Goodreads has launched the opening round for their yearly awards for the best books just recently. I skimmed through the categories myself, yet already saw quite mixed reviews about the suggestions for this year’s nominees.
Some categories like poetry and children books were removed (yeah, you can say that children ain’t a target audience for the Goodreads yet this platform always seemed to be well rounded).
Graphic novels is also something that was removed unfortunately. Although these ain’t my cup of tea, I’m almost sure it must be upsetting for a large group of people.
This isn’t new (I don’t think…), but I was super underwhelmed by the lack of queer representation in the nominees. Also, what the heck is ‘romantasy’? That probably should have been defined…
Yes, the romance nominees were suuuper heterosexual - very disappointing!
I’m not a fantasy reader at all, but some criticism of the fantasy category that I have seen is that it gets filled with fantasy-romance books (like those by Sarah J. Mass for example) which tend to be shoo-ins for the top spot. So, giving those their own category frees up the fantasy category for more traditional fantasy books.
Basically fantasy with a focus on romance. There’s a fantasy romance sub on here that uses the term a lot.
Yet, it is supposedly distinct enough not to be paranormal romance, genre romance in a fantasy world, not long running series with a strong romance b plot.
I personally think it is pure garbage to kick female MC’s out of adult fantasy because all those books get a forced romance arc.
That’s such a ridiculous idea, you are literally just trying to be offended.
It’s not female main character, it’s the fact that they are completely different subgenres, with completely different audiences. Stop pretending HEAVILY romantic fantasy books are not a huge market. Like the whole point of books like Sarah J. Maas’s stuff is the romance itself. It’s not a forced romance, the romance is the freaking point.
Romance is a thriving genre with massive sales and a truly insane number of sub genres. This romantasty crap is just romance done outside the strict Romance lines.
It’s not me being offended so much as annoyed that these readers don’t feel like actually going to their preferred area. It’s the same BS as trying to have spice in YA instead of just telling idiots to start reading adult.
If romantasy is fantasy romance then how does Hidden Legacies by Ilona Andrews, Merry Gentry by Laurel K Hamilton, and then Patricia Briggs two series shake out? What is urban fantasy, paranormal romance, fantasy romance, or this new romantasy BS?