Best Sapphic Romantasy Books: Adult, YA and Fantasy Romance

Editorial note: Spice, romance weight, and ending descriptions are comparative RomantasyOrder assessments. They are not official publisher age ratings, and “completed” does not necessarily mean every connected fictional world is permanently closed.

Author

Tasha Suri

Series

The Burning Kingdoms

Central romance

Malini and Priya

Audience

Adult

Romance weight

High

Fantasy weight

Very high

Spice

Low to moderate

Status

Completed trilogy

Subgenre

Epic political fantasy

Orbit explicitly describes The Jasmine Throne as a sapphic fantasy about a captive princess and a maidservant with forbidden magic. The trilogy concludes with The Lotus Empire, which Orbit calls the epic conclusion to the Burning Kingdoms trilogy.

Why Read It?

The Burning Kingdoms is one of the strongest recommendations for readers who want sapphic romance inside a large, politically complex fantasy story.

The strength of the book is how many pressures are working on the relationship at once:

• A captive princess
• A hidden priestess
• Forbidden magic
• Imperial violence
• Rebellion
• Religious power
• Political ambition
• Mutual distrust
• Emotional yearning
• A relationship complicated by duty to opposing peoples

Malini and Priya are not isolated from the fantasy conflict. Their attraction, loyalty, fear, and ambition directly influence the future of kingdoms.

Central Romance

The relationship is unquestionably central, but it is not simple or consistently comforting.

Both women have goals beyond romance. They care about their people, power, survival, and political futures. At times, those goals align; at other times, they place the women in direct conflict.

The relationship develops through:

• Forced proximity
• Unequal power
• Shared danger
• Political calculation
• Vulnerability
• Betrayal
• Mutual recognition
• Competing responsibilities
• Fantasy and Worldbuilding

The series is inspired by histories and cultures of the Indian subcontinent and builds its world around empire, religion, sacred waters, inherited power, and resistance.

Magic is connected to land, faith, bodily transformation, and political legitimacy.

This is fantasy-first in scale even though the romance remains emotionally important.

The series contains desire and intimacy, but it is not structured like a high-spice romance series.

Readers should expect longing, political tension, and emotional conflict to receive more emphasis than frequent explicit scenes.

• Series and Ending Status

The trilogy is complete:

• The Jasmine Throne
• The Oleander Sword
• The Lotus Empire

The final volume closes the central trilogy.

Avoid describing the ending as a light or conventional romance conclusion. It is better presented as complete, emotionally intense, and shaped by the series’ political stakes.

Best For

• Adult sapphic romantasy
• Completed epic fantasy
• Political intrigue
• Forbidden magic
• Morally complicated heroines
• Slow-burn yearning
• Readers who want fantasy and romance to carry equal emotional weight
• May Not Suit
• Readers seeking cozy romance
• Readers wanting high spice
• Readers avoiding political violence
• Readers needing a simple, consistently reassuring relationship

Author

Samantha Shannon

World

The Roots of Chaos

Central romance

Ead and Sabran

Audience

Adult

Romance weight

Medium

Fantasy weight

Very high

Spice

Low

Status

Self-contained central novel

Subgenre

Epic dragon fantasy

Bloomsbury presents The Priory of the Orange Tree as an epic fantasy about Queen Sabran, her secret protector Ead, dragon rider Tané, divided kingdoms, and an ancient draconic threat.

Why Read It?

This is one of the best sapphic fantasy recommendations for readers who want:

• Dragons
• Queens
• Court politics
• Religious conflict
• Secret magic
• Multiple cultures
• Several points of view
• A substantial sapphic romance
• A complete central story in one long volume

The romance between Ead and Sabran matters emotionally and politically, but the novel is not romance-first.

Central Romance

Ead begins as an outsider at court who secretly protects Sabran.

Their relationship develops through:

• Proximity
• Secrecy
• Trust
• Political duty
• Personal vulnerability
• Conflicting religious beliefs
• The danger attached to Sabran’s crown

The romance is central enough to matter, but the book spends significant time away from the couple.

• Fantasy and Worldbuilding

The novel’s dominant structure is epic fantasy.

It explores:

• Competing beliefs about dragons
• Monarchy and succession
• East–West political division
• Secret magical orders
• Historical misinformation
• Religious authority
• Global threat

Removing the romance would weaken the characters, but a large independent fantasy plot would still remain.

The relationship includes intimacy, but readers should not choose this primarily for explicit content.

• Standalone and Ending Status

The central novel tells a complete story.

It belongs to the wider Roots of Chaos world, which also includes A Day of Fallen Night, but readers do not need to commit to an unfinished direct sequel to receive a resolution.

Best For

• Adult sapphic epic fantasy
• Dragons
• Queens and court politics
• Low spice
• Long standalone-style reads
• Fantasy-first readers
• Readers who want romance shaped by duty and power
• May Not Suit
• Readers seeking romance in every chapter
• Readers wanting fast pacing
• Readers avoiding very long books
• Readers looking for high spice

Author

Allison Saft

• Format: Standalone

Central romance

Lorelei and Sylvia

Audience

Adult

Romance weight

High

Fantasy weight

High

Spice

Moderate

Status

Complete standalone

Subgenre

Folklore fantasy mystery

Penguin Random House describes A Dark and Drowning Tide as a sapphic fantasy romance about a sharp-tongued folklorist and her academic rival investigating their mentor’s murder during a magical expedition.

Why Read It?

This is a strong choice for readers who want the romance and central mystery to remain closely connected.

The romance works because the investigation keeps forcing the characters to reassess each other:

• Academic rivals
• Murder mystery
• A magical expedition
• Folklore
• Political instability
• A suspicious ensemble cast
• Dangerous forests and rivers
• Slow-growing attraction
• A self-contained plot

Central Romance

Lorelei and Sylvia begin as rivals with sharply different personalities and social positions.

Their relationship develops through:

• Intellectual competition
• Mutual suspicion
• Forced cooperation
• Shared danger
• Recognition of prejudice and privilege
• Conflicting approaches to scholarship
• Emotional vulnerability

The romance is not incidental. Their ability to trust each other affects whether they can solve the murder and survive the expedition.

• Fantasy and Worldbuilding

The novel uses folklore as part of both the academic setting and the physical danger.

The expedition encounters:

• Shifting forests
• Magical waterways
• Sleeping dragons
• Shapeshifting creatures
• A legendary spring
• Political pressure surrounding magical resources

The worldbuilding remains focused enough to support a standalone rather than requiring a large series.

The romance is adult and physically present, but the book is not primarily an erotic fantasy romance.

• Ending Status

The main mystery and central relationship are handled within one novel.

This makes it one of the easiest recommendations for readers who want adult sapphic romantasy without beginning a trilogy.

Best For

• Adult academic rivals
• Standalone romantasy
• Folklore
• Murder mystery
• Enemies-to-lovers tension
• Moderate spice
• Readers wanting romance and fantasy in balance
• May Not Suit
• Readers wanting epic military fantasy
• Readers seeking a long series
• Readers avoiding murder investigations
• Readers wanting a cozy tone

Author

Heather Walter

Series

The Malice Duology

Central romance

Alyce and Aurora

Audience

Adult

Romance weight

Very high

Fantasy weight

High

Spice

Moderate

Status

Completed duology

Subgenre

Dark fairytale retelling

Penguin Random House describes Malice as a queer reimagining of Sleeping Beauty in which a princess falls for the feared sorceress expected to become the villain. The series consists of Malice and Misrule.

Why Read It?

Malice is one of the clearest sapphic romantasy choices for readers who want the central F/F relationship to drive the story.

The fairytale structure gives the romance a sharper edge:

• A princess under a curse
• A feared dark sorceress
• Fairytale expectations
• Social exclusion
• Court manipulation
• Forbidden love
• Villain origin themes
• Anger, revenge, and transformation

The book deliberately rewrites the traditional prince-and-princess structure.

Central Romance

Alyce and Aurora’s relationship grows from their shared sense of confinement.

Aurora is treated as a political object whose value is tied to marriage and succession. Alyce is valued for her magic while simultaneously being feared and humiliated.

Their connection develops through:

• Recognition
• Emotional safety
• Shared frustration
• Hope for a different future
• Defiance of expected roles
• The pressure of Aurora’s curse
• Fantasy and Themes

The duology examines who gets labeled a monster and who benefits from maintaining that label.

Magic, social power, gender expectations, royal succession, and resentment all influence the romance.

The relationship is central and intimate, but readers should expect dark emotional consequences and fantasy conflict rather than a light romance-first experience.

• Series and Ending Status

The duology is complete:

• Malice
• Misrule

The relationship arc receives a conclusion, but the journey is darker and more complicated than a conventional fairytale romance.

Best For

• Sapphic fairytale retellings
• Princess-and-villain romance

Completed duologies

• Dark magic
• Morally gray heroines
• Adult fantasy romance
• Readers who enjoy subverted happily-ever-after narratives
• May Not Suit
• Readers seeking cozy romance
• Readers wanting uncomplicated heroes
• Readers avoiding betrayal or revenge
• Readers needing a consistently hopeful tone

Author

Sydney J. Shields

• Format: Standalone

Central romance

Marigold and Lottie

Audience

Adult

Romance weight

High

Fantasy weight

Medium

Spice

Low to moderate

Status

Complete standalone

Subgenre

Cozy cottagecore fantasy

Orbit markets The Honey Witch as a cozy sapphic romantasy featuring cottagecore atmosphere, island magic, and a romance between a witch and a woman who does not believe in magic.

Why Read It?

This is one of the gentlest recommendations on the page.

It offers:

• An island setting
• Honey-based magic
• Cottagecore atmosphere
• Family inheritance
• A magical curse
• Skeptic/witch tension
• A central sapphic romance
• Themes of belonging and independence

Central Romance

The romance develops between a woman learning to inhabit her magical role and a skeptic whose disbelief creates immediate tension.

Unlike the political relationships in The Jasmine Throne or The Priory of the Orange Tree, the stakes are more personal and community-focused.

The relationship centers on:

• Trust
• Hope
• Emotional risk
• Belief
• Loneliness
• The possibility of choosing a life outside social expectations
• Fantasy and Tone

The magic is softer and more atmospheric than technical.

The book is best approached as romantic cozy fantasy rather than as epic fantasy with extensive political systems.

Its world includes curses and emotional pain, but the reading experience is warmer and more hopeful than most dark romantasy.

The romance is prominent without making explicit content the primary selling point.

• Ending Status

The main romantic and fantasy story is contained within one novel.

Best For

• Cozy sapphic romantasy
• Cottagecore settings
• Witches
• Adult standalone romance
• Lower spice
• Hopeful emotional tone
• Readers wanting romance-first fantasy without a long series
• May Not Suit
• Readers seeking epic battles
• Readers wanting dense worldbuilding
• Readers looking for very high spice
• Readers who dislike slower, atmospheric stories

Author

Rose Sutherland

• Format: Standalone

Central romance

Jean and Muirin

Audience

Adult

Romance weight

High

Fantasy weight

Medium

Spice

Low to moderate

Status

Complete standalone

Subgenre

Gothic historical folklore

Penguin Random House describes A Sweet Sting of Salt as a sapphic reimagining of the selkie-wife folktale in which a midwife uncovers a dangerous secret about her neighbor and the woman she grows to love.

Why Read It?

This is an especially strong recommendation for readers who want folklore, historical atmosphere, and a relationship shaped by protection and freedom.

The book's atmosphere comes from the overlap between folklore, danger, and domestic confinement:

• A coastal setting
• A midwife protagonist
• Selkie folklore
• Isolation
• Domestic danger
• Mystery
• A gradual sapphic romance
• Gothic tension
• Themes of bodily autonomy

Central Romance

Jean’s concern for Muirin begins before she fully understands the magical or personal truth of the situation.

Their relationship develops through:

• Care
• Communication barriers
• Growing trust
• Protective instinct
• Recognition of coercion
• Shared longing for safety and freedom

The romance cannot be separated from the central mystery because Jean’s feelings motivate her to investigate the danger surrounding Muirin.

• Fantasy and Themes

The fantasy draws from the selkie-wife tradition but reframes the story around the woman whose freedom has been taken.

The novel explores:

• Control
• Marriage
• Isolation
• Consent
• Community silence
• Female solidarity
• The difference between rescue and possession

The emotional and gothic elements carry more weight than explicit content.

• Ending Status

The story is complete within one book.

It is a useful entry point for readers who want queer folklore without committing to a multi-book series.

Best For

• Sapphic folklore retellings
• Gothic historical fantasy
• Standalone romance
• Coastal atmosphere
• Lower spice
• Protective heroines
• Readers interested in selkie mythology
• May Not Suit
• Readers avoiding domestic abuse themes
• Readers wanting light cozy fantasy
• Readers seeking action-heavy worldbuilding
• Readers looking for high spice

Author

Samantha Shannon

World

The Roots of Chaos

• Romance structure: Multiple sapphic relationships

Audience

Adult

Romance weight

Medium

Fantasy weight

Very high

Spice

Low

Status

Self-contained prequel

Subgenre

Epic dragon fantasy

Bloomsbury describes A Day of Fallen Night as an epic prequel in the Roots of Chaos world centered on four women. Publisher materials also explicitly describe it as sapphic fantasy.

Why Read It?

This is a valuable inclusion for readers who want more than one model of sapphic relationship.

Rather than centering only new attraction, the novel includes women at different life stages and within different forms of love, duty, family, and partnership.

It offers:

• Dragons
• Multiple kingdoms
• Political leadership
• Established relationships
• New attraction
• Motherhood
• Religious authority
• War
• Several female protagonists
• Central and Broader Representation

This book differs from The Jasmine Throne because no single romance dominates the entire novel.

Its sapphic relationships are nevertheless substantial and tied to central point-of-view characters.

This makes it appropriate for the page, but readers should understand that it is ensemble epic fantasy rather than one-couple romance-first romantasy.

• Fantasy and Worldbuilding

The book expands the Roots of Chaos world through:

• Dynastic pressure
• Pregnancy and succession
• Dragon mythology
• Religious institutions
• International conflict
• Long-standing personal commitments
• Generational responsibility

The emotional maturity of the relationships matters more than explicitness.

• Standalone and Series Status

It functions as a self-contained prequel within the same wider world as The Priory of the Orange Tree.

Readers can begin here, though publication order may make some elements of the world easier to appreciate.

Best For

• Epic sapphic fantasy
• Dragons
• Multiple women protagonists
• Established queer relationships
• Low spice
• Mature partnership
• Readers who want fantasy-first storytelling
• May Not Suit
• Readers seeking one dominant central couple
• Readers wanting a short book
• Readers looking for high spice
• Readers preferring simple worldbuilding

Author

Jamie Pacton

• Format: Self-contained YA adventure in a connected fae world

Central romance

Sybil and Esme

Audience

YA

Romance weight

High

Fantasy weight

Medium

Spice

Low

Subgenre

Fae heist fantasy

Penguin Random House describes The Absinthe Underground as an LGBTQ fantasy romance featuring fae lore, slow-burn sapphic pining, and a magical heist.

Why Read It?

This is a good YA option for readers who want:

• Best friends
• Slow-burn pining
• Fae
• A magical heist
• Belle Époque-inspired atmosphere
• Artistic ambition
• Friendship turning romantic
• Low explicitness

Central Romance

The relationship grows from an existing emotional foundation rather than immediate attraction between strangers.

The protagonists already care deeply about one another, but fear, uncertainty, and unspoken feelings complicate the transition from friendship to romance.

• Fantasy and Tone

The fantasy is whimsical, stylish, and adventure-focused.

It is less politically dense than The Jasmine Throne and less dark than Malice. The romantic and heist elements are designed to remain accessible to YA readers.

The emphasis is on pining, emotional realization, and romantic tension rather than explicit scenes.

• Status

The main adventure is self-contained, while later books return to the broader fae world with other characters and relationships.

Best For

• YA sapphic romantasy
• Friends to lovers
• Fae settings
• Magical heists
• Low spice
• Slow-burn pining
• Readers wanting a lighter tone
• May Not Suit
• Readers seeking adult spice
• Readers wanting epic fantasy
• Readers preferring darker political conflict
• Readers avoiding YA protagonists

Choose:

• The Burning Kingdoms
• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• Malice
• The Honey Witch
• A Sweet Sting of Salt
• A Day of Fallen Night

These books are written or marketed for adult audiences, but their spice and thematic intensity vary considerably.

• Best YA Sapphic Romantasy

Start with:

• The Absinthe Underground

Other YA fantasy romances may contain strong sapphic representation, but they should only be added when the central romance is clearly substantial enough to satisfy the page’s inclusion standard.

• Best Completed Sapphic Fantasy Series
• The Burning Kingdoms
• The Malice Duology

Both have published conclusions, though their tones and romantic outcomes differ significantly.

• Best Sapphic Romantasy Standalones
• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• The Honey Witch
• A Sweet Sting of Salt

A Day of Fallen Night also tells a self-contained story but belongs to a larger connected world.

• Best Romance-First Sapphic Romantasy
• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• Malice
• The Honey Witch
• A Sweet Sting of Salt
• The Absinthe Underground

These give the central relationship sustained narrative attention.

• Best Fantasy-First Sapphic Romantasy
• The Burning Kingdoms
• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Day of Fallen Night

The romance matters, but politics, war, dragons, religion, and large-scale fantasy conflict occupy more of the story.

• Best Low-Spice Sapphic Romantasy
• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Day of Fallen Night
• The Absinthe Underground
• Best Moderate-Spice Sapphic Romantasy
• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• Malice
• The Burning Kingdoms
• The Honey Witch
• A Sweet Sting of Salt

Spice can be subjective, so each rating should be treated as comparative rather than exact.

• Best Cozy Sapphic Romantasy
• The Honey Witch
• Best Dark Sapphic Romantasy
• Malice
• The Burning Kingdoms
• A Sweet Sting of Salt
• Best Sapphic Romantasy With Dragons
• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Day of Fallen Night

Adult and YA labels describe intended audience and narrative framing, not simply whether the characters are queer or whether the book contains spice.

• Adult Sapphic Romantasy Often Includes
• Older protagonists
• Political or professional responsibility
• Marriage
• War
• Leadership
• Trauma
• More complex sexual relationships
• Denser worldbuilding
• Explicit content
• Moral compromise

Examples:

• The Burning Kingdoms
• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• Malice
• YA Sapphic Romantasy Often Includes
• Teenage protagonists
• First love
• Identity formation
• Family pressure
• Friendship becoming romance
• School or early independence
• Lower explicitness
• A younger intended readership

Example:

• The Absinthe Underground

An adult book can be low spice, and a YA book can still contain violence, danger, grief, or mature themes.

• F/F Romance vs Sapphic Representation

Some readers search specifically for F/F romance.

In practical book-discovery terms, F/F usually means that the main romantic relationship is between two women.

“Sapphic” may be a better umbrella term when:

• One or both characters are bisexual
• A character’s precise label is not stated
• A nonbinary character identifies with sapphic attraction
• The book includes multiple central relationships among women
• The fictional world uses different identity language

This page uses “sapphic” as the broader category while still making the actual central relationship clear in each recommendation.

Where a book is specifically centered on two women, the page can also naturally use:

• F/F fantasy romance
• lesbian fantasy romance
• women-loving-women fantasy romance

Do not apply “lesbian” to every character unless the character or authoritative text supports that specific identity.

Do Sapphic Romantasy Books Have Happy Endings?

Some do, but not all fantasy books marketed as sapphic follow the same ending rules as category romance.

A book may offer:

• A clear happy ending
• A hopeful ending
• A happy-for-now ending
• A completed relationship arc with major losses
• A bittersweet ending
• An unresolved romance that continues into the next book
• A tragic or politically complicated conclusion

Readers should distinguish:

• Central romance

from:

• Guaranteed traditional romance ending

For this page, use spoiler-light labels such as:

• Hopeful
• Self-contained
• Continues in book two
• Completed but emotionally intense
• Bittersweet
• Ongoing

Do not promise an HEA unless the ending has been verified and the label does not spoil an important narrative turn.

Completed Series

• The Burning Kingdoms
• The Malice Duology
• Self-Contained Novels
• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• The Honey Witch
• A Sweet Sting of Salt
• A Day of Fallen Night
• Connected Worlds
• The Roots of Chaos
• The fae world introduced in The Absinthe Underground

A connected world does not automatically make an individual novel incomplete.

The useful question is:

Does this book resolve its main fantasy conflict and romantic arc, or does the reader need the next installment?

• Sapphic Romantasy by Fantasy Subgenre
• Epic Political Fantasy
• The Burning Kingdoms
• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Day of Fallen Night
• Dark Fairytale Retellings
• Malice
• Folklore and Gothic Fantasy
• A Sweet Sting of Salt
• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• Cozy Witch Fantasy
• The Honey Witch
• Fae Fantasy
• The Absinthe Underground
• Dragon Fantasy
• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Day of Fallen Night
• Academic or Expedition Fantasy
• A Dark and Drowning Tide

• Choose by Romance Weight

For romance-first reading:

• Malice
• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• The Honey Witch
• A Sweet Sting of Salt
• The Absinthe Underground

For a balanced fantasy and romance experience:

• The Burning Kingdoms

For fantasy-first reading:

• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Day of Fallen Night
• Choose by Tone

For cozy and hopeful:

• The Honey Witch

For gothic and dangerous:

• A Sweet Sting of Salt
• Malice

For political and emotionally intense:

• The Burning Kingdoms

For adventurous and romantic:

• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• The Absinthe Underground

For epic and immersive:

• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Day of Fallen Night
• Choose by Reading Commitment

For one-book commitments:

• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• The Honey Witch
• A Sweet Sting of Salt
• The Priory of the Orange Tree

For a completed duology:

• Malice

For a completed trilogy:

• The Burning Kingdoms
• Choose by Spice

For low spice:

• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Day of Fallen Night
• The Absinthe Underground

For moderate romantic heat:

• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• Malice
• The Honey Witch
• A Sweet Sting of Salt
• The Burning Kingdoms
• Choose by Fantasy Complexity

For accessible fantasy:

• The Honey Witch
• The Absinthe Underground
• A Sweet Sting of Salt

For medium-complexity worlds:

• A Dark and Drowning Tide
• Malice

For dense epic fantasy:

• The Burning Kingdoms
• The Priory of the Orange Tree
• A Day of Fallen Night

The best sapphic romantasy book depends on how central you want the romance to be.

Choose Malice, The Honey Witch, or A Dark and Drowning Tide when you want the central F/F relationship to receive sustained attention.

Choose The Burning Kingdoms when you want sapphic yearning inside a completed epic fantasy trilogy.

Choose The Priory of the Orange Tree or A Day of Fallen Night when you want dragons, kingdoms, and political worldbuilding to remain larger than any single romance.

Choose A Sweet Sting of Salt for gothic folklore and a standalone story about danger, freedom, and love.

Choose The Absinthe Underground when you want a lower-spice YA adventure with fae magic and friends-to-lovers pining.

Readers who came here for the dragon-heavy side of epic fantasy romance may also want dragon romantasy books, especially if The Priory of the Orange Tree is your likely starting point.

The most important inclusion rule is simple:

A sapphic romantasy recommendation should contain a central or substantial sapphic romance—not merely background representation.

That distinction makes the page more useful for readers and prevents broad LGBTQ fantasy lists from being mislabeled as romance recommendations.