Sarah J. Maas Is the Mortal Queen of Faerie Smut

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( books [The Mortal Queen of Faerie Smut]( Sarah J. Maas writes massively popular books that mix fantasy lore with soft-core romance — and a whole lot of trauma. Illustration: Nicole Rifkin Over 500 pages into [A Court of Mist and Fury](, the second book in Sarah J. Maas’s wildly successful “[A Court of Thorns and Roses](” series, the protagonist, Feyre, finally hooks up with Rhysand, an ancient Fae lord with batlike wings and a deep well of emotional trauma. Rhysand ravages Feyre on a table covered in her art supplies — then scoops her up and carries her to a bathtub, where they wash off the paint they’re now covered in. Maas narrates from Feyre’s point of view: “Rhys picked up a bar of that pine-tar smelling soap and handed it to me, then passed a washrag. ‘Someone, it seems, got my wings dirty.’ My face heated, but my gut tightened. Illyrian males and their wings — so sensitive.” As she starts washing Rhys, she glances over his shoulder into the bathtub. “At least the rumors about wingspan correlating with the size of other parts were right,” she tells him. [read more]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now]( to save over 60% on unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • The Real Housewives of Potomac: [Limited Liability]( • The Bachelor: [Oh, Maria, Maria]( • Death and Other Details: [A Floating Calamity]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [6 Great Audiobooks to Listen to This Month A twisted thriller, a romance that goes down easy, and an intimate memoir about an open marriage.]( By Marshall Heyman [How The Viall Files Became Meet the Press for Reality TV Nick Viall’s podcast transcended Bachelor Nation to comprise the wide world of unscripted scandal.]( [12 Romantasy Authors to Know Here are some of the most popular creators of sexy fantasy worlds.]( By Julie Kosin and Kathryn VanArendonk [Which January at the Movies Was the Most January? We examined the 130 films to open wide in January over the past 15 years to find out which year was the most January of them all.]( [Benny the Butcher Is Still Sick of Rap Critics “It’s been cool to shit on rappers lately. I think people need to dial back on that.”]( By William E. Ketchum III [T.J. Holmes’s and Amy Robach’s Exes Are Dating Too? Andrew Shue and Marilee Fiebig were spotted at the airport together just one month after their relationship went public.]( By Justin Curto [Sigh, Martin Short and Meryl Streep Are Not Dating Maybe they’re not official yet.]( By Alejandra Gularte [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 1-Across, Five Letters: Skin-care brand once repped by Rihanna Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty A newsletter about the perpetual Hollywood awards race for our subscribers. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved