is Game of Thrones the greatest dark fantasy series of all time?

Just when we thought there couldn’t be a more despicable character than Joffrey Baratheon, we meet Ramsay. Though his nature as a two-faced sadist makes him less than trustworthy, his prediction is right. No quote better encapsulates the grim, dark world of events in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. The bad guys often win, the good often die, and there seems to be no natural justice in the world of Westeros. Read more.

It’s not often that a novel series becomes a viral internet sensation, but when it does…it’s hot. From the front pages of #BookTok to front tables in bookstores, Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses became wildly popular in online circles of readers practically overnight. 

From TikTok to Goodreads, no one can escape the immense popularity of 'spicy' Fantasy Romance series. In case you aren't familiar, 'spicy' books are ones with steamy romance, hot characters, and a varying degree of love scenes, and we just cannot get enough! Here are the top series on #BookTok ranked by the spice that brought this hidden genre to the forefront of pop culture literature:

Shade of Magic - V.E. Schwab

Full of drama and tension with a touch of romance (including LGBTQ+!), Shades of Magic is firmly within the Young Adult genre and thus ranks 0/5 on the spicy scale. 

Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas

Revenge, redemption, lies and secrets, a kick-ass female lead, and her morally grey love interests are what drive this Dark Fantasy romance series. But as the love scenes aren’t too descriptive and can easily be avoided, the series has a spicy score of 1/5 overall. 

All Souls - Deborah Harkness

Though teeming with forbidden romance tension, the steaminess is mostly just a little warm with one fiery scene for the series. The All Souls Trilogy has earned a 2/5 on the spicy scale, bridging the gap between YA and NA. 

Outlander - Diana Gabaldon

Firmly into New Adult territory and filled with kilt-dropping smut and allusions to BDSM, but generally hinted at more than described, giving this epic series a 3/5 for spice.

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas

If handsome fae, medieval politics, and steamy love triangles are what get you going, or if you are just looking for a place to start in this new fantasy subgenre, this is the place. Dramatic, magical, and very sexy, ACOTAR gets a spice rating of 4/5. 

And now *drumroll* the award for the spiciest fantasy romance series at Juniper Books goes to…

From Blood and Ash - Jennifer Armentrout

Dripping with detailed love scenes and reimaginings of classic fantasy tropes, FBAA takes spicy to the next level with a maxed-out score of 5/5. Phew...its getting hot in here...

Maidens locked away in a tower not to be seen or spoken to need to be rescued by a handsome prince, right? Not our Poppy. She can take care of herself.

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer." - Zora Neale Hurston Hurston was born on this day in 1891. A brilliant writer and folklorist, she is an integral part of our African American literature set. #zoranealehurston #africanamericanliterature #jacoblawrence #juniperbooks

#snowyday #juniperbooks #bouldercolorado

I'm taking a couple days off to ski and get some much needed R&R after a very busy year! This isn't actually me, or a real installation, it's a concept rendering for a ski house we worked on. When we start a project like this we try out several images and digitally render what the finished installation will look like on the shelves. - Thatcher #juniperbooks #skiing #skibooks #skiphoto #skihouse #bookshelves #books #library #custom #installation #powderday #steepanddeep #backcountryskiing

Happy Hanukkah! Tonight is the 8th and final night of the holiday. Time to put the book menorah, the fire retardant and the fire extinguisher away! Thankfully, no disasters have occurred with the world's most flammable menorah in a warehouse full of books! Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year! •~•~•~•~•~•~•~• #bookmenorah #menorah #chanukah #hanukkah #highlyflammable #donttrythisathome #hope #bookart #juniperbooks

A mix of covers from our Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire offerings. As new books are released we will be adding and modifying our designs so that the sets can be expanded. We offer three styles: Armor, Winter is Coming and Blood Red. <•><•><•><•><•> #asoiaf #got #georgerrmartin #gameofthrones #bookcovers #juniperbooks #design #winteriscoming #armor #bloodred

Wish I was among our books at the @thenomadhotel for a drink right now. ~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~ #nychotel #librarybar #nomad #juniperbooks #hotelbar #curated #bookish

Our Russian Literature set is on display for just a couple more days at the Boulder Public Library as part of the HOVAB (History of the Visual Arts in Boulder) exhibit. It's placed under a beautiful sculpture by M L Schumacher. #juniperbooks #hovab #publiclibrary #artexhibit #bookarts #bouldercolorado #create (at Boulder Public Library)

Your bookshelves are always a good place to start your next adventure. <--------------------> #sciencefiction #rocket #spacetravel #books #bookish #bookstagram #shelfie #julesverne #isaacasimov #hgwells #raybradbury #philipkdick #margaretatwood #juniperbooks

Part of a Nancy Drew set from a custom order. Sometimes in life's mysteries you have to ask yourself: What would Nancy Drew do? #wwndd #whatwouldnancydrewdo #nancydrew #customorder #custombookjackets #juniperbooks #bookseries #carolynkeene

Read me poetry. ~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~ #juniperbooks #readme #poetry #bookset #bookstagram #bookish