Romantasy in your book club: three rules that keep it fair
Keep the genre, cap the size: no series longer than three books, nothing close to a thousand pages, and nobody suggests the same genre twice in a row.
By Thais, from Club Book · Published November 11, 2026
Send this guide to the groupOur book club has three people, and one of them would read nothing but fantasy if we let her. For a while that meant dragons, fae courts and enemies-to-lovers every other month, and the other two of us started dreading our turn to vote.
We didn't ban the genre. She loves it, and some of our best meetings came out of it. We wrote three rules instead. Here they are, with the reasons, and a version you can paste in your group chat.
Rule 1: no series longer than three books
A book club meets about once a month. Pick book one of a long series and you face a choice a month later: stop at a cliffhanger, or hand the next five months to one story. Neither works for a group.
So we cap it at three. A standalone is always fine. A trilogy is fine if the club agrees, from the start, that reading book one doesn't commit anyone to books two and three.
That rule rules out some of the most suggested romantasy right now. Here is how a few popular series land, counted in November 2026:
| Series | Books | Fits the rule? |
|---|---|---|
| The Shepherd King (Rachel Gillig) | 2 | Yes |
| The Scorched Throne (The Jasad Heir, Sara Hashem) | 2 | Yes |
| Powerless (Lauren Roberts) | 3, plus two novellas | Yes |
| The Empyrean (Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros) | 3 out, 5 planned | No: still being written |
| Crystal Bloom (Sarah A. Parker) | 3 out, a 4th announced | No: still being written |
| Crowns of Nyaxia (Carissa Broadbent) | 6 planned, as three duologies | Only if you read one duology |
| Flesh and Fire (Jennifer L. Armentrout) | 4 | No |
| A Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J. Maas) | 5 | No |
| Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas) | 8 | No |
| Zodiac Academy (Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti) | 8 or more | No |
The ones that don't fit make good reads on your own, between meetings. Novellas and companion collections don't count toward the three, but check before you suggest one: Threshing Day, set in the Fourth Wing world, is a collection of stories, not book four.
Rule 2: nothing near a thousand pages
The suggestion that kills a month is the brick. Half the club doesn't finish, the meeting turns into "I'm only on chapter twelve", and the person who picked it feels bad.
Our line is loose on purpose: nothing close to a thousand pages. A romantasy of around 500 pages, like The Book of Azrael, is a normal month. Check the page count before the book goes on the list, not after it wins.
Rule 3: the same genre can't come from the same person twice in a row
This is the one that changed things for us. Each of us takes turns suggesting. If our fantasy reader suggests fantasy or romantasy on her turn, her next suggestion has to be something else. The turn after that, fantasy is back on the table.
It keeps the genre in the rotation without letting it take over, and nobody has to say "not fantasy again" out loud. The rule says it for you.
What this looks like with three people
Three of us, three turns. On her turn she suggests a romantasy, and we read it. Next turn is mine, then the third person's. Then it's her turn again, and this time she suggests a mystery, because the rule says so. On her turn after that, she's free to suggest fantasy again. Over six months that's two fantasy books out of six, and both were ones she was excited about.
If your club is bigger
With eight or ten people, rules 1 and 2 work as they are. Rule 3 needs a tweak: instead of tracking each person, track the club. If the last book was fantasy, the next one can't be.
If the list still fills up with dragons, draw the genre first and vote on the book inside it. Club Book does that with a rotation: a genre doesn't come back until every other one has had its turn.
Frequently asked questions
- Isn't it unfair to the person who loves fantasy?
- Not if the rule applies to everyone. Ours does: if I suggested a thriller every time, I'd hit the same wall. The point is variety, not keeping one genre out.
- What counts as fantasy or romantasy?
- Decide when the book is suggested, not after it wins. If the group can't tell, it counts. That ends most of the arguments before they start.
- How do we choose between two fantasy suggestions in the same round?
- Run a quick bracket, or draw one at random. Both take a minute.
Do it now with your club's list
Paste the books, choose a vote, a random draw or a bracket, and send the link to the group. Free, and voters don't need an account.
Pick your club's bookWant the whole club to suggest and decide together, round after round? Meet Club Book