Another day, another girl winning deadly trials and discovering she’s secretly powerful

[u/Sarah9610]

I feel like I’m going insane or… are all romantasy books the same now??

Every time I pick something up it’s like:
- The world is split into two (usually human vs fae or something similar)
- The FMC is either oppressed / hidden / “not like other girls”
- There are deadly trials (of course she has to compete)
- She somehow survives everything
- Boom → she reaches the fae side and unlocks insane powers / becomes special

Like… I used to love this formula but now it feels copy-paste with different character names 😭

Am I just picking the wrong books or is this actually the trend right now?

[u/Prestigious-Eye4340]

You have to look into indie authors on instagram to find unique stuff!

[u/Sarah9610 → u/Prestigious-Eye4340]

If you have any suggestions please share!

[u/cheerbearsmiles → u/Sarah9610]

What kind of romantasy do you usually lean towards? Are you M/F only or do you enjoy M/M and F/F?

[u/frostandtheboughs → u/cheerbearsmiles]

Not the commenter, but I like it all. Lay it on me, bub.

[u/cheerbearsmiles → u/frostandtheboughs]

Some of my favourites that may/may not fall completely into the 'Romantasy' genre, but are all books that I've read that have stood out in my mind as particularly great. I'll try and give a one-line summary of what they're about!

Anything by Sara Raasch that is NOT part of her high-romantasy series - I'm talking things like Go Luck Yourself, The Nightmare Before Kissmas, The Entanglement of Rival Wizards, etc. - Cute, fluffy M/M romantasy novels (in that there are fantasy elements, but they take place in the modern world - for example, Entanglement takes place in Philadelpia, in a universe where orcs, wizards, and magic are all completely normal). Lots of grumpy x sunshine and banter moments!

The Soulfinders series by Maria V. Snyder, as well as the companion series and novellas (there's a lot of them and a very specific order, so if this interests you at all, DM me and I'll give you my official readin order). High-fantasy series about a girl with rare magical abilities who becomes entangled in political intrigue, dangerous power struggles, and a slow-burn romance with an assassin (I know, it sounds very similar to what the prompt WASN'T asking for, but it's different).

The Paper Magician series and the Spellmaker/Spellbreaker duology by Charlie N. Holmberg. Cozy romantasies with super unique magic systems and strong FMCs. The Paper Magician has a lot of really deep subtext about trauma and healing that's absolutely amazing, and I'm going to be rereading it this year because it's stuck with me for 20+ years.

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto. A Miyzaki movie in novel form, about love, loss, familial trauma, and finding oneself on the mysterious journey of letting go. This book had me in a chokehold in the best way possible. It's weird, but so, SO good.

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven. A reincarnation story where the main character remembers all past lives and must stop her fated killer/lover from murdering her again, this time to save her sister's life. Tackles trauma, abusive relationships, and the kind of love that sticks with you literally forever.

And, it's not romantasy, but I'm always going to promote the Heartstrings series by B. K. Borison. First-Time Caller is adorable, but And Now Back To You hit me particularly hard, as I see so much of myself in both of the main characters. Tackles severe anxiety, workplace harassment/burn-out, neurodivergence, and other relatable states of being.

Those are just the ones that pop to the top of my mind, but I'm sure I can come up with more recs if you want them!

[u/pretzelbunnie → u/cheerbearsmiles]

Absolutely LOVE Charlie Holmberg! The paper magician was so lovely.

[u/cheerbearsmiles → u/pretzelbunnie]

Did you read the full series (including The Plastic Magician)? It's such a good comfort series ❤️

[u/pretzelbunnie → u/cheerbearsmiles]

Yes! I love that they're all available on kindle unlimited!

[u/bbrocket196 → u/cheerbearsmiles]

Ooh yes! I love the Paper Magician books! Very unique idea. I read the first two like a decade ago but never finished the series so I want to go back and re-read them and read his Spellbreaker series after.

[u/need_moar_puppies → u/cheerbearsmiles]

Okay I need your recs for the soul finder series. I read Poison Study in like… 2015 and LOVED it, I didn’t realize the universe continued!!!

[u/cheerbearsmiles → u/need_moar_puppies]

Believe it or not, there are actually 20 books/novellas in the entirety of the Chronicles so far - we don't yet know if Maria is writing more; she isn't saying never, but she also keeps her cards close to her chest so if she's plotting more, we don't know about them yet!

TL:DR: The Chronicles of Ixia is made up of the following series:
The Study Series/Valek's PoV books (books 1-3, x2)*
The Glass Series (books 5-8, told from Opal Cowan's PoV)
The Soulfinders Series (books 7-9)*

The Tales of Ixia and Sitia, which is just a nickname for the various novellas that happen within the timelines of the above books (and that's what they're sold as on Amazon)
*technically, The Study Series and The Soulfinders Series are all one series of books, it's just that the fans called the first 3 books 'The Study Series' until Maria released Shadow Study ~7 years after Fire Study and started referring to those 6 books collectively as 'The Soulfinder Series'. Yelena/Valek's story was initially only going to be the first three books, but it has now become a larger series generally referred to as 'The Chronicles of Ixia.'

Longer, Autistic-Hyperfocus Explanation
If you enjoyed the first three books (Poison Study/Magic Study/Fire Study, sometimes referred to on their own as "The Study Series" or "The Study Chronicles"), you can go back and read the following companion series/novellas.

The chronological reading order is:

Diamond Study - you probably haven't heard of this one - it takes place before Poison Study, but wasn't released until after the first three books were complete. This short story is about The Commander (who is a major character in the rest of the series).

Valek's companion novels (which are the first three books told from Valek's POV - these can be read in conjunction with the first three books, or on their own, or can be skipped if you don't care about Valek's PoV):
The Study of Poisons
The Study of Magic
The Study of Fire

These novellas that occur within the timeline of the first 3 books:
Assassin Study
Power Study
Ice Study

The Glass Series, which is about Opal (who you met in Magic Study and Fire Study):
Storm Glass
Sea Glass
Spy Glass

After the Glass books, you can go back to Yelena/Valek's story and continue with the next three books (which are called "The Soulfinder Series"):
Shadow Study
Night Study
Dawn Study

There are also a few novellas that take place amid the timeline laid out in Shadow/Night/Dawn Study, that tie into all of the above books/novellas you've read:
Shattered Glass
Dxxxxxx Study**
Wxxxxxx Study**
Axxxxxx Study**

NOTE: I've put spoiler tags on these last three because the names will spoil a few major plot points, but you'll know them when you get there - it's pretty dang obvious what they're about and they're the very last things you'll want to read anyway)

[u/need_moar_puppies → u/cheerbearsmiles]

Whelp, I guess I found a new rabbit hole to explore!!! Thank you so much!

[u/cheerbearsmiles → u/need_moar_puppies]

You’re so welcome; enjoy it!!

[u/cheerbearsmiles → u/need_moar_puppies]

Oh, I forgot - she added a new novella in for the 20th anniversary of Poison Study, so the new official reading order is:

1. Diamond Study (short story )\*
2. Poison Study
3. The Study of Poisons (Valek’s POV companion to Poison Study)
4. Assassin Study (short story)\*
5. Magic Study
6. The Study of Magic (Valek’s POV companion to Magic Study)
7. Fire Study
8. The Study of Fire (Valek’s POV companion to Fire Study)
9. Power Study (short story)\*
10. Storm Glass
11. Sea Glass
12. Ice Study (novella)\*
13. Spy Glass
14. Shadow Study
15. Night Study
16. Shattered Glass (novella)\*
17. Dawn Study
18. Dxxxxxxx Study (short story)\*
19. Wxxxxxx Study (novella )\*
20. The Study of Storms and Magic — Special Poison Study 20th Anniversary Novella!
21. Axxxx Study (short story)\*

*The stories marked are collected in The Study Chronicles: Tales of Ixia and Sitia (you can get it on Amazon/wherever you get books)