Books Like Crave: 8 Paranormal Romantasy Reads

Tracy Wolff’s Crave turned a snowbound Alaskan boarding school full of vampires, dragons, and witches into one of the biggest paranormal-romance phenomena of the BookTok era. The appeal is a specific cocktail: a fish-out-of-water heroine in Grace Foster, a hostile-but-protective love interest in Jaxon Vega, a school packed with supernatural factions and secrets, a slow-burn romance, and a habit of ending every book on a reveal that detonates the previous status quo. If you tore through the Katmere Academy saga and want that same pull, here are eight books that share some essential piece of the Crave formula.

Keep Going in the Same World

#1 — Crush by Tracy Wolff

If you have only read the first book, the most obvious next read is the direct sequel. Crush picks up immediately from Crave’s cliffhanger, widening the supernatural politics, complicating the romance, and bringing Jaxon’s brother Hudson into sharper focus. The entire six-book Katmere Academy saga is built to be binged, so if you are not yet finished, the rest of the series is the easiest recommendation on this list.

Vampire Politics and Deadly Trials

#2 — The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

Carissa Broadbent’s dark-fantasy romance is the natural step up for Crave fans who want vampires with bite. Oraya, the human adopted daughter of a vampire king, enters the Kejari — a deadly tournament held in honor of a goddess — and must ally with a rival she has every reason to distrust. The vampire-house politics, the high-stakes competition, and the slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance hit many of the same notes as Katmere Academy, but with a darker, more adult edge. It is the first book of the Nightborn Duet within the larger Crowns of Nyaxia world.

#3 — Gild by Raven Kennedy

For readers who responded to the morally complex relationships and dark atmosphere of the later Crave books, Raven Kennedy’s Gild — a gold-soaked reimagining of the King Midas myth — offers a lush, immersive, slow-burn dark romantasy. It is a darker, more mature read than Crave, but the atmospheric world-building and the central transformation arc make it a compelling next obsession for fans who want something with more shadow.

Competition-Driven Forbidden Romance

#4 — Powerless by Lauren Roberts

Lauren Roberts’s Powerless shares Crave’s DNA: a heroine hiding what she really is, a deadly contest that throws her into the spotlight, and a forbidden romance with someone on the wrong side of the conflict. Paedyn Gray is an Ordinary passing as an Elite in a kingdom that hunts people like her, and her relationship with the king’s enforcer son Kai drives the series. The competition structure and enemies-to-lovers tension make it an easy match for Katmere fans.

#5 — Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

If Crave was your gateway into romantasy, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is the adult heavyweight to graduate to. A deadly war college, a fragile heroine who is supposed to die, dragon-bonding lore with real stakes, and an enemies-to-lovers romance with a morally complicated love interest — it scales up the school-of-danger premise into full adult romantasy with a much higher heat level. It is the most-recommended next read for anyone deepening their romantasy habit.

Step Up to Adult Romantasy

#6 — A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses is the pillar of adult romantasy and a frequent next step for readers leveling up from YA paranormal romance. Feyre is taken into the fae realm as punishment and discovers a cursed world and a love interest who is not the straightforward enemy he seems. The slow-burn romance, the morally gray characters, and the long, immersive backlist give Crave fans months of reading.

Morally Complex Love Interests and Dark Courts

#7 — The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

For the push-pull between a heroine and a beautiful, cruel love interest, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black delivers. Jude is a mortal in the treacherous High Court of Faerie, locked in mutual antagonism with the cruel Prince Cardan — a dynamic that maps neatly onto the antagonistic-to-intimate energy Katmere fans love. The court politics are sharp, the pacing is fast, and the enemies-to-lovers tension is among the best in YA fantasy.

#8 — Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

For the magical-school-of-power atmosphere with a lower heat level, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is a strong match. Alina discovers a hidden power and is swept into training with the empire’s magical elite under the magnetic, morally ambiguous Darkling. The world-building and the compelling antagonist-love-interest give it crossover appeal for Crave readers who want atmosphere and intrigue more than explicit romance.

How to Choose Your Next Read

If you want more of the same world: keep reading the Katmere Academy saga, starting with Crush.

If you want vampires with a darker, adult edge: The Serpent and the Wings of Night or Gild.

If you want the competition-driven forbidden romance: Powerless or Fourth Wing.

If you want to step up into adult romantasy: A Court of Thorns and Roses.

More Romantasy Reading Guides

• Crave Series in Order: Tracy Wolff’s Katmere Academy Books
• Books Like Fourth Wing: 11 Romantasy Reads for Dragon-Rider Fans

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