The frenzy, the facts, and the fan theories swirling around the next installment of Sarah J. Maas’s bestselling fantasy series.
May 5, 2025, marks the tenth anniversary of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the ACOTAR fandom is louder than ever. Search “ACOTAR 6” on BookTok or Bookstagram and you’ll be met with a blizzard of fan theories, character predictions, and confused outrage over something called A Court of Shaded Truths (a completely fabricated title, by the way). The appetite for Book 6 is insatiable, and understandable. It’s been more than four years since the release of A Court of Silver Flames, and during that time the series has exploded in popularity. Readers are desperate for any scrap of new information, and creators are more than happy to speculate.
But unlike certain other fantasy authors (cough George R.R. Martin cough), Sarah J. Maas is still delivering books at a relatively healthy rate. Her most recent release, House of Flame and Shadow (the third Crescent City book), came out just over a year ago. Plus, with Hulu’s planned ACOTAR adaptation no longer in development, there’s zero chance of a show getting ahead of the books and wrecking the ending (Game of Thrones fans, we see you).
So, what do we know about the sixth ACOTAR book? Here’s everything that’s been confirmed, hinted at, or wildly theorized, organized in a spoiler-friendly way for readers who want to stay clean.
Is Sarah J. Maas actually writing ACOTAR 6?
Yes, absolutely. Over the past two years, Maas has teased Book 6 multiple times. In a January 2024 interview on The Today Show, she confirmed she’s working on the next ACOTAR installment, saying, “That’s going to be the next Court of Thorns and Roses book. I’m very, very excited about that one.”
She’s also made quiet nods on social media. In an April 3, 2024, Instagram post, she included a reference to returning to the world of Prythian, and in a TikTok from December 2024, she promised an update on Book 6 “soon.”
So while details are scarce, the book is very much in progress.
Will we get news on May 5?
Maybe, but don’t hold your breath. Despite the tenth anniversary being the perfect time to drop a major announcement, there haven’t been any real hints pointing to a release date reveal. Instead, the celebration so far has consisted of special anniversary reprints with all-black covers (which, let’s be honest, got a mixed reaction at best).
Still, if Maas were to unveil Book 6 this year, May 5 seems like the moment. Fans are watching closely.
Has the publisher said anything?
Not recently. Bloomsbury Publishing hasn’t officially announced an ACOTAR 6 release or date. Back in 2023, they confirmed that Maas is under contract for at least six more books, but they haven’t commented since. That hasn’t stopped fans from treating every Bloomsbury meeting as a potential event, TikTok exploded with theories ahead of their March 20, 2025 corporate call, which turned out to be about, well, not ACOTAR.
The moment Bloomsbury gives the green light, the internet will know.
So… is the book delayed?
Technically, no. But if you look at Maas’s past publication schedule, the gap feels longer than usual. Between 2015 and 2018, Maas published two books a year—usually one from Throne of Glass and one from ACOTAR. Then things slowed down.
Life changed. Maas became a parent, twice. Her books also got longer and more intertwined. Recent entries regularly clock in over 800 pages, and with the Crescent City and ACOTAR universes colliding, the stakes (and word count) are higher than ever.
Still, fans are used to having new content regularly. Four years is the longest gap between ACOTAR installments since the series began.
Has Maas explained the slowdown?
She has. In her Today interview, Maas said her writing pace has slowed because she’s balancing work and motherhood.
“Before I had kids, I was writing two books a year, but I also had no social life. 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 expect a book every year to year and a half going forward—not the breakneck pace of her early career.
Wait—isn’t this technically ACOTAR 5?
This depends on how you count. Technically, the novella A Court of Frost and Starlight is considered Book 3.5, so Book 6 is actually the fifth full-length novel. But most fans, and even Maas herself, refer to the upcoming title as ACOTAR 6. We’re rolling with that.
Do we know the title?
Nope. And guessing probably won’t help—Maas’s titles often lean more poetic than literal. (Is mist essential to A Court of Mist and Fury? Who’s to say?) Until we get a formal announcement, everything is just hopeful fan fiction.
What is ACOTAR 6 about? (No spoilers)
All signs point to Elain. The first three books were from Feyre’s perspective, Silver Flames centered on Nesta, and Maas has long said that each Archeron sister would get her own book. Elain’s storylines have been simmering for years—her visions, her romantic tension, her role in the courts. It feels like her turn.
In fact, when promoting Silver Flames in 2021, Maas said she thought it was “pretty obvious” who would be featured next. So unless she’s pulling a massive bait-and-switch, Elain is our girl.
What is ACOTAR 6 about? (With spoilers)
FINAL SPOILER WARNING: STOP HERE IF YOU’RE NOT CAUGHT UP ON ACOTAR AND CRESCENT CITY.
So, about Elain… is this the Elain-Azriel-Lucien love triangle book? Maybe. The Silver Flames bonus chapter stirred the pot in a major way, with fans split between ships (and ready to fight over it). Elain’s powers, her bond with Lucien, and her complicated relationship with Azriel all remain unresolved.
But theories are wild. Here are some of the most talked-about possibilities:
The Azriel POV Book: Some fans believe the book will be Azriel-centric rather than Elain-focused, diving into his past and his dynamic with Gwyn or a new love interest.
More Mor: Readers are desperate for more Morrigan content, including the full story of her trauma, her queerness, and her connection to the power of truth.
Tamlin Redemption Arc: Maybe Elain heads to the Spring Court, and somehow Tamlin gets a redemption story. Wild? Yes. Impossible? Not in the Maasverse.
Bryceriel chaos: With the Crescent City crossover in full swing, theories about Bryce + Azriel abound, though evidence is scarce.
Another Nesta book: Could we get Nesta’s A Court of Mist and Fury? Some fans argue she deserves a full trilogy, just like Feyre.
No matter what, Maas tends to zig where fans expect a zag, so the plot could go anywhere.
Will there be an ACOTAR 7?
Almost definitely. Maas hinted in her Today interview that Book 7 is already in early development. She said she has a clear idea of what happens in Book 6 and “vague thoughts” for the next one.
In short: this series isn’t ending anytime soon.
What else is SJM working on?
She’s confirmed a fourth Crescent City book is in the pipeline, though fans will “have to wait a bit.” And she teased an unnamed, mysterious new book in a different world—a story that’s “been brewing in the back of [her] mind for a long time.”
Could it be a new series? A standalone? A return to Throne of Glass? For now, that remains one of the few questions even TikTok hasn’t answered.
ACOTAR 6 IS COMING
There’s no confirmed release date, no cover, no title, and no synopsis. But we know it’s real. And in a fandom that’s gotten used to theory spirals, reposted interviews, and fan-edited trailers, that’s enough—for now.
Until then, keep your eyes on May 5. Light a candle for Elain. And maybe reread Silver Flames… just in case Tamlin really is about to make a comeback.
The frenzy, the facts, and the fan theories swirling around the next installment of Sarah J. Maas’s bestselling fantasy series.
May 5, 2025, marks the tenth anniversary of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the ACOTAR fandom is louder than ever. Search “ACOTAR 6” on BookTok or Bookstagram and you’ll be met with a blizzard of fan theories, character predictions, and confused outrage over something called A Court of Shaded Truths (a completely fabricated title, by the way). The appetite for Book 6 is insatiable, and understandable. It’s been more than four years since the release of A Court of Silver Flames, and during that time the series has exploded in popularity. Readers are desperate for any scrap of new information, and creators are more than happy to speculate.
But unlike certain other fantasy authors (cough George R.R. Martin cough), Sarah J. Maas is still delivering books at a relatively healthy rate. Her most recent release, House of Flame and Shadow (the third Crescent City book), came out just over a year ago. Plus, with Hulu’s planned ACOTAR adaptation no longer in development, there’s zero chance of a show getting ahead of the books and wrecking the ending (Game of Thrones fans, we see you).
So, what do we know about the sixth ACOTAR book? Here’s everything that’s been confirmed, hinted at, or wildly theorized, organized in a spoiler-friendly way for readers who want to stay clean.
Is Sarah J. Maas actually writing ACOTAR 6?
Yes, absolutely. Over the past two years, Maas has teased Book 6 multiple times. In a January 2024 interview on The Today Show, she confirmed she’s working on the next ACOTAR installment, saying, “That’s going to be the next Court of Thorns and Roses book. I’m very, very excited about that one.”
She’s also made quiet nods on social media. In an April 3, 2024, Instagram post, she included a reference to returning to the world of Prythian, and in a TikTok from December 2024, she promised an update on Book 6 “soon.”
So while details are scarce, the book is very much in progress.
Will we get news on May 5?
Maybe, but don’t hold your breath. Despite the tenth anniversary being the perfect time to drop a major announcement, there haven’t been any real hints pointing to a release date reveal. Instead, the celebration so far has consisted of special anniversary reprints with all-black covers (which, let’s be honest, got a mixed reaction at best).
Still, if Maas were to unveil Book 6 this year, May 5 seems like the moment. Fans are watching closely.
Has the publisher said anything?
Not recently. Bloomsbury Publishing hasn’t officially announced an ACOTAR 6 release or date. Back in 2023, they confirmed that Maas is under contract for at least six more books, but they haven’t commented since. That hasn’t stopped fans from treating every Bloomsbury meeting as a potential event, TikTok exploded with theories ahead of their March 20, 2025 corporate call, which turned out to be about, well, not ACOTAR.
The moment Bloomsbury gives the green light, the internet will know.
So… is the book delayed?
Technically, no. But if you look at Maas’s past publication schedule, the gap feels longer than usual. Between 2015 and 2018, Maas published two books a year—usually one from Throne of Glass and one from ACOTAR. Then things slowed down.
Life changed. Maas became a parent, twice. Her books also got longer and more intertwined. Recent entries regularly clock in over 800 pages, and with the Crescent City and ACOTAR universes colliding, the stakes (and word count) are higher than ever.
Still, fans are used to having new content regularly. Four years is the longest gap between ACOTAR installments since the series began.
Has Maas explained the slowdown?
She has. In her Today interview, Maas said her writing pace has slowed because she’s balancing work and motherhood.
So expect a book every year to year and a half going forward—not the breakneck pace of her early career.
Wait—isn’t this technically ACOTAR 5?
This depends on how you count. Technically, the novella A Court of Frost and Starlight is considered Book 3.5, so Book 6 is actually the fifth full-length novel. But most fans, and even Maas herself, refer to the upcoming title as ACOTAR 6. We’re rolling with that.
Do we know the title?
Nope. And guessing probably won’t help—Maas’s titles often lean more poetic than literal. (Is mist essential to A Court of Mist and Fury? Who’s to say?) Until we get a formal announcement, everything is just hopeful fan fiction.
What is ACOTAR 6 about? (No spoilers)
All signs point to Elain. The first three books were from Feyre’s perspective, Silver Flames centered on Nesta, and Maas has long said that each Archeron sister would get her own book. Elain’s storylines have been simmering for years—her visions, her romantic tension, her role in the courts. It feels like her turn.
In fact, when promoting Silver Flames in 2021, Maas said she thought it was “pretty obvious” who would be featured next. So unless she’s pulling a massive bait-and-switch, Elain is our girl.
What is ACOTAR 6 about? (With spoilers)
FINAL SPOILER WARNING: STOP HERE IF YOU’RE NOT CAUGHT UP ON ACOTAR AND CRESCENT CITY.
So, about Elain… is this the Elain-Azriel-Lucien love triangle book? Maybe. The Silver Flames bonus chapter stirred the pot in a major way, with fans split between ships (and ready to fight over it). Elain’s powers, her bond with Lucien, and her complicated relationship with Azriel all remain unresolved.
But theories are wild. Here are some of the most talked-about possibilities:
No matter what, Maas tends to zig where fans expect a zag, so the plot could go anywhere.
Will there be an ACOTAR 7?
Almost definitely. Maas hinted in her Today interview that Book 7 is already in early development. She said she has a clear idea of what happens in Book 6 and “vague thoughts” for the next one.
In short: this series isn’t ending anytime soon.
What else is SJM working on?
She’s confirmed a fourth Crescent City book is in the pipeline, though fans will “have to wait a bit.” And she teased an unnamed, mysterious new book in a different world—a story that’s “been brewing in the back of [her] mind for a long time.”
Could it be a new series? A standalone? A return to Throne of Glass? For now, that remains one of the few questions even TikTok hasn’t answered.
ACOTAR 6 IS COMING
There’s no confirmed release date, no cover, no title, and no synopsis. But we know it’s real. And in a fandom that’s gotten used to theory spirals, reposted interviews, and fan-edited trailers, that’s enough—for now.
Until then, keep your eyes on May 5. Light a candle for Elain. And maybe reread Silver Flames… just in case Tamlin really is about to make a comeback.
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