We could tell you to only read completed series between now and October. But that would mean skipping some of the best romantasy being written right now, and also, you're going to start them anyway. Someone will mention one on BookTok, you'll see it at the bookstore, and you'll be three books deep before you remember you were supposed to be pacing yourself.
Just start them. At least you'll have company in the waiting.
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Start HuntingFourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Empyrean)
Violet Sorrengail was supposed to be a scribe. Instead, her mother forces her into dragon rider training at Basgiath War College, where the dragons bond with you or kill you. There's no softening that. The enemies-to-lovers with Xaden is intense, the dragon bonding is everything, and the twists at the end of each book will make you want to throw things. Three books out, two more planned, and Yarros is currently plotting book 4.
Welcome to the wait.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Blood and Ash)
Poppy has been sheltered her entire life as the Maiden, and Hawke is her new guard. If you need a possessive, unhinged love interest who would burn the world down for the FMC, this is your series. The first book has incredible tension, the second blows the world open. We'll be honest: the later books are divisive. Some readers love where it goes, others feel the series stretches. But the first two are undeniable, and there's plenty to keep you busy for weeks.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent (Crowns of Nyaxia)
Oraya is a human raised by the Nightborn vampire king. She enters a deadly tournament to win power in a world that sees her as prey. Raihn is her unlikely ally, and the tension between "I need you to survive this" and "I cannot trust you" carries the whole first duology. The smart thing about this series: it's structured as duologies, so you get a complete couple arc every two books while the larger world story builds. Start with The Serpent and the Wings of Night. If you love it, the House of Shadow duology (The Songbird and the Heart of Stone) has a completely different vibe and is just as good.
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker (Moonfall)
If BookTok hasn't already gotten to you with this one, here's the pitch: a world where fallen moons become dragons, a feral assassin FMC who can't remember her past, and a dragon-shifter king who's been mourning her for centuries. The world-building is dense (the first 100 pages require patience) but once it clicks, it CLICKS. Book 2 is coming in 2026, which means you can read the first one now and join the rest of us obsessing over details while we wait.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (Roots of Chaos)
If you love the SCOPE of ACOTAR's world but want something with more political depth, Shannon's interconnected fantasy epic spans multiple continents and centuries. The Priory of the Orange Tree works as a standalone, but The Roots of Chaos series (starting with A Day of Fallen Night) expands the world. It's epic fantasy with genuine romantic threads woven through court intrigue and dragon lore. Different energy from ACOTAR, but if the world-building and court politics are what hook you, this delivers on a massive scale.
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