A Court This Cruel and Lovely

A Court This Cruel and Lovely is part of the romantasy genre, which is a hybrid genre combining the conventions of romance and fantasy. While books in the fantasy genre often have romance subplots, romantasy novels ensure that the romantic arc is the central aspect of the plot. However, such stories are set within the broader context of fantasy-style world-building, and tropes such as magical powers, mythical creatures, and heroic quests are common. Two prominent authors in this genre include Sarah J. Maas, who wrote Throne of Glass (2012) and A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015), and Jennifer L. Armentrout, who wrote From Blood and Ash (2020) and A Shadow in the Ember (2021). The popular appeal of the genre lies in its ability to blend the emotional stakes of romance with the escapism and adventure of fantasy.

Several defining features set romantasy apart as its own genre, and the most important aspect involves the genre’s approach to romance itself. While the setting may be magical or otherwise fantastical, the emotional connection between the protagonists remains the primary driving force of the narrative, and the relationship usually follows the traditional structure and tropes of the romance genre. However, unlike other romance novels, in which the focus is primarily on the emotional and psychological dynamics of the characters, romantasy surrounds these relationships with high-stakes, fantastical situations that provide unique obstacles for the couple. The world-building in such novels can range from medieval-inspired settings to real-world cities whose inhabitants are well aware that magic exists in the modern world. In virtually all works in the romantasy genre, magic plays a prominent role and is used to add additional layers of conflict or symbolize the characters’ deeper emotional or psychological struggles. Common tropes involve a love interest cursed to turn into a beast or a forbidden romance between members of different magical factions. Romantasy also uses the practical device of adventures or quests to propel the plot forward, and the pratagonists’ romantic entanglements often evolve amidst the stresses of the journey. In many cases, the lovers’ fate is tied to the success or failure of their broader quest, which can range from saving a kingdom or breaking a curse to defeating an evil power. The characters’ love story therefore becomes an integral part of the world-saving adventure rather than a separate subplot.

One of the most noticeable traits of romantasy is its tendency to play with romance tropes by giving them a fantasy-style twist. For example, the classic romance trope of forbidden love is popular in romantasy, but the fantastical setting amplifies the risks of the relationship by imposing outlandish consequences for ignoring the societal limitations imposed upon the relationship. Within the context of A Court This Cruel and Lovely, Stark adds a creative twist to the “enemies-to-lovers” romance trope, for although Prisca and Lorian become attracted to one another despite their initial opposition, this dynamic remains unresolved at the end of the novel with the revelation of Lorian’s true nature and background. Ultimately, this first installment of the series displays many of the hallmarks of both romance and fantasy, but because the relationship between Prisca and Lorian takes center stage, the markers of the hybrid romantasy genre are clear.