Author Sarah J. Maas’s bestselling young adult fantasy novel A Court of Frost and Starlight is BANNED from North Carolina schools after parents complained about sex scenes

A best-selling fantasy novel for young adults has been banned by a North Carolina school board after a local mother complained about its explicit sex scenes.

Sarah J. Mass’ “A Court of Frost and Starlight” has been pulled from the shelves of Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools after officials agreed Tuesday that it was too X-rated.

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 read: “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 has reportedly filed at least five complaints with the board about various books, including Maas’s

A Court of Frost and Starlight has been banned by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board

‘Parents can opt out if they do not want their students to have access to the title in this way.’

According to Kim Ray, director of library services for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the book was available at 22 schools and checked out 62 times.

Ray told WFAE news: ‘This certainly has explicit sexual content and the team were not convinced this was related to moving the story forward.”

The Court of Thorns and Roses series – described by publisher Bloomsbury as a ‘seductive, breathtaking fantasy series that combines romance, adventure and fairytales into an unforgettable reading experience’ – has sold more than 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 students in North Carolina – in one of the largest school districts in the country – will now be deprived of her writing opportunities.

“In a climate where more and more books are being banned, a decision to ban even one book is troubling.”

Sarah J. Maas is a bestselling author and creator of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series

North Carolina parents gained more power over what books are available in schools under the controversial Parent’s Bill of Rights passed on August 15.

Under the bill, parents can review and dispute books and complaints about Maas’ book are covered by the new law.

Local parent and the head of the Mecklenburg County chapter of the conservative activist group Moms for Liberty, Brooke Weiss, filed at least five complaints against various books with the Mecklenburg board, according to WSOCTV.

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’s too sexually explicit and too mature for an educational setting. They acknowledged 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 was asking 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.