It’s romance! It’s fantasy! It’s romantasy: The portmanteau word that designates the hottest trend in prose and graphic novels of the past few years. The word may be new, but the concept isn’t. It has long been a fan favorite category for shoujo manga, with series such as “Fruits Basket” and “Snow White with the Red Hair.”

Many romantasy manga have fairy tale settings, with elaborate costumes, handsome princes, and backdrops of gossipy, backstabbing royal courts. Most include magic and supernatural creatures, and the plot usually involves a strong-minded, capable lead in a difficult situation, surrounded by a crowd of admirers. Some love interests are friendly and flirty, others standoffish, but all have emotions they can only share with the main character, who is often clueless about their effect on others. In the volumes reviewed here, there are no explicit scenes and very little of the teasing and objectification common in shonen manga. These stories place the heroine at the center of the action, view the world through her eyes, and surround her with a swirl of emotions, admirers, friends, enemies, and elaborate dresses. They are perfect escapist reading. Here’s a look at seven recent releases.

FUMIKAWA, Yoshino. In the Name of the Mermaid Princess. illus. by Miya Tashiro. VIZ Media. 2024–.
Gr 5 Up–This action-packed story of a princess on the run has a strong anti-discrimination message that is balanced by well-paced storytelling, interesting characters, and high emotions. People with supernatural powers—“unhumans”—are accepted in some places but discriminated against in others, including the kingdom of Blognig, where infants born with these traits are deported. However, the princess of Blognig, Mio, was born as a mermaid. The royal family treats this as a shameful secret; Mio is not allowed near salt water, which enhances her powers, and is forced to take medication that turns her tail into legs. She agrees to suppress her mermaid qualities in order to marry Prince Chika of Aquatia, to whom she has been betrothed from birth. But things change when a new tutor, Yuri, encourages her to embrace her mermaid side. Together they escape from the palace and embark on a long, adventure filled journey to Aquatia, where humans and unhumans live in harmony. They travel through different lands with varying attitudes toward unhumans—attitudes that frequently put them in danger. They also experience great kindness and make new friends along the way.

HISUI. The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince. illus. by Mugi Sawai. tr. by Emma Schumacker. letters by Oliva Osanz Gonzalez. Yen Pr. 2024–.
Gr 8 Up–Liliana, the daughter of an earl, is the anti-Cinderella: she goes to the ball hoping the prince won’t choose her as his bride because she wants a loving, joyous marriage like her parents have. But despite Liliana’s best efforts, which include wearing a drab dress and hiding out in a corner, the icy, unemotional Prince William chooses her with the fateful words, “She’ll do.” Liliana wants to walk away, but she also doesn’t want to cause problems for her family. While she schemes ways to get out of the engagement, she also studies her lessons and visits the palace for tea and, without intending to, she melts the ice prince’s heart. He laughs for the first time in years when he sees her stuffing herself on treats, and he enjoys the fact that she doesn’t fall all over him. Liliana will probably end up with her Prince Charming in the end, but there are plenty of potential conflicts, so it’s unlikely that her path will be easy.

KOKI, Fuyutsuki. I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince. illus. by Masuke Mawata. Character designs by Haduki Futaba. Seven Seas. 2024–.
Gr 8 Up–Jill is the worst little sister ever and deploys extravagant fits of distress to try to steal everything dear to Leia, her half-sister. Leia is a saint—literally: one of an elite group who can heal minor injuries and maintain the magical barriers that keep the kingdom safe. Her evil stepmother and ineffectual father favor Jill, and after Jill drives a wedge between Leia and her fiancé, Duke Philip, she snatches the duke for herself. Then, Leia runs into Crown Prince Erik, who is taken with her and appoints her to be his guard. Prince Erik has been rooting out corruption in the kingdom and has powerful enemies. He’s also interested in how magic works, but he mainly wants to spend time with Leia. He can stand up to Jill, too. This fast-moving manga with busy art adheres to the more-is-more aesthetic of shoujo manga: elaborate outfits, flowing hair, and flower-filled backgrounds. The story pushes shoujo story tropes to their extremes: Jill’s eyes are constantly brimming with tears, Leia is unflinchingly good, her stepmother is relentlessly evil. Of course, Prince Erik is handsome and righteous in every sense. As the first volume ends, Leia realizes that Erik is—gasp!—secretly lonely, and she resolves to always be there for him, likely setting the scene for a slow-burn romance.

MOMOYO, Mayo & Itsuki Mito. Always a Catch!: How I Punched My WayintoMarrying a Prince. illus. by Kaki Nagato. Square Enix. 2024–.
Gr 8 Up–A feisty noblewoman who is also a skilled warrior catches the eye of the crown prince in this rom-com with a palace setting. Maria, the daughter of a duke, was meant to be his heir until a son came along. Trained to fight but not to curtsey, Maria joins her cousin Aida at finishing school. There, she ends up smacking the crown prince—who promptly falls in love with her, and the two are soon engaged. The story leans heavily into humor, especially Maria’s tendency not to realize when she’s thinking out loud, and there is one mildly creepy running joke about the prince insisting she sit on his lap. Mostly, he treats her with respect and appreciates her strength. The dynamic art and character designs are classic shoujo, with big eyes, tiny mouths, and hair flying everywhere.

SAKURAI, Yu. My Sister Took My Fiancé and Now I’m Being Courted by a Beastly Prince. illus. by Kiduki Hoshikawa. Character designs by Ren Hidou. Seven Seas. 2024–.
Gr 8 Up–Cordelia, the daughter of a count, has lost four fiancés to her little sister Priscilla, who wants everything Cordelia has and loses interest once she gets it. Discouraged about finding a suitable husband, Cordelia goes to the local ball and meets the prince of the land, who is smitten. She refuses to believe the prince is interested in her, but he tells her not to underestimate herself, ignores her bratty sister, and has the perfect dress made just for her. He can also take the form of a lion. No fairy tale romance is complete without a villain—here, it’s the nasty Katricia, daughter of the duke. There’s a lot of scheming, cattiness, and rescues. This series bears resemblance to I Abandoned My Engagement… , but with more deliberate pacing, less extreme characters, and art relying more on screentones than heavy details. A smooth read packed with story and emotion.

YUKIMURA, Alto. Colette Decides to Die. illus. by author. Viz Media. 2024–.
Gr 8 Up–Colette is an apothecary so exhausted by her work that she takes leave of her senses and jumps into a well. It turns out to be a portal to the underworld, where Hades needs medical treatment that Colette can provide. He submits himself grudgingly, but Colette’s kind, no-nonsense manner wins him over. Soon she is hopping back and forth between the underworld, where she tends to Hades and meddles in other matters, and the mortal world, where she is a healer and mentor to two apothecaries-in-training. Yukimura’s concept of the underworld is vaguely derived from Greek mythology. Hades judges the souls of the dead, who arrive as shadows, and sends them to the manga versions of heaven or hell, where their memories fade until their souls return to the mortal realm to be reborn. Ceres, Charon, and Zeus also appear but are different from their Greek archetypes. The romance boils down to the fact that grouchy Hades is charmed by Colette and likes having her around. With its oddball cosmology and likable characters, this is an engaging escape read.

TOUYA & Yoimachi. The Villainess’s Guide to (Not) Falling in Love. adapt. by Shiori Shiono. illus. by Ren Sakuma. Square Enix. 2024–.
Gr 10 Up–Luciana, an overworked salarywoman with no social life, is reincarnated as the villainess in her favorite dating game. She has played the game enough to know that her character is doomed to die while competing with the heroine for one of the suitors. To stay alive, she must avoid romance. However, all the main male characters are smitten with her. Luciana only knows the version of the game she has played, and once she makes a change, everything shifts in a new direction. The plot in the first three volumes revolves around the fact that Luciana is enchanted; to lift the spell, she needs the help of a variety of charming men. The series is rated Older Teen, but there’s no sex or violence in the first three volumes.