The day has finally arrived!
Sarah J. Maas has officially revealed the titles and covers for the next two books in the ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ series, and I genuinely don’t know where to begin because there is SO MUCH happening here.
Book six is officially titled ‘A Court of Splintered Harmony and is due 27 October 2026’ Then, because apparently Sarah has decided we’ve suffered enough, book seven, ‘A Court of Forgotten Melody’, arrives less than three months later on January 12, 2027.
Yes. TWO NEW ACOTAR BOOKS WITHIN THREE MONTHS. After five years.
I’m fine. Be cool. Calm down. Deep breath!!!
The sixth book will be titled A Court of Splintered Harmony and is due 27 October 2026
Followed just a few months later by A Court of Forgotten Melody on 12 January 2027.
Welcome to ‘The Valkyrie Cycle’
Possibly the biggest clue in the entire reveal isn’t even the titles. Both covers are labelled ‘The Valkyrie Cycle’, with ‘A Court of Splintered Harmony’ described as Movement I and ‘A Court of Forgotten Melody’ containing Movements II and III. We already knew Sarah had written this new ACOTAR story as four interconnected parts, with book eight eventually containing the fourth and final part, but calling the whole thing ‘The Valkyrie Cycle’ suddenly changes EVERYTHING.
Because Valkyries immediately means Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie. And suddenly those music-themed titles feel very deliberate. Nesta is a dancer. Gwyn is a singer. The Valkyries were only really beginning their story at the end of ‘A Court of Silver Flames’. So are we getting another Nesta-centric story? A Gwyn POV? Multiple POVs? And what does this mean for Elain, Azriel and Lucien?
Sarah, respectfully, I now need the synopsis immediately.
‘A Court of Splintered Harmony’ sounds... ominous
The tagline for book six is equally suspicious:
“What was broken will be remade.”
Excuse me??? One of the biggest theories already spreading through the fandom is that the “splintered harmony” could refer to the Inner Circle itself.
And honestly, I can see it. After the events of ‘House of Flame and Shadow’, Nesta’s relationship with Rhys and the Inner Circle isn’t exactly uncomplicated. Reddit is already theorising that this could finally push Nesta away from the Night Court and towards something much bigger: rebuilding the Dusk Court. Which brings us to...
The Dusk Court Theory
This is the theory I cannot stop thinking about. Fans have immediately connected ‘A Court of Forgotten Melody’ with the lost Dusk Court, and the wording feels almost too perfect. The tagline for book seven is:
“What was lost will be reclaimed.”
LOST.
RECLAIMED.
A forgotten melody.
We already know the Dusk Court storyline became hugely important through the ‘Crescent City’ crossover, and one popular theory is that ‘A Court of Splintered Harmony’ could see Nesta and the Valkyries separating from the Night Court before eventually discovering, restoring or reclaiming the lost Dusk Court in ‘A Court of Forgotten Melody’. There’s even speculation that the Valkyries themselves could have an ancient connection to Dusk.
If book six ends with Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie standing in front of a newly discovered Dusk Court, I will simply not survive until January.
And then there’s the spider...
Because naturally Sarah couldn't just give us a pretty cover and allow us to live peacefully. The cover of ‘A Court of Forgotten Melody’ features a giant spider-like creature, which immediately sent readers spiralling into Maasverse territory.
Some fans are connecting it to the Stygian spiders from ‘Throne of Glass’. Others have pointed towards the Weaver and her song. And then there’s the eight-pointed-star imagery and all the existing connections between ACOTAR and ‘Crescent City’.
Basically, the Maasverse conspiracy board is back out and the red string is everywhere.
Could ‘The Valkyrie Cycle’ take us even deeper into the crossover between Sarah’s worlds?
At this point, I refuse to rule out anything.
But what about Elain, Azriel and Lucien?!
This is my biggest question. For YEARS, one of the dominant theories has been that the next ACOTAR book would finally be Elain’s. Sarah has previously said she planned to write a book from Elain’s perspective, and her unresolved mating bond with Lucien is still sitting there waiting to explode.
Then there’s Azriel. And Gwyn. And that bonus chapter. And now we have books called ‘Splintered Harmony’ and ‘Forgotten Melody’ inside something called ‘The Valkyrie Cycle’.
The Gwynriel theorists are understandably having a FIELD DAY with the music imagery, particularly because Gwyn is literally a singer. Meanwhile, other readers think “splintered harmony” could refer to Azriel’s relationship with Rhys fracturing, potentially placing Az alongside Nesta and the Valkyries in whatever comes next.
And Elain fans aren't backing down either. There are theories that Elain could leave the Night Court, bringing her into closer proximity with Lucien and potentially the Day Court once the truth about Lucien’s parentage finally comes crashing into the story.
What we actually know
Underneath approximately 700 layers of fan theories, there are a few things we can officially say.
A Court of Splintered Harmony and is due 27 October 2026‘ followed by A Court of Forgotten Melody on 12 January 2027. Together, they're part of ‘The Valkyrie Cycle’, with book six containing Movement I and book seven containing Movements II and III. A third volume, ACOTAR 8, will eventually contain the fourth and final movement, although it doesn't have a release date yet.
Everything else? We theorise. We analyse cover art like forensic investigators. We reread ‘A Court of Silver Flames’ and ‘House of Flame and Shadow’ looking for sentences we previously ignored.
And on October 27, we disappear back into Prythian. After five years of waiting, ACOTAR is officially back. And judging by these titles, I have a feeling Sarah J. Maas is about to destroy absolutely everything we thought we knew.
Let our superbowl begin.