author highlights: Sarah J. Maas
authors who had a big break in BookTok #3
Sarah J. Maas is a 38-year-old author mainly known for her three book series: Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. She has also grown in popularity on BookTok and has a special hashtag for her ACOTAR series, with just under 10 billion views.
Her first book was the first in the series "Throne of Glass,” which takes the same name as the series. It was published in 2013 and rediscovered by readers during the pandemic.
Hollywood has already whisked away ACOTAR to be a book-to-screen adaptation. The first trial was not as successful as fans would think since the rights had been bought in 2015, and 2018 the movie was announced to be canceled.
In 2021, however, 20th Television bought the rights to adapt it into a series for Hulu. Maas is confirmed to be involved in the production as part of the writers’ and showrunners' teams and as an executive producer.
Maas' BookTok explosion earned her the title of the “Queen of Romantasy,” a hybrid genre of romance and fantasy. Her books can be considered part of the high fantasy genre since her world-building and magical politics are very involved in the plot. The romance comes in the background as an undertone to the wars and adventures happening in the main storyline.
Like Colleen Hoover, Maas could not escape criticism over her books’ actions and plots. Some accusations about her were a lack of diversity, a toxic fanbase, and misleading content labels.
Despite controversies, her fans have praised Maas for her high contribution to the fantasy genre through her multiverse writing and storyline creation.
Read you soon,
Bea
Photos by: Bea Barros.