Romantasy Glossary
Your guide to the terms, tropes, and acronyms the romantasy community uses frequently.
A
- ACOMAFAcronym
- Shorthand for A Court of Mist and Fury. Book 2 in the ACOTAR series.
- ACOSFAcronym
- Shorthand for A Court of Silver Flames. Book 5 in the ACOTAR series.
- ACOTARAcronym
- Shorthand for A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Can refer to book 1 in the series, or the entire series.
- ACOWARAcronym
- Shorthand for A Court of Wings and Ruin. Book 3 in the ACOTAR series.
- ARCAcronym
- Advance Reader Copy. An early copy of a book handed out before release, usually so people can review it.
B
- Book BoyfriendSlang
- A fictional love interest from a book that you have completely fallen for.
- Book HangoverSlang
- That post-book daze where you can't start anything new because the last one wrecked you.
- BookTokSlang
- The book-loving corner of TikTok.
C
- Cinnamon RollSlang
- A super sweet, soft love interest who is respectful and kind.
- Closed DoorSpice
- When the steamy scenes happen off the page. You know it's happening, but you aren't in the room.
- Content Warning(CW / TW)Acronym
- A heads up about heavy or potentially upsetting content in a book.
- Cozy FantasySubgenre
- A subgenre of romantasy that has low stakes and no fighting, Often whimisical and makes you feel comfortable and cozy.
D
- Dark AcademiaSubgenre
- A subgenre of romantasy that has dark moody vibes and takes place around or in an academic setting.
- Dark RomanceSubgenre
- Romance that leans into morally questionable characters and heavier, sometimes taboo themes. Not for everyone, and that's okay.
- DNFAcronym
- Did Not Finish. When you stop reading a book before the end.
E
- Enemies to Lovers(E2L)Trope
- A romance where the romantic interest starts as an enemy before they fall in love.
F
- FaeSpecies
- Also called fairy, faerie, or fey. They are a magical race, usually with pointy ears and immortal. There are lots of different kinds of fae in the romantasy world. There is also a lot of folklore that some books use like the Seelie and Unseelie courts. There are also types of fae like Brownies, Nymphs, Pixies, Elves, etc.
- Fake DatingTrope
- Two characters pretend to be a couple for some reason or another, and real feelings show up.
- Fated MatesTrope
- Two characters are destined to be together, often coming with a telepathic bond between them.
- FMCAcronym
- Female Main Character.
- Forbidden LoveTrope
- The two love interests are kept apart and their relationship is taboo for some reason.
- Forced ProximityTrope
- The plot traps two characters together so they have to deal with each other and their feelings.
- Found FamilyTrope
- A group who aren't related by blood but become each other's people anyway.
- Friends to Lovers(F2L)Trope
- Best friends who slowly (or not so slowly) realize they're in love.
G
- Gothic RomanceSubgenre
- A subgenre of romantasy that has eerie atmospheres or dark, moody vibes like crumbling castles and dark forests.
- Grumpy / SunshineTrope
- One love interest is grumpy and the other is warm and sunshiny. They balance each other out.
H
- HEAAcronym
- Happily Ever After. A romance that ends with the couple together for good.
- HFNAcronym
- Happy For Now. An upbeat ending that doesn't promise forever (like dating).
I
- Insta LoveTrope
- The two love interests fall in love immediately with little to no obstacles. The opposite of a slow burn.
K
- KUAcronym
- Kindle Unlimited.
L
- Love TriangleTrope
- One character, two love interests, and a whole lot of tension.
M
- Marriage of Convenience(MOC)Trope
- Two characters get married for practical reasons and then catch feelings.
- MMCAcronym
- Male Main Character.
- Morally GreySlang
- A character who isn't purely good or bad. They have done some questionable things.
O
- Only One BedTrope
- When it comes time to go to bed, whoops! There's only one bed, and now they have to share.
- Open DoorSpice
- When the steamy scenes happen right there on the page.
P
- Paranormal RomanceSubgenre
- A subgenre of romantasy that involves a love interest that is a vampire, werewolf, shifter, etc.
- POVAcronym
- Point of View. Whose head you're in for the story. Dual POV means you get 2 heads.
R
- Reverse Harem(RH)Trope
- The main character has multiple love interests at once and doesn't have to pick just one. Also called Why Choose.
- RomantasySlang
- A blend of 'romance' and 'fantasy'. Also called Fantasy Romance. These are fantasy books where the central romance matters as much as the world-building.
S
- Secret IdentityTrope
- A character is posing as someone else or keeping their true identity a secret for some reason.
- Shadow DaddySlang
- The MMC can wield the power of shadows or darkness, and they're really hot doing it.
- ShiftersSpecies
- A magical race that can shift from a human body into the body of an animal or another human. There are lots of different kinds of shifters in the romantasy world.
- SJMAcronym
- Shorthand for Sarah J. Maas, the author of the ACOTAR and TOG series.
- Slow BurnTrope
- A romance that develops gradually, building tension over a long stretch before the characters get together.
- SmutSpice
- Explicit, on-page sexual content.
- SpiceSpice
- How much explicit romantic content a book has, often rated as 1-5 🌶️s (spice levels). 1 has romance but no sex. 2 has sex but behind closed doors. 3 has sex with the doors open. 4 is when the sex gets more frequent and explicit. 5 is the most frequent and most explciit.
T
- TBRAcronym
- To Be Read. Often used to describe the huge list of books you plan to read next.
- Telepathic BondTrope
- Two characters (usually the two love interests) have a mental connection like reading each other's thoughts, emotions, or location. Can also include dream walking or astral projection.
- The Chosen OneTrope
- The main character who is just a normal person turns out to be chosen by a prophecy or fate to become very important.
- TOGAcronym
- Shorthand for Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Can refer to book 1 in the series, or the whole series.
- Touch Her and You DieTrope
- A fiercely protective (often possessive) love interest who would burn the world down for their person.
U
- Urban FantasySubgenre
- A subgenre of fantasy that takes place in the normal, modern world instead of a fantasy world.
V
- VampireSpecies
- A magical race, usually with fangs that they use to drink blood from humans. There are lots of different kinds of vampires in the romantasy world.
W
- WitchSpecies
- A magical race that can usually wield magic in the form of a wand, potions, or their mind. There are lots of different kinds of witches in the romantasy world.