Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart, based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 16+
Dark magic, gore, hot faerie romance mark mature fantasy.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first volume of a romantic fantasy trilogy by bestselling Throne of Glass author Sarah J. Maas. It's an imaginative, violent retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with gory battles, gruesome injuries, and violent death, plus lots of romantic longing, raging passion, and sex-drenched menace. Several characters, including protagonist Feyre and the cursed faerie lord Tamlin, show great courage and selflessness in trying to protect innocent lives and face impossible ethical dilemmas, including sending their loved ones to their doom. They don't always choose well, but they try to make things right as best they can. Recurring strong language includes "s--t," "damn," and "hell."
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Killing, mutilation, and gore -- of faeries, humans, and other species -- are a constant presence and vividly described, as when a faerie's wings are hacked off or another's head is impaled in the garden. Characters are sometimes forced to kill against their will; sometimes they do it enthusiastically. There's also strong sexual menace: One character becomes the lackey and sex slave of an evil queen to save his kingdom from a worse fate; Feyre is menaced by characters intent on raping and killing her and in other scenes is beaten until her bones fracture. The royals and courtiers of the various faerie Courts have a long history of deadly intrigue that often runs to wiping out all their relatives.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Though the heated descriptions are usually more titillating than graphic, sex is a big part of the story, and it's not just the attraction between Feyre and Tamlin. As the story begins, Feyre's friends-with-benefits relationship with a village boy is ending; Tamlin, being immortal, has had many lovers. A character must play the starring role in a fertility rite, having ritual sex to ensure the year's crops.
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Language
some
Multiple uses of crude language, including "s--t," "balls," "damn," and "hell," most often as "go to hell."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
Despite many warnings not to drink faerie wine, Feyre does on several occasions, including a long period where she gets drunk every night when her captor forces her to attend parties with him.
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Positive Messages
some
Maintain selfless dedication to duty, even when your loved ones are ungrateful. True love, skill, and huge self-control overcome many obstacles. Try to do the right thing even when all your choices are bad.
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Positive Role Models
some
Feyre, Tamlin, and his scarred, loyal friend Lucien are conscientious and loyal and make many sacrifices for one another. Faerie Alis is a faithful servant to Tamlin, as are his friends who willingly give their lives to help save their country.
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Educational Value
a little
A Court of Thorn and Roses revisits the Beauty and the Beast theme and may encourage readers to explore other variations. Strong overtones of Celtic mythology, particularly the tale of shape-shifting Tam Lin and his human lover, may inspire some to delve deeper into that material.
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (46)
- Kids say (169)
age 15+
Based on 46 parent reviews
bearbaity Adult
December 30, 2021
age 15+
Some considerations
I think it wise to read this yourself first, and if you are unwilling to do so, or it's not your style - err on the side of caution and delay a year longer before recommending this to your child. I've just finished it and am happy to let my 15 year old read it. When I was much younger, 12 -13 I discovered much more sexually explicit books and delighted in them, which is all part of growing up. Chances are, if you're questioning if your teenager can handle sexual content - you're too late anyway due to what they've undoubtedly already consumed.Having said that, all children are different and only you know your child. I wouldn't let my 12 year old read this - and not only because of the sexual content. The relationship between the two main characters, and consensual sex that occurs as the result of a loving connection that's described (not in explicit detail) isn't the issue. The graphic and heart wrenching graphic torture scenes that crop up frequently, especially towards the end, are.This book should make a parent wary not because sex occurs. It's vague enough the deeper meaning is lost on younger readers without the experience to draw on, and the implications in print are, for the most part, wrapped up in themes of love and mutual respect. This book requires special consideration when suggesting or buying it for a younger reader because the implications of, and psychological effects of the explanations of physical pain being inflicted on others for sadistic pleasure, and exploring those themes requires some consideration as to whether you believe your child is ready to tackle such ideas.Whilst some sexual content focusing on the objectification of women is touched on at the end, much of the deeper connotations are lost to the less experienced - and pretending these elements aren't an intrinsic part of the very fabric of society is naïve and you do your teenage daughter a disservice by pretending otherwise. Do I wish my daughter's never had to know or experience the most unpleasant side of of sexism and objectification? Of course. Will it serve them to pretend it doesn't exist and censor any material that alludes to it? Absolutely not. Children are corrupted not by the content they consume so much as by the repeated actions of society that doesn't fail to reach their notice. Creative material like this serves to unify female experiences and acknowledge the existence of injustices that are undoubtedly already aware of, and provide an avenue for which to relate their building collective experiences in a way that is meaningful and important for women's voices to be heard finally.Does your 12 year old need to be aware of these issues, no not yet probably. Is it terrible if they are, also no. If they weren't ready for the material - they wouldn't be able to proceed.Do I think a level headed 14 or 15 year old can handle this? Absolutely.
nicole04 Adult
October 21, 2021
age 16+
Love the series! Just wanted to make sure readers are aware that it is an erotic romance, with very detailed sex scenes (first book is not that explicit, but as the books progress the explicitness increases).
See all 46 parent reviews
What's the Story?
In a vaguely ancient-Celtic world (whose map, at the beginning of the book, strongly resembles the British Isles) where the faeries regularly war with one another, engage in back-stabbing intrigue, and massacre hapless victims of all species, humans struggle to survive on the tiny bit of territory the faeries have left them. Nineteen-year-old Feyre, the youngest child in a merchant family that's lost all its money, keeps her father and sisters alive by hunting in the woods, but one day in the dead of winter, when they're all about to starve, she kills a huge wolf. Before long, a huge, ferocious beast comes from the faery world to take revenge and drags Feyre off to his kingdom. Once there, her shape-shifting captor drops his disguise (though he retains claws throughout), revealing himself as Tamlin, a High Fae and, it turns out, a perfect host, despite the mask that never leaves his face. Surrounded by beauty and kindness in A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES, Feyre soon begins to fall in love with Tamlin -- and to learn more about the terrible curse that hangs over him and his people.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (46):
Kids say (169):
Both bodices and bodies are ripped to shreds early and often in this sexy, violent, magic-steeped page-turner. Narrator/protagonist Feyre may sometime bog things down in internal hand-wringing, and an occasional anachronistic howler creeps into the dialogue. But, as the dark, romantic, Beauty and the Beast-based saga unfolds, bestselling author Sarah J. Maas reveals complex characters, puts them in impossible situations, and sets up plenty of developments in future volumes.
Along the way, there's a lot of sexual tension and release, with plenty of overheated description, such as: "His bite lightened, and his tongue caressed the place his teeth had been. He didn't move -- he just remained in that spot, kissing my neck. Intently, territorially, lazily. Heat pounded between my legs, and as he ground his body against me, against every aching spot, a moan slipped past my lips."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about new stories based on old, traditional tales, as with this reinvention of Beauty and the Beast. Do you like getting creative with existing material? Do you think sometimes it goes too far? How?
How do you feel about stories where the protagonist is forced to choose among various options, all of them bad? Was someone you know ever in that position? What did they do? How did they decide?
Book Details
- Author : Sarah J. Maas
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Magic and Fantasy, Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More, Adventures, Fairy Tales
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Bloomsbury USA
- Publication date : May 11, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 432
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated : July 30, 2024
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A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 1
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