You remember the wings. You remember the mating bonds. You probably remember Nesta and Cassian's training sessions better than the political situation on the continent (or maybe that’s just me).
But with Sarah J. Maas's next A Court of Thorns and Roses book approaching, some details suddenly feel more pressing. Who is Koschei again? Where did we leave Elain and Lucien? And why are people talking about a sword from an entirely different series?
The last ACOTAR installment, A Court of Silver Flames, gave Nesta a love story, a new community, and a very expensive bargain with the Cauldron. Since then, Maas has expanded this world through her Crescent City books, leaving ACOTAR readers with developments they might have missed.
Here’s what to remember before opening A Court of Splintered Harmony.
Warning: Major spoilers for the published ACOTAR books follow. The Crescent City section also spoils House of Sky and Breath and House of Flame and Shadow.
When does the next ACOTAR book come out?
A Court of Splintered Harmony arrives Oct. 27, 2026. It’s the sixth published installment and carries the subtitle The Valkyrie Cycle, Movement I.
A Court of Forgotten Melody follows on Jan. 12, 2027. Both titles and dates are listed on Maas's official website. Your return to the Night Court could become an extended stay.
What is A Court of Splintered Harmony about?
The official synopsis puts Koschei the Deathless at the center of the threat. Bound to a mountain lake for millennia, he is attracting allies who want to reclaim the human lands.
Prythian is still recovering from the war with Hybern, while betrayals and revelations have divided the Night Court. Everyone will need to work through their issues to confront him.
There are also clues about perspective: A publisher teaser names Lucien in a passage following his thoughts, while another features a character communicating with shadows, strongly suggesting Azriel.
Which ACOTAR books come before it?
The published reading order is:
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
The shorter Frost and Starlight bridges Wings and Ruin and Silver Flames. Including it is why the upcoming release is called ACOTAR 6, even if you’ve seen readers count four novels and a novella.
For a targeted reread, start with Silver Flames. Its ending leaves several characters, magical objects, and alliances worth revisiting.
Where did we leave Nesta and Cassian?
By the end of Silver Flames, Nesta has accepted her mating bond with Cassian and defeated the human queen Briallyn. Then Feyre's childbirth crisis forces another decision.
Feyre cannot safely deliver her winged baby, Nyx. Her bargain with Rhysand means her death would also kill him. Nesta uses the Dread Trove and offers back the power she took from the Cauldron to save them, surrendering most of it.
She retains some magic and reveals that she also changed her own body so she could safely carry a winged child. After so much conflict with her family, Nesta ends the book as the person who saves Feyre, Rhysand, and their son.
Why do the Valkyries matter?
Nesta's recovery is closely tied to Gwyn, a priestess, and Emerie, an Illyrian shopkeeper. Through friendship and training, the three revive the traditions of the Valkyries, an ancient order of female warriors.
They're tested when they are kidnapped and forced into the Blood Rite, a dangerous Illyrian trial. Gwyn and Emerie reach the summit of Ramiel; Nesta stays behind to defend the pass so they can continue.
With the upcoming books branded The Valkyrie Cycle, their shared project deserves attention, even if the subtitle doesn’t establish which woman will lead the story.
Who is Koschei, and what does he want?
Koschei is an ancient sorcerer and the brother of the Bone Carver and the Weaver. Confined to a lake on the continent, he still manages to manipulate events beyond it.
He is responsible for the human queen Vassa's curse: She becomes a firebird during the day and returns to human form at night.
In Silver Flames, he works with Briallyn, whose schemes involve acquiring the Dread Trove. Nesta defeats her, but Koschei remains at large — and, according to the new synopsis, his influence is growing.
What's happening with Elain, Lucien, Azriel, and Gwyn?
Elain and Lucien have a mating bond, but she hasn't accepted it. Meanwhile, Elain and Azriel’s attraction becomes explicit in Azriel’s bonus chapter from the Books-A-Million edition of A Court of Silver Flames.
They nearly kiss before Rhysand interrupts. He orders Azriel to stay away, warning that pursuing Elain could provoke a confrontation with Lucien and serious political consequences.
Later, Azriel interacts with Gwyn. After Elain returns the necklace he gave her, he leaves it with Clotho to pass to Gwyn. His response to Gwyn — and his shadows’ behavior around her — has fueled competing romantic theories.
There’s plenty left unresolved, but none of this confirms an endgame pairing.
What is the Dread Trove again?
The three objects central to Silver Flames are the Mask, Harp, and Crown. The Mask can raise the dead, the Harp manipulates passage through space and time, and the Crown can control others.
Nesta’s connection to them comes from having been Made by the Cauldron herself. These objects are separate from the magical weapons she creates during training.
What happened in Crescent City that ACOTAR readers should know?
Skip this section if you want to experience the crossover unspoiled.
At the end of House of Sky and Breath, Bryce Quinlan crosses into the ACOTAR world. House of Flame and Shadow develops that crossover, including her exploration of underground passages with Nesta and Azriel.
Their discoveries connect the Prison’s island to the lost Dusk Court. They also reveal that the Asteri, the powers ruling Bryce's world, are the beings known in Prythian as the Daglan.
Bryce’s Starsword is known in Prythian as Gwydion and is connected to Azriel’s dagger, Truth-Teller. Nesta later lends Bryce the Mask. When Bryce returns it, she also leaves Gwydion with Nesta and encourages her to investigate the eight-pointed star that has repeatedly appeared in her life.
Do you need to read every Sarah J. Maas book first?
For a refresher, prioritize Nesta and the Valkyries, Koschei, the unresolved mating bonds, and the magical objects now in play.
To experience the Crescent City crossover yourself, read House of Earth and Blood, House of Sky and Breath, then House of Flame and Shadow. Maas's official reading guide lists each series in order.