Would you like spice with that? social media spaces as the new gatekeepers of sexuality in young adult fantasy fiction

A recent internet phenomenon includes readers creating online reviews that identify the level and type of sexual content found in a particular book by grading the ‘spice’. Using chilli emojis, the ratings range from mild to extra spicy. As spice levels are increasingly used to discuss popular romance and fantasy novels, interrogation of how books aimed at young adult readers (typically understood to be between 13 and 18 years of age) are being rated and reviewed is needed. This article examines social media content focusing on discussions of spice levels in young adult fantasy and argues that this content defines rigid boundaries between appropriate and inappropriate representations of sexuality in these texts. It reflects concerns that young readers are being exposed to more explicit sexual content through their reading and attempts to assert that certain levels of spiciness are only appropriate in adult fantasy.