"Hot take: I’m absolutely sick of the so-called “shadow daddy” in fantasy books. You may not have heard the term, but you definitely know the type. Rhysand from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series is the blueprint. He’s tall, dark, and handsome, has questionable morals, and uses his ability to wield shadows for both destruction and seduction. I’m not going to lie, I like Rhys as a main love interest in that series, but after I finished ACOTAR, I started noticing basically every new romantasy book on the horizon seemed to have a so-called “shadow daddy” of its own. By the time Fourth Wing‘s Xaden rolled around, I’d had enough. In fact, at this point, I’m reading the Fourth Wing books in spite of Xaden, which I know is not a popular opinion.
this is your sign to stock up
To be perfectly honest, I find the phrase “shadow daddy” horribly cringy. Add to that, these types of love interests seem to all be essentially the same. They’re moody. They’re “bad boys” who have good reasons for the things they’ve done in the past. And they’re only soft spot is for the female main character. I know I’m not alone in this feeling because when I asked a handful of fellow readers for recommendations of books with love interests who don’t wield shadows, they delivered. Ahead, fantasy and romantasy books that don’t play into the shadow daddy trope.
Emily Wilde is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She’s currently working on the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore in the remote village of Hrafnsvik, and she definitely didn’t count on her insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby to crash the trip, befriend the townsfolk, muddle her research, and utterly confound her. Don’t let his admittedly silly name fool you; Emily and Wendell’s relationship is full of tender, sweet moments, and the book itself is unbelievably cozy.
The night Tisaanah tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life. Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, she attempts to join the ranks of the Orders, the most powerful organization of magic wielders in the world. Standing in her way is Maxantarius Farlione, a fire wielder who despises the Orders, and happens to be in charge of her apprenticeship. Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war and fight her growing feelings for Maxantarius, whose bloody past may be the key to her future.
Described as Cinderella meets Howl’s this book follows Hester as she leaves behind her life on the farm for one in the city. She brings with her only her superstitions, chief among them is to never accept a gift, for that’s how the Folk get you. Everything is seemingly going well at the Commoners Ball until she catches the eye of the princes, who can’t seem to stay away from her. But Hester refuses to accept their favors. Just because the Folk have never been seen in the city doesn’t mean they aren’t around…
Magic is fading from Wales. Dragons have disappeared. And an attack is imminent. The princes Taliesin and Dafydd are tasked with restoring the magic, forcing them into an uneasy rivalry.
Ffion works hedgewitch magic for poor folk, not princes, but when the power-hungry Foxhall coven costs her everything, she agrees to help Taliesin to get back what she’s lost. She’ll do whatever it takes, even strike a bargain with Dafydd behind Tal’s back.
In this brutal world, defiance is met with death. Laia and her family do not challenge the Empire. But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier, who secretly wants to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. Their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
Raina Bloodgood has one desire: kill the Frost King and the Witch Collector who stole her sister. On Collecting Day, she means to exact murderous revenge, but a more sinister threat sets fire to her world. Rising from the ashes is the Collector, Alexus Thibault, the man she vowed to slay and the only person who can help save her sister.
Raina must abandon vengeance and aid the Witch Collector or let her sister fall into enemy hands. But the lines between good and evil blur, and Raina has more to lose than she imagined.
When Lor unexpectedly finds herself freed from the Aurora King and in the hands of the Sun King, she’s also thrust into the spotlight, forced to compete against nine other Tributes for the role of Queen. If she wins his heart, she earns her freedom and can finally get her revenge. The only problem? Lor doesn’t belong in the Sun Queen Trials—she isn’t even a citizen of his court. Her rival Tributes will do anything to get her removed from the competition, permanently. And if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she’ll be returned to the evil—and now vengeful—Aurora King.
In a world ruled by the cruel and merciless Stars, a prophecy promises Elara will fall for a Star, but that it will kill them both. So when Ariete, Star of Wrath, War, and Chaos, descends to wreak havoc on Elara’s kingdom, she flees her home and strides straight into the arms of an enemy prince.
Prince Lorenzo is forced to train Elara as a weapon. But there are shadows that threaten to reveal the darkness in Lorenzo’s past, and there’s an undeniable pull between Elara and Lorenzo that neither can seem to resist…
Xingyin has grown up on the moon and is completely unaware that she’s being hidden by the Celestial Emperor. When her existence is discovered, she’s forced to flee her home and leave her mother behind. Disguising her identity in the Celestial Kingdom, she trains alongside the emperor’s son, preparing to save her mother as passion flames between her and the prince. Striking a dangerous bargain with the Celestial Emperor, Xingyin is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.
Evelyn can remember all her past lives. She can also remember that in every single one, she’s been murdered before her eighteenth birthday by Arden, a supernatural being linked to her soul. The problem is that she’s quite fond of the life she’s in now, and her little sister needs her in order to stay alive. If Evelyn wants to save her sister, she’ll have to find the centuries-old devil who hunts her through each life before they find her first, figure out why she’s being hunted, finally break their curse, and try not to fall in love… again.
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette. To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes her back, the two forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.
Elspeth Spindle has a secret. Keeping her safe in the mist-locked kingdom she calls home is the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. Forced to join a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, Elspeth and the King’s own nephew and Captain of the Destriers, Ravyn, have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. Elspeth must keep her secret from Ravyn throughout their journey or risk arrest, but the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind, and she can’t keep him at bay much longer.
How about a book where she wields shadow powers and he is the powerless human who needs saving? Elyria Lightbreaker, once a celebrated fae war hero, is a shadow of her former self when she joins the Arcane Crucible, a legendary series of trials that can bring peace between humans and the magical races of Arcanis.
Cedric Thorne needs Elyria to get through the trials and conquer the Crucible on humanity’s behalf—but she’s the very fae he blames for his parents’ death. Elyria and Cedric must navigate deadly trials that test their strength, spirit, magic, and their increasingly complex feelings for each other.
Garri Chaverst, Senior Managing Editor
As Senior Managing Editor of The Everygirl, Garri oversees the pitching, planning, and creation of all content. You might also find her name pop up as a contributor throughout the site, though she mostly works behind the scenes, leading the team in their creative efforts and ensuring they have everything they need to create top-quality content for our audience.