Fantasy Books with Epic Love Stories!

[00:00:07]Hello everyone, this is Olivia, and welcome back to Living Literature. Thank you so much for all the love and support I received on my last video, and if you have n't seen it yet, head over to my channel to watch it. Well, friends, welcome to another great video on my channel. Sorry I was absent last week, and thank you to those who responded to my post. I hope you saw him. I wanted to leave a little note, like, "Hey, I didn't tell you I'd be gone, but I disappeared because I had the worst reading crisis of my life." Well, okay, I won't say that this is the worst I've ever had, but I will say that this crisis lasted about a month.

[00:00:42]Really.

[00:00:42]Yes. Four to six weeks. She can't dance.

[00:00:46]No.

[00:00:47]From 4 to 6 weeks.

[00:00:49]Yes.

[00:00:50]Almost from the end of June to almost mid- July, that is, practically until now. We are already, in fact, in mid- July. Summer is almost coming to an end.

[00:00:58]Can you believe this?

[00:00:59]I'm not ready for it to end. But I just got into one of the worst reading crises in a long time.

[00:01:07]Nothing inspired me. Nothing stuck. I tried to pick up books about aliens. I tried to read fantasy, but to be honest, it was all kind of "blah blah blah."

[00:01:16]Like, I'm bored.

[00:01:17]I want to read something else. This is so boring.

[00:01:27]So, I was in this terrible crisis, and luckily, luckily, look, the gods smiled on me.

[00:01:34]Kelly Cassidy smiled at me because last week she released “In the Wake of the Ruin,” the conclusion of the “Siren Mage” dilogy. And, by God, it was fantastic. I tried, but he's too fantastic.

[00:01:53]It was incredibly good. Five stars for Ms. Kelly Cassidy, as we actually expected. Of course, she wouldn't ruin this book. And it was this book that got me out of my reading crisis and inspired today's video, because, as you saw from the title, we're talking about fantasy with epic love stories.

[00:02:13]Friends, this is literally my favorite topic in the world, okay? Listen, your humble servant loves romance.

[00:02:19]Your humble servant loves fantasy. Your humble servant loves romance.

[00:02:24]But most of all, I love reading romance novels with a love story that transcends worlds, transcends time, transcends space, and transcends the universe. It's like there's a love that lasts forever, over and over again.

[00:02:37]I think about love in all these books, about these characters and the feeling that arises between them. And I think this is exactly the kind of love I want to feel someday. This is the love I dream of—a love that transcends time, space, the entire cosmos, and eternity.

[00:02:53]And these love stories, in my opinion, fully fit this description. I'll note right away that you may disagree with some of my choices, which, in my opinion, transcend time and space. But I must say that I understand if you don't think they transcend time and space. However, this is my personal opinion.

[00:03:09]But I still believe that some of them stand higher in the cosmic understanding of love than others. But these are definitely some of my favorite love stories. These are just some of my favorite stories in the fantasy and epic adventure genre. And the love that the author weaved into these pages was truly revolutionary. It went beyond the game, if you will, you know, for me.

[00:03:33]OK. Okay. Wow.

[00:03:36]First thought: going beyond the game. I can't even...I mean, today we're going to talk about a tried and true classic, the best of the best, my absolute favorite —TG. I even have tattoos with quotes from TG, and they're both about romance. I simply adore fantasy books with incredible love stories.

[00:03:58]After finishing In the Wake of the Ruin by Kelly Cassidy, I realized I had to tell you about it because she is incredible and this dilogy was simply amazing. So, like I said, I'm going to recommend a bunch of great fantasy books with epic love stories, okay?

[00:04:13]I guarantee that the love stories in all these books will not disappoint you, that they will, as they say, transcend time and space. At least for me they did. So I'm really excited about today's video. Now, without further ado, let's begin. The first thing we're going to talk about— of course, I want to mention Caylee Cassidy very quickly, because I just talked about her—is Caylee Cassidy's Siren Mage dilogy, the first book being Veins of the Drowning. There's Imogen Nell and Theo.

[00:04:41]King Theo. So, the gist of this incredible Siren Mage dilogy is that Imogen is a young woman who is essentially the ward of the king of this small, forgotten island kingdom. And it is very disgusting and neglected, and the people of that land hunt sirens. Um, and she's a secret siren who lives on the castle walls. Essentially, she is engaged to a siren hunter who is something of a captain of the guard; She is engaged to him and is very afraid for her life. And one day all these kings and queens from other lands arrive at the castle for a party, and she meets King Theo.

[00:05:19]When she and King Theo meet, it's fate. This is simply incredibly exciting. And she's actually begging Theo to take her away from here, saying, " Please take me with you on your ship." And he says: "I would be happy to, but I can't, because I don't want to start a war with your kingdom."

[00:05:34]And she said to him: "I'm sorry, little one." And, in essence, she binds them with magic and forces him to take her with him. And this creates a whole incredible cascade of events where these two are literally doomed to be together.

[00:05:47]You know how I feel about such a relationship. I adore any soul connections, connections with the true ones, any connection or anything like that. I'm just obsessed with this. And Theo and Imogen have one of the sweetest relationships of all time. So, in preparation for today's video, I wanted to prepare some quotes to just prove how wonderful and incredible these books are, and how much I'm in love with them. Here are some of them. I won't spoil the plot because I do n't want to give anything away. That's what Theo said in the book.

[00:06:21]Okay, I'll quote him to prove his love, I'll just say: I wander. I am in despair. But I think my purpose is becoming clearer than ever. My duty, my desire, they never...Oh, sorry. They became one.

[00:06:35]They are both unconditionally attached to you.

[00:06:38]Your absence has shown me that if you let me, I will gladly tear myself apart again and let you back inside.

[00:06:46]Oh my God. I just can't with him. At this point, I won't explain anything again. I won't provide context for any of this. It's just something he says in the book, a quote: "He crossed the space between us, and between us you shed light on me. You make me feel rage, terror, joy, and longing. How can I go back into the darkness after being so alive? How could I crawl back into the darkness after being so alive to live my dream?

[00:07:16]» Ah, their love story is truly epic. And in this epic ending, in the ruins, it's such an unexpected ending for these two heroes. And that's the ending that I actually really appreciate and really enjoy. I'd like to delve into this amazing dilogy and talk about the ending of this book, why I see it as a catalyst for change in the writing community, and why this story of two imperfect people who fell in love so deeply is so powerful. This is an amazing dilogy.

[00:07:55]She will turn your world upside down. She is fascinating.

[00:07:58]She is interesting. It is dynamic. And, by God, she is incredibly romantic. Okay, she's very romantic.

[00:08:05]She will drive you crazy. So, in any case, I highly recommend this epic love story. Next, amidst epic fantasy and epic love stories, I want to talk about one of my favorite authors, whom I adore. These will be Carissa Broadbent's " Serpents and Wings of Night," the first of the dilogy, and the second, "The Bird and the Heart of Stone." So, Carissa Broadbent now has a four-book series. There will be five of them soon, sometime next month, but this is essentially the " Nia's Crowns" series. And each series, each book, is a separate dilogy.

[00:08:39]So this one is "Snakes and Wings of Night." And the second one is "Ashes and the Star-Cursed King."

[00:08:44]This is a dilogy about Reyn and Oria, they are one couple in this series of books. And this one is, uh, "The Bird and the Heart of Stone," and the other one is "The Fallen and the Kiss of Twilight."

[00:08:55]And it's about Mitch and Assar. So, first of all, I would like to say that both of these books transcend the genre when it comes to an epic novel.

[00:09:05]Both of these books have different aspects of the epicness of the love story, and how it spans time and space. In this part, we challenge the gods, their decisions, and what they impose on our lives, who we should be with, and so on. In this part, we go to hell to find our loved one. Of course?

[00:09:24]We go to hell to challenge the gods, defeat them, and maybe get out alive together. In both cases, these are extremely epic love stories. I like that Oriya is a complete person. She is a true individualist who had to literally work hard and fight for everything she wanted in life. And Rain simply surrounds her with love and kindness. He simply understands her and accepts her for who she is.

[00:09:51]There is a special bond between them— they understand each other without words.

[00:09:55]Good. And I would really like to read a quote from the last few chapters of this book, because that's what captivated me. This cemented its status as one of the most epic love stories of all time, because the changes and what Oriya says just broke my heart. It crushed me into a million pieces, and I adore this dilogy and its companion piece, Songbirds. What I like about Mish and Assari is that they are very different from Oria and Reina. Yes, they are very, very different.

[00:10:27]The story of Mish and Assar is about trauma, how to overcome it and try not to build relationships solely on shared pain. They try to deal with their problems on their own, but at the same time they have each other for support.

[00:10:40]I think it was a great way to show grief. It was a great way to reflect the trauma they both went through and unpack it throughout this series of books. And when they finally get to the finale, I'm just telling you— the endings of both books are so epic. Such an epic cliffhanger in the first book, because, oh my God, it ends so crazy that you're just like, "Oh yeah, now the real heat is going to start." It will be hot, and they will do everything they can to get back together. They will do anything, no matter the cost, even if they have to sell their own souls.

[00:11:22]It's dangerous, scary, exciting, and just plain awesome. I adore both of these books; This is just an incredible vampire dilogy.

[00:11:30]Truly, absolutely epic. If you haven't read this series yet, what are you waiting for?

[00:11:35]She is incredibly cool, and I highly recommend her. The next book I want to recommend could literally bring me to tears even now. And the second part of this book, "The Ballad of the Falling Dragon," was only published this year. This is "When the Moon Hatched."

[00:11:50]Friends, I haven't yet had time to read the second part of this stunning epic fantasy dilogy, or rather, series. However, I read the first book, and that's enough to understand: this will be an epic love story for the ages. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. It's very complex and quite rich in terms of high fantasy if you're willing to put in the effort. It requires a little more focus than other fantasy, but it's worth it once you get involved and understand the rules of this world. Overall, this book is about a young woman named Rave. She is a hired assassin, a member of a rebel guild that opposes the kingdom. And one day something terrible happens. She is thrown into prison and is about to be executed, until a man named Kan Vagar appears. And Kang says, "Hey, I'll get you out of here and help you escape." And she replied: "What?" She asks, "Why do you need this?" And he replies: "I have my reasons." Later, she learns that there are three kingdoms, he is the prince of another kingdom, and he is at enmity with the king in whose lands she is. And he takes her from there.

[00:13:00]But Kan has his own plans for Rave, connected to many events from his past. So these secrets will gradually be revealed throughout the book. Kahn and Rave find themselves in very different circumstances. Rave has been through so much, and much of her trauma hasn't even fully been revealed yet. Throughout the first book, we've only seen snippets and hints of her past, but it's not the full picture yet. And the reason I recommend this particular book is—I even marked the pages I wanted to talk about, but there's one moment that, oh my god, makes me cry every time I read it. I don't know why this makes me feel this way. My God.

[00:13:40]You see, I'm getting nervous just thinking about it, but that's how it becomes clear that this is an incredible love story. Are you crying?

[00:13:47]No. Are you crying? Are you crying?

[00:13:52]Nobody is crying.

[00:13:54]So, it is raining at this moment. She is crying. It is here that she feels severe pain. And she says, "Give me something else to focus on, please." The words had barely left my lips when Khan pressed his to my ear. A dull rumble comes from his chest, cutting through the darkness as he holds me incredibly close. A song that is painfully familiar to me. I'm not trying to take it apart. At least for now. I allow myself to sink into his soothing baritone, letting the melody seep through my pores like grains of stone gathering in every recess, weighing me down with a cozy pressure.

[00:14:27]Smoothing the sharp sadness in my chest, making it round and smooth.

[00:14:31]My ragged breaths stop trembling.

[00:14:34]He continues to hum, stitching me together note by note until I can take enough even breaths to sing along. Words that I only heard in the depths of my mind. Distant echoes whose origins I could never fathom. I do n't know. And I know you can see the tears welling up in my eyes. I know you can see my eyes filling with tears. and you're like: " Why does this man, who sings a song or just comforts her with a song, make you cry?" Because if you knew the background to this moment, you would understand. But, basically, it's just a really nice moment where he's just...I'm probably seriously out of order. My God.

[00:15:16]Bro, go home. I'm fine. Bro are you crying bro?

[00:15:21]No, bro. I'm fine, bro. I swear to God, this book is so sad.

[00:15:25]She is so wonderful, but so sad. And, in fact, it's just a really beautiful moment when a man sees her in such pain, sadness, and grief, and he knows exactly what to do, how to fix everything, and how to simply calm this storm. And in fact, he doesn't exactly cure it, but he knows how to make it so that it doesn't cause so much pain anymore. And there is something truly beautiful about that. And I did n't expect to cry over this book at all.

[00:15:57]Oh no, we cry at school.

[00:15:59]This is really, this is really that serious. You know, people ask, "Does it ever get that serious?"

[00:16:07]This is really that serious. And honestly, if you want to read an epic love story that will break your heart, please read "When the Moon Hatched." This is truly one of the most beautiful stories and I am looking forward to "The Ballad of Falling Dragon". There's a reason I have n't read it yet, and it's because the book literally makes me do this when I read excerpts from it. Makes me cry like a baby. But I'm telling you, that's how you understand how impressive she is. She is so good and so strong. So, in short, oh my god, please read "When the Moon Hatched." If my reaction wasn't enough to make you read this book, I promise you. She is worth it. Yes, she is worth it. I talked a lot about her on the channel. It's definitely hard to get into, but I promise, once you start, you won't be able to put it down. Okay, let's move on. I can't believe I just cried over this. This is so crazy.

[00:17:00]Um, okay then. The next book I want to talk about is, with an amazing epic love story that I wo n't cry over either.

[00:17:06]Damn it. I won't cry over her.

[00:17:09]OK. Phew. I will not cry. This is really ridiculous. Sorry.

[00:17:13]I need to get a grip on myself. I need to stop this immediately.

[00:17:15]This is annoying. I will not cry. This is really annoying.

[00:17:18]It will be "The Everlasting" by Alex E. Garrow. So the reason "The Everlasting" is on my list is because it was, I'm not kidding, in my top five books of 2025. I think it was definitely in the top three, perhaps this book was revolutionary for medieval fantasy in particular, as well as for epic love stories. This is a book that literally transcends space and time with its love. Essentially, a young man named Owen Mallery. It's like a first-person narrative. It's like Britain, the British Empire, but not quite, it's a fantasy version of the 1930s and 40s.

[00:17:58]This man went through the war. He served his country, and now he is researching the story of a prominent figure used in propaganda to justify war— Una Everlasting, a female knight of the Middle Ages.

[00:18:14]One day, Owen Mallery, while analyzing Una's story, finds himself in the past and meets the legendary heroine he has admired all his life. But after meeting the woman of legend, he falls in love with her, and it's an incredible, epic love story. Their love story is worth writing about for centuries. And what I like about their feelings is that they are extremely atypical. They are both very unusual, and you would never think they would find each other, but it happens in such a beautiful way.

[00:18:47]We are interrupting our program for an emergency message.

[00:18:52]So, real- time updates. In short, what you're seeing now—I finished shooting the video, edited it, and said to myself, "Okay, I did it." And then, while checking the recording, I realized that my phone had turned off in the middle of filming because I had just sat down. I finished everything, talked about all the books I had planned for today, and now I have to go back to filming, trying to get back on the same wavelength.

[00:19:33]The last thing you saw was my story about Everlasting, and I was going to show you some quotes to prove why it's an incredible fantasy series. Friends, I won't lie. I am so angry right now. I can't believe I filmed everything. And then I literally check my camera, and my phone is dead. I was like, "Oh my God, how many videos have survived?"

[00:19:58]Honestly, only up until this point. This is the last thing you saw —this is it. And then the screen went blank. And I'm just like, I'm just like, Okay, fine. Good. I am calm. I'm fine.

[00:20:19]I'm going crazy now.

[00:20:20]But I'm sincerely trying to come back. Second attempt. I'll take it again.

[00:20:25]We'll finish the video and talk about the rest of the epic fantasy books or stories with great love. Well, let 's start with " Everlasting". So, the quote from "Eternity" that makes you want to read this book, and one that I just adore, resonates at this moment, you know? It's Owen and Una, they're having a very tense moment, and Owen asks her a question, saying something like, "I want to make sure you choose freely." That's all you deserve—to be free. And Una answers: who is free when they love another? It's really such an intense, exciting way to ask this question, and you're like, "Oh my God," it makes you think for a moment— who is free when they love another? It's never free. And Una, in the next part, to give you a little bit of context, not too much, but a little bit.

[00:21:19]She is a soldier, and has been one all her life.

[00:21:23]So she's used to following commands, orders, and doing what she's told. And at this point he's trying to convince her to trust him, essentially. He's just trying to help her understand. And he says: “ God, Una,” he says, “ reverend, I would command you if you would allow me.”

[00:21:41]then his fingers grip her hair, his voice coarsening, reminding her of his old Jack Do voice. I would serve you if you would accept me. But it's really about those moments like "I would command you."

[00:21:54]I would serve you whatever you wished. Whatever it is, whatever choice you freely want to make, I would serve you or command you if you wanted me to. And again, I love this book. I adore " Eternity". This is truly one of my favorite books of the past year. Simply incredible.

[00:22:14]Absolutely captivating, so romantic, this is a book about love that transcends time, space, and everything in the world. So I adore her. The next book on the list of fantasy books with epic love stories is one that I honestly have n't been quiet about all year and won't be quiet about, because it was my favorite book of 2025 from one of my favorite authors. This is "A Night in the Butterfly" by Rachel Gillig. People, if you have n't read it yet, why not? It is literally too epic, too amazing, and too beautiful not to read. Truly sensational. This is incredible. I can't wait for it to be finished in September.

[00:22:52]The second part of the dilogy comes out in September. I honestly can't wait.

[00:22:57]In general, there is a young woman who is engaged in diving. She is a priestess who lives in a cathedral with her six sisters. And, in fact, the sisters start disappearing into her castle.

[00:23:09]So she seeks out a knight who is a heretic knight. He doesn't believe in religion.

[00:23:14]He doesn't believe in signs. She is very devout, straightforward, and very religious. And he is the complete opposite.

[00:23:20]But she seeks him out because she knows he will do the job and help find the sisters she is looking for. They embark on this journey with other members of the knightly band, and it's a very powerful medieval story that's captivating and full of incredible longing. This is the most important thing in this book—longing. Longing, yearning, whining, desire—not in a bad sense, but as a groan from longing and longing from groaning. There is so much longing here.

[00:23:56]Bring back the fashion for longing. Normalize male longing. I want to see begging on my knees. I want to see clenched fists like this. I want to hear a "please, please" between two people who want each other so much but are afraid to be together because of how the world has hurt them. And at this moment, our main character utters one of the best quotes of all time, which I simply adore. She says, “I wanted to throw it on the ground so hard it would crack. I wanted to break something because I needed him so much. I wanted him to break me too. To have his teeth sink into my neck, chest, or thighs.

[00:24:38]After so many thoughts about lack and drowning, I worried that nothing was divine... "...unless it came with a painful call." Not everything has to hurt to be holy or good, but damn it, sometimes that's exactly what I want."

[00:24:55]Yes, I'm literally enjoying this. Well, like, are you kidding?

[00:25:07]It's so romantic. I completely understand her words, because the love she has for this man overflows her. It literally overflows. It's so nice, but she seems to want it to have that sharp feeling, that tearing and that pain, the sacredness of pain that she's felt her whole life. This should belong to this. This is how it should be. And in fact, she says it's so good. This is a pleasant pain. This is such a pleasant pain.

[00:25:35]And I completely understand what she's talking about here. But I like it.

[00:25:39]Pleasant pain.

[00:25:41]Pleasant pain. And I'm just thrilled about it. I like it. I think that's incredible. I think it's fantastic. And I think you all should read it, okay? I think this will absolutely change your life. And of course, when it comes to epic fantasy love stories, there can only be one queen. One triumphant queen who literally created the genre of the epic novel that transcends time, generations, and space. And this is definitely the one and only Sarah J.

[00:26:13]Maas with her books Throne of Glass, Akotar, and Crescent City, damn it. In my opinion, these are the most epic love stories of all time. And each of them is unique in how it tells its story, and in the kind of love we're talking about in "The Crescent City." The love we are talking about here is not just romance, but also platonic love, friendship, as well as grief, loss, and overcoming difficult moments, including the loss of loved ones in our lives. This book is a scholarly study of grief. This book is a conversation about what grief does to a person, how it changes their life, their reality, and how it affects how they feel, think, and act in the world. And these two lost souls find each other when both are wrapped in their grief. And for that I am very grateful to this book. She taught me a lot about this deep, true connection, as well as the love of friends and how that love transcends time, space, and even death. It goes far beyond that, and that's why I'm obsessed with this book.

[00:27:25]Next comes Akotar, and I chose the second book, Kingdom of Wrath and Mist, to introduce the entire series. This is a story about many different kinds of love. This is a story about changing love: love that changes, love that shapes, and people that change.

[00:27:40]People change, and because of that, love changes, and that shapes personality. But it's also self-love, a love strong enough to keep going and climb that hill to move on to the next stage.

[00:27:57]"Akotar" is a story about overcoming an inner demon, a demon in our head that tells us to stop. And the love that these two share in this book, this novel —oh my God, it's a connection that I've never encountered in any other book. That's why this book is so popular and why people are talking about it. It is something sacred to them. And this is sacred to me. This is a sacred text. Really. These two people come together in dark moments and seek each other out to overcome the demons in their minds, to overcome what makes them stop, drop everything, and simply give up. They will never give up. And that's why this love is so important to me. This story, for me, is about love that transcends everything.

[00:28:42]It transcends time.

[00:28:44]It transcends space. It surpasses grief. It surpasses death.

[00:28:48]It surpasses everything.

[00:28:52]It's also about self- love, about being able to love yourself for who you are and for what you believe in, and also about loving your roots, your past, and understanding that you became the person you were meant to be because of your past. The romantic line here is the story of two people coming out of the fire, having gone through hell together to the very end and surviving on the other side.

[00:29:20]They see each other for who they are and know what they stand for. They see the depths of each other's souls. I have three tattoos on my body.

[00:29:31]Two of them are from this series, from "The Kingdom of Thorns and Roses." And when I say this series changed my entire life, I mean it truly changed the trajectory of my entire life. I can't say enough about her. The love story here is exactly what I crave and what I look for in my everyday life.

[00:29:51]This is something I hope everyone gets. Even these two quotes that I have on my body—both are from here.

[00:30:00]These are both significant displays of love, tied to the romance of this book and the feelings these two share with each other; these two always and forever, as if they see each other through and through, saying, "I see you, I love you, and I just want to be with you even more," and that's really worth watching. This is one of my favorite things in the world. So I had to put it on my list. And if you haven't read Throne of Glass yet, oh my god, please do yourself the biggest favor in the world and read this epic love story.

[00:30:32]I promise, it will change your life forever.

[00:30:35]So, these are all the books with epic love stories that I wanted to recommend to you today. I hope you enjoyed this video, and if you did, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to the Lin Literature YouTube channel. Friends, as always, if you have ideas for videos you would like to see on the channel, please write about it in the comments below. And if you've already commented on past videos with suggestions that I haven't implemented yet, please feel free to write about it again, okay?

[00:30:58]I'm curious to know what you want to see on the channel. If you're interested in purchasing any of the books I recommended in today's video, links to them are in the description. Follow the links and buy these books. And of course, if I missed any books in today's video, please share them in the comments below so other subscribers can see and rate them. As always, I love you so much and I'll see you in the next video.

[00:31:19]See you later.