If you’ve read all 16 Sarah J Maas books, you’ll know there’s no such thing as a simple ACOTAR announcement. Five months after the author first revealed on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast that three new instalments were coming, we finally have the covers, titles and first glimpses for two out of the three novels – and, as a major fan of the series, I have a few thoughts on the scant information we’ve been given.
Breaking down what we know so far, they’ll sit within the existing A Court of Thorns and Roses series (versus Maas’ other best-sellers, Throne of Glass and Crescent City) and the first of the new books, A Court of Splintered Harmony, will land on 27 October 2026. A Court of Forgotten Melody will follow on 12 January 2027 and both titles will sit within the newly named arc, The Valkyrie Cycle, according to Bloomsbury Publishing.
This is when things start to get a little complicated. Within this cycle, ACOSH will cover ‘movement I’ of the new arc, while ACOFM will cover ‘movement II’ and ‘movement III’. The fourth and final movement will form a third book, but that story is still being written, as Maas told Cooper back in spring.
It’s the covers and deliberately cryptic blurbs that have really sent the ACOTAR fandom, including myself, into overdrive. A Court of Splintered Harmony promises “What was broken will be remade”, while A Court of Forgotten Melody teases “What was lost will be reclaimed.” From the imagery of a spider and bones to the loom of thread, there’s certainly lots for us Maas devotees to unpack, including the potential for yet another Maasverse crossover, as we saw in Crescent City’s third instalment, House of Flame and Shadow.
As a self-proclaimed ACOTAR obsessive, here’s everything I’ve muddled out from the new covers and blurbs. Expect spoilers for books one to five ahead…
Read more: What order to read the Sarah J Maas books – get on top of the 15-strong collection
What are ACOTAR books six and seven about?
So far, the only official information on ACOTAR books six and seven that we have is their titles, A Court of Splintered Harmony and A Court of Forgotten Melody, plus the blurbs from Bloomsbury Publishing.
If you’ve read both the Throne of Glass and Crescent City series, it’s possible to glean a few extra possible plot lines for both ACOSH and ACOFM.
“Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he’s been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies hell-bent on reclaiming what was once theirs: the human lands,” reads A Court of Splintered Harmony’s blurb.
Koschei – a death god who was bound to a lake by the ancient fae – sounds awfully similar to red-eyed lake monster that Aelin encounters in Heir of Fire. Likewise, mentions of the bone carver in the ACOTAR series (and a notable pile of bones on the ACOSH cover) are undoubtedly comparable to the god of truth King Gavin refers to in Kingdom of Ash, given that the bone carver requires the buried truths from those communicating with him to survive.
Perhaps the most the compelling evidence of a TOG-ACOTAR crossover fans have received so far is the obvious illustration of a spider on the new ACOFM cover. Stygian spiders appear numerous times through the TOG series and, while we’ve already had hints that the weaver (aptly named Stryga) might have ties to the spiders, Maas’s clear picture of a spider with a weaver’s loom attached to its pincer is about as obvious as the author has ever been. Watch this space for more theories and connections as I muddle them out.
When will ACOTAR books six and seven be released?
Maas has revealed that book six of the ACOTAR series, A Court of Splintered Harmony, will be released on 27 October 2026, meaning fans don’t have too long to wait. The seventh book in the series, A Court of Forgotten Melody, is scheduled for 12 January 2027. The author also confirmed there will be an eighth book, which is still being written (there’s no release date for this one yet).
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Is the ACOTAR TV adapation still going ahead?
Maas also revealed details about the highly anticipated and long-awaited ACOTAR TV adapation. The author confirmed that she has reclaimed the rights to her work, following the news that the Hulu adaptation was no longer happening. “I have the rights back to everything,” she told Cooper. “I want to be in charge… I want to see it adapted the way I envisioned it and I know fans have envisioned it.”
She added that finding the right actors, particularly for heartthrob Rhys, is proving difficult: “I’m yet to find my perfect Rhys… I can’t be forced to pick someone. It needs to be organic.”
Read the ACOTAR books in order
Whether you want to refresh your memory ahead of the new books, or are diving into ACOTAR for the very first time (I’m jealous), here’s how to read the romantasy book series in order.
The first book in the series, A Court of Thorn and Rosesis all about world-building. It begins in the human realm, with protagonist Feyre killing a wolf, using its carcass to feed her starving family. However, it soon becomes clear the wolf is not what it appears to be.
Feyre is soon stolen to avenge the murder of a fellow faerie, and taken to the faerie lands as a prisoner. As she discovers more about her captor, the high lord of the spring court Tamlin, Feyre develops feelings for her enemy (in true “romantesy” style). Meanwhile, a war is brewing, thanks to Amarantha, the evil and vindictive high queen of Prythian.
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This title picks up three months after the events at the end of book one, when Feyre is immortal and being kept like a locked princess in a tower by Tamlin in the spring court. Fearful of harm coming her way once more, he proposes betrothal. But the high lord of the night court, Rhysand, won’t let her forget the bargain they made – she must spend one week, once a month, with him at his home.
Just as Tamlin wasn’t all he appeared to be, it emerges that Rhysand might not be the monster everyone believes him to be. As Feyre and Rhysand spend more time together, their connection grows stronger.
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Again, the third book picks up where the previous novel left off. Feyre has returned to the spring court under the guise of rekindling with Tamlin, but she is actually gathering information to aid Rhysand’s war effort, as Tamlin has sided with the enemy: the King of Hybern.
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At an easygoing 272 pages, this novella acts as a palette cleanser before the final book of the series. The story sees Feyre, Rhys and their friends working to rebuild the night court, Velaris and Prythian following the destruction of the war. Taking place around the winter solstice, the characters are more reflective than they’ve been before.
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A Court of Silver Flames sidelines Feyre and Rhysand’s romance for Nessa and Cassian’s arc. The classic enemies-to-lovers storyline is back (a real treat for fans of A Court of Mist and Fury) as Cassian is charged with helping bring Nessa back from the brink. Scarred from witnessing her father’s death and feeling cast out of Feyre and Rhysand’s circle in the night court, Nessa is drinking enough to blackout and waking up in various men’s beds across Velaris. Staging an intervention, Feyre forces Nessa into lockdown and sobriety.
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Read our full review of Sarah J Maas’s ACOTAR book series