Overview
A Court of Thorns and Roses has become an immensely popular romantic fantasy series in the book world since its release in 2015 ā but it comes with many red flags for parents. Itās loosely based on the story of Beauty and the Beast, but with a much more complex and sexual twist. Despite its magical and imaginative story, this book was not written for an audience of young readers. Hereās what parents need to know about A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Harmful Content āļø
Parents should know that this book was initially rated as a YA (young adult) and sometimes even found in the YA section of libraries, but this series is more accurately rated as NA, or New Adult. The first book of the series certainly contains highly mature content, but later books of the series get even more graphic and gory.Ā Ā
The dynamics between the characters involve emotional manipulation, substance abuse, sex and sexual assault, as well as abusive power struggles. Similarly, the magical world in which this takes place has unjust and problematic ethical issues, including oppression and torture.Ā
LanguageĀ
Frequent use of swear words such as āhell,ā ādamn,ā and āsh*t.āĀ
Sex
Sex is a prevalent theme throughout the book for multiple characters. The main character is involved in a āfriend with benefitsā relationship at the start of the book, but later becomes romantically and physically involved with another character in the magical world. Much of the book has romantic and sexual tension between a variety of characters. These intimate scenes are described in heated detail and, again, get even more explicit in later books of the series.Ā
ViolenceĀ
The magical land of this book is riddled with war and gory battles. The unforgiving powers that be force characters to commit dreadful acts such as murder, sexual assault, and torture. These scenes often come with bloody and unsettling descriptions.Ā
Positive Value š«
While A Court of Thorns and Roses has complex world-building and character development, it comes with too much risky content to be appropriate for most young audiences. Itās a good thing there are plenty of other book series that can keep your reader hooked without the adult content.Ā
So, should my kid read it?
No, we would not recommend this book for kids. Given its adult content, weād say this book is only appropriate for mature readers, at least 17 and up.Ā
