IT was once the preserve of bored housewives seeking a fantasy thrill from the pages of Fifty Shades Of Grey.
But now, it’s getting hot under the collar for a new type of erotic dubbed “fairy porn”.
‘Fairy porn’ is the new novel genre loved by Gen-Z readersCredit: Getty
Young readers like The Sun’s Emily Webber are lusting over sexy supernaturalsCredit: Dan Charity
A-listers such as Margot Robbie are also said to be fansCredit: Getty
Instead of dashing businessmen and steamy office affairs, young readers like me are lusting over a different kind of fantasy novel featuring sexy supernaturals.
And make no mistake, this new genre — which brings us mythical creatures romping in graphic detail against the backdrop of faraway kingdoms — makes the likes of E.L. James’ Fifty Shades series look as PG as a Richard Curtis movie.
has become an unlikely phenomenon thanks to TikTok’s “BookTok” community.
There, millions of fans breathlessly pore over the raunchiest details from smash-hit novels such as A Court Of Thorns and Roses — the first book in a series known as ACOTAR by devotees.
It is credited with popularising the genre and has topped audiobook charts, even sparking the launch of Britain’s first romance-only bookshop.
Sex-mad bat boys
But this isn’t just a social media phenomenon — the real-world figures bear it out.
We recently told how sales of “Romance And Sagas” titles have hit record highs, with £69million spent last year, up from £62million in 2023.
Celebrities are getting in on the action, too. A-listers such as , and are apparently fans.
So what is it that’s attracting young Gen Z-ers like me to a world of sexy beasts and frisky fairies?
As a 28-year-old woman, I moved to after I had read modern day romcom classics like Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding and Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series.
But after three years of studying English at university, like many of my Netflix-obsessed generation, I had fallen out of love with reading.
All that changed when I was introduced to the A Court Of Thorns And Roses series by American author Sarah J Maas.
A friend gave me a copy of the first book and assured me that I would be hooked — with my boyfriend sick of the sight of them.
I had always turned my nose up at fantasy, so I was sceptical that any airy-fairy romance novel could make me blush.
I can’t imagine a life where I’m not thinking about ACOTAR.
Chloe Burrows
Fast-forward to now and, instead of scrolling streamers for a juicy series, I find myself counting down the hours until I can get home, shut the door and indulge in a spot of racy reading.
And I’m not alone. Asked about her favourite Sarah J Maas novel, superfan said: “God, it’s like picking a favourite child. They’re all perfect.”
star Margot also hinted in an interview that she could be the woman to turn the into a TV series through her production firm.
TikTok-savvy celebs are also fully invested, with Love Islander Chloe Burrows telling her 1.4million followers: “I can’t imagine a life where I’m not thinking about ACOTAR.”
A Court Of Thorns And Roses author Sarah J MaasCredit: Beowulf Sheehan
Celebs like Megan Fox are fully invested in the genreCredit: Getty
Love Islander Chloe Burrows is a huge fan
Building on the popularity of recent fantasy phenomena like , fairy porn is full of dazzling dukes, dragon riders and fantastical creatures including, erm, sex-mad “bat boys”.
But many experts have attributed the genre’s success to how it puts female pleasure, and control, front and centre.
An iconic scene from Iron Flame, by Rebecca Yarros, sees duke Xaden Riorson take his girlfriend to his throne, growling “My house. My chair. My woman”, before burying his face in her nether regions.
In A Court Of Mist And Fury, there are scenes in no less than seven chapters — almost all of which see the female main character taking charge.
One ACOTAR passage blushingly reflects: “She couldn’t move — couldn’t remember how to move. No one had ever done that to her. Made her feel like that. It had knocked the breath from her, the thoroughness of her pleasure.”
Our introduction to ACOTAR, in the form of A Court Of Thorns And Roses, was in May 2015.
I’m deeply honoured that anyone would call me queen of anything, considering I spend most of my days covered in the fluids of my children.
Sarah J Maas
That debut novel was swiftly followed by four others — with a sixth rumoured for release next year.
Mum-of-two Sarah J Maas, 39, a New Yorker, has a down-to-earth take on being dubbed the “Queen of Romantasy”, joking: “I’m deeply honoured that anyone would call me queen of anything, considering I spend most of my days covered in the fluids of my children.”
Nonetheless, the series has led the way in the rise of the fairy bonkbuster — with A Court Of Thorns And Roses becoming Spotify’s top audiobook last year.
There is also the “dramatised adaptation”, which sees the audiobooks brought to life by sound effects and a full cast of actors.
In June, England’s first romance-only bookshop, Saucy Books, opened in Notting Hill, west London.
It has since amassed 16,000 followers on , with fans flocking from across the country to get their hands on a naughty novel.
There is even a corner of the shop known as the “smut hut”, which is dedicated to erotic fiction.
Just like magic, it appears the bonkbuster is back.
