Sarah J. Maas is the author of two popular teen fantasy series:
Throne of Glass and
A Court of Thorns and Roses. In fact,
Throne of Glass is a New York Times' Bestselling Series that will be made into a TV show by
HULU. And frankly, I think it's all well deserved; Maas is an excellent writer. She has a skill in creating a vibrant world with fascinating characters who are dealing with compelling problems. I have really enjoyed reading her books, but I think I might have to stop.
Working at a library, I am exposed/introduced to a plethora of books--my favorite library perk! And when I came across
Throne of Glass, I thought it sounded interesting, so I read it. Then immediately read the next two books. I recommended the series to a good friend; she read and loved them, too. Then we both anxiously and excitedly waited for
Queen of Shadows to be released and were not at all disappointed.
In my I-want-to-know-what-happens-next induced depression, I discovered that Maas had started a new series,
A Court of Thorns and Roses. I told my friend, and she beat me to it. When I finally got my hands on the book, I first read the book jacket. It was full of glowing, positive reviews, but most of those reviews commented on how sexy and passionate the book is.
I thought that was a little weird, so I asked my friend if this book was really steamy. She said that like
Throne of Glass sex is mentioned, characters have sex, but it doesn't really go into any detail. So I went ahead and read it.
My friend wasn't necessarily wrong. As the book moves along, there's some sexual tension eventually leading to characters doing the deed. However, there was enough detail that it made me feel uncomfortable.
Then the book's sequel was released. I was a little wary, so I waited until after my friend read it to get her feedback. She told me there are a lot of sex scenes throughout--much more than the first book.
I was torn. I really wanted to see how the story plays out, but I didn't want to endure any more sheathing sword metaphors or other uncomfortable details. Ultimately I decided not to read the sequel.
Then finally, the next
Throne of Glass was released. My excitement was tainted by worry that similar sexual content from the other series would creep into this one. And since the last
Throne of Glass ended with some significant sexual tension hanging between two characters, I knew I might not be worrying over nothing.
I began the book. The tension definitely continued from the last book, but nothing happened until halfway through the book. The two characters were on the beach and it was obvious they were finally going to do it. The scene began with foreplay, continued with every intimate detail, until six pages later when the scene ended.
When I say every intimate detail, I mean it. Absolutely nothing was left to the imagination. And this lasted a full six pages.
I would not call myself a prude, but as the scene progressed, I literally read with my eyes wide open nearly bulging out of my skull. Six pages of explicit, intimate details. In all my worries over what would happen in this book regarding the sexual content, I did not anticipate anything so graphic.
And this book is marketed toward teens.
In fact, after reading the scene, I had to go back and double check that fact. All of Maas's books have been published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens and are indeed marketed toward teens.
Which brings me to the point of this post:
If you are a teen, a parent of a teen, or simply a teen fiction enthusiast, proceed with caution regarding Maas's books (and maybe even the upcoming TV series).
I am not going to tell anyone what they should or should not read, that is a personal decision. And maybe scenes like this don't bother everyone. But this really bothered me; I did not like it or how it made me feel. In the middle of my teen fantasy novel was hidden six pages of pornography. I was not expecting it. I do not typically read adult books with romantic themes, because I don't want to chance upon scenes like this.
And I keep thinking about how this would have affected me if I had read it when I was a teen. This would have been traumatic for me. Honestly, traumatic; I'm not choosing that word lightly.
I remember the first time I read a sex scene in a book. In my teenage innocence and naivete, I didn't understand what was going on. It was a short paragraph, but I read it four or five times before I realized, "Holy cow they're doing it!" And at the time it was kind of disturbing; it bothered me despite being brief and subtle. And because it was assigned reading for high school, I finished the book. And even though we never discussed the sex scene in class, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when we were done with that book.
A six-page explicit sex scene in a book would have been traumatic for me as a teen. I had absolutely no experience with boys beyond friendship. I wasn't asked on a date until college. I wasn't kissed until my mid-twenties. As an inexperienced, innocent, and naive teen, I would not have been ready for this. I'm in my thirties and enjoying a healthy sex life with my husband, and I'm still not ready for this kind of thing!
I can't even begin to say how disappointed I am. I feel invested in what happens to these characters. So I have picked the book up and continued to read out of some sense of loyalty maybe, but every time I do I get anxious and worried about what might be on the next page. I wouldn't want teen me to feel this way--I don't want to feel this way! I read for pleasure, and I read fantasy for an escape from reality. I don't read to peek in on characters in the bedroom, or to find myself facing some dilemma of whether or not I should keep reading.
If teen me asked what I thought she should do, I'd encourage her to stop reading. So I think I'm going to stop reading this book, this series, and this author all together. Despite how fantastic I anticipate the story to be, I'm not convinced it'll be worth it if what I like is peppered with what I don't like.
