A Court of Thorns and Roses: Sarah J. Maas

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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. It's perfect for anyone who wants about as much romance as The Hunger Games, and the powers of The Young Elites! There is some violence, but overall it's great for any 11 year old. Is a court of thorns and roses a reverse harem? Sarah J. Maas has been confirmed to actively harm marginalized communities through her books. See Literary Phoenix resource here. - https://theliteraryphoenix.com/code-red-problematic-authors/

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. Things were so perfect so far that I was getting scared. Scared that all that perfectness was going to be ripped away and I was going to be one emotional mess. And for a minute there, I was. You guys know what I'm talking about.OH, I was mad! I was so angry when I started reading this book, because it is in the first chapter that you notice that Tamlin has changed and not for good. Now he's an asshole. He's insensitive and controlling, I couldn't stand him! So congrats, SJM, you made me despise my (now former) favorite character in this series. As an 18 year old, I truly enjoyed the book. I have read a lot of the comments about the book and see a lot of 13-15 y/o mentioning the explicit intercourse scenes and how they are disturbed by them. I totally understand that for the younger readers the description of the scenes may be too vivid and therefore recommend the book for readers 15 and up ! I could go on and on forever about the many many many precious Rhys and Feyre moments, but let's talk about that ending. I appreciate how the characters are all of a younger adult age range (18-late 20s), which makes the characters relatable to both older teens and adults alike. And Rhys is not who we expected him to be. He's sacrificed so much for his people like I can't even explain because HE SACRIFICED SO DAMN MUCH. And I seriously cried when he revealed all these things about himself. MAIN CAUSE OF MY EMOTIONAL TRAUMA RIGHT THERE.

Feyre, oh dear Feyre. I am so so proud of her and who she's become at the end of the novel. She's so exhilarating and vibrant and incredibly strong. But she was not like this in the beginning. The events in the previous book shredded her apart from the inside out, living only a shell of the brave young woman we cheered for. My heart ached for her. But she finds herself again -- her true self, her wild heart, her luminous spark of daring, fierce, brilliant dreams. And the heroine that emerges is coated with sheer determination, powerful bravery and astounding compassion. Murder, mayhem, mind control, imprisonment, torture, and treachery are part of the landscape and often very personal: "I slew Tamlin's brothers on sight. I held their minds, and rendered them helpless while I cut them into pieces, then melted their brains inside their skulls. And when I got to the High Lord's bedroom -- he was dead. And my father ... had killed Tamlin's mother as well." Even sympathetic characters will break bones or otherwise maim people they want to punish. Powerful characters are perfectly willing to abandon entire countries to horrible fates to save their own. Descriptions of gore, body parts, and gruesome fates -- past, present, and imagined -- are plentiful. One character drinks blood; others are often battered and bleeding. Military training, including hand-to-hand fighting, is part of the story; so is sometimes-mortal combat involving both magic and physical weapons. One of the characters is recently freed from decades of imprisonment as a villainous character's sex slave; several characters are tormented by their own dark deeds of killing and betrayal in Book 1. The new characters are all nice and pretty and invariably haunted by a dark dark past. It’s nice to read about them and to witness their banters, but they don’t stand out as particularly well-written or sophisticated. Multiple uses of crude language, including "s--t,""balls,""damn," and "hell," most often as "go to hell." 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. Is the book throne of glass appropriate for 6th graders? In this book in particular, we see how the men have power roles while the women remain at home, shop, decorate their houses, and generally gossip. Feyre, despite being "High Lady" has been reduced to the role of a secretary. During the sex scene with her mate, she sends him a vision of their newborn baby which he climaxes to which is disturbing to say the least.In this regard, I should say that in A Court of Thornes and Roses I did not care for Tamlin in any way, so I am not speaking out of frustrated adoration.) AND WHEN RHYS TOLD FEYRE EVERYTHING, (AND I MEAN EVERYTHING)...(LIKE REALLY EVERYTHING), I CRIED. IT WAS SOOOO.... I'M SORRY I CAN'T EVEN PUT IT INTO WORDS, BUT YOU PROBABLY FELT THE SAME THING. YOU KNOW. AND THE NIGHT OF STARFALL. OMG MY BABIES. THEY WERE AT THE BALCONY AND THEY WERE SHARING PERSONAL THINGS (I LIVE FOR THESE MOMENTS). AND THE ABSOLUTE MOST ADORABLE THING THAT HAPPENED WAS WHEN THEY BOTH WERE HIT IN THE FACE BY THE STARLIGHT AND LAUGHED. LAUGHED. AND SMILED SO MUCH. FEYRE HADN'T SMILED LIKE THAT IN FOREVER. AND OH DEAR LORD SAVE ME, I'M PICTURING THE GRIN RHYSAND GAVE FEYRE RIGHT NOW AND IT MAKES ME MEEEELLLLTTTT. I JUST SIMPLY CANNOT. Again, it all depends on how mature the child who is reading the book is. And, also to the parents, let the kid choose if they think the book is too much for them——you don’t know what’s going on in your kids head and it’s not your choice to make.