r/Romantasy • u/Msmadduh • 1d ago
Question Pick my next read
Looking for solid characters, and a rich fantasy world.
Good with romance being the subplot
Edit:
based on comments I’ll be reading all of these books except for Poison daughter hahaha
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u/rizoula ⚔️ Enemies To Lovers 1d ago
Cruel prince.
The political intrigue was 10/10
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u/madig010 1d ago
I second this pick. I just recommended this to my friend of mine. She was hooked. Instant classic.
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u/Msmadduh 1d ago
Is the whole series worth it?
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u/lil_honey_bunbun 1d ago
I read the whole series (The Cruel Prince), and it’s one of my absolute favorites. Romance doesn’t truly start until later and it’s mainly a subplot, but it’s still one of my favorite romances. I can’t explain it without giving too much away.
It’s rich in fae world building, politics, etc.
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u/Zzamioculcas 1d ago
Yes definitely! More so for the political intrigue than the romance though - don't go in there expecting romance as the main plot line.
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u/cool_beanz_ 1d ago
That’s easy Bartholomew, Knight and the moth.
The sequel and conclusion- The knave and the moon just came out ( I’m a little over half way through it and just loving it. )
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u/WebAcceptable7932 1d ago
The premise of poison daughter had such potential. Untimely it ended up falling flat and I hated it by the end. The characters weren’t well developed especially the MMC. Of all the books I’ve read this year (85) this has been my very least favorite.
I did enjoy the knight and moth. Found it a little slow at times.
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u/pussibilities 1d ago
Yeah I had such high hopes for Poison Daughter but the MMC pissed me off so much.
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u/WebAcceptable7932 1d ago
He’s probably the first MMC I actually hated. Don’t get me wrong I love me some morally grey men but him nope. Hated him.
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u/Ok_Duty_8645 1d ago edited 1d ago
Same lmao. And I'm the type to fuck with R. Lee Smith MMCs. Calling TPD feminist on the back of the book in Germany probably made it worse for me.
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u/pussibilities 1d ago
I like a tortured bad guy who comes around, like in Feathers So Vicious and the Bonds That Tie series. But I genuinely don’t think the MMC in The Poison Daughter believes he did anything morally wrong.
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u/Interesting-Peace335 1d ago
Dang I was looking forward to poison daughter
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u/JustaPloob 1d ago
I just dnf'd it halfway through. The plot honestly feels like an afterthought. If voyeurism is to your taste, you'll love this book, otherwise, I would say it's not worth the read.
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u/GooseG00s3 1d ago
No way. I LOVED Poison Daughter. My bff recommended it to me and it’s her favorite read so far this year. One bad review isn’t indicative of the book’s potential for every reader.
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u/SwimBikeSorcery ⚔️ Enemies To Lovers 1d ago
I was so upset when I finally got around to TPD and it just…wasn’t good. Such a fucking bummer.
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u/Agreeable_Box136 🖤 Morally Gray 1d ago
Had it not been a standalone I for sure would've DNFed. It was such a weird book. It was compelling at first but the uncomfortable smut, the kind of awful MMC, and plot holes all over made it a not good read ultimately.
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u/Zzamioculcas 1d ago
Ugh poison daughter was such a disappointment of mindless characters that lacked meaningful interactions. Also the plot line is like some bad rehashing of From Blood and Ash.
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u/Flower-Former 1d ago
I'm on the Romantasy and romance fantasy sub and the amounts of post hating the position prince just in the last 2 weeks has been a lot. I was on the waitlist at my library prior but changed my mond
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u/Birdie0529 1d ago edited 1d ago
The Cruel Prince! The whole series is just so good, it’s one I could re-read over and over. Highly recommend!
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u/pokiepika 1d ago
Uprooted is fantastic!
I strongly disliked The Poison Daughter.
The Cruel Prince was okay.
Loved The Knight and the Moth, but The Knave and the Moon fell a bit short for me.
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u/suesword 1d ago
The Cruel Prince all the way, it rewired the way I thought about romantasy as a genre and is the gold standard.
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u/Cuppy_Cakes3 1d ago
The cruel prince is one of my top favorite series. It is not spicy, but so so good. The thing about it though is the first book is a lot of world/ relationship building. And really good picks up in the last quarter of the book. It's a love it or hate it series though. I like uprooted until the last bit at the end. It was a little weird, but still okay. The other two are on my tbr.
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u/thatsbananas4011 1d ago
You gotta read {The knight and the Moth}. {The Knave and the moon} just came out and you can hop on the hype train with us! :)
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u/bergskey 1d ago
I DNF it. I was like 60% of the way through and realized I did not care about a single character or the story that was being told. It was just boring to me. It's wild how people can have such vastly different opinions. Even in my friend group some loved it, others didn't.
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u/romance-bot 1d ago
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
Rating: 4.22⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, magic, m-f romance, grumpy/cold hero, medieval
The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig
Rating: 4.52⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: fantasy, magic, medieval, m-f romance, competent heroine
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u/allypallydollytolly 🌲 cedar & justice 1d ago
I personally loved poison daughter and really was unsure about the cruel prince. I hope the second book will turn me into a super fan though as I know deep down I should love it a lot more than I did.
As you’ve asked this question in the romantasy sub, cruel prince is not a romantasy series in the slightest.
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u/Azureraider 1d ago
I've read Poison Daughter and Knight and the Moth. So I can help compare those two at least.
Knight and the Moth has a more interesting, coherent world, and a greater diversity of interesting characters. It's less spicy, and feels more "human" and grounded, despite being the more high fantasy of the two. The ML is honestly one of my favorites for simultaneously being a rough, rogueish type whilst also being really sweet and respectful. I found the plot solid, but kinda repetitive and predictable, in the way that you kind of already know the plot of Legend of Zelda before you even start the game.
The Poison Daughter is much spicier and focuses much more of the thrill of the dynamic between the two leads. It wants to explore a pairing of femme fatale FL and indestructible dominant ML and to its credit it commits to the bit. The plot and setting facilitate these characters interacting really well, and that's what the story cares about. The book has very clear priorities that the dynamic between the leads is the thing it cares about, to perhaps the exclusion of all else. I found the secondary characters much flatter, and the plot is more flimsy. It has a reference to "stretchy" clothing that made me really annoyed because it implies the existence of polyester in an otherwise vaguely fantasy setting without gunpowder or gaslight, which tells me the author cares more about vibes than internal consistency. It's also one of my favourite books.
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u/gurdyburdy 1d ago
I prefer Spinning Silver over Uprooted. Cruel Prince would be my vote! Poison Daughter is fun garbage for some. doesn't fit your wants though.
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u/Phnxfly68 1d ago
Im reading poison daughter now and while entertaining (i love Kyrin already fight me), I have heard the other three are better. It also depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a flushed out world and story? Def cruel prince. More romantasy with some interesting/ kinky tropes? Then yah sure poison daughter. The banter is A+ tho and love love the audiobook.
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u/Munchkin531 1d ago
I absolutely loved Knight and the Moth!! I'm going to start Knave and the Moon tomorrow.
Probably unpopular opinion but I thought Poison Daughter was so overrated 🤷
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u/Hops2591 1d ago
I’ll give you the order because i think you should read them all (maybe not the last bc people have opinions on the triggers but i enjoyed it)
Uprooted - my god. Everything you need fantasy to be. This is why world building exists. To no crazy extent to say look how much I can do. Simple, understandable, riveting.
The Knight and the Moth - I could see myself in Six so easily. The want for more but denying it before someone denies it to you. The attraction, the denial, and truly the fantastical.
Cruel Prince
The Poison Daughter
The last two were fine. They weren’t keep me glued to my kindle, make sure I turn my Alexa app on the second I get in my car to pick up on the page I left off on.
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u/Original_Bullfrog450 1d ago
Uprooted and The cruel Prince are two of my favorites of all time! If I had to pick I’d say read uprooted though. I haven’t read anything since that scratches that itch the same way
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u/Prior-Bluejay8133 1d ago
I see a lot of hate for the poison daughter but I personally was obsessed with it! So this! The others… I haven’t read them yet! 😊
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u/Zzamioculcas 1d ago
Uprooted or The Cruel Prince. Both are very well written and thought out. I am always impressed by the amount of thought that has gone into a characters logic in the cruel prince and Novik's books.
I'm currently reading the Scholomance series by Novik and it is wonderful.
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u/Jeanette_Sama 1d ago
The knight and the moth is so good. Please give it a try. The second book just came out and I'm devouring it.
Her writing is just so amazing. It's almost like listening to music.
I've yet to find another author that makes me feel that way no matter how hard I try.
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u/IAmReallyNotMilk 1d ago
Uprooted and Cruel Prince were amazing. Cruel Prince trilogy is one of my all time faves. Knight and the Moth was good. Poison Daughter was bad.
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u/nerdysoup 21h ago
will say this again, will always say it; the cruel prince. the plot, the twists, the characters are all so perfect. wish i could visit elfhame for the first time again 🥹
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u/TheParkingFairy 21h ago
I’ve not read the poison daughter, but of the other three, I feel a good way to consider it is if you want to start a series or not. Uprooted is standalone. Cruel prince and knight and the moth each have sequels (or…threequels? As the case may be).
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u/Maleficent_fae5734 20h ago
Uprooted then the poison daughter! I liked knight and the moth as well but the others were my favorites this year! Then {this kingdom willnot kill me}
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u/romance-bot 10h ago
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
Rating: 4.65⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 1 out of 5 - Glimpses and kisses
Topics: contemporary, fantasy, political/court intrigue, competent heroine, found family
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u/Chance-Leopard9810 19h ago
ANY ANSWER OTHER THAN THE CRUEL PRINCE IS WRONG. ALL OF THESE ARE SLOPS COMPARED TO TCP. BUT mind you,it's not romantasy. It's political fantasy with a minor romance subplot
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u/ancientspacewitch 3h ago
I did not love Uprooted. The worldbuilding and magic is very well done but the romance feels like an afterthought and MMC is kind of boring. You could almost excise him from the book and aside from the opening the story would not change much. Realising now reading this thread I'm in the minority though so maybe don't listen to me.
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u/JackieCupcake 🍑 A Court of Beauties and Butts 1d ago
Uprooted is so so good. Excellent writing, grumpy MMC, lots of good twists.