The internationally bestselling series A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) is back! Sarah J. Maas has just announced the release of two new books, due to be published in late October 2026 and mid January 2027 respectively. Fans are head over heels and critics are grumbling, so it is the perfect time for a short retrospective on the series. ACOTAR is presented as a fantasy series, “perfect for fans of G.R.R. Martin,” which has created disappointment in readers as this is much more of a romantasy than a high fantasy read.
Indeed, it is often criticised for its subpar worldbuilding, flat characters and poor writing. It is also regularly cited as a “smut” book (understand word porn) by its detractors. It is certainly true that ACOTAR is not the great American novel and does not offer a deep insight into the human condition, but neither does it ever aim to do so. Readers love ACOTAR because it is fast-paced, fun, and an overall addictive read. Yes, there are some sexually explicit scenes, and some will deem it slop. But plenty of “mid” books are written every year that do not get half as much hate as ACOTAR does.
An explanation for this can probably be found in the ACOTAR fanbase itself: it is very majoritarily composed of women. ACOTAR’s most virulent critics, on the other hand, seem to be predominantly men. The ACOTAR debate is then just an example of a larger social trend: men love to hate what women enjoy.
Although the smutty parts of the book, unlike porn, do not exploit or harm any real people, there seems to be an online moral panic concerning the supposed amounts of ‘smut’ women read. On the other hand, watching porn is still regarded as normal and, frankly, expected of men. In the UK, MedExpress says more than 82% of men watch porn regularly whilst a 2014 survey found that 53% of women read erotica at least occasionally. The difference in figures and frequency only goes to show that sex-related double standards are still alive and well.
In fact, ACOTAR did not invent sexual scenes in books—for instance, they are prevalent in A Game of Thrones by G.R.R. Martin, to which it is often compared. Martin’s series features graphic child rape scenes and incestuous sex scenes, as well as somewhat consensual rape scenes, but it is never termed knight porn or smutty fantasy. This highlights the relation between books being described as “smutty” and devalued and books written primarily by women for women. Of course, ACOTAR haters claim Martin’s series has some literary qualities lacking in ACOTAR, but the fact remains that literature with sex is only seen as a social problem when it is marketed for women. In fact, this moral panic over erotica has a long history, punctuated by landmark acts like the Obscene Publications Act of 1847. It has to do with society’s continued expectation of women that they be pure, innocent and chaste.
ACOTAR might not be the best series ever written, sure. But it is entertaining, and it is a good reminder that books aren’t only intellectual objects, they’re also here for leisure. Thus the superiority some feel when demeaning romantasy is unjustified and only pushes people away from reading. The double standard existing when talking about sexually explicit literature is rooted in sexism that does nothing to better literature and ought to meet its end.
Photo by Elin Melaas on Unsplash