A Court of Thorns And Roses Parents Guide: Is The Sarah J. Mass Series Suitable For Teens?

Summary A Court of Thorns and Roses has raised concerns about its sexual content, but it's geared toward older teenagers, not younger readers.

The series features detailed and explicit sex scenes that may be suitable for mature teens at parental discretion.

Romantasy books like A Court of Thorns and Roses are not necessarily for all ages, despite their popularity on platforms like BookTok.

It's thanks in part to the A Court of Thorns and Roses books that the word "spicy" started getting thrown around so much on BookTok, prompting plenty of parents to wonder just how suitable it is for teens to read. Author Sarah J. Maas' romantic fantasy series has blown up on TikTok, becoming a huge bestseller and even getting the greenlight on a Court of Thorns and Roses TV show adaptation. With millions of copies sold, it's one of the biggest ongoing book series currently being sold.

When a book series blows up that big, though, it naturally leads to curiosity about it and more people reading as word of mouth spreads. That could give some parents pause, as they may have heard that the ACOTAR series is sexually explicit in nature. Whether or not it's suitable for teens of a certain age to read, of course, remains up to the parent. Still, here's a parents' guide for those who want to be a little better informed about the Court of Thorns and Roses books.

Related 8 Reasons The Court Of Thorns & Roses Show Should Be A Priority For Hulu Hulu needs to prioritize its A Court of Thorns & Roses TV show, as the Sarah J. Maas adaptation could boast a number of benefits for the streamer.

A Court Of Thorns & Roses' Sexual Content Isn't Suitable For Younger Teenagers

It's Geared Toward Older Teenagers At The Very Youngest

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A Court of Thorns and Roses is a deceptive series. It has an older teenage protagonist, but that does not mean it's suitable for younger teens, and it's definitely not appropriate for preteens and younger readers. Author Sarah J. Maas reportedly fought with her publisher to keep all the sex scenes in the books, and she won. The first half of the book is more or less clean for readers of most ages, as Feyre gets taken by Tamlin as compensation for her having killed one of his soldiers. Feyre's feelings and trauma are complicated, but ultimately fine for younger readers. However, once Feyre and Tamlin consummate their relationship, the story changes. The sex scenes are descriptive and get more explicit from the second book when she leaves Tamlin and falls for Rhysand.

Related 10 Books To Read If You Love A Court Of Thorns & Roses Those who love Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns & Roses books may be looking for something similar, especially while they wait for new content.

Older Teenagers May Be Able To Handle The Physically Intimate Scenes (At Parents' Discretion)

It Also Sets A Surprising Good Example About Power Dynamics & Consent

Art by Charlie Bowater

The ACOTAR books are definitely erotic, even in scenes that don't necessarily lead to sex (though there's plenty of that). While the sex scenes aren't particularly kinky or fetishized in any way, they are detailed and explicit – think of what one might read in a Harlequin novel, except with magical fae instead of cowboys or Scottish lairds. For older teens who are either sexually active or mature enough to read about sexually explicit scenes and adequately process, the Court of Thorns and Roses series would be permissible, at a parent's discretion. More conservative parents or those with kids less inclined to be curious about intimacy will need to use their best judgment.

That said, one positive thing about the sexually intimate scenes in A Court of Thorns of Roses and its sequels is how the sex itself is handled. It's always at Feyre's consent and often at her urging. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Rhysand and Tamlin are both incredibly reverent and respectful of Feyre in scenes of intimacy, often letting her control the flow and pace. There is no degradation or forced sexual intimacy, and this also holds true when the focus shifts to Nesta and Cassian. For parents who know their kids will find a way to read romantasy erotica anyway, they could do worse than introduce their teens to A Court of Thorns and Roses for examples of intimacy where both partners are equal and the power dynamic is balanced. In fact, Feyre often has more power there, particularly with Rhysand.

Book Title Release Year A Court of Thorns & Roses 2015 A Court of Mist & Fury 2016 A Court of Wings & Ruin 2017 A Court of Frost & Starlight 2018 A Court of Silver Flames 2021

A Court Of Thorns & Roses Is Part Of The Romantasy Genre (& What That Is)

Fantasy Is No Longer Just The Realm Of Teenagers

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There's still a bit of a misconception among those not familiar with the "romantasy" subgenre that all fantasy and/or dystopian books with younger protagonists is also for younger people. This is thanks to the still-considerable influence of earlier hit series like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Twilight, and Divergent, all of which were quite chaste save for Twilight's much-mocked wedding night bedroom scene. That is no longer the case: plenty of seeming teen-aimed books now fall into the romantasy subgenre, and they can be far more carnal in nature.

Romantasy, a portmanteau of "romance" and "fantasy" certainly has romance in spades, and sometimes that's all it has. Certain series lean more toward Twilight's PG-13 high school romance, preferring the love to remain unconsummated physically, or with no more than a kiss. Others, however, are more firmly geared toward adults with adult content, with the romance between characters leading to multiple erotic scenes; these fall on a scale between Bridgerton and Outlander. These spicier books tend to blow up on BookTok, with readers falling into the erotic escapist fantasy. Parents should be aware that simply because a book like A Court of Thorns and Roses is blowing up on TikTok, it doesn't necessarily mean it's for all ages.