So many ya fantasy ship dynamics revolve around the enemies-to-lovers trope, but within that dynamic, there are different subsets that we’ve taken a closer look at in regards to what makes these relationships so interesting and sought after.

One of the biggest selling points for YA fantasy books in general is the ship dynamic. Is it a forbidden love, star-crossed lovers, love at first sight, enemies-to-lovers, or friends-to-lovers? There are so many different ship dynamics to choose from that it’s sometimes hard to pinpoint which ship dynamics we enjoy most. 

Enemies-to-lovers is one of the most popular ship dynamics in ya fantasy, rife with confrontation and tension, and it’s easy to get swept up in the love-hate back and forth that comes with the trope. Within enemies-to-lovers there are different subsets in regards to what level of enemies-to-lovers the characters are. 

For some, it’s merely a miscommunication, or an assumption of another character’s views. For instance, I’d argue that Blue Sargent and Richard Gansey III started out as enemies-to-lovers in Maggie Steifvater’s The Raven Cycle.

While they quickly veered into the forbidden lovers and friends-to-lovers trope, at first Blue loathed everything Gansey stood for.

She assumed he was like any other rich kid who got whatever he wanted, giving them a rocky start as Adam Parrish and Blue began dating in The Raven Boys. Eventually, though, Blue saw Gansey for who he actually was: Someone who would do anything for his friends. 

Likewise, in Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, Elisabeth started out believing that Nathaniel was an adversary, believing in the stereotypes fed to her about sorcerers.

Her bias against sorcerers gave their ship dynamic an interesting twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope because Nathaniel was more amused than anything about Elisabeth’s assumptions about him. 

His want of privacy kept his emotional walls up, adding to the mystery of his true feelings and alignment as Elisabeth was unsure who she could actually trust. 

In This Savage Song and Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab, both Kate Harker and August Flynn are on opposite sides of a war of humans against monsters. Their ship dynamic is a mix of forbidden love and enemies-to-lovers that includes going against one’s upbringing and changing sides, as well as beliefs.

In true Victoria Schwab fashion, there is a fine line between love and hate, a certain level of uncertainty of the will-they-won’t-they when betrayal is on the horizon. 

In general, enemies-to-lovers tends to be inherently manipulative in some ways. It’s pretty unavoidable, given the fact that people who hate each other usually treat the other person badly.

There are, of course, levels to this side of the enemies-to-lovers ship dynamic as well. Sometimes it’s barely present, while in others it’s the main characteristic of the ship dynamic between the two characters.

For instance, in the Caraval series by Stephanie Garber, both of the love interests for Tella are rather manipulative. You have to take into account the nature of the series itself, first of all, when discussing Caraval, because the first two books are all about if what is happening is real or not. 

The relationships in Caraval could be fake, or they could be real. The game is real, the game is not real. Stephanie did an amazing job confusing not only her characters, but her readers as well. When it comes to Dante and Jacks and their personalities, Tella’s feelings for them are mixed, and understandably so. 

Dante is manipulative, his mood ever-changing, and his secrets all-consuming throughout the series. Jacks, while more obviously an enemy, charms Tella into believing she could possibly outsmart him and his manipulative nature.

Both ship dynamics here are similar, and yet very different at the same time. But one thing is for sure: Neither is completely healthy and both revolve around secrets and lies. 

The last iteration of the enemies-to-lovers ship dynamic I’m going to talk about is the darkest kind, which doesn’t just border on manipulation and emotional abuse, but flat out is so. These ship dynamics are rampant in YA fantasy, and while I understand their popularity, it’s harder for me to get into them. 

An antagonistic ship dynamic draws a lot of readers, with a push and pull that is addicting and thrilling to read, but if you met someone in real life with the same characteristics, it would be a different story altogether. In a way, that is what fantasy is for, escapism and delving into a world and a relationship that isn’t realistic or possible. 

The relationships with this dynamic that stand out the most to me are The Darkling and Alina from Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, Jude and Cardan from Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince, and Kamai and Vehyn from Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland. 

Not only is there a power imbalance in these three ship dynamics, but the overt manipulation by the male can be rather alarming if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, like I am. In all honesty, when I first read The Cruel Prince, I DNF’d it because of the manipulation factor alone that ran rampant in most of the series. 

It took me a while to finally sit and read it, and while not all was as it seemed, the series overall did have a certain level of manipulation by both Cardan and Jude that I still have a hard time swallowing.

Not all ship dynamics are for everyone, and while I enjoyed Dante and Tella’s back and forth, along with August and Kate’s, this last group of enemies-to-lovers is harder to swallow.

This, of course, like any other opinion about books is completely subjective. I have so many friends who loved The Darkling and Alina’s relationship. There is nothing wrong with enjoying what you like in fiction.

Not all villains want a redemption arc, and The Darkling is one of those characters. The pull Alina has to The Darkling mirrors some real life attachment issues, which could both bring readers closer to the ship and push others away from it at the same time. 

That’s the point, though, isn’t it? For that uncertainty and forbidden feeling of wanting something you shouldn’t. I think that A.M. Strickland pulled off the enemies-to-lovers ship dynamic the best in her debut Beyond the Black Door. Vehyn was manipulative and charming, believable in a way that The Darkling and Cardan weren’t for me. 

I wanted Kamai to help Vehyn, falling just as deeply as she did for his sugar-coated lies. The difference in the execution of Kamai and Vehyn’s relationship versus The Darkling and Alina’s is what sold it for me.

While Vehyn and The Darkling are very similar, the difference between Alina and Kamai is what sets the two relationships apart. 

Both girls are manipulated, and both realize they are being manipulated, though one takes a lot longer to snap out of it than the other. In the end, both do what must be done to save the world, but are left forever changed by The Darkling and Vehyn’s influence over them. 

No matter what kind of enemies-to-lovers ship dynamic you’re into, there are plenty of variations to delve into within the scope of YA fantasy. A couple other well done enemies-to-lovers books that I didn’t mention in this article but should be checked out nonetheless are Furyborn by Claire Legrand, The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala, and We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal. 

Related:

Enemies-to-lovers trope is more than meets the eye

The Tiger at Midnight and We Hunt the Flame defy gender norms