Dark romance is a subgenre of romance that embraces more mature, violent, or ethically ambiguous themes. Dark romance titles often include protagonists who are morally gray or openly embrace their immoral tendencies. The genre often discusses taboo themes as related to sex, including abuse, violence (including sexual violence and physical nonsexual violence), trauma, and cruelty. Common tropes within the genre include organized crime, kidnapping, stalking, obsessive love interests, and “dubious consent,” particularly in the beginning of a romantic arc. All of these elements are present in The Ritual, from sexual encounters that take place under the influence of substances to murders committed on the orders of a secret society.

Dark romance has sparked controversy for allegedly normalizing behavior that would be abusive in real-world scenarios. Unlike in “lighter” romances, in a dark romance, a character who commits violence against a love interest does not disqualify themselves as a potential romantic partner. While some dark romances (including a subgenre known as “bully romance”) will see cruel protagonists apologize effusively and attempt to make amends for their bad behavior (known as a “grovel” within the genre), others rationalize such cruel behavior rather than apologize for it. Dark romances operate on their own moral scale, in which romantic partnerships are validated not by perceived morality but rather by some agreement that indicates, within the text’s logic, that the members of the partnership are allied with one another as well as emotionally entangled.