I read a banned book a few weeks ago. The first book in the popular fantasy series by Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses (as well as several of her other titles), has been in the news in recent years for supposedly being too explicit to be in school libraries (paid links). On a whim, I picked this novel up and you can find my thoughts on it below.
Here is the blurb:
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.
As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.
This book struck me more as a romance in a fantasy setting than a fantasy novel with romance. For the first half of the book, the story was about the relationship between Feyre and Tamlin, more than anything else. Yes, the story isn’t set in our world and there is plenty of magic, monsters, and history here, but as a lowly human, Feyre doesn’t know very much to start with. The initial events reminded me of classic fairy tales, particularly Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.
About halfway through the book, this changes. Feyre becomes more invested in the faerie world as a result of taking control of her situation and learning the truth of what is going on. I liked the book much better from this point, and the introduction of more characters and higher stakes helped to make this a richer story. I enjoyed the rest of the novel and will likely pick up the second book soon.
The idea that this book is too sexually explicit for teenagers is laughable. I read those scenes and was underwhelmed. You know what’s more explicit than the writing in this book — teenagers’ imaginations. I’ve read other books that are marketed to adults that are more graphic, but Sarah J. Maas’ books are categorized as YA or young adult. Young adult books are not for all ages of children, but are intended to be read by teenagers and typically feature characters who are a couple of years older than their audience. Here is an article by a librarian who can explain why teenagers need to be able to read books like this better than I can.
Have you read any books by Sarah J. Maas? Which did you like the best? Which would you skip?
Find more of my book reviews here.
Salvage – a flash fiction science fiction story with a winter holiday theme