What turns you on? Your partner? Ethical porn? The Babygirl trailer? Nope? Okay, how about well-hung minotaurs, a kidnapper fairy, or a tribe of big, horned, blue-skinned aliens?
If you’re more into monsters than Nicole Kidman rn, you’re not alone. And if you recognize any of these mythical characters, you’re likely already a follower (or at least a curious onlooker) of SmutTok—aka, the "spicy" romance novel section of BookTok, TikTok’s book-loving community. BookTok and its smutty sister—both of which appear to be dominated by women—have been growing steadily since the pandemic (at the time of writing, the latter hashtag has a million posts), but in recent months, it seems even the least kinky among us are getting in on the action.
The aforementioned mythical creatures are all from some of the most viral fantasy novels: the minotaurs are from C.M. Nascosta’s Morning Glory Milking Farm, in which protagonist Violet gets paid to jerk them off in order to harvest their semen. The fairy is from Sarah J Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses, an enemies-to-lovers-esque romance between a mortal huntress and her fairy enemy. And the aliens are from Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians series, in which a group of human women are trapped on an ice planet, with only hunky blue aliens for company. Other popular SmutTok novels include Ali Hazelwood’s Bride, Katee Robert’s The Dragon’s Bride, and Opal Reyne’s Duskwalker Brides series.
A quick search of these titles on TikTok brings up reaction videos, self-aware memes, and reviews (not all of which are positive), alongside covers that largely depict stereotypically beautiful women embracing their monster lovers—whether that’s a werewolf, a horned beast, or a muscular minotaur. SmutTok’s faves aren’t necessarily all quality reads, but on a certain, increasingly mainstream corner of the internet, they’re the hottest erotic fiction around.
So, what gives? Fantasy romance novels being well-liked isn’t an especially new phenomenon (hello, Twilight) but in the last few years, it seems the objects of our affections in these novels have gotten increasingly extreme. Vampires, mermaids, and elves that look like Orlando Bloom—once the hotties of the mythical world—aren’t doing it for readers anymore. Now it’s all about scales, claws, and extra-long tongues (and other appendages).
Dixon (author of the Ice Planet Barbarians series) believes that readers finding these monsters and fantasy creatures sexy is a natural progression of the escapist fun that fantasy brings to the table. “Reality can be dull," she explains. "A lot of readers don’t want to read about someone going to their nine-to-five job in middle management. The monster being the book boyfriend is another level of that. We know what regular men and women are like. We want the escapism of something different; something a little bit dangerous.”
Could it be, then, that heterosexual women—increasingly dissatisfied by their relationships with men IRL—are finding romantic solace not only in immersive stories, but in erasing men (including men-adjacent creatures, like vampires) from their fantasies altogether? It’s not too far-fetched an idea, given that more and more women are swearing off dating—and sometimes even opting for celibacy—thanks to the dire state of modern dating and apps, fueled in no small part by the growing political chasm between young men (conservative) and women (progressive). Not to mention, the 4B movement that started in South Korea, in which women have pledged to abstain from relationships with men, is growing faster than ever following the re-election of President Donald Trump.
“Some of the appeal of this trope is the instant connection that is often part of the supernatural plot line,” says Jordan Kistler, a lecturer in English and Victorian literature at Glasgow’s University Strathclyde. “This means that all the pitfalls of modern dating (and particularly online dating) are swept away. There are complications in the relationship, but the heroine of this kind of book can feel certain of the love interest’s attraction and interest.”
And yet, the Beauty and the Beast trope is a tale as old as time (pun intended)—and a fairly problematic one at that. Rather than helping us find solace from reality, are these novels just enforcing patriarchal gender dynamics, with a fantasy twist?
Kistler says these novels can and do frequently promote unhealthy behaviors in relationships, like Edward watching Bella sleep without her knowledge in Twilight. “Often, the male love interest is unhealthily obsessed with the heroine,” Kistler explains. “There is a concern that reading enough of this material will normalize such behavior for the reader, making it seem like stalking or obsessive control is merely a sign of how much the person loves them.”
There’s a risk that these narratives could also normalize violence, because as Kistler puts it, “it is in the ‘nature’ of the monster to be violent.” She continues: “Even if the male monster never hurts the heroine, there is always the potential that he could. The constant threat of violence is something that would obviously be extremely unhealthy in a real relationship.”
The Beauty and the Beast trope also tends to be heteronormative because it positions the man as big, strong, and scary, while the woman is often portrayed as weaker and needing protection. However, says Kistler, the trope usually “enforces traditional masculinity more than traditional femininity, as the reason why the heroine is special is often that she’s ‘not like other girls.'" She adds: “There are obvious problems with this trope, though, in the way in which it denigrates girls and women who do perform traditional femininity. But because romance is written predominantly by women and for women, the genre is interested in expanding what it means to be attractive beyond the conventional.”
For all the traditional trope’s potential faults, this could be the simple allure behind monster romance novels: The books are increasingly targeted towards women. Not just that, but being into them is significantly less stigmatized than it once was. “I grew up reading fantasy novels, but it never felt like they were books ‘for me’ in that I wanted the female characters to do more than just show up to motivate the male characters,” says Dixon.
This new era of monster romance, Dixon continues, feels like “we’re finally experiencing that fantasy milieu that men have always loved, and we’re finally allowing women to have the main storyline. And because we’re drawn to emotional stories, of course there’s a heavy dose of romance.”
It’s not just romance, but sex—and lots of it. These desires are spilling out beyond our imaginations, with more and more people experimenting with fantasy sex toys. After noticing an uptick in searches for "dragon dildos" following the release of House of the Dragon season two in June, Lovehoney decided to get in on the action, launching three new monster-inspired dildos (one that’s blue and green with tentacles, a pink unicorn horn, and a curved orange dildo with textured scales). They’re not the only brand offering these kinds of fantasy toys, though. Brands like Twisted Fantasies, Bad Dragon, and LGBTQ-friendly Cute Little Fuckers have long made—and sold—monster-inspired sex toys. (This also tracks with the rise of more generally non-realistic, sleeker sex toys, like those sold by TENGA, LELO, and We-Vibe.)
"It’s less about the way the creature looks, and more about how it makes the FMC (female main character) feel, both emotionally and physically," says Annabelle Knight, Lovehoney’s sex and relationships expert. “It’s the ultimate ‘what if’ that could help you experience something that pushes the boundaries of pleasure and imagination. Fantasy explorations also offer a safe space to explore power dynamics. They give you the freedom to play with ideas set in a world of mythical creatures or otherworldly beings, and feel more detached from everyday norms.”
Robert (author of The Dragon’s Bride), believes that fantasy romance readers may also see themselves in the monster. “[The monster] has long been a metaphor in fiction for the ‘other’, and so seeing those monstrous leads get their happily-ever-after is deeply satisfying for this disabled author,” she says, referring to herself. “With the pandemic and a lot of truly scary things going on in the last couple of years, it’s a relief to be able to pick up a book and jump into a world deeply different from the one we occupy in our day-to-day life.”
And if you can get off while doing that—whether with or without the addition of monster-themed accessories—then that’s just a bonus, I guess.
