Anonymous wrote:I would never allow it. If this is A Court of Thorns and Roses, here is what Commonsensemedia says:

Though the heated descriptions are usually more titillating than graphic, sex is a big part of the story, and it's not just the attraction between Feyre and Tamlin. As the story begins, Feyre's friends-with-benefits relationship with a village boy is ending; Tamlin, being immortal, has had many lovers. A character must play the starring role in a fertility rite, having ritual sex to ensure the year's crops.

Killing, mutilation, and gore -- of faeries, humans, and other species -- are a constant presence and vividly described, as when a faerie's wings are hacked off or another's head is impaled in the garden. Characters are sometimes forced to kill against their will; sometimes they do it enthusiastically. There's also strong sexual menace: One character becomes the lackey and sex slave of an evil queen to save his kingdom from a worse fate; Feyre is menaced by characters intent on raping and killing her and in other scenes is beaten until her bones fracture. The royals and courtiers of the various faerie Courts have a long history of deadly intrigue that often runs to wiping out all their relatives.

Recurring strong language includes "s--t," "damn," and "hell

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses

Anonymous wrote:I would never allow it. If this is A Court of Thorns and Roses, here is what Commonsensemedia says:

Though the heated descriptions are usually more titillating than graphic, sex is a big part of the story, and it's not just the attraction between Feyre and Tamlin. As the story begins, Feyre's friends-with-benefits relationship with a village boy is ending; Tamlin, being immortal, has had many lovers. A character must play the starring role in a fertility rite, having ritual sex to ensure the year's crops.

Killing, mutilation, and gore -- of faeries, humans, and other species -- are a constant presence and vividly described, as when a faerie's wings are hacked off or another's head is impaled in the garden. Characters are sometimes forced to kill against their will; sometimes they do it enthusiastically. There's also strong sexual menace: One character becomes the lackey and sex slave of an evil queen to save his kingdom from a worse fate; Feyre is menaced by characters intent on raping and killing her and in other scenes is beaten until her bones fracture. The royals and courtiers of the various faerie Courts have a long history of deadly intrigue that often runs to wiping out all their relatives.

Recurring strong language includes "s--t," "damn," and "hell

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses

Anonymous wrote:Has she read Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series? Very likely to appeal to a YA fantasy fan, but much tamer! Plus the series has a metric ton of books (really, there's like 20) so they will keep her going for a while.

Get her one for a holiday gift and she'll be hooked.

Anonymous wrote:I would never allow it. If this is A Court of Thorns and Roses, here is what Commonsensemedia says:

Though the heated descriptions are usually more titillating than graphic, sex is a big part of the story, and it's not just the attraction between Feyre and Tamlin. As the story begins, Feyre's friends-with-benefits relationship with a village boy is ending; Tamlin, being immortal, has had many lovers. A character must play the starring role in a fertility rite, having ritual sex to ensure the year's crops.

Killing, mutilation, and gore -- of faeries, humans, and other species -- are a constant presence and vividly described, as when a faerie's wings are hacked off or another's head is impaled in the garden. Characters are sometimes forced to kill against their will; sometimes they do it enthusiastically. There's also strong sexual menace: One character becomes the lackey and sex slave of an evil queen to save his kingdom from a worse fate; Feyre is menaced by characters intent on raping and killing her and in other scenes is beaten until her bones fracture. The royals and courtiers of the various faerie Courts have a long history of deadly intrigue that often runs to wiping out all their relatives.

Recurring strong language includes "s--t," "damn," and "hell

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses

Yes, that's the book. Thanks for the reference.

Anonymous wrote:My concern wouldn't be that she's reading fantasy, but that she's reading fantasy aimed at a more mature audience. Try introducing her to Diana Wynne Jones books. Tamora Pierce also writes excellent YA fantasy. The Circle of Magic series is good for younger readers, and the Tortall books skew older, but when sex comes up in them, it is handled well, particularly in terms of consent and protection against pregnancy.

Anonymous wrote:Still sounds better than Flowers in the Attic, but maybe not by much. I really wouldn't worry about it. (I admit, I've looked at the Sarah Maas books a couple times, but I just can't read them -- they're so stupid, characters, plot, everything.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she likes fantasy/science fiction/YA, try to ALSO encourage her to read some more "traditional" books in that genre, like "Hunger Games," Tolkein, etc., but make it in addition to what she's reading on her own, not "instead of."

--An English MA holder who has helped run a youth reading grant and knows that kids reading ANYTHING on their own is tremendously valuable

We've tried this without much success. Compared to contemporary YA fantasy, the fantasy/science fiction I grew up reading--Asimov, Heinlein, Zelazny, McCaffrey, Dune--seems boring and difficult to her. The "junk" that I happily devoured alongside more serious fiction is serious fiction compared to what's on the market today. Oh well!