New York, New York - Acclaimed author Rachel Howzell Hall is shifting gears from mystery to romantasy with her buzzy new book, The Last One, and she sat down with TAG24 NEWS to discuss her fresh spin on the emerging genre.

Romantasy – AKA romance meets fantasy – has taken over the literary scene over the last few years, in large part due to a push from online communities like BookTok.

Hall, who made a name for herself as a thriller writer, told TAG24 that her team at the new publishing imprint Red Tower approached her about potentially diving into the subgenre, and she was instantly sold on the idea.

"I wanted it to be as cinematic as a video game," Hall said of her approach to romantasy.

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"[My editor and I] both love mystery; that's my bread and butter. So, combining those two with some romance and some high fantasy, we came up with The Last One."

The novel, which will be released on December 3, kicks off under a shroud of mystery as protagonist Kai wakes up in a forest with no memory of how she got there. Searching for answers, she crosses paths with an irksome yet intriguing blacksmith, whose help she reluctantly accepts.

"It's a story about saving the world, yes, but also a story about self-discovery, identity, who we are as people and what is expected of us – and whether we agree with that or not."

Hall's first foray into romantasy, which has been hailed by Fourth Wing author Rebecca Yarros as "master storytelling", comes as the viral subgenre proves to have resounding staying power.

While romantic fantasy reads aren't entirely new, the surge in popularity of series like A Court of Thorns and Roses has propelled romantasy from a niche intersection to a proper subgenre – one that now holds a front-and-center spot at bookstores across the country.

And unlike most social media trends, romantasy has far outlived its 15 minutes of fame.

Hall is not surprised.

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"With the state of the world, we want an old-fashioned romance where, yes, times are hard, and you go through obstacles and barriers, but at the very, very end, there is a happily ever after, and there is someone there waiting to hold us and tell us that it was worth the fight."

"People just want a little tenderness now," she added. "Even with what I typically write, I can see the value in folks just wanting to snuggle and retreat into each other and pay attention to something other than the fire that's burning around us all the time."

The undeniable market power of romantasy has forced the publishing industry to take these novels seriously, brushing aside the stigma that often plagues the romance genre in particular.

"I'm glad folks are reading whatever they want to read," Hall said. "It makes us curious about each other and open to new ideas, and that's what books are supposed to do. "

The Last One is set to be a duology, with a sequel novel planned for August 2025. For more on this season's hottest new reads, check out TAG24's November and December 2024 Book Release Radars.