The BEST and WORST Fantasy Books Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
- Chatting through all the 2023 fantasy books nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award!
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Romantasy needs to be its own category because they overwhelm traditional fantasy in terms of readership and it’s a sub genre many fantasy readers really don’t like.
This is exactly what I was going to comment. I think people were afraid that a certain romantasy book was totally going to overtake some really great fantasy books this year. It was nice to see the romantasy category.
They don't even separate mysteries from thrillers - which are NOT the same thing. The romantasy books are first and foremost Romance books and that's the genre they should be in.
Also, fine, add it if you want (though it's still trashy and pandering) but they dropped graphic novels as a category to make space for it - which sucks.
And? Many readers hate books with women on them, we should exclude those too?
I agree. Sometimes I’m in the mood for “ramantasy” and sometimes I just want something with less romance but still fantasy. So having the sub genre helps me decide what to read.
@@LynnHermionethat’s a false equivalency
I’m fine with the Romantasy category, because Romantasy has been slowly taking over the fantasy category and this year would be more of the same, so making it its own category gives traditional fantasy a better chance to shine.
What I’m not fine with is their decision to get rid of other categories like Graphic Novels and Middle Grade.
Wholeheartedly agree
Yeah, I didn’t like that they got rid of middle grade
Agreed!
I guess I do like romantasy being a separate category because it separates the TikTok popular stuff (generally speaking) that is bound to get more votes from some different fantasy books. However, I absolutely hate that they deleted the middle grade, comics and graphic novels categories. Way to exclude artists and children/early teen literature authors -_- and it really seems that they were thrown out just to throw in one category in (unequal) exchange...
I was sad to see no middle grade category. I appreciate them separating romantasy, but not at the expense of losing other categories.
I agree. They also got rid of Poetry and Picture Books, but I wish they'd kept middle grade. Claribel Ortega made an excellent video about why getting rid of the middle grade category is harmful to authors and especially marginalized authors.
Completely agree!!!
To me, romantasy is a romance novel set in a fantasy world, where the romance is the central plot. While Emily Wilde has a strong romance plot line, it's not the central plot.
I'm glad Romantasy is its own category now (although I chuckled that it happened in the year without an SJM book). I know there's a lot gray area with genre, but I would argue that what defines it is the importance of the central romance to the book. Like you could remove the "romantic" elements from Sword Catcher and still have a book (albeit a less fun one), but would Fourth Wing be a successful fantasy book without the romance? Similarly, Emily Wilde is more enjoyable with the romance, but I think the bulk of the action would still work without it.
I think the only other comparison is the historical romance, which never gets any recognition in Romance but isn't enough to justify its own category, because if there's enough history then it winds up in that section.
I'm totally fine with the new category. It stops Sarah J Maas from winning every time she has something new. I am sad they got rid of the middle grade category though
I think it makes so much sense to have a separate category for romantasy. They tend to be very different from your average fantasy book. And it gives other authors a chance when SJM has a book out! I just think it makes the winners more meaningful overall
I think it's okay to separate sub-genres within reason (fantasy and romantasy being a good example of this, in my opinion). I feel like most people usually vote for the most popular romantasy books anyway, so it makes sense to give that subgenre its own space. However, some things I think don't need to be separated. For example, I don't think they needed to have separate categories for biography and autobiography; they could've made those into one category. Also, a lot of the 'Humor' books fall into funny autobiographical books. It's a mess.
Yeah I kind of thought there were too many non-fiction categories. And like you said, those three could’ve been a single category
Having a Romantasy category means that there’s more room for different types of fantasy books, and I really love that. As a graphic novel enthusiast who had hoped to see more manga representation, losing that category disappoints me.
I think it makes sense to separate romantasy and fantasy and I’m so glad that they did it, I don’t know where the line is necessarily drawn but it separates the super popular steamy booktok and bookstagram books from more so traditional fantasy and I’m glad that it will allow more fantasy books to shine than just Fourth Wing because I feel like this year had so many amazing new releases! But I don’t like how some of the other categories were cut :/
I like the change in this even though I don't think that there should be category for every sungenre out there. I read a lot of fantasy but I'm not interested in romantasy and that has been dominating the fantasy category for so long that some subgenres of fantasy has been disappearing from the list. Now there is lots of different kind of fantasy books and I'm actually excited to see which is going to win.
Please read ink, blood, sister, scribe. The book is amazing!!! Founder family and a library setting. Magic system based on books. You can’t go wrong.
In general, i would say dont seperate sub genre but these votes have been dominated by them for years
Yeah, I can see why they did it. Mainly because SJM and Yaros wouldn't win every year.
I don’t see anything wrong with adding Romantasy but WHY are we taking away categories 😤
I love all these goodreads videos ❤❤❤
i really like that they separated out romantasy (but i will also admit i have a huge bone...maybe even complete skeleton to pick with the genre as a whole lol) and i wish they'd do the same with other genres too. romance for example usually lacks any historical romance choices
Okay yes! I noticed this too. The romance books were so basic. There wasn’t much variety in them from what I saw. Especially with how big and diverse the genre is getting!
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Sword Catcher. I bought it recently knowing pretty much nothing about it or the author. Now I'm excited to start it.
Love the change! Gives my faves a chance for once lol
This is such a great video idea!
I don't mind there being a separate category for romantasy as I feel like those books in recent years have taken the fantasy wins from books that fall into the more traditional fantasy genre. However, I am upset that they removed multiple other categories for just this one; the one that bothers me most is middle grade.
I haven't read very many of the nominees (although I have learned about a majority of them through your channel), but of the ones I did, my vote went to The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi.
add clytemnestra to your tbr!! so good, i’m not the biggest greek myth fan and i was in love with the book
Will you review the Romantasy categories as well?
I love how many you have read! I have seen so many reaction videos where people are like mhm ok Ive read only 2 hahahha
Im glad The Book That Wouldn't Burn is on the list and Tress.
Great sweater!
Romantasy is, IMO, a subgenre of romance, not of fantasy. It relies more on romance tropes and appeals more to romance readers. Marketing these books to fantasy readers ends up with a lot of frustrated, angry fantasy readers.
It really needs to me separate from the fantasy category.
That said, as a new category, it still has to be more clearly defined. The categories have mostly to do with marketing, so the next couple of years will sort it out as books are specifically marketed that way.
It's both. A Subgenre of Fantasy but also of Romance.
I'm very glad they separated Romantasy. It offsets the sheer Booktube popularity contest a little and I'm more than glad to see something outside of that specific subgenre get recognized.
I think romantasy has the steamy scenes usually… at least that’s what I think of. Yes standard fantasy like Emily Wilde will have romance but I didn’t think of the romance before thinking of fantasy. All of the romantasy I’ve read are heavy on sex scenes lol 🤷🏼♀️
The Will of the Many was also my pick, so awesome to see such great writing coming from another Australian ( like me). I also read Atalanta and loved that too but it just didn't beat out TWofTM in my opinion.
I think it makes sense for romantasy to be separate because the fantasy part of it is just a backdrop for the relationship to happen. Like Emily Wilde could still stand as a fantasy novel if you took out the romantic subplot, whereas most romantasy novels have very little substance in the way of actual fantasy (at least the one’s I’ve read).
1st-just added a new “TAG” to my Libby App as “ Pursue project” basically all book recommendations by you!❤️
2nd-I’m happy for a separation of genre. I love SJM books but mainly their romance brings a popularity that trumps “normal” fantasy. But I’m still new to specific sub genre. 😅
Omg your Libby tag idea is inspired
don't mind the addition of Romantasy, but not a fan some genres like Poetry, Middle Grade and Graphic novels were axed. 😭😭😭
It's good that Romantasy was added as a different category, because I feel the following is quite different from fantasy. But I am irritated that middle grade and graphic novels were thrown out. It feels like an unfair interchange.
Yeah, why can’t they just add more categories? They literally make the rules
@@elise85391 Exactly. And the removed categories have potential of such fantastic books. It’s a loss for readers and authors.
I am voting 100% The will of the many.. That book got me so excited and was just packed with so much stuff I love about fantasy genre.
Ultimately I’m glad ‘Romantasy’ is a separate category - books like Fourth Wing have such a huge following that if it was a part of the fantasy category it would win by popularity alone. The thought of THAT book winning over books like Amina al-Sirafi or Tress gives me the ick (no offence to it’s fans, it’s entertaining trash in the same way Love Island is, but any sort of critical analysis of it completely exposes how bad it is compared to most of the books in the Fantasy nominations).
I think separating the Romantasy makes sense simply because the influx of self-pub authors and tiktok readers in the genre completely swamps traditional fantasy right now. It would be extremely annoying for everyone who reads traditional fantasy if they hadn’t separated them, because nothing notable that we have read would be represented in a singular category. Generally I would think splitting into sub genres would be splitting hairs, but given the current reading climate it makes sense! And in the future when the hubbub dies down it will make sense to remove the category. I like the idea of a more flexible category selection to reflect trends *in addition* to traditional genre categories (not in place of them).
my guess is that romantasy books have explicit sex scenes and the fantasy books with romance dont. I would agree that emily wild falls under fantasy more because the romance wasnt all that prominent.
I love that they finally made a romantasy category but they got rid of middle grade & children, and also grpahic novels! Whyyy goodreads!! Ugh
I don't really get the argument for emily wilde being in romantasy it barely had any romance in it
Literally. Only the ending and it was a sprinkle of romance
Yeah I would say it’s a cozy fantasy
I voted for Tress of the Emerald Sea, but I will say that Ink Blood Sister Scribe was excellent and I was happy to see it on there.
Atalanta & Clytemnestra was both perfect reads. So many amazing books on this list, but my ❤️ goes to Atalanta.
I really enjoyed Tress of the Emerald sea. The story has really stuck with me
I think having it as a separate category makes a certain amount of sense at the moment, since it gives traditional fantasy more of a chance to be noticed, but I wouldn't keep it long term.
I'd also rename the category to something far, far less cringey.
"Fantasy Romance" is a perfectly good name that's been in use for years.
I also voted for The Will of the Many, I'm sad it didn't make it to the final round but understandable since not many have read it compared to some of the other nominees.
My favorite books this year were Tress, The Will of the Many, and Blood Over Bright Haven (which also wasn't nominated... it hasn't received the attention it deserves)
You should try the book of the ancestor trilogy if you liked the book that wouldnt burn!
I love the romantacy category! Helps me know what to avoid lmao
Have you read Strange The Dreamer? I read the duology this year and really loved it.
The Will of the Many is amazing ❤
I was also super surprised to see romantasy as it’s own category! I think overall it’s a good thing because it helps books that are more romantasy to not overshadow other fantasy books and both can have a chance to shine - but also I agree where is the line between them? Also where is middle grade????? Where????
where’s your sweater from its so cute?!!
I also LOVED Sword Catcher! Can’t wait for more
I vote for the great hunt in the wheel of time series. yap better late than never 🤣
🤣
I voted for Sword Catcher because I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the second book. I also wouldn't consider it romantasy, because there was barely any romance; it was more of a sidenote and other storylines were way more important and interesting.
Emily Wilde was more romantic in comparison, but still tame. I think the most important factor for romantasy novels is the smut/spice/whatever you want to call it. I'm glad that goodreads introduced the romantasy category, because this gives a lot of fantasy authors a much fairer chance of winning, but can't understand why goodreads deleted other categories like middle grade.
It is interesting how books hit people differently, I loved" The Unmasking of June Farrow" was much better than" Spells for Forgetting".
I think romantasy is a sub genre of romance and not of fantasy, so not only I think they must me separated but also there should be a different tag in order to warn readers that are looking for a fantasy to read and don't like romantasy (like me, yes, I've fallen into this trap one too many times now and I'm annoyed)
My vote was for a Day of Fallen Night! It took a lot of work and dedication.
And my most unpopular opinion? I HATED Starling House.
I like the separation of fantasy and romantasy. Gives me a better idea of what I’m getting into when picking the book up. Though I agree that there needs to be more of a clear line distinction. With all the politics Swordcatcher definitely felt more classic fantasy, where I would’ve personally put Encyclopedia Of Fairies into romantasy .
I feel like the distinction between fantasy with romance and romantasy is the smut component
I enjoyed starling house
There only being 3 authors of color when there was an abundance of diverse well written fantasy released this year while books that only make the list bc people like the author and nor actually the book is so frustrating 😭
I’m thrilled to see romantasy pulled out of fantasy. The fantasy category is so much more interesting now. I read almost all of these and voted for Clytemnestra. It is a seriously heartbreaking, gut punch of a book written by exactly the right person. I was shocked by how moving it was.
As someone who isn't a big fan of romantasy but ADORE fantasy books I'm so happy. I had already given up earlier this year knowing that Fourth Wing was gonna take the award and it made me really sad (it's great others enjoy it, but that genre ain't for me). But now it doesn't matter!
I am super sad they took away the award for graphic novels. That's one I have no idea why they did that.
I really liked The Will of the Many and The Adventures of Amina Al-Sifari. I don't know which one to vote for!
They need to bring back the Children’s/Middle-grade category. They also got rid of the Graphic Novel category 🙁. And do we need that many nonfiction categories?
I wonder if the authors themselves were asked to choose which category they’d prefer to be included in
I wonder which book is going to win in the Romantasy category... 🙄
I like romantasy, but I’m not always wanting romance in my fantasy. And there is so much incredible fantasy out there that doesn’t seem to get the recognition it deserves because it lacks a romance aspect.
I voted for Tress of the emerald sea.
Regan, could you rec me an adult book (space opera/fantasy/dystopia) with a strong female lead and an epic-ish feel? Thank you!
I personally don’t like that goodreads sometimes nominates books that had JUST been released. I don’t find it to be fair at all. I have an inkling that Tress of the Emerald Sea would win.
I wonder if whether a book is considered fantasy or romantasy has to do with steam level? Like Emily Wilde isn't steamy at all, but based on what I've heard about the romantasy nominees (haven't actually read any of them), they're all a bit more steamy.
I like the new category but wish they had kept middle grade and children’s lit category.
A Romantasy follows the plot conventions of a romance novel where as a fantasy with romance does not.
However, it doesn’t seem that Goodreads is following that criteria. I’ve not read Fourthwing, but it sounds like it might follow an adventure plot?
What's the book you would vote for that wasn't on the list?
Torn on Romantasy. I like the sub-genre a lot but I disagree with some of the Goodreads choices in there!
The book you would vote, I voted
Where, pray tell, is The Tyranny of Faith?! It deserves to at least be nominated
It’s interesting to consider the splitting categories according to romance elements or amount of them. Right now, the requirements seem a little foggy. I understand the potential need for it because of the popularity of romance-centred fantasy books in recent years. It makes me wonder, were SCI-FI or dystopian novels with a romance focus separated in the past, when they were trendy though? Is this new? Or were they less threatening to the integrity of the main genres because they fell into YA? I just feel like all genres could be split according to with romance and without, if we got down to it. It’s very interesting to consider. I hope it doesn’t result in books being dismissed as just a romance because they have a female audience, contain certain amount/type of romance or gained traction on the internet. Like as if there’s the “real” fantasy and then romantasy is fake fantasy. Only time will tell!! It’s checks and balances. I’m glad more traditional fantasy is getting a little more room to breathe and the better opportunity for accolades and attention!!
I agree with all of this!! It’s murky for me and generally I don’t mind BUT (for example) I just read a Joe Abercrombie book that had many explicit steamy scenes so would that book be in the Romantasy section? (probably not!) . Makes me ponder!!!!!!
Hang on, whats the book you actually would vote for???
22:40
@@bestie__22:31
I’m happy Fourth Wing won’t be the best ‘fantasy’ book of the year. Good change to separate the genre.
I think it makes sense to separate the two in this case, because there’s a pretty big difference in the audience. I mostly read romance, so I’ve read a few of the Romantasy picks, but I don’t think I read a single one of these fantasy picks.
And I think with the hype and the perhaps more mainstream appeal that the Romantasy books have, something like Fourth Wing would’ve dominated the category. I loved it personally, and a lot of romance booktubers I watch did as well. But I know Regan and the other fantasy booktubers were not huge fans. And traditional fantasy readers would be incredibly unhappy if Fourth Wing won the category.
I also didn’t like that they removed the middle grade. And I don’t understand why they can’t add a category and keep all the others. They literally make the rules???
I don't like romantasy lol. im so mad that middle grade, graphic novels and poetry are gone. :(
Book genres arent pie. You can add more genre specific categories without taking out other important genres. Tbh I don't really care for goodreads (aka amazon) and havent done for years, but this decision just solidified my opinion.
they call it romantasy but what it really is it's f*cktasy. that's why books like swordcatcher and emily wilde aren't on there. which bothers me a lot bc i love reading sff that focuses on romance but "romantasy" is simply not it (bc of how heteronormative it seems to be, among other things). even the romance category is more diverse in terms of types of stories, romantasy is basically the same book multiplied 20 times
I agree that the divide between fantasy and romantasy is so messy that I don't think it's a good idea. Not to mention the categories they did get rid of, middle grade/children's. The awards are a mess once again! Personally, I don't read books often in the year they release, so I shall not be voting unless my library gets one of the books, and I fall in love with it.
I don't love this new Romantasy sub-genre from the perspective that we can't agree on what the definition is. Everybook with a non platonic relationship? WHAT??? But, I love getting a bulk of these books out of the Fantasy category because they've been wrongly overshadowing the genre in several cases.
I don’t like quest stories! There have been some over the years that I have liked but as a general rule quests are not for me.
hellbent was so disappointing considering how long it took to be written. i expected much more for the time we had to wait. but leigh’s last few book releases, in my opinion, have all fallen flat for me anyway.
Creating the romantasy category been the best thing Goodreads has ever done!! Cause we know damn well none of them romantasy books are the best fantasy books like let’s be real
I don't mind it but they did take out middle grade and children's sadly
As a romance and fantasy reader, who loves to read romance in general, but specifically historical romance and romantasy, I am so happy to see a Romantasy category. I also love good ol' classic fantasy as well.
Romantasy is where fantasy and romance is essentially 50/50, both the world building, plot, etc AND the romance is equally a major part of the books. If you were to remove either one, you would have an incomplete book.
Fantasy romance is a subgenre of romance where the fantasy world is a back drop. Romantasy and fantasy romance are not the same. Because Romantasy was not defined as a genre before now, the two have been (and still is) used interchangeably.
Romantasy is where the two worlds of fantasy and romance combine, and it has truly been it's own genre for years. It is just now recognized mainstream due to a publishing company (Entangled) finally creating an imprint (Red Tower Books) specifically for the newly recognized genre.
Romance is the most widely read genre with a lot of subgenres and has been looked down upon for years. (Probably has something to do with the patriarchy, I'm sure. 🤨) I am glad to see the Romantasy get the respect it deserves with a new category, and I look forward to seeing it recognized more in the future. The new category also helps to not overwhelm the classic epic fantasy genre only readers/authors. I'm happy to get to vote for 3 fantasy/sci-fi genres either way.
Now, if they could show at least historical romance, and not just contemporary romance...that would be great. Also, not remove the other categories like middlegrade, graphic novels, etc. Maybe remove the less popular non-fiction. I mean, do we really need a category for autobiography AND biographies?