The Dark Side of Romantasy

Media shapes culture. We know that, but how often do we stop to think about these effects? Books are part of that media, and they hold the power to influence just as much as television and movies. Otherwise, certain segments of society wouldn’t feel the need for book bans (which I oppose, by the way). It’s a lot like ads. The question isn’t if advertising affects us, but how it does.

Books have the power to shape our individual and collective social perspectives. We get invested in characters in books as we’re often given more detail, internal thoughts, and motives in a way that movies simply don’t have the time or means to include. This isn’t a knock on movies or meant to make readers feel superior over people who watch the movie version of a book. This is simply focusing on how books shape our values, whether we’re aware of it or not. Books can leave us with a sense of wonder in adventure stories or make us ponder deeper themes like death and suffering. But what happens when our leisure reading, that is, the stories we use as an escape, begin to shape our thoughts and desires for real life? Could this mold how we view something as critical as romantic relationships?

In my last article, I discussed how reader expectations have changed over time, requiring authors to get more creative with their storytelling to keep readers engaged. If you missed it, you can find it here: Publishers Wouldn’t Take on the Classics Today. While it’s apparent that every genre has had to evolve to keep up with reader demands, I take aim here to address romance.

I just finished Belladonna by Adalyn Grace, and I read the book in less than two days. From a mystery standpoint, it was outstanding. It wasn’t until midway through that I realized it was also a romantasy (romance and fantasy genres combined). Death has followed Signa all her life, with a body count to testify. But death is also a real character in the story as well. She must team up with him to learn who murdered her aunt before her cousin is next. In the process, she develops deep feelings for death—feelings that he returns. The story romanticizes the persona of death like Dracula romanticized vampires. Death becomes a dark, intriguing character who’s simply misunderstood. This isn’t a new concept. In fact, it’s become so popular as to proliferate the market today.

I understand the allure of this false redemption arc. I say redemption arc because these are typically villainized characters that are given a chance by the protagonist who eventually discovers that they were really just misunderstood. I say false redemption arc because these characters’ actions often go beyond second and sometimes even third chances.

To some extent, books are a retreat from the real world and allow the reader to vicariously live through the character. These dark romances provide an easy framework for the author to provide the slow-burn romance so many readers enjoy. It’s easy to initially reject the love interest early on and then slowly build trust throughout the story, building up to an unlikely (though at this point, predictable) romance.

In real life, women wouldn’t give these men chance after chance to prove their love, would they? Or, after reading this story arc over and over, has it become normal? Is there some danger in over presenting this romance arc to readers, especially young readers with little romantic experience of their own? I’m not advocating to rid the romance genre of these dark romances, but perhaps there is some wisdom in evaluating these relationships and acknowledging that their place is best left on the pages of fiction.

Back when Twilight became a sensation, I used to point out what I believed to be a jeopardy for young women reading about a relationship that so blatantly flew past red flags with zero consequences to not realize that was unhealthy. Edward Cullen being a vampire was among the least of Bella's dangers in that relationship. If you’re not familiar with what I’m talking about, here are a few of the red flags that Bella completely ignores and that never get properly addressed in the story:

• Edward watches Bella sleep, not only without asking her but without her knowledge. (Let’s not forget he’s a vampire, so this was doubly creepy).

• At one point in the book, he grabs her by the sleeve and marches her to his car.

• At another point, he actually takes the spark plugs from her truck so she can’t visit a friend (but this is justified in the book because said friend is a werewolf with a volatile temper).

  
  

This guy isn’t in love with Bella—he’s obsessed with her. In real life, this wouldn’t end in a happily ever after. You’d be lucky if you didn’t end up locked away in his basement or a remote cabin in the woods.

Twilight wasn’t the first to incorporate a dark love interest, but it seemed to open the floodgates for so many others to follow suit. A number of stories do this now—excusing bad behavior because the guy just loves her so much. Both Crave by Tracy Wolff and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas feature strong female characters that fall for the most powerful male in their universe that just happen to be their mate—both are feared but ultimately misunderstood men. In Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber, Evangeline Fox ultimately falls in love with the fate known as Jax, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, including framing her for murder. I don’t need to go on for you to get the point.

I'm disturbed by the deeply entrenched trope in YA romance and romantasy that almost exclusively has the female character falling for the dark, brooding love interest. At this point, I’d argue that it's toxic. I’m genuinely concerned at how much of this young women are ingesting and at least subconsciously internalizing as their wants and desires in men. I’m all for an entertaining read, but what does this trend say about men in real life?

There are comparatively fewer stories that feature a girl falling for the good guy (not the dark, misunderstood guy). It’s harder to write a romance from this perspective that gives readers the same slow-burn and it’s harder to make the romance with the good guy as interesting. It can be done, though. One way around this is through the rivals to lovers trope seen in books like Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. Another option is the overlooked hero, where the protagonist initially overlooks the good guy but ends up with him in the end.

I think, as with all things, that balance is the key. Frozen turned Disney’s long-standing story line of the princess immediately falling for and marrying the prince on its head, simultaneously creating a brilliant plot twist and a warning for young girls. Perhaps it’s time to see these warnings permeate the YA romantasy genre as well.

Looking for your next read? Check out my series: Beyond the Water’s Edge.

Beyond the Water's Edge by Janine Eaby is a portal fantasy adventure to a hidden realm of magic and mystery. Ideal for teens and young adults looking for a clean fantasy series.