The sixth installment of Sarah J Maas’ romantic fantasy series A Court Of Thorns & Roses is set to be released in October of this year, 2026, with the seventh allegedly releasing in January 2027. Though the first book was first published in 2015, it’s my impression (and personal experience, however flawed) that the series didn’t gain significant traction in the global social media book reading community until a few years ago. But as this phenomenon has gripped everyone — from Instagram to GoodReads, large well-known publications, and basically the entire world — and has no doubt made author Sarah J Maas a household name, it wasn’t until I had the idea to read (and have coworkers reread) the first book ahead of the newest releases that I dove head first into the world of Prythian.
I’ve drank the ACOTAR Kool-Aid and, much like the devoted (yet ultimately doomed) following of Jim Jones, I’m chugging my poison and eagerly asking for another glass.
Staying Up Past 12:30 a.m. Never Hurt Nobody
If my spending nearly an entire day, staying up past 12:30 a.m. in the morning, finishing the second half of this book — as well as the 5,000+-word Notes entry on my iPhone of hot takes, opinions, theories, and overall just raw emotion — is any indication, I had a very, very good time with A Court Of Thorns & Roses. It’s the type of excitement and adrenaline you feel when you really, really have to talk to someone about the book, and you’re buzzing and immediately purchasing the second book on Audible at 11:30 p.m. before you’ve even gotten to the last chapter.
I have nothing against fantasy as a genre, it’s just not my typical reading tastes; I primarily go for thrillers with some contemporary romance, and haven’t really read a fantasy series since George R.R. Martin’s A Game Of Thrones. But if there was ever a book to really get me back into high, fae-centered fantasy, I think Sarah J Maas is — clearly — the one to do it. What I need you to know is that I had so many reactions to this book and thoughts and opinions, that it’s very difficult to put it all into cohesive words. But having slept on it, I think I can disseminate what I like about the first book into a few key elements.
It’s All In The Character Development & Story Structure
While the initial named cast in ACOTAR is quite vast, let’s just focus on our trio of main characters. Feyre, Tamlin, and Rhysand. I deeply appreciate how strong of character development we get in the first book, with Feyre and Rhysand in particular. I feel after reading that I have a really good handle on who each of these people are, their motivations, what drives them, why they take the actions that they do. I think prioritizing that right away and showing the audience what matters to them is not only important, but really helps me as a reader be attached to them throughout the rest of the series. I like the main cast, I respect them, and ultimately they’re what caused me to purchase the sequel before I never finished the original.
It’s worth noting, to SJM fans and new readers, that A Court Of Thorns & Roses, Book 1 is what I consider a standalone book. It is very possible for someone to read the first book by itself, reach a natural conclusion, and be perfectly fine with not continuing the series. But be that as it may, I don’t want to do that. I’m invested in these characters, I want to see them interact, I want to see them talk and grow and navigate different challenges in a post-ACOTAR world. I can’t just read the ending of this book and walk away from it, I don’t want to. And that I think is what matters the most.
I adore some of the conversations/interactions between these characters, especially the true, vulnerable heart-to-heart between Rhysand and Feyre in Chapter 42. It’s very easy, I feel, to have a shadow daddy like Rhysand maintain that aura of swagger and sarcasm and charisma, but in this chapter, we see him drop that mask, drop the politics, and be (what seems to be) 100% real with Feyre. It’s refreshing to see someone like him and someone of that archetype show how much he cares, how tired he is, and be more of a real person instead of just a shadow daddy. (I’ve only read the first book though, so that could change, but these are the vibes I got). Or even Feyre’s conversations with Tamlin during the first half of the book, or Rhysand talking her through the aftermath of the second trial. This is the meat of the story and what I love about it so much.
Outside of how our characters are built and the challenges they overcome, I have a huge amount of appreciation for how the overall story is constructed and how SJM writes different plot elements. While I didn’t immediately catch the Beauty & The Beast-esque elements of the book (though looking back, that makes a lot of sense), I did really enjoy all the references to Greek mythology (and I’m curious if other readers noticed them as well). The most obvious is the Hades & Persephone deal-with-the-devil dynamic of Rhysand’s bargain with Feyre — which can be considered a little on-the-nose as he is from the Night Court and she is from the Spring Court. But I also personally noticed references to:
- The Trials Of Hercules — Feyre completing three impossible trials (and other lesser tasks) with “divine” intervention from Rhysand in order to save Prythian.
- The Lotus Flower in The Odyssey — Alice giving Feyre the advice to not drink faerie wine and generally to be careful while Under The Mountain.
- Theseus Killing the Minotaur in the Labyrinth — Feyre using her hunting skills and instincts to outwit and kill the large sharp-toothed worm during the first trial.
I’d love to know if Maas meant to put all of those references in, or if they are meant to reference other aspects of fae lore or mythology, but after I caught one I couldn’t stop seeing the others. I also got a few Rumpelstiltskin vibes with some of the lesser tasks given to Feyre (like sorting lentils from ashes in a fireplace), of which Rhysand and other characters help her with. But outside of those aspects, I deeply appreciate how the story elements are interwoven with each other, the pacing, how different magical elements and challenges and character relationships are pieced together to form a very adventurous and addicting second-half. The world building and the choices I feel Maas made took something great — the main characters — and really gave them a strong platform in which to grow and for us as an audience to get to know them.
Team Tamlin vs. Team Shadow Daddy
I’ll confess: I think I audibly and non-verbally went “Awww,” and made frantic notes on my iPhone far more times in the second half of the book than the first half. That is important because the first half of the book (which takes place over the course of one year), is primarily dedicated to nurturing the relationship between Feyre and Tamlin; this is in contrast to the second-half of the book, which takes place over three months, in which we have the majority of interactions between Feyre and Rhysand.
When I was starting ACOTAR, I paid close attention to how Tamlin acted toward our heroine. What I noticed right away was how distinctly not-toxic he is, which I think is very important to remember in terms of the overall story. While I feel like Tamlin is a little overprotective at times, it is not excessive and not unjustified; he ensures her family is taken care of and well, makes her eat, truly seems to care for her, shows interest in her interests and hobbies, protects her, talks to her, and is vulnerable with her. Tamlin gives her a safe place to be out of survival mode, appreciate the world, have fun, and pursue her painting. This, by all accounts, seems like real love. Not to mention it is Feyre’s love and commitment to him that drives her to return and defeat Amarantha and save the entire fae world.
Now, you could make the argument that Tamlin’s love is all a ruse because it’s his ticket to breaking the curse, but that is wholeheartedly untrue in my opinion. Why? If Tamlin was not in love, and was playing Feyre like a fiddle for the purposes of saving himself and his people, then he would not have sent her away. It would have been so easy for Tamlin to keep her there until she confessed her love and broke the curse, but he couldn’t let anything bad happen to her and sent her away to (relative) safety. The fact that he put her above himself and this entire court is worth noting — not to mention he really does love and care for her, by all accounts.
So that then begs the question — how does Feyre’s relationship with Tamlin change in the sequel? That is what I am very interested in.
The Feyre and Rhysand dynamic is a very interesting contrast and I have to admit I was very, very invested in that when reading the second half. While I cannot definitively say if Rhysand loves her in this book (readers who have read the other books, I see you), he does at least demonstrate a great amount of care and protection. It is in his best interest to defeat Amarantha, so it makes sense why this apparent-antagonist would help her, but I can’t be wrong for looking at all his actions — betting on her winning the first trial so he has a reason to “repay” her and heal her arm; making the bargain so she has the eye tattoo and telepathic connection with him; guiding her through the second trial and keeping her tethered to sanity and strength through the aftermath; helping her with lesser tasks and manipulating the guards to not hurt her; making sure nobody in the court touches her and when he does it’s respectfully; covering for her and Tamlin when they almost get caught; stopping her crying with humor; visiting her cell and having that heart-to-heart — and thinking it’s just for show to achieve his own goals. Not even that, as he also demonstrates concern for Tamlin and for all of Prythian. Feyre even says at the end of Chapter 40 that Rhysand is the one keeping her from shattering, losing all hope, and basically giving up.
Again, I cannot say for certain right now if Rhysand loves Feyre. But this is what I do know — though Tamlin and Feyre’s love is legit, at least for right now, what Rhysand did for her throughout the second half of the book really endears him to me and makes me want to see them end up together. He gave her the tools, strength, and support she needed (outside of her own skills and wit) to make it through something truly traumatizing for a human woman and that is worth noting (sidenote: I can’t wait to unpack that trauma in the second book).
To quote my notes, “Jesus Christ I’m Team Shadow Daddy.”
Let’s Leave It At That & Move On
If I were to copy + paste my obsessively incoherent notes from last night and rant to you about them, we’d be here forever; like I said the Notes entry is over 5,000 words with lots of bold and capital letters. So instead of going through each point right now, let’s take a deep breath, save those notes for potential cross-referencing in future books, and move on from this debrief.
Everyone who has read all published five books is no doubt reading this and giggling, but it’s nice to be able to share my own raw thoughts as someone going through this fictional journey for the first time. Needless to say I am very eager to work through A Court of Mist & Fury and I no doubt will also be frantically typing notes in my phone about these goddamn characters.
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