Books | Tiktok made “romance” the hottest literary phenomenon of the year – that's what it's all about

“Romance is the biggest phenomenon in the book industry right now,” declares Otava's press release in mid-November. The same is also confirmed, for example, by the literature industry's BookBrunch publication, according to which “romance” was on everyone's lips at the London book fair held in the spring.

Is it just a sales gimmick put together by the publishers?

Relationships, romance and erotica have always been in fantasy literature. In the past, books combining romance and fantasy have been known simply as romantic fantasy. The subgenre is considered to have been born in the 1980s from the pens of young female writers.

At that time, a strong-willed young woman, like By Diane Duane Young wizardsin the series (1983–, Finnish Kaisa Luntinen). From the beginning, tolerance and equality have also been an important part, like in the United States of Elisabeth A. Lynn in the award-winning The Chronicles of Tornor in the series, which was published in 1979–80.

Trends travel in waves, so also in the book industry. A combination of romanticism and fantasy emerged for the new rise by Stephenie Meyer Temptation-, by Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse– and by Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games – book series and their subsequent film adaptations in the first decade of the 21st century. In Finland, for example Elina Rouhiainen Wolf borderseries offered werewolves and romance in the early 2010s.

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Anna, single in her thirties, receives a vampire as a birthday present from her parents.

Previously romantic fantasy books were mostly aimed at teenagers and young adults. Now a large part of the readers are adult women who want more adult action in their books.

It offers, for example Terhi Tarkiainen spiced up with witty humor Blood in the teeth – series, in which Anna, a single woman in her thirties, receives a vampire, some kind of pet and a sex toy as a birthday gift from her parents. The second part of the series, Unleash the beastpublished in July.

Romance has been making an income for a few years now, both as a term and in book topics. Instead of publishers, however, behind the phenomenon are book enthusiasts on social media, who have taken hold of self-published and older books as well.

Of course, bookstores and publishing houses follow the waves of Tiktok and Instagram as best they can. The Finnish bookstore also increases both on its website and in its stores Tiktok made me buy it – selection. A large part of it represents romance.

At the top of the most popular gigs By Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugon romantically fantastic series. Maasin A Court of Thrones and Roses – series (KingdomFinnish Sarianna Silvonen) under the hashtag #acotar, millions of pictures and videos of fans' reading experiences and fan art based on books have been collected on Tiktok and Instagram.

For example, at the end of November, the Aelinsbookshelf label published fan art on Instagram inspired by Maas's books, in which people dream of the wedding of the book's main couple.

Bardugon Grishaversumiin books (Fin. Jussi Korhonen and Sea Caper) the love relationships of teenagers find their place as well as the magical abilities of young people, and there is no avoiding a triangle drama.

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Romance promises to offer more love than wizards.

Finnish translations are coming at an accelerating pace. Karisto will publish in January by Holly Black The cruel prince (Fin. Suvi Kauppila), the opening of a series that has become a romance favorite, in which a young human woman does her best to survive in the court of capricious fairies.

In June, WSOY, on the other hand, tackles romance By Rebecca Yarros With a wing beat (Fin. Laura Haavisto). The Empyrean – series' starting work was published in the United States in May and has been not only on the New York Times bestseller list for months, but also one booktok's most talked about works. We also get to follow the love life of the dragon riders in the series based on the books, where Yarros is involved in the role of producer. The rights to the series were bought by Amazon MGM Studios.

The reason for the popularity of romance is clear, say industry players. The modern world is oppressive, and more and more readers are longing for a break from the reality filled with pandemics, wars and the environmental crisis. The combination of romance and fantasy offers the ultimate in escapism.

In the same way that Cozy crime is a more relaxed form of detective, romance promises to offer more love than wizards.

Big Dipper marketed as a “purebred representative” of romance by a French writer Victor Dixenwhich A vampire-the first part of the trilogy, Court of Darkness (Fin. Taina Helkamo), was published in early December.

In the France of the alternate history presented by the novel, the Sun King Louis XIV has been turned into an immortal vampire. For three hundred years, he has ruled the feudal society of Vampyria, where the few and chosen vampires rule the people in the status of cattle.

A young human woman Jeanne lives a modest everyday life with her family in a small village, until her father, mother and brothers are murdered and Jeanne is left alone. She saves herself by disguising herself as a noble maiden, and the vampire transports her to a royal boarding school.

There is enough bloodshed and political intrigue, but romance remains a short-lived infatuation. The political allegory of the upper class sucking the blood of the workers is of course always relevant, but in my own eyes Court of Darkness is rather a Gothic and horror-flavored French Revolution in which a people trampled by the nobility rise up in revolt—not a romantic fantasy.

But does the term matter if there are enough readers.

Multi adult readers still see fantasy as simple, weird, juvenile entertainment.

There is a gateway theory: perhaps romance can be used to attract those lovers of romantic stories to adult fantasy books, who have previously been afraid of swords and magic either as too masculine or violent – or just as a boring fantasy.

by Ursula LeGuin The stories of the land of the sea however, classics of fantasy literature such as have also shown readers glimpses of, for example, the problems of power relations in society, equality between the sexes and the importance of nature for half a century.

Between the glittering covers, romance novels continue the tradition. Along with love and magic, fantasy includes the dream of overcoming injustice, overthrowing dictators and ending wars.

Of a better world than the one we currently live in.

Correction 12.12. 7:52 p.m.: Rebecca Yarros' book series is called The Empyrean, not The Empyreum, as was erroneously written earlier in the article.