Sarah J Maas’s A Court of Splintered Harmony has barely hit shelves, yet some ACOTAR (shorthand for the first book of the series, A Court of Thorns and Roses) superfans have already devoured the long-awaited sixth instalment, following a five-year wait.
And, as readers race through their return to Velaris, a few talking points have emerged. Without giving anything away, the book contains Crescent City spoilers, so those yet to read that series may want to consult my guide to the correct reading order of all 16 Maasverse books first. Meanwhile, others are disgruntled that the new book stands taller than its five predecessors on their bookshelves.
Personally, I'm nearly a fifth of the way through and already lapping up the extra insight from Azriel's perspective (including a scene with Elain that I’ve been chomping at the bit for). I'm also thrilled that three previously exclusive bonus chapters are now available to everyone.
But with five books' worth of lore to remember, a refresher certainly wouldn't go amiss. Here's everything worth revisiting before getting stuck in.
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'A Court of Splintered Harmony: The Valkyrie Cycle, Movement I' by Sarah J Maas, published by Bloomsbury
Launched yesterday, 27 October, A Court of Splintered Harmony marks the start of The Valkyrie Cycle, which Maas has revealed is a subsection of the wider ACOTAR story. The second instalment is due to launch in January.
Buy now £12.5, Amazon.co.uk
ACOTAR series plot summary
The tyrannical king of Hybern has been defeated, and the great war is over, but a fragile peace hangs in the balance as an ancient death-god Koschei stirs on the Continent (the landmass east of Prythian), threatening to conquer human territories and enslave the Fae courts.
The characters
- Feyre and Rhysand: The main focus of ACOTAR books one to three, Feyre (Archeron) and Rhys are now raising their baby Nyx in Velaris after Nesta saved both mother and babe during a perilous childbirth. Together they are ruling the Night Court and, since ACOWAR, are subject to a magical, unbreakable bargain of their own making: if one of them dies, they both die.
- Nesta and Cassian: Central to book five, ACOSF, Nesta and Cassian have now accepted their mating bond and permanently reside in the House of Wind. Since completing the blood rite, Nesta has become de facto leader for the revived Valkyries (together with Emerie and Gwyn) and runs a training programme for any priestesses of the Night Court who wish to join. After retrieving three out of four ‘dread trove’ items – ancient, all-powerful magical artefacts – Nesta has hidden these reality-bending objects away in the Night Court. She hunted down the artefacts to stop Koschei in his tracks (more on this below), even briefly lending the mask (one of the artefacts) to Crescent City’s Bryce Quinlan during a multiverse crossover. Because Nesta possesses unique, Cauldron-gifted abilities (from ACOMAF), she remains the only person who can summon and wield these items without being destroyed by their dark power.
- Elain and Lucien: Feyre’s second sister Elain is bound to Lucien (from the autumn court) by a magical mating bond that she has quietly rejected. Elain lives in Velaris, learning to master her cauldron-given prophecy-telling abilities.
- Azriel: Alongside Cassian, Azriel – as Rhys’ brother in every sense other than blood – continues his work as the Night Court’s spymaster who controls shadows to gather global intelligence. We left him in ACOSF caught between a centuries-long unrequited love for Mor and a forbidden attraction to Elain.
- Mor: We left Mor –Rhys’ cousin and a general who can instinctively sense lies – as she was staying away on remote diplomatic missions to navigate her secret personal life and avoid Azriel's centuries-long unrequited love. But the tide is perhaps about to turn because Autumn Court heirs Eris and Lucien secretly know a hidden truth about her past, hinting that Eris actually protected her secrets the night her family left her for dead.
- Tamlin: Feyre’s former lover and high lord of the Spring Court, now a broken and tragic figure. Left isolated in his ruined estate after past betrayals cost him his court, he spends his days stuck in a wild beast form, deeply depressed.
- Amren: Amren, who’s an ancient, cross-dimensional entity trapped in the physical form of a sharp-witted woman, gave up her god-like powers to save the world in ACOWAR, but remains part of Rhys’ inner circle as second-in-command.
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The ongoing threats
- Koschei the deathless: An ancient, immortal death-god of pure darkness who re-emerged during the Hybern war after thousands of years of containment. He is currently magically bound to a remote lake on the Continent, but manipulates others from afar by sending dark shadow-whispers and offering desperate bargains to bitter mortal queens and corrupt fae lords. By promising them youth and power in exchange for their loyalty, he is secretly using them to hunt down the dread trove artefacts so he can escape his lake prison and execute his global conquest.
- Queen Vassa: A mortal queen cursed by Koschei during the events of ACOMAF after her rival human queens betrayed and sold her to him for defying their alliance. She was bound to his remote lake for months as a complete prisoner – forced to live as a firebird by day and a human by night – until Feyre, Nesta and Elain’s late father made a secret, desperate deal with the death-god to temporarily free her for the war. Now that their father is dead, Koschei is demanding Vassa's return to his lake, leaving a massive, dangerous debt hanging directly over the Archeron sisters.
- The autumn court and the mortal queens: The remaining human queens, bitter over losing their promised shot at Cauldron-given immortality in ACOMAF, are actively conspiring with Beron, the cruel high lord of the Autumn Court, and Koschei. Together, this alliance is gathering armies on the Continent, planning to launch an invasion to reclaim human lands, overthrow the other high lords and expand Beron's territory, in turn shattering Prythian’s peace.
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Where to buy the first five A Court of Thorns and Roses books
'A Court of Thorns and Roses' box set, books 1-5, paperback by Sarah J Maas, published by Bloomsbury
If you’re starting from square one, an ACOTAR box set – albeit more expensive than buying the books invidiually – is the ultimate bookshelf upgrade.
Buy in hardback at Waterstones
Buy now £44.99, Very.co.uk
'A Court of Thorns and Roses' by Sarah J Maas, published by Bloomsbury
Book one of the epic series follows protagonist Feyre Archeron as she embarks on a life-altering journey from the human to fae realms.
Buy now £4.98, Amazon.co.uk
'A Court of Mist and Fury' by Sarah J Maas, published by Bloomsbury
Book two of Maas’ ACOTAR series sees Feyre return to the spring court after her time under the mountain, only to discover that her heart remains in the clutches of a different high lord.
Buy now £5.5, Amazon.co.uk
'A Court of Wings and Ruin' by Sarah J Maas, published by Bloomsbury
The battle against Hybern rages as part one of Maas’ Prythian arc draws to a close.
Buy now £6, Amazon.co.uk
'A Court of Frost and Starlight' by Sarah J Maas, published by Bloomsbury
A novella of sorts, ACOFAS takes places at Christmastime – or the winter solstice, as the characters call it – and is a welcome departure from the page-turning war of book three.
Buy now £5.5, Amazon.co.uk
'A Court of Silver Flames' by Sarah J Maas, published by Bloomsbury
The latest-but-one instalment from Maas (now that Splintered Harmony is here), ACOSF takes things in a different direction with Nesta as our narrator as she navigates life as a fae amid ongoing conflict with Feyre and the night court.
Buy now £6, Amazon.co.uk
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