Sarah J. Maas is expanding the world of A Court of Thorns and Roses, revealing on the Call Her Daddy podcast that two new ACOTAR installments are coming, and they’ll arrive only months apart. The back-to-back releases signal an unusually tight cadence for epic fantasy and set up what she describes as one sweeping narrative designed to be experienced in rapid succession.
Two ACOTAR Installments Land Months Apart
Maas told host Alex Cooper that the next two books form a single, oversized arc rather than discrete, neatly wrapped volumes. In her words, this story “wanted to be” one massive experience, with threads carrying directly from the first book into the second. That creative choice helps explain the condensed schedule: readers won’t be left waiting long between turning the final page of one and opening the next.
For fans of sprawling fantasy, this is a notable shift. Traditionally, large-canvas series space releases a year or more apart. Near-simultaneous rollouts are rare outside special cases—think Brandon Sanderson’s surprise “Secret Projects”—and they can meaningfully change how a fandom reads, theorizes, and organizes around new canon.
Inside Sarah J. Maas’s Evolving Romantasy Empire
ACOTAR sits at the center of the romantasy boom that has reshaped adult fiction shelves. Bloomsbury, Maas’s longtime publisher, has reported global sales for her books in the tens of millions, with ACOTAR driving sustained backlist momentum and perennial chart placements. She routinely appears on The New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, and her titles have anchored retailer trend tables devoted to romantasy.
Social discovery has been a catalytic force. On TikTok, ACOTAR-related hashtags have amassed billions of views as readers trade theories about Night Court politics, power dynamics, and pairings. Circana BookScan has credited platforms like TikTok with lifting adult fantasy and romance, and ACOTAR is frequently cited in trade coverage as a cornerstone of that effect. Expect the rapid-fire release plan to amplify this flywheel: two closely timed drops can sustain conversation, speed rereads, and keep speculation hot without the typical cooldown.
What The Author Says About Structure and Pacing
Maas emphasized that the upcoming books aren’t a trilogy starter or a side quest—they’re pieces of a much larger design. Readers saw a similar structural pivot with A Court of Silver Flames, which shifted perspective to Nesta and Cassian while deepening series-wide stakes. The new approach suggests another broadened lens, where character arcs sprawl across volumes and payoff accumulates quickly.
For craft watchers, that’s intriguing. Publishing two entries close together can preserve tonal continuity, keep subplots taut, and let an author land emotional beats without reintroducing the world months later. It’s a technique more common in television seasons than books, and it fits a fandom that organizes around serialized reveals.
A Podcast Reveal Built For Today’s Fans Online
Announcing on a major podcast underscores how culture news increasingly bypasses traditional press cycles. Podcasts offer direct access to superfans and shareable soundbites that ricochet across TikTok, Reddit, and X within hours. Publishing has been leaning into that format: creators debut projects on mic, then let communities carry the message across platforms where preorder decisions are often made.
How The Fandom Is Reacting to the Rapid Releases
Within minutes of the reveal, fan hubs lit up with POV predictions and timeline math. The ACOTAR subreddit, BookTok creators, and long-running theory accounts are already mapping who might anchor the new installments and how the broader politics of Prythian could shift. Close-set release windows heighten that energy: cliffhangers can be endured—not endured indefinitely—and rereads can be strategically timed without losing momentum.
What To Watch Next as Release Plans Take Shape
Retailers and libraries are likely to brace for a one-two punch: preorder campaigns, special editions, and rapid replenishment between drops. Bloomsbury has a track record of leveraging fan-forward packaging—sprayed edges, bonus chapters, character art—that can turn launches into collector events. On the media side, a television adaptation has been in development, and fresh canon invariably renews interest in screen prospects.
Most of all, the compressed timeline signals confidence: confidence that readers want to live in Prythian for an extended stretch, and that the series can carry the kind of narrative weight usually reserved for multi-season TV. Two books, one sweeping arc—the next visit to Velaris is coming fast, and it won’t be a short stay.