If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.
Sarah J. Maas officially confirmed an ACOTAR 6 release date AND a seventh instalment of her A Court of Thorns and Roses series during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast.
“There will be two books within a very short span,” Maas told host Alex Cooper during a March 4 episode of the show. “It’s just the story that was finally ready to come out of me was big, really, really, really big.”
In the rare interview, Maas confirmed that she’ll follow up her 2021 book, A Court of Silver Flames, with books in several parts, meaning we have two confirmed release dates and confirmation of a subsequent book once those two are done.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Maas said. “It took me a long time to write.”
Related story
Books To Read While You Wait For ACOTAR 6, According To BookTok
In the years since A Court of Silver Flames, the series has exploded in popularity, and Maas has cultivated one of the most dedicated reader bases in modern fantasy literature. The ACOTAR series alone sells millions of copies worldwide and has spawned everything from merchandise to a possible forthcoming television adaptation. So let’s dive into the theories as to when we can expect the highly anticipated sixth book and what the book will be about.
WARNING: There will be spoilers ahead for the first five ACOTAR books.
When Will ACOTAR 6 Be Released?
ACOTAR 6 will be released on October 27, 2026. This will be followed by ACOTAR 7, which will release on January 12, 2027.
ACOTAR 6 and 7 will be one large story told in three books. “It came out of me in a way that surprised me,” Maas told host Alex Cooper. “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, which we can read in October, will be the first part of the story. The second and third parts will be in ACOTAR 7. The fourth and final part of this story will be another book, ACOTAR 8, which will be released later.
What Is the Title of ACOTAR 6?
The official title of the sixth ACOTAR book has not been confirmed. We also don’t have cover art for the book yet. But honestly, as fans know, the series thus far has included titles that are only tangentially related to the plot, so there’s not much to speculate about.
What Is the Plot of ACOTAR 6?
Maas has not revealed what ACOTAR 6 will be about. However, it is widely speculated that the book will be about Feyre’s sister, Elain. The first three books in the ACOTAR series were written from Feyre’s point of view and focused on her story. The novella, A Court of Frost and Starlight (ACOFAS), featured alternating character POVs, and the most recent book, A Court of Silver Flames (ACOSF), focused on Nesta’s story.
The first three books (A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, and A Court of Wings and Ruin) were intended to be a trilogy with ACOFAS bridging the gap between the first trilogy and the next set of books. It is widely theorized that since ACOSF focused on Nesta’s story, the next ACOTAR book will focus on the last remaining Archeron sister, Elain.
None of this has been confirmed by Maas or Bloomsbury, but it does seem highly likely that the sixth book will follow Elain’s journey and reveal whether she ends up with Lucien or Azriel.
Maas didn’t talk about plot details on Call Her Daddy, but she did open up about what it was like to write the sixth and seventh books.
“When this right story hit me, it hit me hard, and I had a vision from the start of what it would be, how I would deliver it to you guys,” she said. “That’s what I want to do, and getting to be in the driver’s seat and decide this is how I wanna tell stories. And if I want to adapt it for every new book or arc, I can do that. I can do that, and why not? Why do we have to stick to these boxes, of this is how you tell a story from A to B? I’m like, ‘What if we do something different?’”
A Court of Thorns and Roses Paperback Box Set (5 books) (A Court of Thorns and Roses, 9)
Popular Theories About ACOTAR 6
The literary community is abuzz with theories as to what the sixth ACOTAR book will reveal. There are still several unresolved plot points and even more theories as to how they will play out. Here are a few of the most popular theories generating buzz online:
- Elain will reject the mating bond with Lucien
- Azriel will end up with Gwyn, not Elain
- Bryce and Azriel are mates
- Elain will end up with Tamlin and become High Lady of the Spring Court
- Elain is a seer and her full powers will be revealed
- The next book will be in Azriel’s POV, not Elain’s
- There will be a betrayal in the Night Court
Why Is ACOTAR 6 Taking So Long?
Maas has a very valid reason for her slower publishing rate in recent years, as she explained to Today in January 2024, when she opened up about balancing her career and motherhood.
“Before I had kids, I was writing two books a year, but I also had no social life,” she said. “Like, I was basically Gollum in my little writing cave, just writing all day. But now I get to see the sunlight thanks to my children needing to, like, go out to school. So the writing pace has slowed down a little bit — you know, a book a year, a book every year and a half. It’s a tough thing, to have a job and to need to show up and focus on that job, but then to also be able to focus on your children.”
While Bloomsbury Publishing and Maas’s representatives remain tight-lipped about specific timelines, one thing remains certain: when ACOTAR 6 finally does arrive, it will be a major literary event that sends ripples through the fantasy community and beyond.
Before you go, click here to see must-read books if you loved the ‘ACOTAR’ series
