My current WIP is an Urban Fantasy, as I've come to the conclusion that Magical Realism is not taken as literally as I think it should be as a designation. But there is a romance sub-plot that concerns 2 of the 3 major characters/narrators and develops from nothing to a full-fledged relationship by the end of the book. But the book is absolutely not about the romance. Is it acceptable to call it an "Urban Romantasy" or is that pushing it too far when querying?
On Writing : Genre Question by Terrence Sellers
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Hi, Terrence Sellers. Since the romance is only a subplot and your book is absolutely not about the romance, I think you should call the book an Urban Fantasy.
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Yeah, I agree with Maurice, Terrence Sellers . Though I find most works nowadays cross multiple genres, which is the mark of a good book. My rule of thumb is that whatever the logline for the movie pitch would be is the main genre you'd present the book in. I like using Urban Fantasy as a category because it makes your book very specific in its tone. Magical Realism is too vague, I think.
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Agree with Maurice Vaughan here. Let the subplot stay a subplot. Otherwise, readers will feel tricked into buying something they didn't actually want.
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You always have to watch as the genre definitions change. Urban Fantasy has taken three major forms over the years. And for a long time Magical Realism just meant that you were writing Urban Fantasy but were shoved into the niche because you weren't a white author. (Glad to see that has mostly changed.). And even Magical Realism evolved from being solely related to surrealism influenced by various Hispanic cultures
A lot of people like their romance subplots in Urban Fantasy. Urban Romantasy sounds too much like you are pushing the romance. Readers may expect more tropes toward the Paranormal Romance aspect and there are more specific points to hit there when querying.