A bestselling 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’ ‘A Court of Frost and Starlight’ has been pulled from shelves across Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools after officials agreed Tuesday that it was too X-rated.

The book is a companion novel to Maas’s young adult series ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ and features a lengthy sex scene where a male and female character have oral sex and rough sexual intercourse. 

In a statement shared with the Daily Beast, it 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 made at least five complaints to the board about different books including Maas’s

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

‘Parents may opt out if they do not want their students to access the title that way.’

The book was available in 22 schools and had been checked out 62 times, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools library services director Kim Ray. 

Ray told WFAE news: ‘This one definitely has some explicit sexual content and the team wasn’t convinced that that was related to moving the story along.’

The Court of Thorns and Roses series – described by publisher Bloomsbury as a ‘seductive, breathtaking fantasy series that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore 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 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. 

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Kasey Meehan, director of the Freedom to Read project at PEN America, told The Daily Beast that the ban is ‘disheartening’.

She said: ‘It’s disheartening that now, thousands of North Carolina students—in one of the nation’s largest school districts—will be deprived of her writing.

‘In a climate that continues to see more and more books banned, a decision to ban even a single book is distressing.’

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

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

Under the bill parents can review and challenge books and the complaints about Maas’ book fall under the new law. 

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

She told the Daily Beast: ‘It is a very popular series that is written for adults, and that is what the committee’s decision was based on. 

‘It is too sexually explicit and mature for an educational setting. They acknowledged the books in the series are available in the public library and they are not ‘banning’ the book. 

‘So, I am not sure why I have been relentlessly attacked and labeled as a book banner for three years straight 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 L.C. Rosen.