On the Topic of Sarah J. Maas and Why Her Books Have all of us Romantasy Gals in a Chokehold

Magic. Faeries. Badass female main characters who are smart, kind, powerful, as well as drop-dead beautiful. Gorgeous, six/seven-foot-tall men with jawlines (and the bat/angel wings, let's not forget those) that could cut butter, witty remarks, and powers that could kill you and most likely will. Captivating side characters who have their own unique backstories and personalities, who contribute their own slice of interesting to the stories they inhabit. Spicy, sizzling-with-tension love stories. Inspirational quotes and moments of soaring triumph. Emotional damage that will rip your heart out, stomp on it and tear it into a million tiny pieces and still leave you wanting more. This is Sarah J. Maas' works in a nutshell.

Love her writing or hate her writing, there is no in between. Personally, Sarah J. Maas' writing got me back into reading after a long, stagnant period of not reading anything, and it fully introduced me to the romantasy genre (a blend of romance and fantasy) and the spicy scenes were my soft introduction to darker romance as a whole. Granted, I made a huge leap from Sarah J. Maas to H.D. Carlton and K.A. Knight, but that's for another story here on Vocal. While some scenes, characters and wording can be cringy and/or annoying - or even downright frustrating, she is a brilliant writer all the same, and I love her books so much. In this article, I'll be doing a small review of each of her three series and rating them out of 10, as well as putting some of my favourite quotes and a cast of characters, along with a spice rating.

Series title: A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)

Synopsis: When a penniless, mortal girl named Feyre Archeron slays a faerie disguised as a wolf in order to feed her family, she is taken by Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court in the land of Prythian, as a prisoner and blood debt for the life of a faerie. What happens next will define the course of young Feyre's life forever as everything she's ever known collide with magic, enchantment, danger and powerful faeries who either want to keep her safe or kill her.

First released: May 2015

Status: Ongoing as of 2021

Cast of characters: Feyre Archeron, Nesta Archeron, Elain Archeron, Tamlin (High Lord of the Spring Court), Lucien Vanserra (Autumn Court), Rhysand (High Lord of the Night Court), Morrigan (aka. Truth Speaker), Amren (Death Angel), Cassian (Lord of Bloodshed, Prince of Bastards), Azriel (Shadowsinger, Spymaster), Amarantha (Hybern's general) and King of Hybern (or just Hybern)

Setting: Fantasy world called Prythian

Spice rating:

. A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR): 2/5

. A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOMAF): 3/5

. A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOWAR): 3/5

. A Court of Frost and Starlight (ACOFAS): 4/5

. A Court of Silver Flames (ACOSF): 4/5

Favourite quotes:

"Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don't feel anything at all." - Rhysand

"I threw myself into that fire, threw myself into it, into him, and let myself burn." - Feyre

"Don't feel bad for one moment about doing what brings you joy." - Tamlin

"Hello, Feyre darling." - Rhysand

Adaptations: Optioned by Hulu for a TV series in near future, to be helmed by Ronald D. Moore (former showrunner of Outlander and Battlestar Galactica) and Sarah J. Maas. Show was later delayed/discontinued due to SAG-AFTRA strike (it is unknown whether the project will be picked up again)

Series title: Crescent City (CC)

Synopsis: Bryce Quinlan, half-Fae/half-human, resident party girl of Crescent City/Lunathion, is living it up when her world is suddenly turned upside down. She is the only survivor of a massacre that took the lives of her friends, including her best friend, Danika Fendyr. When the authorities hear of the devastating massacre and realise Bryce might be the key to some other strange events that have occurred in Crescent City, they assign the fallen angel Hunt Athalar, otherwise known as the enigmatic and deadly Umbra Mortis, to protect Bryce as her personal bodyguard. Begrudgingly, Hunt and Bryce work together, not knowing that the secrets they discover, and the hidden power that lays within Bryce's half-Fae/half-mortal form, might be Crescent City's only chance for survival.

First released: March 2020

Status: Ongoing as of 2022 - Crescent City 3: House of Flame and Shadow to be released in January 2024

Cast of characters: Bryce Quinlan, Danika Fendyr, Connor Holstrom, Hunt Athalar, Ruhn Danaan, the Autumn King (Einar Danaan), Aidas (Prince of Hel), Cormac Donnall, Tharion Ketos, Hypaxia Enador, the Viper Queen, the Asteri, Ithan Holstrom, Lehabah, Jesiba Roga, Fury Axtar and Juniper Andromeda

Setting: Lunathion/Crescent City

Spice rating:

. House of Earth and Blood (HOEAB) - 1/5

. House of Sky and Breath (HOSAB) - 3/5

Favourite quotes:

"Through love, all is possible." - Danika Fendyr

"Light it up, Danika! Light it up, light it up, light it up!" - Bryce Quinlan

"Memento Mori. Remember that you will die and enjoy each pleasure the world has to offer." - Unknown

"I know you'll keep going forward, Quinlan - even if it sucks. Because you pretend to be irreverent and lazy, but deep down, you don't give up. Because you know that if you do, then they win. All the asp-holes, as you called them, win. So living and living well - is the greatest fuck that you can ever give them." - Hunt Athalar

Adaptations: None confirmed as of yet, nor has Crescent City been optioned for a television show adaptation

Series title: Throne of Glass (TOG)

Synopsis: Celaena Sardothien, the legendary assassin formerly from the conquered realm of Terrasen, is serving a sentence in the prison camp of Endovier when she is recruited by the crown prince of Adarlan, Dorian Havilliard, to participate in a competition. The prize: becoming the King's Champion and eventually winning her freedom after four years of servitude. With no other option but death, she agrees. When her competitors begin dying in mysterious circumstances, it is up to her to find out who - or what, has been killing them. What she finds with the help of the captain of the guard, Chaol Westfall, and Princess Nehemia of Eyllwe, will set her life on a trajectory to discover who she truly is, far more than her famed title as 'Adarlan's Assassin'.

First released: August 2012

Status: Completed as of 2018 - with the final entry in the series being Kingdom of Ash

Cast of characters: Celaena Sardothien (aka. Lillian Gordaina), Dorian Havilliard, Chaol Westfall, Princess Nehemia Ytger, King of Adarlan, Arobynn Hamel, Sam Cortland, Lady Kaltain Rompier, Duke Perrington, Rowan Whitethorn, Lorcan Salvaterre, Elide Lochan, Manon Blackbeak, and General Aedion Ashryver

Setting: Adarlan, Erilea, Terrasen, Wendlyn, the Southern Continent, Rifthold and Perranth

Spice rating:

The Assassin's Blade (AB): 0/5

Throne of Glass (ToG): 2/5

Crown of Midnight (CoM): 1/5

Heir of Fire (HoF): 3/5

Queen of Shadows (QoS): 1/5

Empire of Storms (EoS): 3/5*

Tower of Dawn (ToD): 2/5*

Kingdom of Ash (KoA): 2/5*

(*Note: I have not yet finished reading these last three in the series, so I can't exactly give an accurate rating on the spice levels in the last three books*)

Favourite quotes:

"We all bear scars, Dorian. Mine just happen to be more visible than most." - Celaena Sardothien

"You could rattle the stars. You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That's what scares you the most." - Elena Galathynius Havilliard

"Names are not important. It's what lies inside of you that matters." - Nehemia Ytger

"You bear many names, and so I shall name you as well. I name you Elentiya. I give you this name to use with honour, to use when other names grow too heavy. I name you Elentiya, 'Spirit That Could Not be Broken'." - Nehemia Ytger

"I like music, because when I hear it, I... I lose myself within myself, if that makes any sense. I become empty and full all at once, and I can feel the whole earth roiling around me. When I play, I'm not... for once, I'm not destroying. I'm creating." - Celaena Sardothien

Adaptations: Has been optioned for a TV show by Hulu, to be headed up by Mark Gordon of Entertainment One, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

My thoughts:

I adore the ACOTAR series. They reinvigorated my love for fantasy and introduced me to spicy literature on a whole. The love between Feyre and Rhysand - there is no love like it, and I hope to have an epic love like that. Also, all the characters are well thought out and have unique personalities and great backstories. While there are some weak spots, and lots of plot holes, and while the fandom can be really toxic at times, it's such a great series, and certainly a great introduction to YA fantasy on a whole. It does deal with some mature themes (i.e. death, PTSD, depression, anxiety, torture, sexual abuse/assault, etc.) and while there are some very explicit, sexual scenes in several of the books (mostly in ACOMAF and ACOSF, with quite a bit in ACOFAS as well), each and every mature scene is very well done, with a massive emphasis on consent (including huge amounts of fluff and aftercare!!).

I read the Crescent City series just after I finished the ACOTAR series (had a bit of a Sarah J. Maas hangover) and instantly fell in love with it. Bryce is definitely one of my favourite SJM gals. She's sassy, funny, and she's brave, while maintaining the initial personality of reluctant hero that's so imperative to the hero's journey. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Hunt Athalar, and I honestly prefer Ruhn Danaan among all the other men in the Crescent City series. Besides, who doesn't love a hottie with tattoos and a side shave who knows how to let loose and have fun? All that aside, I'm so excited for House of Flame and Shadow to hit the bookshelves on January 30th, and I know I'll be the first to snag a copy when it does.

I just started the Throne of Glass series and I'm in the middle of the tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. Currently trying to avoid the heartbreak that I know awaits me in Kingdom of Ash, so I'm trying to distract myself with books like Fourth Wing and its sequel, Iron Flame, which is a very terrible idea in and of itself, because both of those books were filled with so much tension and pain. At least the dark romance books I was reading on Kindle weren't that full of slow burn, tension, pain and heartbreak. But that being said, I adore Celaena, and if you're familiar with her story, you'll know that's not her real name, but she's also one of my favourite SJM girls. Her sass is unparalleled, and that's saying something when you compare her to Bryce. Also, I love assassins, and female ones are even cooler. She's smart, albeit a little reckless, and each relationship she has with almost every character in Throne of Glass is so well done and unique.

Personally, I believe Throne of Glass is SJM's strongest series in terms of worldbuilding, character development and storytelling. While I will always adore ACOTAR and Crescent City, they've both been riddled with problems, and in comparison, of the Throne of Glass fandom, I find the other two fandoms quite toxic. But all three have their strengths, and as a fantasy writer, Sarah J. Maas is a queen of storytelling in her own right, and her romance plots are second to none in the way she tells them. Of all the romantic books I've read, her relationship plots (especially Feyre and Rhysand, Hunt and Bryce, and Aelin and Rowan), are among the healthiest relationships I've ever read in fiction.

The women in each and every relationship are their own person, and the men in the relationship allow them to have that agency and autonomy, while not being emasculated in the process. They're allowed to be both gentle and dominant lovers, and the level of emotional maturity from a good lot of the males in the SJM books is shockingly good, not that us female book readers can exactly say much for the men we know - then again, this is fiction. Everyone is crazy gorgeous in this series, and they're all wildly unrealistic. But I will die on the hill that Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, is the blueprint for men in fiction and for healthy relationships. Yes, he's 500 years old and super powerful and morally grey - let me have my fun!!

All in all, I love these books, and if they haven't got you in a chokehold by now, or if you haven't discovered them, I highly recommend you read them! There's no particular order you have to read them in, but I would highly suggest you read ACOTAR first. The first ACOTAR book is a bit slow (I must be one of the strange ones because it sucked me in pretty quickly) but it picks up speed later in the book. The reason why I suggest you read ACOTAR first is because there's a sneaky surprise hidden in Crescent City 2, House of Sky and Breath, that connects with the ACOTAR universe. Definitely read Crescent City first and then Throne of Glass last. Throne of Glass has another small connection with the ACOTAR universe if you look really hard in Kingdom of Ash (I think it's that one). House of Flame and Shadow dives deeper into that ACOTAR connection that was forged in House of Sky and Breath, but I'm not going to spoil anything else for it, except that I just know it's going to be epic.

In the meantime, enjoy my other stories, and I'm hopefully looking to post more in the coming weeks about books and movies, because that's what I like to write over here on my Vocal page. And while you're at it, please support me by following and liking my stories, and leaving comments where you can. And if you want to support me further on a more financial aspect, head on over to my Amazon author page and purchase my new series, The Apocalypse Love Story Trilogy, for $12 each, for Kindle and paperback!! Purchasing my books will help me keep writing so I can make more of an income off of my writing and hopefully make my dream of becoming a part/full-time writer a reality.