‘Heated Rivalry' Author Rachel Reid Announces New Book Sequel
There will be no mist and fury over this new ACOTAR update.
Sarah J. Maas has finally revealed the release date for the sixth installment in her A Court of Thorns and Roses romantasy series, the follow-up to 2021's A Court of Silver Flames—as well as the seventh book on the way.
During her March 4 appearance on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast, the author shared that the next novel in the franchise will hit shelves on Oct. 27, while ACOTAR 7 will come out Jan. 12.
While she has yet to share the official titles, Sarah noted their stories will be closely connected and therefore released "within a very short span."
"It's just the story that was finally ready to come out of me was big—really, really, really big," she explained. "And as I started writing this in, like, Montana, like energy vortex, it came out of me in a way that surprised me. I like to do like parts—like part one, part two, part three—by the time I got to the end of part one, it was like 400 pages long."
Sarah said it will be one big story told in four parts, with part one being ACOTAR 6, parts two and three being ACOTAR 7 and then a fourth part coming later.
"Those were really f--king long," she noted, "then part four has yet to be written because right now I'm trying to just get part one [out]."
Sarah first confirmed that she would continue the ACOTAR series with a sixth and seventh book back in December 2024, when she explained that she already had the plotlines for the future stories mapped out in "taxing positions."
Additionally, she shared that the upcoming fourth book in her Crescent City series—which includes the previously released novels House of Earth and Blood, House of Sky and Breath and House of Flame and Shadow—would be a crossover that takes place in the ACOTAR universe.
“I’m very, very excited about that one,” Sarah teased during an appearance on Today at the time. “I know much more about what’s happening in this one. And then the next book in that series, I have the ideas and general, vague thoughts.”
She continued, “But the nitty gritty of writing and the emotional journeys with the characters—I usually love to go on those journeys with them.”
Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tory Burch
As for whose story will be at the center of the sixth ACOTAR book? Many fans have speculated that since sisters Feyre Archeron and Nesta Archeron have already anchored installments, their third sibling Elain Archeron is a likely contender for the POV of the highly anticipated novel.
However, Sarah has remained mostly tight-lipped about the theory—apart from hinting that she started diving deeper into Elain's character while writing the fifth book and doing some weed management around her own home.
"I remember the entire time I was ripping out the ivy, and trying to get some semblance of order into the garden beds, I just slipped into Elain’s head,” she told Today. “Elain is a gardener, and everything I did during those weeks became research for her book.”
While you wait for the next ACOTAR book to hit stores, read on for more novels worth getting this year...
Grand Central Publishing
Book of Luke by Lovell Holder
Release: Dec. 2
Traitors is back and Survivor season 50 is coming, so what better time to dive into a novel set in the high stakes world of competitive reality TV? The novel follows reality TV alum-turned-stay-at-home dad Luke, an OG contestant on the show Endeavor who returns for its milestone 20th season. The book flips between the two timelines as Luke is forced to confront the tragedy that marred his first appearance on the show and the heartbreak that thrust him back into the ever-spinning web of reality TV.
Cardinal Books
The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage
Release: Dec. 2
Lexi has turned down from her duties as a member of the British royal family and carved out a life for herself in Australia. That is, until she learns her father and brother have died, leaving her next in line to the throne. Thrust back into a role she tried to abandon, Lexi must contend with her royal responsibilities—plus the ever-complicated family dynamics—and decided once and for all if this is the path she wishes to follow.
Scribner/Simon & Schuster
The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
Release: Jan. 6
A shocking event dismantles the precarious safety Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter Bailey have been living under since the events of The Last Thing He Told Me, setting them of on an Odyssey that may restore peace to their lives—and allow Hannah’s husband Owen to finally return home.
Montlake Books
Woman Down by Colleen Hoover
Release: Jan. 13
Hoover is back with her first new novel in years, this time an expansion of her 2020 short story “Saint.” The book follows novelist Petra, who retreats from the public eye following backlash to her book’s film adaptation. Determined to set her career and life back on track, she finds her muse in a detective, leading to blurred lines and a mess that might just make her cancelation look like child’s play.
Atria Books
The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead
Release: Jan. 20
Looking for a book to scratch that Daisy Jones itch? Look no further than the Future Saints, a band reeling from the death of their manager with one last chance to make it big. Enter Theo, the record exec tasked with making this happen, setting them all on a collision course to produce a masterpiece or die trying.
Ballantine Books
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
Release: Jan. 20
Almost four years after the release of her explosive memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, the iCarly alum is heating up the literary space once more, this time with her debut novel Half His Age, following a 17-year-old who embarks on an affair with her teacher.
Random House
Vigil by George Saunders
Release: Jan. 27
Prepare for a riveting journey to the other side. The Lincoln in the Bardo novelist’s latest follows a seemingly unrepentant oil tycoon as his death companion ushers his soul into its final resting place. But to get there they both must contend with the cost of the life he led, its toll on the people around him and the world at large.
Dutton Books
The Exes by Leodora Darlington
Release: Feb. 3
Natalie has a complicated dating history—as in, all her exes have ended up dead. Now, her marriage to James is on the brink of collapse and the secrets she’s long buried seem to finally be catching up with her. Not to mention the monster within desperate to come out. The Exes is such a fun, engaging read that once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put down.
Simon & Schuster
Family Drama by Rebecca Fallon
Release: Feb. 3
Decades after the death of soap star Susan Bliss, her now-adult children are still trying to reconciling her larger-than-life TV persona with the mother who died when they were just 7. The dual timeline follows Susan’s rise to fame in the ‘80s and how each of her children have contended with her absence and the legacy she left behind.
Atria Books
Adrift by Will Dean
Release: Feb. 17
Writing is not for the faint of heart, and Peggy and Drew, who live on a canal boat with their son, know that all too well. However, unable to cope with Peggy’s rising success, an unmoored Drew leads his family into isolation, deepening the divide until the cracks lead to a massive break.
37 Ink
Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson
Release: Feb. 17
The House of Eve novelist continues her reign of historical fiction must-reads, with this gripping post-WWII story following three seemingly unconnected people: Ozzie, a Black army soldier who falls in love with a German woman; Sophia, a girl growing up in the ‘60s who uncovers a secret about her past; and Ethel, who in the wake of the war is determined to provide a life for a group of mixed-race children abandoned in Germany.
Knopf
Kin by Tayari Jones
Release: Feb. 24
This moving portrait of friendship follows Vernice and Annie, two girls growing up in Jim Crow south. While they are brought together by shared circumstances—each growing up without their moms—their paths diverge as they come of age. But through the hurdles and heartbreak life throws their way, their bond never breaks.
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