• "A Court of Splintered Harmony" by Sarah J. Maas was published on October 27.
• It took readers back to the world of "ACOTAR," but it left them with plenty of questions.
• Nesta's future and connection to the prison remain mysterious, as do Azriel's shadows.

"ACOTAR" fans, assemble.

On Tuesday, Bloomsbury published "A Court of Splintered Harmony," the sixth book in Sarah J. Maas' "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series. The book is part one of "The Valkyrie Cycle," which will continue with parts two and three in "A Court of Forgotten Melody," coming out on January 12, 2027. Maas has yet to announce a title or release date for part four.

Since "ACOSH" was just the beginning of a larger story, almost no conflicts were resolved by the end, leaving beloved characters like Feyre, Rhysand, Nesta, and Azriel in turmoil.

Maas will likely tie up some of those plots in book seven or eight, but fans will have to ponder their favorite characters' fates while they wait for the next book.

In the meantime, check out some of the biggest questions "ACOTAR" fans may have after finishing "A Court of Splintered Harmony" — and possible answers from Maas' other series, "Crescent City" and "Throne of Glass."

Spoilers for all three of Maas' series ahead.

Why is Bryaxis different?

In one of the most dramatic scenes in "ACOSH," the big bad monster Bryaxis returns to Velaris. She crashes Feyre and Rhysand's son Nyx's naming day ceremony, tormenting the attendees with visions of their worst fears.

Bryaxis has always been terrifying to the fae, as she feeds on people's fears, but after the attack, Rhys remarks that she seems "different than when she escaped after the war. Darker."

It's hard not to see what he's saying. In "A Court of Wings and Ruin," Bryaxis helped Feyre when she realized she was High Lady of the Night Court, seeming to feel some affinity to the court, but in "ACOSH," she preyed on Feyre and her friends gleefully.

Rhysand adds that he thinks Koschei's emergence may be related to Bryaxis' change, though he offers no proof. Is Koschei or some other being influencing her? Or is Bryaxis different simply because she's seen the world outside the library?

What did everyone see when Bryaxis attacked?

Maas only shows Bryaxis' attack from Feyre, Azriel, and Nesta's perspectives, and their fears are pretty ghastly.

Feyre is scared of Nyx being tortured or taken from her, while Azriel sees himself hurting everyone he loves. Nesta's tormented with everything from the Cauldron to Cassian rejecting her before she can pull herself out of Bryaxis' hold.

Those fears offer insight into what each character is going through, so it's intriguing that Maas keeps the visions Bryaxis shows Rhysand, Cassian, Amren, Mor, Elain, Lucien, and Emerie a mystery.

Of course, fans can hazard a guess at what some of those characters may have seen. Emerie could be having visions of her father clipping her wings, while Rhysand has made clear Feyre and Nyx are his priority throughout the novel. Amren is heard whispering to herself, "You survived it; you got through it," suggesting she saw visions of the prison or the Cauldron. The Cauldron could have been a fear for Elain too.

The mystery leaves us with an even bigger question: What will these characters do to keep those fears from coming true?

What is Feyre's plan?

Bryaxis' attack has already pushed one character into action: Feyre, who says the incident was "a gift," as she "knew now what I had to do. And I did not fear it at all."

Bryaxis' return helped the High Lady hatch a plan for how to handle the death god Koschei and protect the humans in the fae realms, two problems she and Rhysand were at a loss for how to solve after their allies declined to help them. Feyre even asks her mate to make himself High King as a solution, a proposition he soundly rejects.

Feyre doesn't reveal any details about her new plan before the book ends, though it may have something to do with the sword Gwydion.

After Nesta tries to gift it to her, Feyre tells her sister to keep it "until the blood truly needs to begin spilling," thinking to herself, "Until I did precisely what I needed to do."

Maybe she thinks her plan will lead to violence. Considering she tried to storm the library to kill Bryaxis, it seems she'll do just about anything to protect Nyx.

Who is the fae warrior who trapped Koschei?

The death god Koschei doesn't appear on page in the novel, and it's unclear what creatures or characters he may be controlling, from Bryaxis to the royals from other fae realms.

Most intriguing of the mysteries surrounding him, though, may be the identity of the fae warrior who trapped him. The Bone Carver first revealed that his brother was contained in the lake by an ancient fae warrior in "A Court of Wings and Ruin," saying the warrior's identity had been forgotten by history but that her bloodline is still present in some human families.

And in "ACOSH," Vassa revealed that she and the other women Koschei has trapped with him are all descendants of that warrior.

"Throne of Glass" may offer clues about who that fae warrior is. The Bone Carver told Feyre that he and his siblings are from another world, and there just so happens to be a world-walking creature trapped in a lake in "Heir of Fire." Is Maas setting up new connections in the Maasiverse?

What is the extent of Elain's powers?

If you spent the five years between "ACOTAR" releases dreaming of learning more about Elain, you're going to have to dream a little longer.

Maas kept Elain's inner thoughts a mystery in "ACOSH," so the reader doesn't know how she feels about Azriel, Lucien, or her place in the Night Court.

They also know very little about Elain's Seer powers, which she gained in "A Court of Mist and Fury" and confirmed she still has in "ACOSH." We never actually see her use them, though, making the powers all the more obscure.

But Elain may have hinted she had a vision in the book. After her disastrous tryst with Azriel, she tells her sisters, "I thought I'd found my place, thought I had a future with Azriel, but…" She might be unsure how she feels about Azriel, but the comment may also mean she had a vision showing her that she and the shadowsinger would not be together.

And with Elain repeatedly saying phrases like "I'm not supposed to be here" and "I can't be here" about the Night Court, it's hard not to think she knows more about the future than she's letting on.

What's the deal with Azriel's shadows?

Readers learn a lot about Azriel's shadows in "ACOSH," from how they found him as a child to their weather-detecting abilities (sounds helpful in a world without weather apps). Still, some of their behaviors remain a mystery, like why they repeatedly avoid Elain.

In the book, Azriel's shadows refuse to be in the same room as Elain. Azriel sees their absence as "a gift," though he winds up in trouble because of their absence twice in the novel: during Bryaxis' attack on the naming day ceremony and when Lucien catches him and Elain together.

His shadows also avoid Erebos, a shadowy humanoid who pledged his service to Azriel because of his shadowsinger abilities. Many fans are suspicious of Erebos, who is described as having "golden eyes that simmered like hot coals." You might be extra suspicious if you've read "Empire of Storms" in the "TOG" series, in which another character's "golden eyes simmered like hot coals" (yep, simmering coals again): the Valg King Erawan. Of course, the phrase could be a coincidence, or it could be another sign of the Maasiverse expanding.

Erebos may be connected to "Crescent City," too. He tells Azriel that he could hear his blade, Truth-Teller, sing, as Bryce Quinlan could in "House of Flame and Shadow."

Back to the shadows, though. Azriel seems to see it as a sign of Erebos' darkness that his shadows cringe from the creature, even as he views their avoidance of Elain as a positive.

Meanwhile, Azriel's shadows are drawn to the priestess and Valkyrie warrior Gwyn in the text. They race toward her when they hear her singing in the House of Wind and "lingered at her feet, peering up at her" until Azriel summons them back to himself. What do Azriel's shadows really know about the people around him?

We also learn in the book that Azriel has never let his shadows use his full power out of fear of what they may do, so even he doesn't know what they're truly capable of.

What is Nesta's connection to the lost Dusk Court?

At the end of "ACOSH," Nesta winnows to the prison with the sword Gwydion at Amren's behest, but the scene leaves the reader with more questions than answers about Nesta's future.

First, when she arrives at the prison, Nesta asks herself, "Had the bone gates always towered so high? Had the darkness within always been so thick?" It's likely the space looks slightly different to her because she's afraid, but some fans think it's possible Nesta world-walked unintentionally.

Likewise, after Nesta enters the gate, Gwydion lights up — and then disappears. Nesta doesn't know where it went or why before the book ends, but again, "Crescent City" may offer clues.

Gwydion was on Midgard, where it was known as the Starsword, for 15,000 years before Bryce gave it to Nesta at the end of "HOFAS." To bear the Starsword, Starborn Fae on Midgard traditionally enter the Cave of Princes on a misty island called Avallen and attempt to retrieve it (Bryce says the tunnels in the cave are nearly identical to those in Prythian). It's possible Gwydion is putting Nesta through the same trial, disappearing until she proves herself worthy of wielding it.

All those questions also relate to the revelation that the prison was once the Dusk Court, an eighth court in Prythian. Bryce began to awaken its former life before she returned to Midgard in "HOFAS," though it still looks like the prison at the start of "ACOSH." Will Nesta finish reviving the court? And did Amren sense that it was Nesta's path when she encouraged her to go inside it with Gwydion?

"ACOSH" also didn't provide any closure on the Made item in the sea in front of the prison that called "find me" to Nesta (and seemingly Rhysand).

Is there spidersilk in Prythian?

In the novel, the High Priestess Clotho makes and gifts Rhysand and Feyre "a braided, silvery piece of fabric" to bind them to Nyx during his naming day ceremony. Nesta describes the fabric as glistening and delicate, and Clotho says it's one of a kind. It also keeps Rhys and Feyre tethered to their son throughout the attack, indicating its strength.

Later, Lucien notices the "extraordinary silver thread" in a tapestry that hangs in Feyre's home, adding that "it became a river of light" when he looked at it through his magical eye.

Both descriptions of the silver fabric are similar to those of the spidersilk that appears in the "Throne of Glass" series. Made by the massive Stygian spiders — who are Valg handmaidens and foot soldiers — the silk is described "as delicate as gossamer, lovelier than silk, and stronger than steel" in "The Assassin's Blade."

Plus, the cover of "A Court of Forgotten Melody" features a spider with a spool of fabric below it. That imagery could represent a Stygian spider, and fae and other magical creatures from "Throne of Glass" may be influencing the events of "ACOTAR."

It wouldn't be a total surprise if Maas further incorporated "TOG" into the world of "ACOTAR." Characters related to both series appear in "Crescent City," and a character from "TOG" briefly falls through the sky in Prythian during the events of "A Court of Silver Flames."

We'll have to wait until January 2027 to see what Maas has planned.

• Sarah J. Maas' sixth "A Court of Thorns and Roses" novel comes out on October 27.
• Book seven will follow on January 12, 2027, as Maas first announced in March 2026.
• Maas has been revealing which characters will tell the story on her social media in recent days.

Sarah J. Maas fans, it's finally time to go back to Prythian.

The sixth "A Court of Thorns and Roses" novel, titled "A Court of Splintered Harmony," will hit bookshelves on October 27 after months of anticipation. It will be quickly followed by book seven, "A Court of Forgotten Melody," on January 12, 2027.

It's been five years since Maas last released an "ACOTAR" book, and the novel is eagerly awaited not only by fans but also by Maas' publisher, Bloomsbury. The company's sales fell 10% for the 2025-2026 fiscal year because Maas didn't release a new book, Publishers Weekly reported.

Both Bloomsbury and Maas have been sharing teasers on social media about "A Court of Splintered Harmony" in the lead-up to its publication, with Maas revealing which characters will be narrating the novel (after asking fans to stop sharing any leaks of book six).

Here's everything we know about "ACOTAR" six so far.

Warning: Some spoilers for Maas' work — including "ACOTAR" and "Crescent City" — ahead.

Maas is releasing the sixth 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' story in multiple volumes

In March 2023, Bloomsbury announced that Maas had signed a deal for three more books with the publisher. At the time, she was already under contract for four titles, including "House of Flame and Shadow," the third installment in her "Crescent City" series, published in January 2024. Readers didn't find out what the next book she would write would be until her March 2026 appearance on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast with Alex Cooper.

She told Cooper she finished the sixth "ACOTAR" book while writing in Montana over the summer of 2025, but she didn't share details about it because of its nontraditional release structure.

"This book's coming out October 27, and then on January 12, like two months later, I can't do math, whatever that is, the next ACOTAR book will be coming out," Maas said. "So there will be two books within, like, a very short span."

As her fans will know, Maas' books are typically split into parts, separating different sections of the story she is telling. However, when it comes to the sixth "ACOTAR" story, Maas said the individual parts became longer than she anticipated as she started writing, with part one coming in at 400 pages at one point.

As she continued writing, Maas decided the parts didn't have to be in a single physical book.

"What if this book was really long?" she said. "What if it took me more than a thousand pages to tell the story that needed to be told, the arc that I wanted to create from start to finish?"

Maas said the story for "ACOTAR" six was ultimately divided into four parts, though it is still one cohesive story. Part one is the novel Bloomsbury will publish on October 27, 2026, and parts two and three will be published together on January 12, 2027. Maas has yet to write or give a publication date for part four, but she told Cooper all three volumes would be published "in a very short time."

"It's meant to be read, ideally, as one massive, massive story as opposed to in a trilogy," she said. "It's not a trilogy. Like, arcs aren't wrapped up."

Maas finally shared some details about the books in August 2026

On August 16, Maas cleared her Instagram of all its posts, changing her profile photo to a black-and-white illustration of a monster and a spider. Then, on August 17, she shared the covers and titles of books six and seven on social media.

The "Splintered Harmony" cover features a pink-and-orange backdrop with a sketched drawing of a monster with teeth and bones, and the subtitle is "The Valkyrie Cycle: Movement I." The Valkyrie were introduced to "ACOTAR" in "A Court of Silver Flames," when Nesta Archeron brought the legendary all-female fighting squad back to life alongside her friends Gwyn and Emerie.

Maas posted the book alongside the tagline, "What was broken will be remade." The blurb shared on booksellers' websites reveals that the Night Court is facing new threats when book six opens: Koschei the Deathless, one of three legendary monster siblings introduced throughout "ACOTAR," and those willing to ally with him to claim the newly freed human lands.

The description also notes that there is tension among the members of the Night Court because of "recent betrayals and revealed truths," which they must work through if they want to defeat Koschei.

"A Court of Splintered Harmony" will be 352 pages and will include three bonus chapters from the "ACOTAR" series. Those bonus chapters were previously published in specific editions of Maas' novels, but they will be in all copies of "ACOSH," as the publisher shared on its social media on September 24. One chapter focuses on Feyre and Rhysand, one on Cassian and Nesta, and one on Azriel's experience on the Winter Solstice that takes place in "A Court of Silver Flames."

Teasers from the new book

In mid-September, Bloomsbury began sharing quotes from "A Court of Splintered Harmony," offering more insight into the novel than the vague blurbs.

It released six quotes in total, and the first, shared on September 17, revealed that at least some of the novel will be told from Lucien Vanserra's perspective.

"Lucien's heart thundered, throat drying out," the quote read. "Maybe this had been a terrible idea."

Lucien has only played a supporting role in the "ACOTAR" books so far, but Maas has been teeing up his expanded role in her books through his unaccepted mating bond with Elain Archeron, Feyre's middle sister, and his connection to Koschei. He serves as an emissary to the human lands for the Night Court in "ACOSF," alongside Jurian and Vassa, a human queen who was sold to Koschei and cursed to turn into a firebird each day. It would be surprising if Vassa — and by extension Lucien — weren't involved in fighting against Koschei in book six.

Likewise, the final quote Bloomsbury shared on October 9 appeared to confirm that Azriel will narrate some of "ACOSH." The quote didn't include his name, but the unnamed narrator was communicating with shadows: "'We are here,' the shadows whispered in his ear. 'We are always here.'"

Azriel is a Shadowsinger in the "ACOTAR" world, with his shadows being described as keeping him company and whispering to him as he serves as the Night Court's spymaster.

No other passage shared by Bloomsbury names a narrator, but interestingly, the quote shared on September 28 asks if it is "possible for mates to…un-mate" if a bond were to "fracture deeply enough" that it cannot be repaired.

Lucien and Elain's mating bond is strained because Elain has yet to accept it, so some fans think the comment is about them. At the end of "House of Flame and Shadow," though, Nesta and Cassian were at odds, so others think the quote hints at tension between the pair (more on that in a minute).

On October 24, Bloomsbury also shared a sneak peek of the map that sits at the front of "A Court of Splintered Harmony." It shows new locations in the Night Court, such as Sangravah, and in the Autumn Court, including the Forest House and the Thorn-Wood. It also offers a look at the faerie realms outside Prythian, such as Vallahan. Koschei's lake is in the other faerie realms, sitting among the open fae lands in front of a mountain range.

Maas chimes in

Maas' Instagram was quiet after she announced the titles of her books, until October 19, when she took to her Instagram story to ask fans not to share leaks of "A Court of Splintered Harmony."

"I know how much you love these books and these characters; I know you've been waiting for a long time to know what comes next," she wrote. "That love for these stories is exactly why I'm requesting that you please, please don't share leaks."

"Nothing about this release is meant to feel like a secret that needs to be found out," Maas went on. "Publishing a book takes time and effort from so many hardworking people to get it into your hands. Throughout this long process, everyone involved has been dedicated to keeping things from being spoiled, but sometimes things happen, and it is beyond disheartening to see out-of-context moments take away from all of you who have waited so patiently."

"All I'm asking for is just a bit more of that patience — until you can get everything in its fullness, the way it's meant to be read," Maas said.

Representatives for Maas did not respond to a request for comment on the Instagram story, and Maas did not specify which images spreading online contained authentic leaks of the book.

However, in the week leading up to the book's release, she posted a short video each day to reveal which of her characters would narrate "A Court of Splintered Harmony." Each video featured a quote from the character set against a sketch of the monster on the novel's cover. The backdrop for the first drop was gray, but it grew progressively darker, revealing stars with each post.

The narrators are:

Feyre

Feyre was the narrator for the first four "ACOTAR" books, telling the story from a first-person perspective. Like books one through four, the passage Maas shared was in the first-person perspective, unlike the other quotes:

"My body wouldn't move. Couldn't move. I could do nothing to help him, nothing at all, and I would die from it, this despair and agony. Please, I tried to beg the darkness, please. Anything. I'd give anything for him to be safe. My life, my territory, my — would you give that too?"

Maas provided no further context about the quote, though fans were quick to point out that the inner monologue seemed like what Feyre would have been thinking when she gave birth to her son, Nyx, as she and the baby almost died because he was born with wings. Rhys also nearly lost his life, as he and Feyre bound their lives together at the end of "A Court of Wings and Ruin." Nesta saved them all by returning her power to the cauldron, but the passage could be a flashback to the scene from Feyre's perspective.

Cassian

Cassian was one of the two narrators of "A Court of Silver Flames," which told his and Nesta's love story. His passage from the new novel appears to show him and Nesta at odds:

"So Cassian let her go. Let her keep walking down the hall, and out the front door. Nesta didn't look back at him. Not once."

It's unclear what they may be fighting about, though Cassian was disapproving of Nesta's actions in "House of Flame and Shadow." Details below.

Nesta

In the quote Maas shared from Nesta, the eldest Archeron sister is drawn to some unnamed power.

"On trembling legs, head spinning, Nesta managed to get to her feet. Maybe whatever called for her over the northern horizon was a siren song, luring her away from what mattered, who mattered. Come, it beckoned, but to where? To what end? More shadows and loneliness and secrets? It would consume her, if she let it."

Lucien

Maas' quote from Lucien was more specific than the one Bloomsbury shared, shedding light on the fire-wielder's frustration with Feyre.

"Lucien ran a hand through his hair. Tamlin had saved him. And then Lucien had rebuilt himself, his life. Only for Feyre to bring it all crumbling down."

Lucien is likely reflecting on Feyre's actions in "ACOWAR," when she brought down the Spring Court after Tamlin made a deal with the King of Hybern to get her back.

Gwyn

Gwyn is haunted by memories of her past in the sneak peek Maas offered from her portion of the novel.

"Gwyn staggered back from the railing, from the darkness, fingers fumbling for the invoking stone in her pocket. It was glowing and warm to the touch in a way that had nothing to do with its proximity to her flesh. You are here, the stone seemed to affirm, you are safe. The past cannot harm you. Gwyn shook her head. She was inclined to disagree."

Gwyn may be in the library where she works, as readers saw her and Nesta fleeing a dark force there in "A Court of Silver Flames."

Mor

At the end of "A Court of Frost and Starlight," Mor set off for Vallahan, another fae realm, to attempt to get the leaders there to sign a new treaty between humans and fae. She appears to be continuing that work in "A Court of Splintered Harmony," based on the teaser Maas shared about Mor, and offering more detail about her power, which is simply referred to as "truth" in "ACOTAR."

"She flexed her hands at her sides, working out the faint trembling in them. It was a fool's errand. She knew it — Rhys and Feyre knew it. Vallahan would know it, too. But she'd try. One last time. Mor sucked in a breath, an ancient, night-kissed power awakening from its slumber deep within her. Different from Rhys's, older."

Azriel

Maas confirmed Azriel was a narrator for the book the day before its release, writing of his Illyrian heritage:

"You are an Illyrian, Azriel — the wind sings through your very blood. You cannot be caged. You cannot be broken. They lock you away because they fear you."

The quote seems to refer to Azriel's childhood, as he spent his early years locked in his father's home, unable to learn to fly.

More clues about 'ACOTAR' 6 narrators

It makes sense that Nesta and Gwyn will be central to Maas' new books since the novels are part of "The Valkyrie Cycle." The Valkyries were a central focus of "A Court of Silver Flames."

The book ushered in a new era for the series, as it was told from Nesta's perspective. Maas again focused on her in "House of Flame and Shadow" in her "Crescent City" series.

The "recent betrayals and revealed truths" mentioned in the description of "A Court of Splintered Harmony" could refer to Nesta's actions in "HOFAS." Specifically, the "revealed truths" may reference the resurrection of the long-forgotten Dusk Court in Prythian, which they discover Rhysand is an heir to, while the "recent betrayal" against the Night Court could be Nesta's lending the Mask of the Dread Trove to Bryce Quinlan, the "Crescent City" protagonist, without Rhysand and Feyre's permission.

Bryce also gave Nesta the sword Gwydion at the end of "HOFAS," telling her she thinks she was meant to have it when she returns the Mask. Nesta shared with Bryce in the same scene that Cassian is the most upset with her of everyone for her actions.

It seems Maas was setting up a continuation of Nesta's story for her next "ACOTAR" story in the scene, which may see her explore her power and connections to the fae of the Dusk Court.

You can read a more detailed breakdown of what to remember from Maas' previous works ahead of "ACOTAR" six here.

Elain's role in future 'ACOTAR' books

One notable character doesn't yet have a confirmed POV in the new novel: Elain Archeron.

In "A Court of Silver Flames," Elain had settled into life at the Night Court, refusing to explore her mating bond with Lucien or her Seer powers. She also seems to have an attraction to Azriel in the text, with the pair almost kissing in his bonus chapter. However, Maas juxtaposes their connection with the ill-fitting aspects of life at the Night Court for Elain during a visit to the Court of Nightmares in "ACOSF."

Maas told Eva Chen during an appearance on "Live Talks Los Angeles" in February 2021 that she planned to write a book from Elain's perspective. She also discussed Elain on "Call Her Daddy" in March 2026, saying Lucien's involvement in bringing Elain to the fae world is a barrier to their relationship. Maas said she was "interested" as a writer in exploring what it meant for someone not to desire to be mated.

It's surprising that Elain is not confirmed to have a POV in "A Court of Splintered Harmony," given Maas' past comments, the brewing tension surrounding Elain, and the fact that both Lucien and Azriel have POVs in the book. Elain may have a surprise chapter in the book, or she could narrate future installments in the series.

Readers will have to wait and see what role Maas plans for Elain to play in the new "ACOTAR" books.