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In Our Romantasy Era: Why Readers Love Spicy Faerie and Dragon Rider Books
The BookTok success of Sarah J. Maas’s ‘A Court of Thorn and Roses’ has sent the ‘romantasy’ genre mainstream, and Us explores the curious appeal of spicy faeries and smutty dragon riders
Maas has now sold over 40 million copies of the five books in her series, in 38 different languages, and hashtags related to them have attracted more than 14 billion views on TikTok, by devoted fans of all ages who spout theories, play dress-up and rank their favorite titles. It’s no surprise that the ACOTAR series, which begins with 19-year-old huntress Feyre being held captive by a sexy-but-dangerous faerie overlord after she kills a wolf in the woods, has now been optioned for a TV adaptation by Hulu too. Unlike the dated romance novels your grandma discreetly stashed in her shopping bag, the books often feature more diverse characters too — a big appeal for the younger, cooler TikTok audience who wouldn’t be caught dead with a traditional bodice-ripper.
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