Thirty-four-year-old Author Sarah J. Maas is most known for writing the “Throne of Glass” series, the “ACOTAR” (A Court of Thorns and Roses) series, and most recently, the “Crescent City” trilogy. The book has been translated into 37 languages and sold millions of copies. Maas is one of the best-known authors in the genre of High Fantasy. Adult Fantasy, not Young Adult High Fantasy, is what many regards her work to be, despite the fact that her books are labeled as YA High Fantasy.
As a series, “Throne of Glass” has seven books plus a short prequel. In 2012, she released her debut book, “Throne of Glass,” which was the first in a trilogy she began writing when she was just 16 years old. Readers fell in love with the imaginary story of Celeana Sardothien, an assassin who is depicted as being in her twenties. ACOTAR, the first novel in Maas’ new series, came out in 2015. The ACOTAR series received a new cover in June 2020, and only those titles were placed in the adult section of all bookstores at that time.
In total, there were three full-length books and one novella in this series, but today there are five books in the series. It began as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but swiftly deviated when the second and third instalments were released. We follow Feyre, a young woman who has spent her entire life hunting and killing predators in order to survive. A wolf is always on the prowl, and she doesn’t hesitate to pounce on a deer that is being stalked by one.
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She paid a high price for this, though, and she must now make it up to her debt. Her human nature leaves her open to the perils of the faerie realm, which is now her new home. As the series progresses, the influx and emigration of characters opens up a plethora of narrative possibilities. Maas rewrote the novel to focus on Feyre’s older sister, Nesta, rather than her younger sister, Arya.
Fans of the series have either liked or hated this character, so when it was announced that she would be getting her own book, many were ecstatic! Maas’ new book “A Court of Silver Flames” was published on February 16. Throughout the day, TikTok users shared footage of people queuing up to buy one of the most anticipated books of the year. When the cover of the author’s new book was announced on Instagram, members of the book community began posting images of the cover and praising the author.
For a while, readers had a reason to celebrate… until things became ugly. A smear campaign against the well-known author began when members of the TikTok literary community known as BookTok posted videos on TikTok disparaging him. Comments like “you are supporting a troublesome author by giving her your money” and “if you preordered Sarah’s new book or purchased it today, unfollow me right now” were disregarded. Sadly, this is when things got really bad.
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The books by Sarah J. Maas have sparked a great deal of debate. Despite the fact that her works are brilliantly written, they lack variety, which is something that readers are looking for in light of recent events. The LGBTQIA community has stated that she must show some representation in her books without feeling the need to kill them off or keep them as a side character. She must do this. Throne of Glass’s Nehemia is a good example. During one of Celeana’s many disguises, Nehemia stepped in to help her out.
The Princess of Eyllwe in the fantasy series was named Nehemia. The sequel “Crown of Midnight” tragically ended her story too soon. Some were upset that her story was cut short despite the fact that the series extended for another five novels and she was the only character of colour. Similar outrage and hostility may evoke memories of the J.K. Rowling-inspired “Harry Potter” series author’s controversies.
However, despite the success of the Harry Potter film series and the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters in the Universal Studios theme parks, Rowling has received criticism for her lack of diversity and the inclusion of transgender characters. This comes after she waited years after the success of the film series and the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters in the Universal Studios rides. It would be a pity if Maas’ writing career met the same end as Rowling’s due to a lack of variety, despite the obvious differences between the two.
However, Maas’ recent controversy has many formulating their own ideas, with some buying her novels merely to form their own perspective or to rip it apart. After a few days of this, she might as well be on eggshells. In a situation like this, there is no one-way street. A lot of people feel that Maas is an exceptionally gifted author. She began writing at the age of 16 and published her first novel at the age of 26.
In spite of the fact that she has produced numerous volumes, there appears to be little or no representation in her works. Many factors could be at blame for this. Because she doesn’t know what it is like to be a person of colour or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, she may not be able to express her thoughts and feelings accurately. With this in mind, some readers claim that she can still devote more time and effort to her studies in order to learn as much as other authors.
Even the people who read the books do their homework in order to better grasp the tale or the sexuality of a character they’re reading about. She may include an underrepresented ethnic group or an LGBTQIA+ person in her work, but it will be an extremely stereotyped representation. In that sense, it’s a “damn be damned” issue since there will be others who are offended. As a result of this, becoming an author or writer can be incredibly challenging. To tell a tale, people write because they like doing it.
However, there will always be people to please in the process. Some displeasure will spread if they aren’t happy, and others will have to decide whether or not they agree with them. One of the most popular TikTok and Instagram users made a video in the early afternoon of February 16 informing his fans that he had gotten his book. Later that day, he posted a video explaining that the previous video was taken down because he had received death threats and harsh remarks from people who had purchased the book.
Rather than serving as a way for readers to connect with others who share their passion for books, these social media platforms are currently being abused by those who wish to divide the literary community. It became common for users to refer to these sites and profiles as “poison” and express how humiliated they were to be associated with an online community that so brutally attacked others for having their own views.
While many people think that promoting diversity is a positive thing, no one has the right to use it as an excuse to send hurtful messages, including death threats. There is no place for bullying in any setting. When a book was released, it should not have sparked a wave of death threats. However, the situation was resolved within a few days. Readers began messaging on their pages that their feeds will be a secure area where they can understand all that happened and where spoilers of the book will not be broadcast without notice.
It’s not only one-sided when it comes to these kinds of situations. Regardless of one’s preference, however, one’s views should not be regarded as something to be accepted at face value but rather as something to be appreciated. In the arts and literature, this is true. Whatever it is you cherish, protect it at all costs. The fact that you don’t like something doesn’t mean it’s bad. In the writing community, it is not acceptable to publicly shame others, and this has been demonstrated yet again.
