Okay, I have a confession to make before we get into this: I am not the biggest Sarah J. Maas fan. There, I said it. I know, I know. If you are deep in the BookTok and Bookstagram world, that probably feels like admitting something controversial, because Sarah J. Maas is basically royalty in the fantasy romance community. But even though her books aren’t necessarily at the top of my personal reading list, I can’t deny that the woman knows how to create hype. And this week’s A Court of Thorns and Roses cover reveal proved it all over again.

The ACOTAR Book Cover Reveal Is Finally Here

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Sarah J. Maas finally revealed the titles and covers for the next two books in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. ACOTAR fans are getting not one new book, but two, with A Court of Splintered Harmony arriving on October 27, 2026, followed by A Court of Forgotten Melody on January 12, 2027. Both books are part of a new story arc called the Valkyrie Cycle, and Maas has described the larger story as something that spans multiple parts rather than a traditional trilogy.

And of course, the covers immediately became a conversation of their own. Maas wiped her previous Instagram posts before the reveal, and the announcement was accompanied by digital billboards in Los Angeles, Denver, and New York. So this wasn’t exactly a quiet “hey guys, here’s the cover” announcement. It was very much an EVENT, and judging by the reaction from the book community, the fandom was ready.

And Yes, BookTok Is Losing Its Mind

You don’t have to be an ACOTAR superfan to notice how massive this fandom is. The second those covers dropped, social media was filled with reactions, theories, rereads, character discussions, cover opinions, and people trying to figure out exactly what the new books could mean for the future of the series. And honestly? As someone standing slightly outside the fandom looking in, it’s kind of fascinating.

There is something special about watching an entire book community experience a reveal together. You have readers who have been waiting years for the next installment, people analyzing every tiny detail on the covers, readers already planning their midnight releases, and everyone suddenly remembering exactly where they left off in the series. That’s the kind of reader excitement authors dream about.

What Are the New ACOTAR Books About?

There aren’t enough details to completely unpack the story without getting into speculation, but the official information points toward a major threat returning to Prythian. A Court of Splintered Harmony centers on the growing threat of Koschei the Deathless and a fractured Night Court that has to deal with internal conflict while facing danger from outside. The new books are also connected to the Valkyries, with the cover design specifically labeling the story as the Valkyrie Cycle.

And this is where I can understand why fans are so excited. ACOTAR isn’t just a book series anymore. It’s a whole reading experience for its fandom. People have theories about the characters, relationships, future books, and connections to the wider Maasverse. So a cover reveal isn’t simply a pretty picture to them. They’re looking at it for clues.

The Covers Are Definitely Different

Now let’s talk about the covers because I have seen the reactions, and people have THOUGHTS. The new covers move away from the solid, darker look associated with earlier ACOTAR books and introduce brighter gradient colors. Some readers love the change, while others feel like the new designs don’t match the darker fantasy aesthetic they’ve come to associate with the series.

Personally, I’m always interested when a long-running series changes its visual identity. Sometimes it works beautifully, and sometimes readers immediately start asking, “Why did we change this?” But I think that’s part of what makes a cover reveal fun. The cover becomes part of the conversation before anyone has even had a chance to read the book.

I’m Not a Huge Sarah J. Maas Fan, But I Get It

I don’t think you have to love an author’s work to appreciate what they’ve accomplished. Sarah J. Maas has built an enormous audience around her books, and the ACOTAR fandom is proof of that. Her official biography says her books have sold more than 70 million copies in English worldwide, and the ACOTAR hashtag has generated billions of views on TikTok.

That’s a level of reader engagement that most authors would probably love to have. Imagine announcing a book and knowing there are already thousands of people waiting to dissect the cover, speculate about the plot, argue about characters, and count down the days until release. Whether you’re personally a fan or not, that’s impressive.

And honestly, I think that’s one of the coolest things about being part of the book community. We don’t all have to read the same books. We don’t all have to love the same authors. But we can still get excited about the excitement. Sometimes watching everyone else freak out over a release is enough to make you want to pick up a book you might have otherwise ignored.

The Book Community Doesn’t Need Much of an Excuse to Celebrate

Give readers a new cover and suddenly we have theories. Give us a release date and we’re making countdowns. Give us two books instead of one and suddenly everyone’s TBR is being reorganized.

But that’s what I love about the book community. Readers turn books into events. We don’t just read a story and move on. We create playlists, fan art, theories, memes, annotations, Pinterest boards, special editions, reading vlogs, and entire personalities around fictional characters.

And honestly, as an author, I can’t help but look at that and think about how incredible it would be to have readers waiting for one of my books with that same kind of excitemen

Speaking of Upcoming Books…

Since we’re talking about authors, fandoms, and readers waiting for their next obsession, I’ll shamelessly take a moment to mention my own upcoming release. The Pakhan’s Amnesiac Wife is my upcoming dark mafia romance, and if your reading preferences lean more toward obsessive men, dangerous relationships, secrets, and a romance where absolutely nothing is going according to plan, you might want to add it to your TBR. You can pre-order The Pakhan’s Amnesiac Wife.

I’m obviously not going to pretend I’m Sarah J. Maas and tell you I’m about to drop the next ACOTAR. 😂 But as an indie author, I know what it feels like to put a story you’ve spent countless hours writing out into the world and hope readers decide to take a chance on it. So while I’m over here watching the ACOTAR fandom celebrate its newest books, I’m also quietly hoping someone is getting excited about my own book too.

So, Will You Be Reading the New ACOTAR Books?

Whether you’ve been waiting years for the next installment or you’re like me and mostly watching the chaos from the sidelines, there’s no denying that the ACOTAR book 6 and 7 reveal is one of the biggest book-community moments of the week.

A Court of Splintered Harmony releases October 27, 2026, and A Court of Forgotten Melody follows January 12, 2027. The covers are out, the fandom has plenty to talk about, and now the waiting game begins all over again.

And as for me? I’ll be over here watching the theories unfold, working on my own books, and probably adding a few more titles to my already ridiculous TBR because apparently that’s what we readers do best.