In the FaeShelf database, 11 of the 51 books with a sourced spice rating are a 4 or a 5 (22%), and 27 sit at 0 to 2 (53%). The busiest level is 1, fade to black, with 17.
51 of the 167 books in the database have a sourced spice level (31%); the rest are Not rated, which isn't the same as closed door. Counted from the FaeShelf book list, data as of .
Our read: The very explicit end is the thin one: 2 books reach a 5. If you came for the top of the scale, this shelf has less of it than the other end.
What it doesn't tell you: This is the shelf FaeShelf has built, not all romantasy. 116 more books are in the database without a number, and 38 of the 51 numbers come from Common Sense Media notes.
9 of the 10 books Common Sense Media rates 16 or up are a 4 or a 5 on our scale. At 14 or 15, 0 of 17 are. Under 14, 0 of 11 reach even a 3.
Our read: If CSM's age is the only clue you have, 16+ is where the explicit scenes start in this data, and under 14 has none so far.
What it doesn't tell you: CSM's age also weighs violence, language and drinking, so a book can be 16+ for its battles. And 13 rated books have no CSM age at all, because their number came from a Publishers Weekly review or the author's own note.
All 10 levels placed from an author's or publisher's own content note are a 3. The 38 from Common Sense Media run from 0 to 5.
Our read: That's our scale talking as much as the books. A content warning that calls a book explicit without saying how often places at 3 by our rules, so read a 3 from an author's note as "at least 3".
What it doesn't tell you: Publishers Weekly supplied only 3 numbers, too few to say anything about how its reviews place.
8 of the 15 rated books from series still publishing are a 4 or a 5. From complete series it's 0 of 17, and 16 of those 17 sit at 0 to 2.
Our read: The catch for heat readers: 8 of the 11 books at 4 or 5 belong to series that aren't finished, so the next book comes with a wait.
What it doesn't tell you: "Complete" is what the author or publisher says, and it says nothing about why a series runs hot or mild. The 71 books whose series has no status record yet sit in neither group (17 of them rated), so this compares 32 rated books, not the whole shelf.
In the 7 series where book 1 and at least one later main book both have a number, 6 later books are rated hotter than book 1, 6 the same and 0 cooler.
Our read: None drops below book 1, so in these series book 1's number works as a floor, not a forecast.
What it doesn't tell you: That's 7 series, a small sample. Gaps stay gaps: A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 3) has no number, and we don't fill one in from the books around it.
Plus 116 Not rated (list on /books). In bands: 27 at 0 to 2, 13 at 3, 11 at 4 or 5.
The age on the same Common Sense Media review the level usually comes from. One square is one rated book.
0 to 2: no explicit scenes3: open door4 or 5: several or frequent explicit scenes
Common Sense Media age under 1411 rated of 12 books
11 at 0 to 2
Common Sense Media age 14 or 1517 rated of 19 books
14 at 0 to 2, 3 at 3
Common Sense Media age 16 or up10 rated of 11 books
1 at 0 to 2, 9 at 4 or 5
No Common Sense Media age13 rated of 125 books
1 at 0 to 2, 10 at 3, 2 at 4 or 5
From Common Sense Media notes38 rated of 38 books
26 at 0 to 2, 3 at 3, 9 at 4 or 5
From Publishers Weekly reviews3 rated of 3 books
Too few to count, so by name: The Wolf and the Crown of Blood (5/5), Kushiel's Dart (4/5), Graceling (1/5)
From the author's or publisher's own note10 rated of 10 books
10 at 3
Status as /series records it from the author or publisher.
Complete series17 rated of 32 books
16 at 0 to 2, 1 at 3
Series still publishing15 rated of 53 books
1 at 0 to 2, 6 at 3, 8 at 4 or 5
Series without a status record yet17 rated of 71 books
9 at 0 to 2, 5 at 3, 3 at 4 or 5
Standalones2 rated of 11 books
Too few to count, so by name: The Poison Daughter (3/5), An Enchantment of Ravens (1/5)
Book 131 rated of 90 books
16 at 0 to 2, 9 at 3, 6 at 4 or 5
Book 28 rated of 28 books
4 at 0 to 2, 1 at 3, 3 at 4 or 5
Book 3 or later5 rated of 29 books
3 at 0 to 2, 2 at 4 or 5
Novellas, prequels and companions5 rated of 9 books
3 at 0 to 2, 2 at 3
Standalones2 rated of 11 books
Too few to count, so by name: The Poison Daughter (3/5), An Enchantment of Ravens (1/5)
Series where book 1 and a later main book both have a level. Not rated books stay Not rated; we don't fill them in.
A Court of Thorns and Roseslater book hotter than book 1
Fae & Alchemysame as book 1
Letters of Enchantmentlater book hotter than book 1
The Aurelian Cyclesame as book 1
The Empyreansame as book 1
The Folk of the Airlater book hotter than book 1
The Powerless Trilogylater book hotter than book 1
Tags come from the publisher's or author's description. A book can carry several, so these groups overlap.
Fae9 rated of 22 books
5 at 0 to 2, 1 at 3, 3 at 4 or 5
Dragons8 rated of 15 books
4 at 0 to 2, 4 at 4 or 5
Vampires6 rated of 12 books
2 at 0 to 2, 4 at 3
Gods4 rated of 26 books
Too few to count, so by name: The Wolf and the Crown of Blood (5/5), Slaying the Vampire Conqueror (3/5), Ruthless Vows (2/5), Wild Reverence (2/5)
Witches3 rated of 10 books
Too few to count, so by name: Heartless Hunter (3/5), Serpent & Dove (3/5), Kingdom of the Wicked (1/5)
Demons1 rated of 8 books
Too few to count, so by name: House of Earth and Blood (4/5)
Werewolves1 rated of 3 books
Too few to count, so by name: Bride (3/5)
No creature tag21 rated of 83 books
13 at 0 to 2, 6 at 3, 2 at 4 or 5
Court intrigue6 rated of 9 books
4 at 0 to 2, 2 at 4 or 5
Enemies to lovers6 rated of 17 books
3 at 3, 3 at 4 or 5
Fewer than 5 rated books, so not counted here: Forbidden romance (4), Forced proximity (4), Trials and tournaments (4), Arranged marriage or marriage of convenience (3), Assassin lead (3), Magical bond (3), Overcoming odds (3), War college (3), Captor and captive (2), Slow burn (1).
51 of the 167 books in the database have a sourced number (31%). 17 of the 116 Not rated books aren't out yet, so no review exists to place. Of the 20 books with the most Goodreads ratings in the database, 15 have a number.
The 5 of those 20 still Not rated, most-rated first:
Not rated means no Common Sense Media note, Publishers Weekly review or author or publisher note we found says how explicit the book is. Each book page says what was checked.
Hottest first. Each level links to the note it was placed from, with the day we checked it.
A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 5. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Broken Accords, Book 1. From Publishers Weekly's note, checked
A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 2. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Fae & Alchemy, Book 2. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Empyrean, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Crescent City, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Empyrean, Book 2. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Kushiel's Legacy, Book 1. From Publishers Weekly's note, checked
The Empyrean, Book 3. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Fae & Alchemy, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Moonfall, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Last Binding, Book 1. From Freya Marske's note, checked
Bride, Book 1. From Ali Hazelwood's note, checked
The Wolves of Ruin, Book 1. From Sable Sorensen's note, checked
The Plated Prisoner, Book 1. From Raven Kennedy's note, checked
The Crimson Moth, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Lightlark, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Evermore Trilogy, Book 1. From Julie Soto's note, checked
Serpent & Dove, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Crowns of Nyaxia, Novella 1. From Carissa Broadbent's note, checked
Crowns of Nyaxia, Companion 1. From Carissa Broadbent's note, checked
Crowns of Nyaxia, Book 2. From Carissa Broadbent's note, checked
The Bridge Kingdom, Book 1. From Danielle L. Jensen's note, checked
Standalone. From Sheila Masterson's note, checked
A Court of Thorns and Roses, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Crave, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Powerless Trilogy, Book 3. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Once Upon a Broken Heart, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Powerless Trilogy, Book 2. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Letters of Enchantment, Book 2. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Folk of the Air, Book 3. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Stathos Sisters, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Letters of Enchantment, Companion 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Blood and Tea, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Standalone. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Assistant to the Villain, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Lunar Chronicles, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Letters of Enchantment, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Aurelian Cycle, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Aurelian Cycle, Book 2. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Aurelian Cycle, Book 3. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Graceling Realm, Book 1. From Publishers Weekly's note, checked
Kingdom of the Wicked, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Powerless Trilogy, Novella 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Powerless Trilogy, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Folk of the Air, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Stolen Heir Duology, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Folk of the Air, Book 2. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Winner's Trilogy, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Throne of Glass, Book 1. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
The Powerless Trilogy, Novella 2. From Common Sense Media's note, checked
Every level is our placement of a named note on the FaeShelf 0 to 5 scale: a Common Sense Media review, a Publishers Weekly review, or the author's or publisher's own content note, turned into a number by fixed rules. Not rated means no such note says how explicit the book is; closed door is a 0. The books are the ones FaeShelf has added so far, so every count describes this database, not romantasy as a whole. A script counts them when the site is built; a group with fewer than 5 rated books is listed by name, and we print a percentage only when the base is 20 or more.
Every 30 days we save the counts with the list of books behind them, so a number quoted from this page can be traced to its date. First snapshot Oct 16, 2026. Next one due .
| Saved | Books | Rated | 0 to 2 | 3 | 4 or 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 167 | 51 | 27 | 13 | 11 |