Romantasy books – 2025 update

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28 must-read romantasy books and series

The Bone Door

PRE-ORDER THE BRILLIANTLY IMAGINATIVE NEW NOVEL FROM VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED AUTHOR, FRANCES WHITE. 
 
-- 
 
What lies beyond The Bone Door? 
 
When Hop awakens in an ancient labyrinth, he has no memory of his life before, or how he got here.He does not recognise the mysterious girl trapped with him. 
 
 And he certainly cannot identify the shadowy figure stalking him, whispering terrible things . . . 
 
 But there is one thing he is certain of. 
 
 He must escape. 
 
 The only way out of the labyrinth is through The Bone Door. But it lies behind a series of other locked doors hidden across an array of strange realms. To open the way, Hop must complete impossible tasks before his time runs out. 
 As Hop travels deeper, he discovers that he and his companions may be more connected to the place and its horrors than he could ever imagine. 
 Unless Hop is able to unravel the true mystery of the labyrinth, including his own role within it, the Bone Door and any hope of escape will be lost forever. 
-- 
PRAISE FOR THE BONE DOOR 
'The Bone Door is epic, ambitious, and outrageously creative, with all the loveable characters, layered worldbuilding and vivid imagery that make White such a force to be reckoned with' - Keshe Chow, Sunday Times Bestselling Author of The Girl With No Reflection. 
‘Darkly delightful and endlessly imaginative. Frances White is at the top of her game yet again with this deft and twisty tale’ - Jules Arbeaux, Author of Lord of the Empty Isle 
‘In an achingly heartwarming story that is equal parts hilarious and horrifying, White delivers unforgettable characters and a wildly imaginative plot’ - Laura R. Samotin, author of The Sins On Their Bones 
‘The Bone Door is a unique, emotional read that tackles trauma, empathy, human cruelty, and grief, but that also makes you laugh and appreciate the beauty of love and of being alive. Don’t miss it!' - Emma Sterner-Radley, author of Snowblooded 
 
PRAISE FOR VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED 
 
'Frances White has crafted a brilliantly clever tale full of heart-warming characters, riveting twists and a gloriously conceived world' Bea Fitzgerald, bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen 
 
'An enchanting, bloody delight. Full of magic, laugh-out-loud humor, and so much murder' Gabi Burton, author of Sing Me To Sleep 
 
'Boundless imagination, sparkling prose—and a knack for the heartwarming moments as well as the hilarious—all combine to make Frances White a force to be reckoned with' Thea Guanzon, USA Today, New York Times, and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars 
Ambitious and wildly original. The Bone Door is like nothing you've ever read before. Piranesi meets Gideon the Ninth by way of Dan Da Dan, the book evokes the full gamut of emotions from humour to horror, lingering in your bones well after the final door closes. - Eliza Chan, Bestselling author of Fathomfolk

The Bone Door is epic, ambitious, and outrageously creative, with all the loveable characters, layered worldbuilding and vivid imagery that make White such a force to be reckoned with. There is darkness and brutality in this world, but also lightness, humour, and heart-warming friendships. With its wonderful found-family cast of misfits that you can’t help but root for, this book is the perfect balance of magic, mythology, and mystery

Keshe Chow, Sunday Times Bestselling Author of The Girl With No Reflection

Darkly delightful and endlessly imaginative, The Bone Door features an instantly lovable cast of amnesic oddballs trapped into a labyrinthine world. Frances White is at the top of her game yet again with this deft and twisty tale

Jules Arbeaux, Author of Lord of the Empty Isles

In an achingly heartwarming story that is equal parts hilarious and horrifying, White delivers unforgettable characters and a wildly imaginative plot that asks readers to consider what it means to continue to hope, even in the face of unfathomable odds

Laura R. Samotin, author of The Sins On Their Bones

The Bone Door is a unique, emotional read that tackles trauma, empathy, human cruelty, and grief, but that also makes you laugh and appreciate the beauty of love and of being alive. Don’t miss it!

Emma Sterner-Radley, author of Snowblooded

The Bone Door is a story that asks profound questions about the nature of evil, the possibility of redemption, and the resilience of the human spirit. The human heart is a labyrinth—not unlike the one her characters navigate—containing both wonders and horrors at every turn, and in this bold new novel, Frances White is not afraid to open every door of the human experience.

Ambitious and wildly original. The Bone Door is like nothing you've ever read before. Piranesi meets Gideon the Ninth by way of Dan Da Dan, the book evokes the full gamut of emotions from humour to horror, lingering in your bones well after the final door closes.

Eliza Chan, Bestselling author of Fathomfolk

What lies beyond The Bone Door? 
 
 
When Hop awakens in an ancient labyrinth, he has no memory of his life before, or how he got here. 
He does not recognise the mysterious girl trapped with him. 
 
 And he certainly cannot identify the shadowy figure stalking him, whispering terrible things . . . 
 
 But there is one thing he is certain of. 
 
 He must escape. 
 
 The only way out of the labyrinth is through The Bone Door. But it lies behind a series of other locked doors hidden across an array of strange realms. To open the way, Hop must complete impossible tasks before his time runs out. 
 
 As Hop travels deeper, he discovers that he and his companions may be more connected to the place and its horrors than he could ever imagine. 
 
 Unless Hop is able to unravel the true mystery of the labyrinth, including his own role within it, the Bone Door and any hope of escape will be lost forever.

Frances White is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Voyage of the Damned, a fantasy murder mystery at sea. A Nottingham resident, Frances is a creative writing graduate from Royal Holloway University of London. She has a soft spot for writing unlikely, flawed, messy heroes and loves mixing humour and heartbreak. Frances is also passionate about bringing more LGBTQIA+ representation and fat positivity into fantasy. When not writing, she can be found sewing nerdy costumes for comic conventions or researching obscure historical facts.

When Hop awakens in an ancient labyrinth, he has no memory of his life or how, indeed, he got here. 
He does not recognise the mysterious girl trapped with him. 
And he certainly cannot identify the shadowy figure stalking him, whispering terrible things . . . 
But there is one thing he is certain of. 
He must escape. 
The only way out of the labyrinth is through The Bone Door. But it lies behind a series of locked doors hidden across an array of realms. 
As Hop travels deeper into the maze, he discovers that he and his companions may be more connected to the place and its horrors than he could ever imagine.

Frances White

A fiendishly compelling locked room mystery brimming with character and heart that blew me away! White&rsquo;s protagonist Ganymedes Piscero is utterly endearing. His unique brand of humour, bravado, and vulnerability hits a bullseye in the feels. A delightful debut.

A.Y Chao, bestselling author of Shanghai Immortal

Frances White has crafted a brilliantly clever tale full of heart-warming characters, riveting twists and a gloriously conceived world

Bea Fitzgerald, bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen

&quot;Agatha Christie with glitter magic.&quot; I&rsquo;m totally here for it.Both funny and flirty as it deals with issues of class, snobbery and sexuality amongst all the magic and murder. The result is hugely entertaining

An enchanting, bloody delight. Full of magic, laugh-out-loud humor, and so much murder

I burned through this in about two days. Absolutely bloody brilliant! Voyage of the Damned is clever and comedic, while also heartfelt and harrowing. I hope readers will come to enjoy Dee's escapades as much as I did

Voyage of the Damned is hilarious and full of heart. The twists and turns in this novel had be genuinely gasping with surprise. I had to pace myself as I really didn’t want it to end

Boundless imagination, sparkling prose&mdash;and a knack for the heartwarming moments as well as the hilarious&mdash;all combine to make Frances White a force to be reckoned with

Thea Guanzon, USA Today, New York Times, and Sunday Times bestselling author of THE HURRICANE WARS

To mark the thousandth year of peace in the Empire of Concordia, the emperor's ship embarks upon a twelve-day voyage. Aboard are the heirs of the twelve provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique magical ability known as a Blessing. 
 
Except one: Ganymedes Piscero. 
 
When a beloved heir is murdered, everyone is a suspect. Stuck at sea and surrounded by powerful people, odds of survival are slim. But as the bodies pile higher, Ganymedes must become the hero he was not born to be and unmask the killer before he ends up the next victim of their bloody crusade.

Frances White

Praise for Voyage of the Damned

A fiendishly compelling locked room mystery brimming with character and heart that blew me away! White’s protagonist Ganymedes Piscero is utterly endearing. His unique brand of humour, bravado, a ...

Frances White has crafted a brilliantly clever tale full of heart-warming characters, riveting twists and a gloriously conceived world

"Agatha Christie with glitter magic." I’m totally here for it.Both funny and flirty as it deals with issues of class, snobbery and sexuality amongst all the magic and murder. The result is hug ...

A fiendishly compelling locked room mystery brimming with character and heart that blew me away! White’s protagonist Ganymedes Piscero is utterly endearing. His unique brand of humour, bravado, a ...

Frances White has crafted a brilliantly clever tale full of heart-warming characters, riveting twists and a gloriously conceived world

"Agatha Christie with glitter magic." I’m totally here for it.Both funny and flirty as it deals with issues of class, snobbery and sexuality amongst all the magic and murder. The result is hug ...

A fiendishly compelling locked room mystery brimming with character and heart that blew me away! White’s protagonist Ganymedes Piscero is utterly endearing. His unique brand of humour, bravado, a ...

Frances White has crafted a brilliantly clever tale full of heart-warming characters, riveting twists and a gloriously conceived world

"Agatha Christie with glitter magic." I’m totally here for it.Both funny and flirty as it deals with issues of class, snobbery and sexuality amongst all the magic and murder. The result is hug ...

Books by Frances White

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28 must-read romantasy books and series

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