While it feels like just yesterday that Sarah J Maas announced books 6 & 7 on Call Her Daddy, it was actually way back in March. For a full breakdown of what was revealed in the almost two-hour episode, you can read our newsletter, which highlights the top moments. Now, after a five-month wait, we finally heard some more news. Last Monday, Sarah J. Maas revealed the covers, titles, and a brief synopsis. Consider this your official ACOTAR guide from here on out—from what we actually know about the books, to the new covers and title discourse, whether you should reread, and everything in between.
Two more Sarah J. Maas books are slated to hit the shelves in the next 5 months. Both books are within the ACOTAR series, but are titled as books in the Valkyrie Cycle: Movement I and Valkyrie Cycle: Movement II & III, respectively.
ACOTAR Book #6
Title: A Court of Splintered Harmony
Release Date: October 27, 2026
Page Count: 352 pages
Tagline: What was broken will be remade.
ACOTAR Book #7
Title: A Court of Forgotten Melody
Release Date: January 12, 2027
Page Count: 896 pages
Tagline: What was lost will be reclaimed.
ACOTAR Book #8 will encompass Valkyrie Cycle: Movement IV, marking it the final movement, but its release date, cover, and title have not yet been announced.
“I like to do parts: part one, part two, part three. By the time I got to the end of part one, it was, like, 400 pages long. ACOTAR 6 and 7 will tell the first three parts, she said, and the fourth and final part will come later. It’s meant to be read as one massive, massive story.” — Sarah J. Maas, Call Her Daddy
The bright colours of the current ACOTAR books are guaranteed to stand out on any bookshelf, especially amongst other fantasy novels which are predominantly dark in colour. The next two books hit the bright colours, but fans appear to be at a crossroads about the gradient. Some readers feel they’re too light and “sherbert-y” (thank you, Reddit, for that one), and don’t match the original books. Others like the gradient and feel like it shows one overarching story split across multiple books. More theories lean into the actual colour blend and wonder if it connects to the colours on previous books in the series. While I like the creativity of that theory, I’m not fully on board just yet.
I don’t necessarily love or hate either cover, but I do wish that they kept the original solid colours. We still had several colours to work with, and I wish we could’ve seen a purple edition with the yellow coloured text. Now the font is written in white. I can appreciate that they kept the font style and layout of the previous books; They still feel like ACOTAR. What I might not be able to move past is if the book spines are also ombre…
Additionally, I’m a bit indifferent about the titles as well. Compared to past books, they feel a bit more of a mouthful, and a little voice in my brain wants to make them more plural: Instead of A Court of Splintered Harmony, make it A Court of Splintered Harmonies. Previous books like A Court of Thorns and Roses use the plural format, so I am curious why this one is singular.
On the imagery side, I have zero theories and am pulling from some very dedicated fans. Some readers expressed that the bones on the cover of A Court of Splintered Harmony could allude to something about the Bone Carver. They also pointed out that the spiders on the cover of A Court of Forgotten Melody could indicate something about The Weaver or a Throne of Glass reference. Aside from those, I am dodging theories left and right because I honestly want to go into this book blind with no expectations. I had the true honour of reading ACOTAR before the rise of BookTok, and I will try to keep it like that for these next two releases. At the end of the day, nothing else is confirmed, and everything else is opinion and speculation.
➡️ What are your thoughts and/or theories on the new covers?
I’ve been toying around with re-reading, but I think I’ve landed on just finishing the third Crescent City book, House of Flame and Shadow. I’m about 25% in and have been 25% done for quite some time now. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the book other than the sheer number of pages and the lack of time I’ve dedicated to reading it.
The other thing is, ACOTAR is hands down one of the best book series I’ve ever read, and I want to keep the memory of the first time I read each book. I’ve re-listened and re-read certain parts of A Court of Mist and Fury, but I don’t think I’ve ever done a full re-read.
But ultimately, do I think re-reading the entire series is necessary? That depends on who you are as a reader. Do you remember what happened in A Court of Silver Flames? Do you care? How much do you recall about the series as a whole? The reality is, we have no idea who these next books are about, so I’m cautious about a full re-read if it isn’t necessary. What I will be looking for instead (and might recommend) is watching a breakdown of the previous books ahead of October 27th. Then I get to preserve my first-read memory AND get a refresh on this.
If anyone really wants to do a re-read, I might suggest A Court of Silver Flames, since it's probably the most important to revisit given the Valkyrie Cycle branding.
Spoiler: It’s a lot.
The POVs for each book
A full character synopsis
Will the books pull from the worlds of Throne of Glass or Crescent City?
How long will we have to wait for ACOTAR book #8 (Valkyrie Cycle: Movement IV) to be released?
What is the significance of the imagery on both covers?
Will we ever get a book about Elain and/or Azriel?
…here’s what else is happening in the book world!
Are You Team Manuscript or Team Letter? The Verity Debate Is *Almost* Back! Here’s Everything we know about the upcoming adaptation of Verity
Why We Actually Like Movie Tie-In Covers Now: Breaking down what they got right about the new ‘The Love Hypothesis’ cover
Are We Judging Adaptations Too Early? The internet’s reaction to the casting of ‘Better Than the Movies’ proves we’re still falling into the same cycle...
Why Netflix’s Next Adaptation Makes Perfect Sense A classic novel from 1901 is getting a second life and it could be the next big thing...
Everything You Need To Know About Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Next Book
Every Book Adaptation Nominated for an Emmy in 2026 (Your guide to every Emmy-nominated adaptation before the awards in September)
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.