Sarah J. Maas isn't just responsible for the bestselling romantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. Her words have also inspired the conception of at least one baby - and likely more. "ACOTAR and mafia romance may have been the inspiration for my son's conception," Amy* tells PS. "And now I get a crapton of Audible credits as part of my birthday and anniversary gifts to help keep me 'inspired.' We had a very satisfying sex life before, but ever since I entered my smutty audiobook phase, it's been insane."
Romantasy novels like "A Court of Thorns and Roses," "Fourth Wing," and "From Blood and Ash" have collectively sold tens of million copies. When "Onyx Storm" was released in January, it became the fastest-selling adult fiction title in the past 20 years. Part of the reason for the books' popularity is their explicit sex scenes, which have earned the genre nicknames like "faerie smut" or "horny dragon books." But the romantasy genre isn't just selling millions - it's transforming readers' sex lives.
Julianne Buonocore, who runs the website The Literary Lifestyle, sees rising interest in romantasy sex scenes in her search data. "Some of the most popular searches on my site include sex scenes and spicy chapters for these books. This data shows that sex matters to women," she says. "Since these books are so popular, they make it feel 'OK' and mainstream for women to think and talk about their sex lives. While it may be hard to explore a personal issue, it's fun to talk about Xaden's and Violet's famous throne scene or to call Rhysand your book boyfriend."
In this way, romantasy books are following in the footsteps of titles like "Fifty Shades of Grey" in the 2010s, "The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty" in the 1980s, "Story of O" in the 1950s, "Lady Chatterley's Lover" in the 1920s, and all the way back to Colette's novels at the turn of the century. These titles were all bestsellers in their time and they all helped bring erotica into mainstream conversation.
The explicit sex scenes in current popular romantasy novels are many readers' first encounter with written erotica. And although some habitual erotica readers scoff at the idea of books like "A Court of Thorns and Roses" being called "smut" because they often contain just a few explicit sex scenes, these titles have helped a new audience encounter the genre in a low-stakes environment.
Julie T., who posts on TikTok and Instagram as @thenycbookworm, was already a fantasy reader when she picked up "A Court of Thorns and Roses" after seeing it recommended online, but the smut was a new discovery for her. "I was immediately hooked by the idea of combining the high fantasy plots I loved with a bit of sexy edge," she tells PS.
The fantasy plots made the romantasy genre less intimidating to pick up than erotica or even non-fantasy romance novels, which can feel intimidating or even embarrassing to read in public. (Just imagine reading a classic "clinch cover" on the subway, with the barely-dressed leads visible to everyone, as opposed to the stylized line drawings now commonly used in romantasy covers.) "There's often a misconception about romance as a genre, but when you mix in elements like world-building, magic systems, quests, mythical creatures, and intense plots, it creates a space where talking about sex, likes, and dislikes doesn't feel as intimidating," Julie says.
"Romantasy has opened up a community where conversations about sex, kinks, and desires can happen without the usual seriousness or pressure," Julie adds. "Let's be real - talking about dragons and a praise kink in the same breath can't help but make you laugh a little, and that takes the edge off. It's allowed me to explore these topics more openly in this community and bring them up with my partner."
Having friends to discuss her favorite books with improves Julie's love life, too. She says, "It's helped me feel less alone, and we all share tips on how to express our needs to our partners. It's been such a freeing experience."
Reading sexually explicit books in a low-stakes environment can help initiate self-discovery, too. Christine Barbetta, who posts on TikTok as @thundernoblechristine, tells PS that reading romantasy has helped her "find out things that I didn't know I'd like, and things I know I definitely dislike." She says, "I grew up in a deeply religious environment and was a late bloomer in this sense, so there were things I didn't know to ask about or expect when I became sexually active. I also wasn't reading books that had sex in them before the romantasy genre, so seeing it more often in the material I engaged with helped me be a lot less awkward in talking about it."
Other readers are drawn to the way authors, like Maas, combine sex and love. "On the side of TikTok I'm on, the sex aspect of it is mostly supplementary. Sure, there would be jokes here and there about how the descriptors are, but most people focus on the emotional aspect that is tied to it," Jasmine, who posts as @marvelousjazzhands, says. Reading romantasy, she says, "did make me realize that I prioritize the emotional aspect of relationships and book chapters above all else. That's what pops up the most on my TikTok - people loving and prioritizing chapter 54 of 'A Court of Mist and Fury,' over the infamous chapter 55."
It's worth noting, all these reactions are very much by design. Back in 2016, Maas told PS about her own early encounters with smutty books. "Books were the one place - especially romantic fantasy - where I could see these adult relationships play out and I got a sense of what a loving adult relationship could be like," she said at the time. This experience influenced her own writing. "I feel really lucky that my editor saw that and saw that we needed positive representations of sex and that it's OK not to just have sex, but to enjoy it." Message very much received.
*Name has been changed.
Related: Meet the "Shadow Daddies" of Romantasy Erika W. Smith (she/her) is a freelance writer and editor who covers astrology, sex, relationships, lifestyle, and more. Her book series Astrosex was published in 2021. Read More Details
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