- A panel at Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools voted Tuesday to remove the book from shelves after receiving complaints from parents
- It is a companion novel to the bestselling series “A Court of Thorns and Roses.”
- The parents criticized the “sexually explicit” content of the book
A best-selling young adult fantasy novel has been banned by a North Carolina school board after a local mother complained about its graphic sex scenes.
Sarah J. Mass’s “A Court of Frost and Starlight” was pulled from shelves in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools after officials agreed Tuesday that the film was too illicit.
The book is a companion novel to Maas’ young adult series “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and contains a lengthy sex scene in which a male and female character engage in oral sex and rough intercourse.
A statement shared with the Daily Beast said: “While the committee voted to remove the physical copies of A Court of Frost and Starlight, it supports student access to the digital version of the text through ONE Access, a partnership with the CM.” Public Library.
Brooke Weiss reportedly filed at least five complaints with the board about various books, including Maas’s
A Court of Frost and Starlight was banned by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board
“Parents can opt out if they do not want their students to access the title in this manner.”
According to Kim Ray, director of library services for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the book was available in 22 schools and checked out 62 times.
Ray told WFAE News, “This film definitely has explicit sexual content and the team wasn’t convinced that it related to the progression of the story.”
The Court of Thorns and Roses series – described by publisher Bloomsbury as a “seductive, breathtaking fantasy series that combines romance, adventure and fairy tales into an unforgettable read” – has sold over 13 million copies worldwide.
In September, PEN America reported that two of Maas’ books were among the “most banned books of the 2022-2023 school year.”
The second book in the series, “A Court of Mist and Fury,” has been banned at least 27 times, while “Empire of Storms” has been banned 22 times, according to PEN America.
Kasey Meehan, director of the Freedom to Read Project at PEN America, told The Daily Beast that the ban is “disheartening.”
She said: “It is disheartening that thousands of North Carolina students – in one of the largest school districts in the country – are now being excluded from their writing.”
“In a climate where more and more books are being banned, the decision to ban even a single book is disturbing.”
Sarah J. Maas is a bestselling author and creator of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
With the controversial Parent’s Bill of Rights passed on August 15, parents in North Carolina have gained more power over which books are available in schools.
Under the law, parents can review and dispute books, and complaints about Maas’ book fall under the new law.
According to WSOCTV, local mother and head of the Mecklenburg County chapter of the conservative activist group Moms for Liberty, Brooke Weiss, filed at least five complaints with the Mecklenburg board about various books.
She told the Daily Beast: “It’s a very popular series written for adults, and that’s what the committee’s decision was based on.”
“It is too sexually explicit and adult for an educational setting.” They confirmed that the books in the series are available in the public library and that they are not “banning” the book.
“So I’m not sure why I’ve been relentlessly attacked and labeled a book banner for three years when all I asked for was exactly what they decided to do today.”
Ms. Weiss also complained about Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, Sold by Patricia McCormick, Tricks by Ellen Hopkins and Jack of Hearts by LC Rosen.