Few series have a tighter grip on young female readers than Sarah J. Maas’ romantasy juggernaut “A Court of Thorns and Roses."

The wildly popular series follows Feyre Archeron — a human huntress pulled from a starving village into the faerie courts of Prythian, where she is drawn into immortal politics, ancient magic, and a romance that remakes her.

But Allie Beth Stuckey has concerns about this BookTok obsession that has so many women, including Christian women, in a chokehold. On this episode of “Relatable,” the BlazeTV host dives into the viral series and the romantasy genre and explains why they’re delivering far more than just entertainment.

“Despite what Maas says … about her hypersexual novels being quote ‘more than smut,’ the picture that she paints of relationships, of morality, of sexuality, and the world [is] not neutral … and it's certainly not biblical,” says Allie.

“These kinds of romantasy novels are having an effect on how women, even Christian women, view men and view marriage, which then has an impact on children, has an impact on society,” she continues.

While Allie is a fan of reading fiction, she believes Christians need to stay away from all of Maas’ series and other authors who write similar novels not only because many are “pornographic” and thus contradict Philippians 4:8’s call to entertain only wholesome thoughts but also because they erode the reader’s “perception of reality” — especially when it comes to relationships.

Allie plays a clip of Maas telling “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper that she’s proud that her books help women leave their abusive husbands.

“Obviously we believe that if you have an abusive husband that you and your children should go and be protected … but there is a question of what Sarah J. Maas considers abusive,” says Allie.

“I think we've expanded the definition of abusive to include things that were never before seen as abusive, so when she's talking about women leaving their husbands, I'm like, well, is it really because of abuse, or is it because their husband could not live up to this fantastical depiction of what love should look like or what a romantic partner should look like?” she asks.

To illustrate her point, Allie recounts a TikTok post from a fan of the books, explaining that the series motivated her to get a divorce.

“She said that reading the novels helped her realize that she deserved an explosive, passionate, adventurous life in love,” Allie recaps.

In a Reddit post, a Maas fan wrote, “Rereading [‘A Court of Mist and Fury'] and realising it’s ruined my perception of love because I don’t think I could ever meet a man who would be as devoted and loving towards me as Rhys was to Feyre.”

“You’re right, because he’s not real,” says Allie bluntly.

These examples capture one of her biggest issues with Maas’ books and the romantasy genre in general: They set readers up to have unrealistic expectations about romantic relationships.

“Comparing real-life people — fallible human people who deal with sin and get tired and get distracted and have their own things going on in life … to a mystical creature, and you're mad that your boyfriends haven't stacked up to that? That is very disturbing,” says Allie.

“We are seeking, it seems like as a culture, a frictionless life with frictionless relationships — no inconvenience, no discomfort, no sanctification, no working hard, no getting through things, but just ‘I deserve, I deserve, I deserve sunshine,”’ she continues.

The irony, of course, is that these readers can’t offer the same perfection they seek.

“Think about yourself for a second,” says Allie. “Is that what you offer to a man? Do you offer perfection? Do you offer unconditional and unwavering sunlight at all times? Is that who you are?”

“No, it's not who any of us are. It's not who I am. We're all imperfect people, and yet I do think that women have become more and more used to, at least online, like, holding men to a standard that you do not hold yourself,” she continues, highlighting the Lindsay Clancy supporters whose “unending compassion” for the woman who killed her three children would likely never extend to mentally ill men guilty of similar crimes.

The idea that “women are always victims no matter what,” she argues, has poisoned many women — and that includes those who leave their husbands or give up on relationships because real-life men can’t compare to fictional ones who are “tall, dark, and handsome” and love and act perfectly.

In the "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series, the male protagonist Rhys, Allie explains, is “described as the most beautiful man imaginable,” “the most powerful man in the world … yet is somehow always emotionally available and vulnerable for Feyre,” is “protective and chivalrous,” and “encourages her independence and helps enable her be able to protect and defend herself.”

“Is that so hard, men? Is that so hard to be the ruler of the world and also emotionally available and accessible at all times?” Allie jokes. “Come on. Women aren't asking for much.”

To hear more of her analysis, watch the episode above.

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