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ACOTAR fans put real life on hold for latest release
Confirmed
In Short: Fans of Sarah J Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series are eagerly awaiting the release of the latest book, A Court of Splintered Harmony, which came out on Tuesday.
Fans of Sarah J Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series are eagerly awaiting the release of the latest book, A Court of Splintered Harmony, which came out on Tuesday. The book, the sixth in the series, marks the start of The Valkyrie Cycle, a subsection of the wider ACOTAR story.
She planned to finish the book on release day, which coincided with her day off, before returning to work.
Olivia Bray, 28, who has been immersed in Maas's fantasy world for over a decade, booked an entire week off work to give herself time to recover from the book's impact. She said, 'I've just got the whole week off in case it's traumatising.'
Vaziri added, 'It just gives them a sense of power and [makes them] see you can start from nothing, like Feyre does, and just make your way up… you don't need a man to do all these things for you, you have the power to do anything you want to do.'
Fans are not just reading the books but also engaging in themed events. Searches for ACOTAR-related events on Eventbrite are up 228% this year, with fans looking for Night Court balls, trivia nights, and other ways to gather with fellow fans.
Page Dudley, spokesperson for Eventbrite, noted, 'Reading is becoming an increasingly social experience.' Dudley added, 'Gen Z discovers a lot of books online through BookTok and Bookstagram, but they’re also looking for ways to take that excitement offline. Book events give them a reason to put their phones away, meet fellow fans, discuss fan theories, or learn about a series they haven’t read yet.'
The Independent reported that some superfans have already devoured the long-awaited sixth installment, following a five-year wait. The book's release marks the start of The Valkyrie Cycle, a subsection of the wider ACOTAR story.
Fans are excited to explore the new world and characters in A Court of Splintered Harmony, and many are planning to put their real lives on hold to fully immerse themselves in the story.
The release of A Court of Splintered Harmony has sparked a surge in themed events and gatherings among fans, reflecting the growing social aspect of book fandom.
Elizabeth Vaziri, commissioning editor at Voyager and Magpie at the publisher Harper Collins, told the programme fantasy had "always been a portal for escapism". Combined with romance, Vaziri said the "romantasy" genre had "given people a safe place to navigate relationships or sexuality".
What's confirmed
- Fans of Sarah J Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series are eagerly awaiting the release of the latest book, A Court of Splintered Harmony, which came out on Tuesday. The book, the sixth in the series, marks the start of The Valkyrie Cycle, a subsection of the wider ACOTAR story.
- She planned to finish the book on release day, which coincided with her day off, before returning to work.
- Fans are not just reading the books but also engaging in themed events. Searches for ACOTAR-related events on Eventbrite are up 228% this year, with fans looking for Night Court balls, trivia nights, and other ways to gather with fellow fans.
- The Independent reported that some superfans have already devoured the long-awaited sixth installment, following a five-year wait. The book's release marks the start of The Valkyrie Cycle, a subsection of the wider ACOTAR story.
- Fans are excited to explore the new world and characters in A Court of Splintered Harmony, and many are planning to put their real lives on hold to fully immerse themselves in the story.
- The release of A Court of Splintered Harmony has sparked a surge in themed events and gatherings among fans, reflecting the growing social aspect of book fandom.
- Elizabeth Vaziri, commissioning editor at Voyager and Magpie at the publisher Harper Collins, told the programme fantasy had "always been a portal for escapism". Combined with romance, Vaziri said the "romantasy" genre had "given people a safe place to navigate relationships or sexuality".
What's still developing
- Booth has previously taken time off work to read new releases and plans to do so when the seventh ACOTAR book is published in January. However, on this occasion, she hopes to finish A Court of Splintered Harmony after work. Alice Boyce, a bookseller at Topping and Company Booksellers on Museum Street in York, said ACOTAR fans had made their way straight up to the science-fiction area of the store as soon as doors opened at 09:00. "People are really enthusiastic; we've had emails saying, 'can you put a copy aside for me?', and last night we had people asking to put it on pre-order."
- She said the books were her "gateway back into reading" aged 19.
- For Bray, the appeal goes beyond magic, romance and fantastical kingdoms.
- "I'll be done [with reading] by tomorrow," she said.
- Abigail Wright said the series was her "gateway back to reading" As I arrive at Waterstones in York shortly before 08:00, there is already a queue forming outside the bookshop.
- "I think it's so popular because, yes, the romantic side of it is very good, but the strong women you see in the books are just a way to make other young women feel really empowered," said Wright.
- And ACOTAR fans aren’t the only ones, according to Eventbrite’s latest data, which shows that book clubs and book events are the red-hot ticket of 2026—especially this October.
- (You might not want to dress up in costume, but you’d be thrilled to craft a fae crown or indulge in a themed drink.) “The literary category continues branching out in a dozen directions, with new formats for every kind of reader, from silent book clubs at breweries and distilleries to themed trivia nights and midnight release parties,” Dudley says.
- Odds are, you might be meeting up with fellow romantasy fans for midnight events tonight or all-day parties tomorrow (perhaps dressed up in your most fae-worthy attire).
- You can thank two overarching lifestyle trends—the rise of BookTok (which has reached more than 370 billion views) and the desire for more offline, analog experiences —for the growth in book-themed events.
- Read more: 11 best fantasy books for otherworldly escapism Read more: Fourth Wing’s Xaden has been revealed – here’s everything to know about the tv series If you’re starting from square one, an ACOTAR box set – albeit more expensive than buying the books invidiually – is the ultimate bookshelf upgrade.
- Spoilers ahead as fans of the Maasverse gear up for the author’s 17th novel The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers.