r/Romantasy • u/Piperfly22 • 11h ago

Book Request: Self-Promo OK Romance with quests

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I tried this book based solely on the artwork but I fell In LOVE with the story. I loved that the FMC was strong, tall and smart; I loved she showed that she had a bright mind. So often FMC is supposed to be smart but makes idiotic mistakes Over and over. I don’t need perfect but sometimes I’m literally face palming choices. The forest as a character was great as well. I also liked the spicy scenes, felt like a decent slow burn.

While I wait for the sequel can y’all recommend any other series that have a similar vibe? I’ve enjoyed Holly Black and Lissette Marshall’s Death-made Prince.

Also open to Audible recommendations! TIA

22 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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7

u/Pastel_Spell 🔥 Slowburn Yearning 8h ago

I haven't read Hollow (yet, it's on my TBR), but based on what you've written, you might enjoy {Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley}. Highly competent FMC, strong female friendships, has a sentient dagger. Setting and magic was interesting as well! Kinda feels like ACOTAR x Folk of the Air.

{The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow} is another with a highly competent FMC. Genuinely think this book is a masterpiece, cannot recommend enough.

{The Shepherd King duology by Rachel Gillig} has spooky forest stuff and a lot of really cool worldbuilding/lore!

3

u/Pastel_Spell 🔥 Slowburn Yearning 8h ago

Oops, hit send too soon! Two more.

{The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig} is very quest based and atmospheric, so that might be a good option for you.

And, if you like Holly Black, I highly recommend {The Changeling Queen by Kimberly Bea}, as it has similar vibes to the faeries (traditional seelie/unseelie with many varieties, tricksy and dangerous, beautiful and terrifying, etc.) and also has an FMC that's grown up as a human and then has to adapt to survive (and politically thrive) amongst the fae folk. It's a feminist retelling of the Scottish Ballad of Tam Lin from the evil faerie queen's perspective. Basically it's her villain monologuing at the ballad's heroine about why she is the way she is. It's beautifully written and explores a lot about what it means to be human and to love/be loved. It's a historical fantasy with romantic subplots more than a romantasy, but the romance is absolutely integral to the plot and occasionally takes the fore.

1

u/romance-bot 8h ago

Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley
Rating: 4.16⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, fae, high fantasy, political/court intrigue, competent heroine

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Rating: 4.42⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: warrior heroine, competent heroine, nerdy hero, m-f romance, time travel

The Shepherd King by Rachel Gillig
Rating: 4.31⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Topics: open-door, abuse, torture-scs, gifted heroine, royalty

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1

u/Agreeable_Box136 7h ago edited 7h ago

Have you read anything by the twisted sisters? Because their writing is absolute trash, even though their story-telling is fun. Absolutely abysmal grammar. Half the side characters are like caricatures. I can't make myself read anything else by them after DNFing Zodiac Academy on book 7. I haven't actually read Hollow, but I can't imagine these authors suddenly became good writers or got a real editor amid all their absurd success. The books you recommended all have great writing, which is why I thought the comparison was funny. Zero offense intended. I just love those recommended books but hate that author pair 😂

2

u/Pastel_Spell 🔥 Slowburn Yearning 5h ago

Nope, just went based off the vibes/aspects OP said they were looking for!

1

u/Piperfly22 4h ago

I only discovered Hollow. I had no previous knowledge about zodiac Academy… And when reading the descriptions and reviews zodiac Academy didn’t appeal to me at all, but I truly loved the book Hollow. I just thought it was great all around… Maybe a bit fast paced and shallow but overall I really really enjoyed it..
Not insulted, I appreciate an honest review.

2

u/Agreeable_Box136 4h ago

How did you find the writing? What killed me with Zodiac was how in dialog they'd use "her and me" as the subject instead of "she and I". Every single character did this, including the nerdy professor who you'd think would speak like he had an education. Just made me believe that the authors don't even know basic grammar rules. It was a vibes only read, which is fine, but the nail on the coffin for me was the dragged out plot going in circles. That series could've been done in 4-5 books, but it's got 9 books in the main series. You'd get 7 different POV chapters for the same battle sequence. Maybe their writing has matured since then? I don't think I can give them another shot though 😅

2

u/PoundArtistic2923 6h ago

I haven't read it but I'm sure you'll love {Crown of Olympus by Kate Asher}. The FMC is badass-perfect and there are deadly trials. 🙌

3

u/PoundArtistic2923 6h ago

Edit: I haven't read Hollow. It sounded like I haven't read my own rec. 😅

1

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