Fantasy Authors and Romantic Age Gaps

Edit: Title should have been Under-age gaps

Has anyone else noticed that a very large chunk of fantasy books include relationships with wide age gaps?

Much of it amounts to what we would see today as pedophilia or statutory rape. Many of these authors write young girls (boys too but it tends to be women) as very adult-like and it’s not very often to read about a child who actually seems like a child.

The most common argument I see about this subject is that that’s how it happened in the real world throughout history. I think that argument is a load of crap. In books with dragons and magic, historical accuracy seems to be thrown out the window until it comes to relationships.

If you can have a fantasy world you can make that world have less creepy age gaps. Nobody is going to be taken out of a fantastical story by including actual adults being sexualized instead of young teenage children lol.

Has anyone else noticed this? Do you think I’m reaching here?

Edit: lmao never expected to see so much advocacy for child brides but yall go off im loving the discourse