This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Romantasy has kind of always been a thing, but there was just something about officially putting the portmanteau together that really made the subgenre take off in the last few years. And I mean really take off—some of the most popular and bestselling books are romantasies, and books that cater to this popularity are being released left and right. Which is great! Romantasy has a very dedicated following, both online and off, but it does feel at times like the genre suffers from what many other genres suffer from: a lack of diversity. Scrolling through the latest #romantasy books on BookTok, you’ll find plenty of delicious enemies-to-lovers or grumpy-sunshine pairings, but if you are hoping to find something with a different mythological basis for the magic system, or queer love interests, things can get a little tricky, which is why task #9 of the 2026 Read Harder Challenge is “Read a romantasy book with a queer and/or BIPOC main …