Women's Lifestyle March 5, 2026 0 Comments

Why Sarah J. Maas’s Bold, Steamy Scenes Are Shaking Up Fantasy Fiction—and Pissing Off the Purists

Ever stumbled upon a book that did way more than just entertain you—one that practically grabbed your hand and pulled you out of a dark place? That was me, diving into the world of Sarah J. Maas around my son’s second birthday, right when postpartum anxiety and depression were throwing me into the deep end. Sure, the romance and steamy scenes had their charm, but it was the heart and raw emotion woven through her 16 books that truly hooked me. Maas isn’t just selling stories; she’s sold 75 million copies by 40 because she captures life’s messy, imperfect reality—showing that even flawed women deserve love and a second chance. Yet, when I told my family about the comfort these books gave me, I was met with laughter and dismissive “fairy smut” jokes. Sound familiar? It’s a tired, misogynistic trope that Maas herself pushes back against, insisting that the so-called “smut” isn’t just hot scenes—it’s real life, pain, healing, and joy all tangled up in one helluva narrative. Ready to challenge what you thought you knew about romantic fantasy? Let’s dive in. LEARN MORE

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I picked up my first Sarah J. Maas book around my son’s second birthday. Still reeling from the darkest days of postpartum anxiety and prenatal depression, Maas’s 16 books became a lifeline for me in a way I never expected. I fell headfirst into her fictional fantasy world, and while I enjoyed the romance and steamy sex scenes like any warm-blooded woman of taste, that wasn’t what truly mattered to me.

Maas has sold 75 million books by the age of 40 because she combines the best of romance with deep emotional stakes, visceral mental health representation, and complicated female character arcs that prove you don’t have to be perfect to be worthy of love. I saw myself on every page, clawing my way back from the darkest pits of depression.

When I shared with family members how much these books meant to me, how much joy they brought to me when I needed it most, they laughed in mockery and dismissed them as “fairy smut.” The rage I felt at that reaction has been multiplied by every snarky, dismissive headline surrounding the popularity of romantasy books since. Critics throw around labels like “dragon smut,” “fairy smut,” and “vampire smut,” that are dripping in misogyny, as if these books, written by women and enjoyed by millions more, have little else to offer beyond the sexual content.

This was a topic I was glad to see Maas address on the March 4 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, when she sat down with host Alex Cooper to discuss how she feels about being labeled a smut author. “I just think in general, when a lot of people hear that I write romantic fantasy…as much as I love my steamy, sexy, hot scenes, there’s this dismissal now of smut. I’m like, “Yeah, I write smut. I love it,'” she says. “But that’s not what my fans come up to me to talk about when they want to come thank me. Yes, we giggle and laugh about the hot scenes. But they tell me how they left their abusive husband after they read A Court of Mist and Fury, and we cry over that.”

Maas says on the podcast that she’ll “always be proud” of her steamy scenes, but ultimately, the bad-faith takes around her writing enrage her. “I find that there is a tendency for people to roll their eyes at things that bring joy. And bring women joy, especially. And it pisses me the fuck off constantly,” Maas shares with Cooper. “Anytime a woman writes something, and there’s even a little hint of sex that’s not fade to black, or very artistically mentioned, it suddenly devalues the work. And it doesn’t matter what else is in that book, if there is some kind of hot graphic sex. I don’t understand, though, because you’re writing a thing that is so accurate to life—and sex is a part of life.”

The author points to her book A Court of Silver Flames as an example, which details the emotional journey of the characters Nesta and Cassian as their relationship evolves from a physical fling to a secure partnership. “The sex sometimes is tied to the plot,” she says. “This dismissal of it as just smut…it’s fun, it’s designed to be entertaining, but it’s also moving. I write what I consider to be cool shit that means something to me.”

The best-selling author’s next two books—ACOTAR 6 and ACOTAR 7—are coming on October 27, 2026, and January 12, 2027, respectively.