19 Fantasy Romance Tropes

For about 10 months, I’ve been reading every Fantasy Romance novel I’ve come across. From the most viral BookTok picks to self-published works with less than 100 reviews, I’ve read it all. At the time, it seemed like spending 12 hours a day reading about sassy heroines and the shadow daddies that love them was a bit unproductive, but look at me now! It turns out I was just doing research and what’s more productive than research?! Join me as I put the English degree I was told I’d never use to good use and analyze 19 popular tropes in Fantasy Romance. 1. The Princess that was Promised (2:28) 2. Orphans (6:43) 3. Raised by a Sociopath (8:39) 4. The Perfect Amount of Trauma (11:00) 5. Never-Before-Seen Power (14:58) 6. Magic Blocking Substance (18:06) 7. Standard Magic vs. Dark Magic (19:22) 8. Fated Mates (21:29) 9. Not like the other girls (24:54) 10. Bad Guy Uses Mind Control (29:42) 11. Impulsive, Headstrong FMC (32:10) 12. Treasure Hunting (34:46) 13. Fake Deaths (36:35) 14. Aggressively Possessive MMC (38:57) 15. "...and the next thing I knew, I woke up in this big cozy bed" (42:41) 16. The Conflict is Low Self-Confidence (44:43) 17. Ancient Old Man/19 to 23 Year Old Woman (47:22) 18. FMC and her Exceptional Artistic Talent (50:47) 19. Mandatory Fancy Party (53:03)