On July 1, 2024, a new law in Utah took effect designed with the intent to keep criminally indecent and pornographic materials away from minors. I’m not going to get political today. My soap box is still tucked away. But, I am a librarian, so I was curious which books were considered “dangerous” to youth.
You can find the full list HERE along with a press release about the law. There’s something hinky about the list of banned books…
If you didn’t bother to click on the link, that’s okay. Spoiler: almost half of them (6 of 13) are by Sarah J. Maas.
Maas, a young adult fantasy writer, was on my radar before, but I’ve a long to-read list, and hadn’t made it to her yet. However, she got bumped up to the #1 slot immediately, because I had to read for myself why she had become so reviled.
So I requested Court of Thorns and Roses through our library consortium, and proceeded to wait. And wait. And wait. Because I was number 326 in line. I think I had it in my possession for 36 hours before I’d finished it.
The plot was fascinating, and moved at a good pace. It took place in a new world, and I adore exploring new worlds. Maas was extremely good at maintaining a balance of tension and anticipation between characters and her audience. A Court of Thorns and Roses was just one of those books that I had to binge read, and every other facet of my life was put on hold until I’d finished the marathon.
So what did I do? Got book #2 in the series, of course. Forced myself to take it slow, so I wouldn’t be so neglectful of my responsibilities… finished it in 48 hours. Maas displayed her literary skills, wove her magic, and brought me more fully into her world, until I felt personally invested in the plot’s outcome.
I then turned to one of her earlier works, The Glass Throne. It is set in yet another world, with it’s own unique magic system, history, and culture. It had a similar subplot to the Court series: strong female protagonist with two love interests, ending up with the one you least expect, for unexpected reasons. Despite the similarities, or perhaps because of them, I sucked The Glass Throne down like I was dying of thirst.
Maas definitely hit on a formula that works well.
After each book I asked myself, why were so many of her books banned? With the caveat that I have not read all six of her banned books, here is my take:
There was sex. Not a lot of it, and nothing that I would consider pornographic, but there was sex between consenting adults, who were in a relationship with each other. I’ve read a lot of bodice-ripping-smut paperbacks, and this was not that. The scenes depicted were of love, and those scenes were a minor part of the whole. But, if some adults believe that youth under the age of 18 should have zero exposure to sex, then that would be a problem.
Personally, I’m absolutely giddy with excitement that I get to pick up my next Court book from the library tomorrow. More Maas, please!
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