Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series launched in 2015 and became BookTok’s defining fantasy romance phenomenon (2020-2024), selling 10 million+ copies.
BookTok Explosion
While published in 2015, ACOTAR found its massive audience on TikTok starting in 2020:
- #ACOTAR has 7+ billion views on TikTok (as of 2024)
- Viral fan art, casting debates, and “spicy scene” reactions drove sales
- Series stayed on NYT bestseller list for 100+ weeks (2020-2023)
Fan Culture
The fandom is intensely devoted, with debates over:
- Ship wars: Feyre/Rhysand vs Feyre/Tamlin
- Casting: Dream cast for rumored TV adaptation
- Book boyfriends: Rhysand’s Inner Circle dominating romance discourse
Publishing Impact
ACOTAR’s success made adult fantasy romance (“romantasy”) the fastest-growing genre, with publishers scrambling to replicate the formula: fae worlds, morally grey love interests, explicit content.
Sources:
- NPR: https://www.npr.org/
- Publishers Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/