. Darling. Liar.
The trouble with scoundrels and blackguards is that they haven’t a modicum of honor, a fact Miss Camilla Antonius learns after one desperate mistake allows Waverly Green’s most notorious rake to blackmail her.
To avoid a ruinous scandal, Camilla is forced to enter a devil’s bargain with Envy, little expecting his game will awaken her true nature . . .
Together, Envy and Camilla must embark on a perilous journey through the Underworld—from glittering demon courts to the sultry vampire realm and beyond—while trying to avoid the most dangerous trap of all: falling in love.
Bewitched
by Laura Thalassa
3.98 on Goodreads
6,542 ratings 1,421 reviews
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At age twenty, Selene Bowers desperately hopes to be accepted into Henbane Coven, an academy for young witches.
Since one of the requirements for entry is to connect with her powers via a quest through the wilderness, Selene books a trip to South America.
When a nefarious supernatural force tries to drag her plane from the sky, Selene’s magic awakens to save her life―at a cost. Using her powers devours her memories, one by one.
Worse, when Selene braves the jungle and discovers the source of the attack, she finds herself awakening an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed, who mistakes Selene for his long-gone wife. The wife who betrayed him.
Selene manages to escape and begin her studies at Henbane, but when Memnon turns up at the coven and witches are found slain across campus, Selene becomes entangled in a dangerous plot.
Accused of ending these witches on the basis of her memory loss, Selene must rely on Memnon’s help for answers―and his plans for her will change everything.
Related: Best Witch Romance Books
The Jasad Heir
by Sara Hashem
4.01 on Goodreads
6,530 ratings 1,497 reviews
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Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic was outlawed. Its royal family annihilated. At least, that’s what Sylvia wants people to believe.
The Heir of Jasad escaped the massacre, and she intends to stay hidden, especially from the armies of Nizahl that continue to hunt her people.
But a moment of anger changes everything. When Arin, the Nizahl Heir, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, Sylvia accidentally reveals her magic—and captures his attention. Now Sylvia’s forced to make a deal with her greatest enemy: Help him hunt the rebels in exchange for her life.
A deadly game begins. Sylvia can’t let Arin discover her identity, even as hatred shifts into something more between the Heirs. And as the tides change around her, Sylvia will have to choose between the life she wants and the one she abandoned.
The scorched kingdom is rising, and it needs a queen.
A Game of Gods
by Scarlett St. Clair
4.07 on Goodreads
6,173 ratings 597 reviews
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Hades has finally made Persephone his in every way possible. With their wedding on the horizon, the couple should be ecstatic.
But Demeter is wreaking havoc on their bliss by battering the whole of New Greece with erratic and dangerous weather.
At the same time, Theseus continues with his agenda against the Gods, allying with the hate-group Triad in an effort to bring down all of Olympus.
Hades refuses to allow anything to stop him from securing Persephone as his bride, but he must play a deep strategic game with the Gods of Olympus to safeguard their future.
And it is not entirely clear which Gods are truly on his side.
Related: Hades Saga Books in Order
The Hurricane Wars
by Thea Guanzon
3.82 on Goodreads
4,233 ratings 1,475 reviews
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All Talasyn has ever known is the Hurricane Wars. Growing up an orphan in a nation under siege by the ruthless Night Emperor, she found her family among the soldiers who fight for freedom.
But she is hiding a deadly secret: light magic courses through her veins, a blazing power believed to have been wiped out years ago that can cut through the Night Empire’s shadows.
Prince Alaric, the emperor’s only son and heir, has been tasked with obliterating any threats to the Night Empire’s rule with the strength of his armies and mighty shadow magic. He discovers the greatest threat yet in Talasyn: a girl burning brightly on the battlefield with the magic that ended his grandfather, turned his father into a monster, and ignited the Hurricane Wars.
He tries to end her, but in a clash of light and dark, their powers merge and create a force the likes of which has never been seen.
This war can only end with them. But an even greater danger is coming, and the strange magic they can create together could be the only way to overcome it. Talasyn and Alaric must decide… are they fated to join hands, or destroy each other?
A Queen of Thieves & Chaos
by K.A. Tucker
4.30 on Goodreads
2,225 ratings 397 reviews
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The kingdom stands on the brink of chaos. Atticus’ grip on the realm is faltering, and as threats arise ever closer to home he is driven to increasingly desperate acts to hold onto power.
With Islor’s fate now in the balance, Zander stands to defend the Rift from the oncoming Ybarisan army. With the king’s forces scattered, he must risk unlikely new alliances.
And behind the walls of Ulysede, secrets wait for its new queen. Romeria knows that the paths of the hidden city will lead her to answers. But will they be enough to save the realm – or is their fate already sealed?
What do you think of the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards best romantasy nominees? Share in the comments below!
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