Cue Mariah Carey singing “It’s Tiiiiiimeee!” As of October 27, 2026, there is a new A Court of Thorns and Roses book in the world: A Court of Splintered Harmony. It’s been five years since the last book in this series came out, and fans have been on the edge of their seats waiting for the series to continue. But after years of theorizing, rereading, and anxious waiting, can A Court of Splintered Harmony live up to the hype?
In the days immediately following the release, fans have been divided. The main character, Feyre, is now a mother, and author Sarah J. Maas has chosen to depict that extremely realistically on the page. The Azriel-Elain-Lucien love triangle is still inspiring passionate debates. Nesta continues to be polarizing. In short, A Court of Splintered Harmony has reignited, and yes, splintered, the fanbase. I shut myself in my room for 48 hours to read the new book as quickly as possible, and I, along with the rest of the fandom, have thoughts. Ahead, my spoiler-free review of A Court of Splintered Harmony.
What is A Court of Splintered Harmony about?
Romance, danger, and intrigue await you in the breathtaking sixth book in the #1 bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.
A Court of Splintered Harmony picks up six months after A Court of Silver Flames. The Night Court is reeling from Nesta’s decision to help Bryce Quinlan save her world. If that’s confusing, you likely haven’t read Crescent City—and that’s OK. All you need to know is that Nesta gave Bryce the Mask (a weapon from the Dread Trove) without consulting the rest of the inner circle. She ultimately got the mask back, but everyone is mad at her for unilaterally making a decision that could have had dangerous repercussions for Prythian.
In the days leading up to Nyx’s Naming Day, the inner circle is at its most fractured. Nesta and Cassian are barely speaking. Feyre and Amren have a massive argument. Azriel directly disobeys Rhysand’s orders to stay away from Elain. Amongst this inner turmoil, Koschei the Deathless is stirring, threatening to dismantle the relative peace in Prythian since the Hybern War. The Night Court seeks allies, but to succeed, they’ll need to sort through the division in their own ranks first.
My review of A Court of Splintered Harmony
The most important thing to keep in mind with A Court of Splintered Harmony is that it is not a complete book. It was never meant to be. When Sarah J. Maas announced The Valkyrie Cycle on Call Her Daddy in March, she said she had written a four-part story that was so long it couldn’t fit into a single binding. Instead, the narrative would be split into three volumes, with A Court of Splintered Harmony as the first volume and the first of the four parts. With that context, we could expect a different reading experience… to an extent. But what we ultimately got felt bloated, over-written, and confusing.
While reading, I questioned nearly every storytelling decision Maas made. The characters spent most of the book wallowing in self-pity, rehashing the same events over and over. Not only did the story barely progress from POV to POV, but the characters’ arcs also stalled throughout the book. Azriel is perhaps the most guilty of this. Despite several chapters between his POVs, he’d pick up the narrative and immediately start harping on the same thing he complained about the last time we got a glimpse inside his head. Save Nesta, who was basically the only redeeming character in this installment; every character was guilty of this. I understand that this is part of a larger story, but the relative stagnation from scene to scene was difficult to get through. Because A Court of Splintered Harmony isn’t a complete story, it made the lack of progression felt really unsatisfying.
Character problems aside, there is also not much plot happening in A Court of Splintered Harmony. Don’t get me wrong, I love a low-stakes story (I’m an A Court of Frost and Starlight defender!), but I found myself wanting to poke this book with a stick and scream, “Do something!” while reading. There’s an internet-famous review of Pride & Prejudice that boils the story down to just a bunch of people visiting each other’s houses, and that is exactly what A Court of Splintered Harmony is. Where’s the adventure? With nothing happening between these meetings or on the characters’ journeys, the book reads as though Maas is just telling us what happened in some sort of twisted corporate quarterly recap.
“While reading, I questioned nearly every storytelling decision Maas made.”
The question on every reader’s mind is what will happen between Azriel, Elain, and Lucien. On that front, at the very least, Maas delivered. But if you were hoping for the start of a beautiful love story filled with yearning, tension, and connection, you’ll have to wait at least until the next book comes out in January 2027. The scenes that dive into the mess of this love triangle read like the most unhinged reality-show drama. Azriel and Elain are sneaking around, Lucien none the wiser, until a massive blow-up brings everything to a head. This dramatic showdown is perhaps one of the story’s only redeeming moments, and the only one that hooked me. Maas’s strength has always been developing unrivaled romances, and while I think the events of A Court of Splintered Harmony point us in one very clear direction, I am still excited to see how the rest of the chess match plays out.
The magic of Sarah J. Maas, in essence, is that I am still excited to read the next book in this series, despite really not having a great reading experience with A Court of Splintered Harmony. With 16 books under her belt, multiple series that left us in shambles, and happily-ever-afters we all swoon over, Maas has perhaps earned the clout to approach this part of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series differently. And it may be unfair to judge this first release so harshly without the context of the wider story. So while, yes, I was disappointed by A Court of Splintered Harmony, I will be reading the next one… and probably everything else she writes, too.
Should you read A Court of Splintered Harmony?
If you’re an A Court of Thorns and Roses fan, yes, but keep your expectations low, remember this is one small piece in a much larger puzzle, and try to withhold your skepticism at least until A Court of Forgotten Melody comes out. If you’re not a die-hard but consider yourself ACOTAR-curious, I’d recommend waiting until Forgotten Melody is closer to release (January 12, 2027, besties!) because you’ll hopefully have a much more satisfying reading experience if you can jump straight from Splintered Harmony to Forgotten Melody.
Garri James, Senior Managing Editor and Book Club Co-Host
As Senior Managing Editor of The Everygirl, Garri oversees the pitching, planning, and creation of all content. You might also find her name pop up as a contributor throughout the site, though she mostly works behind the scenes, leading the team in their creative efforts and ensuring they have everything they need to create top-quality content for our audience.
