Why women on the internet can't stop reading fairy porn

It's a fairy tale as old as time — the gripping, shocking story of a woman who falls head-over-heels in love with a man who is more red flag than human. Except in the case of the best-selling book A yard of thorns and roses and its subsequent series, Author Sarah J Mass didn't just use these tropes to establish herself in the romance market—she used fairy porn to revive an entire subgenre of publishing.

The name on everyone's lips right now is “romance,” a hybrid genre of novels that has taken the publishing world by storm. While the phrase is the literal definition of a successful marketing term, romance books are easy to describe. According to their portmanteau, they combine traditional fantasy elements such as magical creatures or mystical words with traditional romance forms, often sexually descriptive and explicit. (TikTokers prefer the phrase “spicy.”) TikToks using the hashtag #acotar have soared to over a million posts and nearly 9 billion views, which doesn't even come close to the thousands of webs of content that have spawned from the popularity of the book. You can buy T-shirts from TikTok featuring “The Bat Boys” (a team nickname for Mass's sexy, winged, male characters) or find workout routines tailored to the muscle demands listed in the books (you can't fly without strong lats !). Or for the very brave, you can attend the copyright fiascos that are ACOTAR-themed balls, black-tie events featuring characters in book-specific cosplay. Coupled with the sheer number of book recommendations comprising Mass's list of 16 books, this interest worked in parallel to stimulate the author to 38 million sold worldwide. But all the buzzy marketing terms and publicity aspects can't overshadow the main reason Mass is the reigning queen of romance: her books are familiar, simple, and easy to collect. And since last month, the best way to understand the world of her books is to read every time. single. a.

For those who don't know the general plot, A Court of Thorns and Roses is a spin on his classic story Beauty and the Beast, following the story of a young girl named Feyre who falls in love with an immortal lord of the Fae. Feyre and her family live in a country that is definitely not England in an undefined era where the vote doesn't seem to exist, but women can speak publicly without being burned at the stake. Their human city borders Prythion, a magical land filled with mystical creatures and ruled by their overlords, the Fae. Feyre, who is 19 years old and a skilled hunter, tries and fails to provide for her starving family. But when she goes hunting in the forest and kills a Fae disguised as a wolf, her punishment is to leave her life behind and live under the roof (and mercy) of Tamlin, High Lord of Spring Court. Once there, Feyre discovers that the dumb (and hot, don't forget hot) Lord of the Spring Court can turn into a snarling beast, an angry temper that eventually turns her to mush when she realizes he's hiding his true feelings and the stress of taking care of his people. Throw in a big curse with a deadline, an evil queen, some monsters, an immortal man whose hottest relationship is dating an illiterate 19-year-old, and at least four long and explicit sex scenes, and you've got the makings of a New York bestseller Times.

In addition to the fact that the later books double down on the porn aspects of Feyre and her friends, the Mass books also come with a major plot twist in the sequel. A Court of Mist and Fury. (Spoilers ahead.) Did you think Tamlin's snarling, violence, and general control of Feyre was romantic? Well, psycho moms! The wandering (and attractive) villain Rhysand is actually revealed to be Feyre's true love. Mass also gets rid of any pesky problems of falling immortally in love with someone without a developed frontal lobe by introducing the concept of mates, a fictional term for soulmates based on a biological imperative. Now, Feyre's love isn't just the romance of her dreams—it's destiny. This idea of ​​a devotion that spans time, war, and space defines many of Mass's books—so it was no surprise when, in her new series Crescent City, revealed that all of her fantasy series, previously thought to be unrelated, were part of an extended multiverse. Move over, Marvel. The Massassins – the name for Mass fans – are coming for your throne.

While Mass's success in publishing is often described as overnight, a large aspect of its appeal is how long it has been in the book world. The author published her first novel, throne of glass, a dark take on the Cinderella tale, in 2012 after the book's editions received high praise on the indie fantasy site FictionPress.com. Most of her books are often set in common stories or lore—allowing readers to bypass the necessary introduction with exposition that can kill interest in other fantasy books. When readers pick up a book about the mass, there are familiar settings plastered all over. See an immortal male giving birth? You're not surprised when she falls in love with the main character. Read about an impending war? You know in the end everyone who is in love makes it out alive. It combines gritty escapism with the promise of romance that a happily ever after awaits just across a battlefield. Mass's books also rely heavily on strong and independent female characters, something that is often lacking in other popular fantasy books written by men. And finally, AKOTAR often appeals to an audience of people who may not enjoy traditional erotica – but are perfectly comfortable carrying around one of Mass's easily recognizable volumes. They're like sexy stepping stones — and people keep coming back.

Mass has grown into a publishing giant, spawning a desire for romance books with similar themes and tropes. BookTok feeling Fourth Wing is just one example, a rich offering of romance between a young dragon rider and her brooding teacher at a dangerous, war-torn military college. But the rise of romance is not an anomaly. Rather, it's just another turn of a common cycle in publishing. The years after his success Twilight saw the book, film and television industries dominated by the vampire and werewolf tradition. Susan Collins' Hunger Games The series pioneered dystopian youth fiction. Now there's Mass and its laden cinematic universe of sexy, chiseled rumours. We've been here before. We will probably be here again. But for now, it seems the best bet for those confused by the Internet's devotion to fairytale porn might just be to crack open a book and find out for themselves.