Romantasy books – 2025 update

Reading lists

28 must-read romantasy books and series

Where the Dark Stands Still

'Where the Dark Stands Still is a triumph; a deeply romantic debut with spiralling, atmospheric prose that swept me up and away to the enchanted forests of Polish folklore. You'll never want to leave this beautiful, magical world'. Sarah Underwood, NYT Bestselling Author of Lies We Sing to the Sea 
 
A sweeping gothic fairytale romance for fans of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace and Gallant by V.E. Schwab. 
 
Raised in a small village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost knows that Magic is monstrous, and its practitioners, monsters. 
 
After Liska unleashes her own powers with devastating consequences, she is caught by the demon warden of the wood - the Leszy - who offers her a bargain: one year of servitude in exchange for a wish. 
 
Whisked away to his crumbling manor, Liska makes an unsettling discovery: she is not the first person to strike this bargain and all of her predecessors have mysteriously vanished. If Liska wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her host's spool of secrets and face the ghosts of his past. 
 
Those who enter the wood do not always return . . . 
 
&lsquo;Treading a tender line between unnerving and enchanting, Poranek&rsquo;s writing is lyrical and atmospheric. With a beautiful grumpy/sunshine romance, Where The Dark Stands Still is a poignant and magical tale' Bea Fitzgerald, bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen 
 
'An enchanting spell of a read, woven through with petal-soft romance and roots-deep self-acceptance. The dark, gothic fairy tale of my dreams' Kika Hatzopoulou, author of the Sunday Times Bestseller Threads that Bind 
 
'Folkloric and beautiful, Where The Dark Stands Still invites you to stray from the safe paths into a darkly whimsical fairytale forest, where secrets and bargains lead to tentative hope' Lyndall Clipstone, author of Unholy Terrors and the World at the Lake's Edge duology.

A. B. Poranek grew up sharing her time between Ontario, Canada and rural Poland, and eventually completed a veterinary degree at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. A lover of mythology and history, she enjoys exploring both in her writing. Her debut novel, Where the Dark Stands Still, an instant New York Times bestseller, is an ode to Poland's folktales, while A Treachery of Swans transports readers to a world inspired by 17th century France.

A. B. Poranek

An enthralling sapphic retelling of Swan Lake, for fans of Allison Saft and V.E Schwab by the New York Times bestselling author of Where the Dark Stands Still. 
 
Magic has long been outlawed in Auréal. Odile has always known she’d be the one to restore it. 
 
Raised by a sorcerer, Odile has spent years preparing for the heist of a lifetime. It’s relatively simple. Impersonate a princess, infiltrate the palace, steal the great sceptre and restore magic to the kingdom. 
 
But when the King is unexpectedly murdered, she’s forced to recruit the help of Marie, the real princess, and the two begin to unravel a web of lies and deceit that leaves Odile uncertain of who to trust. 
 
Soon though Odile must decide – her mission or the girl she’s falling for? 
 
The fate of the Kingdom depends on her making the right choice. . . 
 
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Reviews for Where the Dark Stands Still: 
 
'A deeply romantic debut'. Sarah Underwood, NYT Bestselling Author of Lies We Sing to the Sea 
 
'The dark, gothic fairy tale of my dreams' Kika Hatzopoulou, author of the Sunday Times Bestseller Threads that Bind 
 
'Folkloric and beautiful' Lyndall Clipstone, author of Unholy Terrors and the World at the Lake's Edge duology.

A. B. Poranek

Books by A. B. Poranek

Articles featuring A. B. Poranek

28 must-read romantasy books and series

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