It has been a long time since we last properly lived in Prythian. A Court of Silver Flames arrived back in 2021, and while Sarah J. Maas has certainly not left her wider fantasy universe alone since then, five years is more than enough time to forget exactly who is secretly related to whom, which magical object can raise the dead, why there is an immortal death-god trapped beside a lake and how on earth a firebird queen fits into all of this.
Now it is time to remember.
A Court of Splintered Harmony arrives on 27 October 2026 as the sixth book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series and the beginning of a new story arc titled The Valkyrie Cycle.
And judging by everything that has been officially revealed so far, Sarah J. Maas is not easing us gently back into Prythian.
Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Old alliances are weakening. The Night Court itself appears to be fractured. The human lands are under threat. Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie have resurrected the Valkyries. Elain’s strange powers remain largely unexplored. Lucien is positioned between almost every important faction in the story. Azriel has more unanswered questions surrounding him than ever.
And then there is everything that happened in Crescent City.
Yes, that matters too.
So, if you do not have time to reread thousands of pages before October, consider this your complete ACOTAR refresher.
Warning: major spoilers for A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, A Court of Silver Flames and the Crescent City series follow.
The official setup for Splintered Harmony is ominous.
Prythian is still struggling with the damage left behind by the war with Hybern. Koschei’s influence is spreading through the Fae territories. Powerful forces are apparently interested in reclaiming the human lands, and those who rule and defend the Night Court are dealing with their own fractures.
That last part may turn out to be particularly important. Because quite a lot has happened since we last saw the Night Court through an ACOTAR novel.
Where Did We Leave Everyone in A Court of Silver Flames?
The most important thing to remember is that A Court of Silver Flames fundamentally changed the centre of the ACOTAR world. Feyre and Rhysand remained enormously important, but the story shifted to Nesta Archeron and Cassian.
At the beginning of the book, Nesta was angry, traumatised and almost completely disconnected from her family. By the end, she had found a mate, built new friendships, resurrected an ancient female warrior tradition, confronted the extraordinary power she had stolen from the Cauldron and played a critical role in saving Feyre, Rhysand and their newborn son.
Nesta did not simply heal. She became powerful.
And the fact that the new ACOTAR arc is called The Valkyrie Cycle makes everything that happened to her, Gwyn and Emerie suddenly much more significant.
Nesta Is Now One of the Most Important People in Prythian
Nesta was thrown into the Cauldron against her will in A Court of Mist and Fury. But unlike Elain, who emerged with the gift of Sight, Nesta appears to have deliberately taken something from the Cauldron. Something enormous.
Throughout Silver Flames, we gradually learn just how unusual her magic is.
Her power manifests as silver flame. Rhys describes what he senses in her as something resembling pure death. She can interact with Made objects in ways ordinary Fae cannot. She can find and wield the Dread Trove. She accidentally imbues weapons with power while working at a forge.
She even kills the ancient being Lanthys using a sword she Made herself.
Then comes the birth of Nyx.
When Feyre begins to die during childbirth, Nesta uses the Dread Trove and bargains away much of the power she took from the Cauldron in return for the knowledge required to save Feyre and the baby.
But Nesta does not appear to lose everything.
At the end of Silver Flames, she believes something prevented all of her power from being taken.
Exactly how much remains is still unclear.
That feels rather important heading into a series called The Valkyrie Cycle.
Nesta and Cassian Are Mates
After one of the longest and most argumentative romantic build-ups in the series, Nesta and Cassian finally acknowledge their mating bond.
Their relationship is complicated, physical and often combative, but by the end of Silver Flames they have chosen one another.
This matters beyond the romance.
Cassian is Rhysand’s general and one of the most important military figures in the Night Court. Nesta is Feyre’s sister, a Valkyrie and a Made Fae with a connection to some of the most dangerous magical objects in existence.
Together they sit directly at the intersection of the personal, political and military sides of the coming conflict.
Remember Gwyn and Emerie
If it has been a while since you read Silver Flames, do not treat Gwyneth Berdara and Emerie as supporting characters you can vaguely remember later.
They may be essential.
Gwyn is a priestess who lives and works in the library beneath the House of Wind. Emerie is an Illyrian female whose wings were brutally clipped and who runs her own shop in Windhaven.
Together with Nesta, they begin training under Cassian and Azriel.
The friendship between the three women becomes one of the emotional hearts of Silver Flames. They train, read, share their pasts and eventually revive the traditions of the ancient Valkyries.
It culminates in the Blood Rite.
After being abducted and illegally forced into the brutal Illyrian competition, Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie survive together. Their friendship becomes as important as their combat ability, and their actions effectively prove that the reborn Valkyries are far more than a training experiment.
Now Maas has named the entire next stage of ACOTAR The Valkyrie Cycle.
That does not officially confirm that Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie are the sole protagonists of the coming books. It does make it extremely difficult to imagine that their story is finished.
The Dread Trove Is Still Extremely Important
You would be forgiven for needing a refresher here.
The Dread Trove consists of ancient Made objects with extraordinary power.
The three objects we know best are:
The Mask, which allows its wearer to command the dead.
The Harp, which can open doors and move through space, with its strings connected to different aspects of existence, including time.
The Crown, which can be used to control the minds of others.
Nesta can find and wield these objects because she herself was Made by the Cauldron.
There is also evidence of a mysterious fourth object.
When Lanthys shows Nesta a vision involving the Trove, another item appears obscured in shadow. Its identity has remained one of ACOTAR’s unresolved mysteries.
Do not forget this.
Ancient magical objects, forgotten history and powers that predate the current courts are becoming increasingly central to Maas’s wider universe.
The Dread Trove has also already attracted Koschei’s attention.
Koschei the Deathless Is No Longer a Background Villain
If there is one character you absolutely need to remember before A Court of Splintered Harmony, it is Koschei.
For several books, Koschei has existed at the edge of ACOTAR. He has been mentioned, feared and encountered, but never fully brought into the centre of the story.
That is changing.
Koschei is an ancient death-god or sorcerer imprisoned beside a remote lake on the continent. He is the brother of two other powerful beings ACOTAR readers have already encountered: the Bone Carver and Stryga, better known as the Weaver.
Unlike both of them, Koschei is still alive.
And he wants to be free.
Even while bound to his lake, Koschei has demonstrated an unsettling ability to influence events elsewhere. He forms alliances, manipulates people and creates powerful curses.
During Silver Flames, he works with Queen Briallyn and becomes entangled in her attempts to acquire the Dread Trove.
Briallyn is defeated.
Koschei is not.
He remains beside his lake, waiting.
And according to the official description of A Court of Splintered Harmony, his influence is now spreading.
Vassa could become one of the most important characters in the new books.
She was one of the mortal queens introduced during the war against Hybern. After opposing the decisions of the other queens, she was betrayed and eventually sold to Koschei.
He cursed her.
Vassa is forced to live as a firebird during the day, returning to her human form at night.
Although she has been able to spend time away from Koschei’s lake, her freedom is not necessarily permanent and the curse itself remains unresolved.
She currently lives in the mortal lands with Lucien and Jurian.
Together, the three have jokingly been called the Band of Exiles.
That group may have seemed slightly removed from the central Night Court story in recent books.
Koschei changes that completely.
Vassa has been his prisoner.
Lucien has travelled to his lake.
Jurian is deeply connected to the human lands Koschei’s allies may now threaten.
Suddenly, the Band of Exiles looks much less like a side plot.
Elain Has Already Seen Koschei
This is one of the easiest details to forget and potentially one of the most important.
Elain’s powers as a Seer allow her to glimpse things other characters cannot.
Long before Koschei became the obvious major threat, Elain saw Vassa.
She saw the lake.
She saw women apparently being kept around it and transformed into white birds.
And she saw something else.
A mysterious onyx box belonging to Koschei.
We still do not know what is inside it.
That mystery becomes particularly interesting because the Koschei of East Slavic folklore is famously difficult to kill because his death or life force is hidden separately from his body.
Maas does not simply copy the myths and fairy tales she draws inspiration from, so the box cannot be assumed to contain Koschei’s death.
But Elain seeing it was almost certainly not a meaningless detail.
If defeating Koschei requires finding something hidden, Elain’s Sight could become invaluable.
Elain Is Still Lucien’s Mate
Then there is the romantic complication.
When Elain emerged from the Cauldron, a mating bond snapped into place between her and Lucien Vanserra.
Lucien accepts the existence of the bond.
Elain has never meaningfully embraced it.
That distinction is important.
Their mating bond remains unresolved, and Elain’s feelings about choice and autonomy have become increasingly important to her character.
Meanwhile, another relationship has been quietly developing.
Elain and Azriel Almost Kissed
The attraction between Elain and Azriel is no longer simply something invented by fans.
There is a genuine connection between them.
Azriel has spent time with Elain, gives her Truth-Teller during the war with Hybern and nearly kisses her during the events surrounding A Court of Silver Flames.
But Rhys intervenes.
From Rhysand’s perspective, the political consequences are potentially disastrous. Elain has a mate. Lucien has connections spanning several courts and the human territories. Azriel pursuing her could destabilise relationships the Night Court may desperately need.
Which is rather relevant now that the official setup for Splintered Harmony revolves around damaged alliances.
Nothing has been resolved.
Neither has the question of Gwyn.
Azriel trains Gwyn alongside Nesta and Emerie, and their interactions have prompted another enormous branch of ACOTAR relationship theories.
For now, though, the important thing to remember is simple:
Elain, Lucien and Azriel are emotionally unresolved going into the new story, while Gwyn may complicate things further.
Lucien May Be One of the Most Strategically Important Characters in the Series
Lucien has spent much of ACOTAR seemingly stranded between worlds.
That could suddenly become his greatest strength.
Think about his connections.
He grew up in the Autumn Court.
He spent years in the Spring Court.
He works with the Night Court.
He lives with Vassa and Jurian in the human territories.
He is Elain’s mate.
He has travelled to Koschei’s lake.
And then there is the enormous secret surrounding his parentage.
Lucien believes Beron, High Lord of the Autumn Court, is his father.
He is not.
His biological father is almost certainly Helion, High Lord of the Day Court.
Lucien does not currently know this.
That means one character potentially connects the Autumn Court, Day Court, Spring Court, Night Court and human lands.
If Splintered Harmony really is about rebuilding alliances, Lucien may be uniquely positioned to move between them.
If you need a reminder of the seven courts themselves, their rulers and their different personalities, our ACOTAR Courts Explained guide is an easy refresher.
The Autumn Court Is a Problem Waiting to Explode
Beron remains High Lord of the Autumn Court.
He is cruel, ambitious and hardly a reliable ally.
His son Eris is much more complicated.
For much of ACOTAR, Eris appears arrogant and ruthless, particularly because of the story surrounding Mor and the way he abandoned her after she was brutalised by her family.
But Silver Flames complicates that interpretation.
Eris is secretly working with the Night Court and wants to overthrow Beron.
He repeatedly suggests that the full truth of what happened with Mor has never been told.
His alliance with Rhys and Cassian is uneasy, but potentially essential.
The Autumn Court therefore enters the next stage of ACOTAR with a dangerous internal problem of its own: a High Lord who could destabilise Prythian and an heir apparently waiting for an opportunity to replace him.
The Spring Court Is Barely Functioning
Tamlin survives the war with Hybern, but the Spring Court has never truly recovered.
By the time we see him in the later books, Tamlin is isolated, angry and deeply damaged. His territory has weakened, many of his people have left and his relationship with the Night Court remains terrible.
Lucien’s former home is therefore another potential weak point in Prythian.
That matters because the new threat does not arrive while the seven courts are strong and united.
It arrives while several of them are fractured.
For all the beauty and fantasy of Prythian, its politics are messy. If you want to reacquaint yourself with its geography before returning, our guide to the ACOTAR courts breaks down the Night, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Day and Dawn Courts.
And if you would rather imagine yourself physically there, our ACOTAR-inspired real-world travel guide matches places including Velaris, the Spring Court and the Illyrian Mountains with destinations you can actually visit.
Feyre and Rhysand Are Now Parents
One of the biggest personal changes at the end of Silver Flames is the birth of Feyre and Rhysand’s son, Nyx.
The pregnancy nearly kills all three of them.
Nyx develops Illyrian wings because Feyre was in an Illyrian form when he was conceived. Feyre’s body, however, is not naturally built to safely deliver a winged child.
When the birth goes catastrophically wrong, Nesta ultimately saves Feyre, Rhys and Nyx.
It is also worth remembering that Feyre and Rhys have made one of the most romantic and objectively impractical bargains in Prythian:
If one dies, the other dies too.
With Nyx now depending on them, that bargain becomes even more consequential.
It also gives Rhys a compelling reason to avoid reckless danger, something that is not always particularly convenient when you are the High Lord of the Night Court and another ancient immortal villain is preparing to make his move.
Mor Has Been Working on Alliances Outside Prythian
Morrigan has spent significant time away from the Night Court attempting to negotiate with Vallahan on the continent.
Those diplomatic efforts have sometimes existed in the background of the main story, but they may become much more relevant now.
The official material for the new books makes one thing clear: alliances matter.
The Night Court cannot defeat every threat alone.
If the political landscape beyond Prythian becomes central to the Koschei conflict, Mor’s work may finally move from background diplomacy into the main story.
The Human Lands Are Vulnerable Again
The wall that once separated the human and Fae territories is gone.
The war with Hybern is over, but distrust has not magically disappeared with it.
The human queens themselves have also proved dangerous.
Vassa was betrayed by the other queens. Briallyn became a major antagonist in Silver Flames. Human and Fae relations remain precarious.
Now powerful forces aligned with Koschei apparently want to reclaim human territory.
That gives the coming conflict a different shape from the war with Hybern.
This may not begin as a straightforward invasion.
It could begin with already fragile political relationships collapsing.
Azriel Still Has Plenty of Secrets
Azriel remains one of the Inner Circle’s biggest mysteries.
We know he is Rhysand’s spymaster.
We know he is a shadowsinger.
We know Truth-Teller, his famous black dagger, is far more than an ordinary weapon.
We know about his longstanding feelings for Mor and his more recent attraction to Elain.
We know he has become involved in training the Valkyries.
But compared with Rhys and Cassian, enormous parts of Azriel’s inner life and powers remain unexplored.
Then Crescent City made Truth-Teller significantly more interesting.
Which brings us to the part of your reread that might surprise anyone who stopped after Silver Flames.
Yes, You Really Should Remember Crescent City
For years, connections between Sarah J. Maas’s three fantasy series could be dismissed as Easter eggs.
Not anymore.
At the end of House of Sky and Breath, Bryce Quinlan attempts to travel to Hel in search of allies.
House of Flame and Shadow does not simply use Prythian as a fun cameo.
It adds to Prythian’s history.
Bryce spends substantial time with Nesta and Azriel and discovers that the ancient history of the Fae extends far beyond what the modern courts understand.
The story strengthens the connection between Prythian’s ancient Fae, Bryce’s Starborn heritage and the lost history of Midgard.
It also places fresh importance on the land associated with the Prison and the long-forgotten Dusk Court.
This is exactly the kind of lore worth remembering as we move into books with titles such as Splintered Harmony and Forgotten Melody.
History in this universe has a habit of being incomplete.
And what has been forgotten tends to matter.
Truth-Teller and Gwydion Belong Together
Azriel’s dagger Truth-Teller has always been distinctive.
Crescent City takes that much further.
Bryce’s Starsword is connected to Truth-Teller. The weapons share ancient origins, and when brought together their relationship becomes impossible to dismiss.
The Starsword also has another name ACOTAR readers may recognise:
Gwydion.
Gwydion is the legendary sword from Prythian’s history that disappeared thousands of years ago.
By the end of the crossover storyline, Gwydion is back in Prythian.
And Nesta has it.
That feels very unlikely to be irrelevant to the next ACOTAR arc.
Nesta Also Made a Very Controversial Decision
During Bryce’s time in Prythian, Nesta allows her access to the Mask from the Dread Trove.
Rhys is not pleased.
At all.
From Nesta’s perspective, the decision helps Bryce fight an existential threat to her world.
From Rhys’s perspective, Nesta has handed one of the most dangerous magical objects in Prythian to a powerful stranger from another world.
Both perspectives make sense.
More importantly, the disagreement creates exactly the sort of internal fracture that could fit the official description of the Night Court reeling from recent betrayals and newly revealed truths.
We do not yet know whether that wording specifically refers to Nesta’s actions.
But it is absolutely worth remembering.
The Dusk Court May Not Be Finished
Prythian traditionally has seven courts.
Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Dawn. Day. Night.
But the wider Maasverse has increasingly pointed towards another ancient territory associated with Dusk.
The Prison island appears deeply connected to that forgotten history.
Nesta’s eight-pointed star also takes on greater significance during House of Flame and Shadow, and Bryce ultimately leaves Gwydion with her, encouraging her to discover why the weapon and that symbol seem connected to her.
This is one of the clearest pieces of setup left hanging after the Crescent City crossover.
Whether it becomes central in Splintered Harmony, Forgotten Melody or later in The Valkyrie Cycle remains to be seen.
But Nesta’s story is very obviously not over.
What About Throne of Glass?
This is where things become more speculative.
There have long been connections and parallels between Throne of Glass, ACOTAR and Crescent City, and world-walking is now firmly established within Maas’s universe.
That does not mean Aelin is about to winnow into Velaris for drinks with Feyre.
There is currently no confirmed Throne of Glass crossover in A Court of Splintered Harmony.
However, readers interested in the larger cosmology, ancient beings and possible connections between the different worlds may want to refresh themselves on Maas’s first fantasy series too.
But there are a handful of characters whose unresolved stories feel particularly relevant.
Nesta has the Valkyries, the Dread Trove, Made weapons, remaining power, the eight-pointed star and now Gwydion.
Gwyn and Emerie are the other two founding members of the reborn Valkyries.
Elain has visions directly connected to Koschei, an unresolved mating bond and powers we have barely explored.
Lucien connects multiple courts, the human territories, Vassa, Elain and Koschei.
Azriel connects the Valkyries, Elain, Truth-Teller, the crossover revelations and the Night Court’s intelligence network.
Vassa remains cursed by Koschei.
Eris still wants Beron removed from power.
Tamlin presides over a weakened Spring Court.
Mor has been building diplomatic relationships outside Prythian.
And Rhysand and Feyre are now trying to protect not just a court, but their son.
There are a lot of pieces on the board.
The 15 Things to Remember Before A Court of Splintered Harmony
If you remember nothing else, remember these:
Koschei the Deathless is trapped at a lake, but his influence extends far beyond it.
Vassa is still bound to him by a powerful curse.
Elain has already had visions connected to Koschei and his mysterious onyx box.
Elain and Lucien are mates, but their relationship remains unresolved.
Elain and Azriel nearly kissed.
Gwyn may also become important to Azriel’s story.
Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie have revived the Valkyries.
Nesta can wield the Dread Trove.
A mysterious fourth Trove object may exist.
Nesta sacrificed much, but apparently not all, of her extraordinary power to save Feyre and Nyx.
Eris wants to overthrow Beron in the Autumn Court.
Tamlin and the Spring Court remain weakened.
Bryce Quinlan physically travelled from Crescent City into Prythian.
Gwydion, the weapon known in Midgard as the Starsword, has returned to Prythian and is now with Nesta.
The forgotten Dusk Court and the ancient history of the Prison may be far more important than anyone realised.
And perhaps most importantly, Prythian is not united.
That may be exactly what Koschei needs.
Do You Need to Reread Every ACOTAR Book Before Splintered Harmony?
No.
Although we would never discourage an ACOTAR reread, obviously.
If you have limited time, A Court of Silver Flames is the most obvious book to revisit because it establishes Nesta, Gwyn, Emerie, the Valkyries, the Dread Trove, Koschei’s involvement with Briallyn and many of the emotional relationships that remain unresolved.
We would also recommend reading the full Crescent City trilogy, particularly House of Sky and Breath and House of Flame and Shadow, because events in those books now directly affect Prythian.
If you have forgotten everything and want to begin again, our ACOTAR reading order guide covers the series from the beginning.
What We Know Versus What We Are Guessing
This distinction matters.
We knowA Court of Splintered Harmony is The Valkyrie Cycle: Movement I.
We know Koschei is a central threat.
We know Prythian’s alliances are struggling and the Night Court is dealing with serious internal divisions.
We know the human lands are threatened.
We know the story continues almost immediately with A Court of Forgotten Melody in January 2027.
What we do not officially know is exactly whose POV will dominate Splintered Harmony, which romance will move to the centre of the story or precisely what the title’s “splintered harmony” refers to.
Nesta and the Valkyries look extremely important.
Elain has major unresolved storylines.
Lucien is positioned at the centre of several political conflicts.
Azriel has unfinished business everywhere.
But until the book arrives, theories remain theories.
It has been a long time since we last properly lived in Prythian. A Court of Silver Flames arrived back in 2021, and while Sarah J. Maas has certainly not left her wider fantasy universe alone since then, five years is more than enough time to forget exactly who is secretly related to whom, which magical object can raise the dead, why there is an immortal death-god trapped beside a lake and how on earth a firebird queen fits into all of this.
Now it is time to remember.
A Court of Splintered Harmony arrives on 27 October 2026 as the sixth book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series and the beginning of a new story arc titled The Valkyrie Cycle.
And judging by everything that has been officially revealed so far, Sarah J. Maas is not easing us gently back into Prythian.
Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Old alliances are weakening. The Night Court itself appears to be fractured. The human lands are under threat. Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie have resurrected the Valkyries. Elain’s strange powers remain largely unexplored. Lucien is positioned between almost every important faction in the story. Azriel has more unanswered questions surrounding him than ever.
And then there is everything that happened in Crescent City.
Yes, that matters too.
So, if you do not have time to reread thousands of pages before October, consider this your complete ACOTAR refresher.
Warning: major spoilers for A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, A Court of Silver Flames and the Crescent City series follow.
If you need to go right back to the beginning first, start with our complete ACOTAR reading order and character guide.
First, What Exactly Is A Court of Splintered Harmony?
A Court of Splintered Harmony is officially ACOTAR Book 6 and will be released on 27 October 2026.
More importantly, it is subtitled The Valkyrie Cycle: Movement I.
The next book, A Court of Forgotten Melody, arrives remarkably soon afterwards on 12 January 2027 and contains Movements II and III of the new arc.
That means we are not simply beginning another isolated ACOTAR romance. Maas appears to be launching a much larger interconnected story.
We have broken down the unusual structure, confirmed release dates and everything revealed about both upcoming books in our complete guide to A Court of Splintered Harmony, A Court of Forgotten Melody and The Valkyrie Cycle.
The official setup for Splintered Harmony is ominous.
Prythian is still struggling with the damage left behind by the war with Hybern. Koschei’s influence is spreading through the Fae territories. Powerful forces are apparently interested in reclaiming the human lands, and those who rule and defend the Night Court are dealing with their own fractures.
That last part may turn out to be particularly important. Because quite a lot has happened since we last saw the Night Court through an ACOTAR novel.
Where Did We Leave Everyone in A Court of Silver Flames?
The most important thing to remember is that A Court of Silver Flames fundamentally changed the centre of the ACOTAR world. Feyre and Rhysand remained enormously important, but the story shifted to Nesta Archeron and Cassian.
At the beginning of the book, Nesta was angry, traumatised and almost completely disconnected from her family. By the end, she had found a mate, built new friendships, resurrected an ancient female warrior tradition, confronted the extraordinary power she had stolen from the Cauldron and played a critical role in saving Feyre, Rhysand and their newborn son.
Nesta did not simply heal. She became powerful.
And the fact that the new ACOTAR arc is called The Valkyrie Cycle makes everything that happened to her, Gwyn and Emerie suddenly much more significant.
Nesta Is Now One of the Most Important People in Prythian
Nesta was thrown into the Cauldron against her will in A Court of Mist and Fury. But unlike Elain, who emerged with the gift of Sight, Nesta appears to have deliberately taken something from the Cauldron. Something enormous.
Throughout Silver Flames, we gradually learn just how unusual her magic is.
Her power manifests as silver flame. Rhys describes what he senses in her as something resembling pure death. She can interact with Made objects in ways ordinary Fae cannot. She can find and wield the Dread Trove. She accidentally imbues weapons with power while working at a forge.
She even kills the ancient being Lanthys using a sword she Made herself.
Then comes the birth of Nyx.
When Feyre begins to die during childbirth, Nesta uses the Dread Trove and bargains away much of the power she took from the Cauldron in return for the knowledge required to save Feyre and the baby.
But Nesta does not appear to lose everything.
At the end of Silver Flames, she believes something prevented all of her power from being taken.
Exactly how much remains is still unclear.
That feels rather important heading into a series called The Valkyrie Cycle.
Nesta and Cassian Are Mates
After one of the longest and most argumentative romantic build-ups in the series, Nesta and Cassian finally acknowledge their mating bond.
Their relationship is complicated, physical and often combative, but by the end of Silver Flames they have chosen one another.
This matters beyond the romance.
Cassian is Rhysand’s general and one of the most important military figures in the Night Court. Nesta is Feyre’s sister, a Valkyrie and a Made Fae with a connection to some of the most dangerous magical objects in existence.
Together they sit directly at the intersection of the personal, political and military sides of the coming conflict.
Remember Gwyn and Emerie
If it has been a while since you read Silver Flames, do not treat Gwyneth Berdara and Emerie as supporting characters you can vaguely remember later.
They may be essential.
Gwyn is a priestess who lives and works in the library beneath the House of Wind. Emerie is an Illyrian female whose wings were brutally clipped and who runs her own shop in Windhaven.
Together with Nesta, they begin training under Cassian and Azriel.
The friendship between the three women becomes one of the emotional hearts of Silver Flames. They train, read, share their pasts and eventually revive the traditions of the ancient Valkyries.
It culminates in the Blood Rite.
After being abducted and illegally forced into the brutal Illyrian competition, Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie survive together. Their friendship becomes as important as their combat ability, and their actions effectively prove that the reborn Valkyries are far more than a training experiment.
Now Maas has named the entire next stage of ACOTAR The Valkyrie Cycle.
That does not officially confirm that Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie are the sole protagonists of the coming books. It does make it extremely difficult to imagine that their story is finished.
The Dread Trove Is Still Extremely Important
You would be forgiven for needing a refresher here.
The Dread Trove consists of ancient Made objects with extraordinary power.
The three objects we know best are:
The Mask, which allows its wearer to command the dead.
The Harp, which can open doors and move through space, with its strings connected to different aspects of existence, including time.
The Crown, which can be used to control the minds of others.
Nesta can find and wield these objects because she herself was Made by the Cauldron.
There is also evidence of a mysterious fourth object.
When Lanthys shows Nesta a vision involving the Trove, another item appears obscured in shadow. Its identity has remained one of ACOTAR’s unresolved mysteries.
Do not forget this.
Ancient magical objects, forgotten history and powers that predate the current courts are becoming increasingly central to Maas’s wider universe.
The Dread Trove has also already attracted Koschei’s attention.
Koschei the Deathless Is No Longer a Background Villain
If there is one character you absolutely need to remember before A Court of Splintered Harmony, it is Koschei.
For several books, Koschei has existed at the edge of ACOTAR. He has been mentioned, feared and encountered, but never fully brought into the centre of the story.
That is changing.
Koschei is an ancient death-god or sorcerer imprisoned beside a remote lake on the continent. He is the brother of two other powerful beings ACOTAR readers have already encountered: the Bone Carver and Stryga, better known as the Weaver.
Unlike both of them, Koschei is still alive.
And he wants to be free.
Even while bound to his lake, Koschei has demonstrated an unsettling ability to influence events elsewhere. He forms alliances, manipulates people and creates powerful curses.
During Silver Flames, he works with Queen Briallyn and becomes entangled in her attempts to acquire the Dread Trove.
Briallyn is defeated.
Koschei is not.
He remains beside his lake, waiting.
And according to the official description of A Court of Splintered Harmony, his influence is now spreading.
For a much deeper dive into his origins, powers, mythology and possible weaknesses, read our complete guide to Koschei the Deathless and why he matters in ACOTAR 6.
Do Not Forget Vassa
Vassa could become one of the most important characters in the new books.
She was one of the mortal queens introduced during the war against Hybern. After opposing the decisions of the other queens, she was betrayed and eventually sold to Koschei.
He cursed her.
Vassa is forced to live as a firebird during the day, returning to her human form at night.
Although she has been able to spend time away from Koschei’s lake, her freedom is not necessarily permanent and the curse itself remains unresolved.
She currently lives in the mortal lands with Lucien and Jurian.
Together, the three have jokingly been called the Band of Exiles.
That group may have seemed slightly removed from the central Night Court story in recent books.
Koschei changes that completely.
Vassa has been his prisoner.
Lucien has travelled to his lake.
Jurian is deeply connected to the human lands Koschei’s allies may now threaten.
Suddenly, the Band of Exiles looks much less like a side plot.
Elain Has Already Seen Koschei
This is one of the easiest details to forget and potentially one of the most important.
Elain’s powers as a Seer allow her to glimpse things other characters cannot.
Long before Koschei became the obvious major threat, Elain saw Vassa.
She saw the lake.
She saw women apparently being kept around it and transformed into white birds.
And she saw something else.
A mysterious onyx box belonging to Koschei.
We still do not know what is inside it.
That mystery becomes particularly interesting because the Koschei of East Slavic folklore is famously difficult to kill because his death or life force is hidden separately from his body.
Maas does not simply copy the myths and fairy tales she draws inspiration from, so the box cannot be assumed to contain Koschei’s death.
But Elain seeing it was almost certainly not a meaningless detail.
If defeating Koschei requires finding something hidden, Elain’s Sight could become invaluable.
Elain Is Still Lucien’s Mate
Then there is the romantic complication.
When Elain emerged from the Cauldron, a mating bond snapped into place between her and Lucien Vanserra.
Lucien accepts the existence of the bond.
Elain has never meaningfully embraced it.
That distinction is important.
Their mating bond remains unresolved, and Elain’s feelings about choice and autonomy have become increasingly important to her character.
Meanwhile, another relationship has been quietly developing.
Elain and Azriel Almost Kissed
The attraction between Elain and Azriel is no longer simply something invented by fans.
There is a genuine connection between them.
Azriel has spent time with Elain, gives her Truth-Teller during the war with Hybern and nearly kisses her during the events surrounding A Court of Silver Flames.
But Rhys intervenes.
From Rhysand’s perspective, the political consequences are potentially disastrous. Elain has a mate. Lucien has connections spanning several courts and the human territories. Azriel pursuing her could destabilise relationships the Night Court may desperately need.
Which is rather relevant now that the official setup for Splintered Harmony revolves around damaged alliances.
Nothing has been resolved.
Neither has the question of Gwyn.
Azriel trains Gwyn alongside Nesta and Emerie, and their interactions have prompted another enormous branch of ACOTAR relationship theories.
For now, though, the important thing to remember is simple:
Elain, Lucien and Azriel are emotionally unresolved going into the new story, while Gwyn may complicate things further.
Lucien May Be One of the Most Strategically Important Characters in the Series
Lucien has spent much of ACOTAR seemingly stranded between worlds.
That could suddenly become his greatest strength.
Think about his connections.
He grew up in the Autumn Court.
He spent years in the Spring Court.
He works with the Night Court.
He lives with Vassa and Jurian in the human territories.
He is Elain’s mate.
He has travelled to Koschei’s lake.
And then there is the enormous secret surrounding his parentage.
Lucien believes Beron, High Lord of the Autumn Court, is his father.
He is not.
His biological father is almost certainly Helion, High Lord of the Day Court.
Lucien does not currently know this.
That means one character potentially connects the Autumn Court, Day Court, Spring Court, Night Court and human lands.
If Splintered Harmony really is about rebuilding alliances, Lucien may be uniquely positioned to move between them.
If you need a reminder of the seven courts themselves, their rulers and their different personalities, our ACOTAR Courts Explained guide is an easy refresher.
The Autumn Court Is a Problem Waiting to Explode
Beron remains High Lord of the Autumn Court.
He is cruel, ambitious and hardly a reliable ally.
His son Eris is much more complicated.
For much of ACOTAR, Eris appears arrogant and ruthless, particularly because of the story surrounding Mor and the way he abandoned her after she was brutalised by her family.
But Silver Flames complicates that interpretation.
Eris is secretly working with the Night Court and wants to overthrow Beron.
He repeatedly suggests that the full truth of what happened with Mor has never been told.
His alliance with Rhys and Cassian is uneasy, but potentially essential.
The Autumn Court therefore enters the next stage of ACOTAR with a dangerous internal problem of its own: a High Lord who could destabilise Prythian and an heir apparently waiting for an opportunity to replace him.
The Spring Court Is Barely Functioning
Tamlin survives the war with Hybern, but the Spring Court has never truly recovered.
By the time we see him in the later books, Tamlin is isolated, angry and deeply damaged. His territory has weakened, many of his people have left and his relationship with the Night Court remains terrible.
Lucien’s former home is therefore another potential weak point in Prythian.
That matters because the new threat does not arrive while the seven courts are strong and united.
It arrives while several of them are fractured.
For all the beauty and fantasy of Prythian, its politics are messy. If you want to reacquaint yourself with its geography before returning, our guide to the ACOTAR courts breaks down the Night, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Day and Dawn Courts.
And if you would rather imagine yourself physically there, our ACOTAR-inspired real-world travel guide matches places including Velaris, the Spring Court and the Illyrian Mountains with destinations you can actually visit.
Feyre and Rhysand Are Now Parents
One of the biggest personal changes at the end of Silver Flames is the birth of Feyre and Rhysand’s son, Nyx.
The pregnancy nearly kills all three of them.
Nyx develops Illyrian wings because Feyre was in an Illyrian form when he was conceived. Feyre’s body, however, is not naturally built to safely deliver a winged child.
When the birth goes catastrophically wrong, Nesta ultimately saves Feyre, Rhys and Nyx.
It is also worth remembering that Feyre and Rhys have made one of the most romantic and objectively impractical bargains in Prythian:
If one dies, the other dies too.
With Nyx now depending on them, that bargain becomes even more consequential.
It also gives Rhys a compelling reason to avoid reckless danger, something that is not always particularly convenient when you are the High Lord of the Night Court and another ancient immortal villain is preparing to make his move.
Mor Has Been Working on Alliances Outside Prythian
Morrigan has spent significant time away from the Night Court attempting to negotiate with Vallahan on the continent.
Those diplomatic efforts have sometimes existed in the background of the main story, but they may become much more relevant now.
The official material for the new books makes one thing clear: alliances matter.
The Night Court cannot defeat every threat alone.
If the political landscape beyond Prythian becomes central to the Koschei conflict, Mor’s work may finally move from background diplomacy into the main story.
The Human Lands Are Vulnerable Again
The wall that once separated the human and Fae territories is gone.
The war with Hybern is over, but distrust has not magically disappeared with it.
The human queens themselves have also proved dangerous.
Vassa was betrayed by the other queens. Briallyn became a major antagonist in Silver Flames. Human and Fae relations remain precarious.
Now powerful forces aligned with Koschei apparently want to reclaim human territory.
That gives the coming conflict a different shape from the war with Hybern.
This may not begin as a straightforward invasion.
It could begin with already fragile political relationships collapsing.
Azriel Still Has Plenty of Secrets
Azriel remains one of the Inner Circle’s biggest mysteries.
We know he is Rhysand’s spymaster.
We know he is a shadowsinger.
We know Truth-Teller, his famous black dagger, is far more than an ordinary weapon.
We know about his longstanding feelings for Mor and his more recent attraction to Elain.
We know he has become involved in training the Valkyries.
But compared with Rhys and Cassian, enormous parts of Azriel’s inner life and powers remain unexplored.
Then Crescent City made Truth-Teller significantly more interesting.
Which brings us to the part of your reread that might surprise anyone who stopped after Silver Flames.
Yes, You Really Should Remember Crescent City
For years, connections between Sarah J. Maas’s three fantasy series could be dismissed as Easter eggs.
Not anymore.
At the end of House of Sky and Breath, Bryce Quinlan attempts to travel to Hel in search of allies.
Instead, she lands in Prythian.
Specifically, she lands in the Night Court.
She meets Azriel.
She meets Nesta.
She meets Rhysand and the Inner Circle.
The crossover is real.
If that sentence alone has made you realise you have some serious catching up to do, our Crescent City reading guide and character breakdown will get you started.
For the bigger picture, we also have a complete guide to how ACOTAR, Crescent City and Throne of Glass connect.
What Bryce Learns in Prythian Changes ACOTAR Too
House of Flame and Shadow does not simply use Prythian as a fun cameo.
It adds to Prythian’s history.
Bryce spends substantial time with Nesta and Azriel and discovers that the ancient history of the Fae extends far beyond what the modern courts understand.
The story strengthens the connection between Prythian’s ancient Fae, Bryce’s Starborn heritage and the lost history of Midgard.
It also places fresh importance on the land associated with the Prison and the long-forgotten Dusk Court.
This is exactly the kind of lore worth remembering as we move into books with titles such as Splintered Harmony and Forgotten Melody.
History in this universe has a habit of being incomplete.
And what has been forgotten tends to matter.
Truth-Teller and Gwydion Belong Together
Azriel’s dagger Truth-Teller has always been distinctive.
Crescent City takes that much further.
Bryce’s Starsword is connected to Truth-Teller. The weapons share ancient origins, and when brought together their relationship becomes impossible to dismiss.
The Starsword also has another name ACOTAR readers may recognise:
Gwydion.
Gwydion is the legendary sword from Prythian’s history that disappeared thousands of years ago.
By the end of the crossover storyline, Gwydion is back in Prythian.
And Nesta has it.
That feels very unlikely to be irrelevant to the next ACOTAR arc.
Nesta Also Made a Very Controversial Decision
During Bryce’s time in Prythian, Nesta allows her access to the Mask from the Dread Trove.
Rhys is not pleased.
At all.
From Nesta’s perspective, the decision helps Bryce fight an existential threat to her world.
From Rhys’s perspective, Nesta has handed one of the most dangerous magical objects in Prythian to a powerful stranger from another world.
Both perspectives make sense.
More importantly, the disagreement creates exactly the sort of internal fracture that could fit the official description of the Night Court reeling from recent betrayals and newly revealed truths.
We do not yet know whether that wording specifically refers to Nesta’s actions.
But it is absolutely worth remembering.
The Dusk Court May Not Be Finished
Prythian traditionally has seven courts.
Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Dawn. Day. Night.
But the wider Maasverse has increasingly pointed towards another ancient territory associated with Dusk.
The Prison island appears deeply connected to that forgotten history.
Nesta’s eight-pointed star also takes on greater significance during House of Flame and Shadow, and Bryce ultimately leaves Gwydion with her, encouraging her to discover why the weapon and that symbol seem connected to her.
This is one of the clearest pieces of setup left hanging after the Crescent City crossover.
Whether it becomes central in Splintered Harmony, Forgotten Melody or later in The Valkyrie Cycle remains to be seen.
But Nesta’s story is very obviously not over.
What About Throne of Glass?
This is where things become more speculative.
There have long been connections and parallels between Throne of Glass, ACOTAR and Crescent City, and world-walking is now firmly established within Maas’s universe.
That does not mean Aelin is about to winnow into Velaris for drinks with Feyre.
There is currently no confirmed Throne of Glass crossover in A Court of Splintered Harmony.
However, readers interested in the larger cosmology, ancient beings and possible connections between the different worlds may want to refresh themselves on Maas’s first fantasy series too.
Our complete Throne of Glass reading order and character guide is the easiest place to start.
So, Who Should We Be Watching Most Closely?
Almost everyone.
But there are a handful of characters whose unresolved stories feel particularly relevant.
Nesta has the Valkyries, the Dread Trove, Made weapons, remaining power, the eight-pointed star and now Gwydion.
Gwyn and Emerie are the other two founding members of the reborn Valkyries.
Elain has visions directly connected to Koschei, an unresolved mating bond and powers we have barely explored.
Lucien connects multiple courts, the human territories, Vassa, Elain and Koschei.
Azriel connects the Valkyries, Elain, Truth-Teller, the crossover revelations and the Night Court’s intelligence network.
Vassa remains cursed by Koschei.
Eris still wants Beron removed from power.
Tamlin presides over a weakened Spring Court.
Mor has been building diplomatic relationships outside Prythian.
And Rhysand and Feyre are now trying to protect not just a court, but their son.
There are a lot of pieces on the board.
The 15 Things to Remember Before A Court of Splintered Harmony
If you remember nothing else, remember these:
And perhaps most importantly, Prythian is not united.
That may be exactly what Koschei needs.
Do You Need to Reread Every ACOTAR Book Before Splintered Harmony?
No.
Although we would never discourage an ACOTAR reread, obviously.
If you have limited time, A Court of Silver Flames is the most obvious book to revisit because it establishes Nesta, Gwyn, Emerie, the Valkyries, the Dread Trove, Koschei’s involvement with Briallyn and many of the emotional relationships that remain unresolved.
We would also recommend reading the full Crescent City trilogy, particularly House of Sky and Breath and House of Flame and Shadow, because events in those books now directly affect Prythian.
If you have forgotten everything and want to begin again, our ACOTAR reading order guide covers the series from the beginning.
What We Know Versus What We Are Guessing
This distinction matters.
We know A Court of Splintered Harmony is The Valkyrie Cycle: Movement I.
We know Koschei is a central threat.
We know Prythian’s alliances are struggling and the Night Court is dealing with serious internal divisions.
We know the human lands are threatened.
We know the story continues almost immediately with A Court of Forgotten Melody in January 2027.
What we do not officially know is exactly whose POV will dominate Splintered Harmony, which romance will move to the centre of the story or precisely what the title’s “splintered harmony” refers to.
Nesta and the Valkyries look extremely important.
Elain has major unresolved storylines.
Lucien is positioned at the centre of several political conflicts.
Azriel has unfinished business everywhere.
But until the book arrives, theories remain theories.
For all the confirmed details without the enormous recap, head to our ACOTAR 6 and 7 release date, plot and Valkyrie Cycle guide.
The Bottom Line
The world we are returning to in A Court of Splintered Harmony is very different from the one Feyre first entered all those books ago.
The wall is gone.
The human lands are exposed.
The Spring Court is weakened.
The Autumn Court is unstable.
Ancient alliances are under pressure.
The Valkyries have returned.
A forgotten court may be waking up.
Objects created by the Cauldron are back in play.
Gwydion has returned to Prythian after thousands of years.
Elain can see things no one else can.
Nesta remains connected to powers she does not fully understand.
And somewhere beyond Prythian, Koschei the Deathless is still bound to his lake. For now.
A Court of Splintered Harmony will be released on 27 October 2026, followed by A Court of Forgotten Melody on 12 January 2027.
We have waited five years to return properly to ACOTAR. Something tells us Sarah J. Maas intends to make the wait worth it.
What to Read Next: Dive deeper with our ACOTAR 6 & 7 guide, discover everything we know about Koschei the Deathless, revisit the complete ACOTAR reading order, explore how ACOTAR, Crescent City and Throne of Glass interconnect or find your next obsession with our books to read after ACOTAR.
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