A Court of Splintered Harmony Release Date: Everything We Know So Far

A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas comes out on 27 October 2026, which is now three days away. It is the sixth book in A Court of Thorns and Roses, and every source still gives that same date, with no report of a delay ^[1]. Bloomsbury publishes it ^[4].

If you've been refreshing your Goodreads shelf since the announcement, you can stop. Mostly. Here's everything that is actually known about the book, plus a recap of the series so far and where to start if you're new.

When does ACOTAR book 6 come out?

A Court of Splintered Harmony is out on 27 October 2026.

Maas revealed the date on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, and her own website lists it alongside the seventh book, which is due in early 2027 ^[1]. Yahoo Entertainment and Good Morning America both reported the same announcement and the same date for book six ^{[2] [3]}.

That puts two ACOTAR books less than three months apart ^[1]. For a series whose readers are used to waiting, that is a strange and pleasant schedule.

A few practical details:

• Length: Google Books lists it at 352 pages ^[6].
• Publisher: Bloomsbury, which also publishes the seventh book ^[4].
• Audiobook: the Audible listing names Elizabeth Evans as the narrator ^[9].

Has the release date changed?

No. Every source found gives the same date, and there has been no report of a delay or a date change ^[1].

The date was set on Maas's website earlier in 2026 and hasn't budged since ^[1]. With the book this close, the date on your calendar is the one to trust.

What is A Court of Splintered Harmony about?

The publisher's description centres on a new threat. Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring ^[7]. He has been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, which does put the wait between ACOTAR books into perspective.

According to the blurb, the threat of his return is spreading across the Fae territories and attracting powerful allies who want to reclaim what was once theirs: the human lands. The Night Court won't stand by while innocents are attacked.

The problem is that nobody is in good shape to fight. Prythian is still piecing itself together after the Hybern War, and uniting the territories is proving harder by the day. Closer to home, those who rule and protect the Night Court are reeling from recent betrayals and revealed truths, and the blurb talks about rifts dividing them.

The Amazon listing adds that to defeat Koschei's creeping shadow, the characters must find a way back to each other and resurrect their former alliances ^[8]. So this looks like a book about a fractured group as much as a fractured continent.

One detail worth spotting: Google Books lists the full title with the subtitle "The Valkyrie Cycle, Movement I" ^[6]. A first movement implies more to follow, and with the seventh book already dated for early 2027, the two look set to work as a pair. The musical naming carries over too: Variety reports the seventh book's title, revealed alongside this one, also borrows from music ^[4].

What has Sarah J. Maas said about book 6?

Not a great deal in public, and nothing about plot beyond the official description.

What is on record:

• Maas posted on Instagram in July 2025 to say she had finished writing the sixth instalment ^[5].
• She announced the release dates for books six and seven on "Call Her Daddy" ^[2].
• Variety reports that the titles and covers for both books were revealed by Maas ^[4].

Her publisher has added one thing readers will care about. Bloomsbury announced that all copies will include the previously published bonus chapters for Nesta and Cassian, Feyre and Rhys, and Azriel ^[10]. If you've spent years hearing about those chapters without owning the right edition, this is your chance to stop hunting.

How anticipated is ACOTAR 6?

Very. Of the 76 upcoming books with a confirmed date on our calendar, A Court of Splintered Harmony is number 2 by readers on Hardcover, ahead of 97% of them.

The gap is the striking part. It has about 178 times the readers of the typical upcoming book on that list. Second place on a list of 76 sounds modest until you see that it is lapping almost everything below it.

The ACOTAR series so far (spoiler-light)

There are five published books in the main series before this one. Here's the first, without giving anything away.

A Court of Thorns and Roses starts the series and is the most read of the five. Feyre, a nineteen-year-old huntress, kills a wolf in the woods, and a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution. She is dragged to a magical land she knows only from legends, where she learns her captor, Tamlin, is one of the immortal faeries who once ruled her world. Meanwhile an ancient shadow over the faerie lands is growing.

The next four books are A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight and A Court of Silver Flames. Even their descriptions give away how the first book ends, so the rest of the recap sits below a warning.

Spoiler recap: ACOTAR books 2 to 5

Spoiler warning: this section describes each book from its official blurb, and those blurbs reveal major turns from the earlier books. If you haven't read the series, skip to the next heading.

A Court of Mist and Fury (book 2, second most read). Feyre has been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, but she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and what she did to save Tamlin and his people. As her wedding to Tamlin approaches, she is split between life in the Spring Court and a bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, while a greater evil looms.

A Court of Wings and Ruin (book 3, third most read). Feyre returns to the Spring Court to gather information on Tamlin's actions and on an invading king threatening her land, playing a dangerous game of deceit. As war closes in, she and Rhysand have to decide which of the High Lords to trust and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

A Court of Frost and Starlight (book 4, the least read of the five). Feyre, Rhysand and their friends are rebuilding the Night Court after the war, and Feyre faces her first Winter Solstice as High Lady. The blurb describes it as bridging the events of book 3 with the later books, and its focus is on the wounds the war left behind.

A Court of Silver Flames (book 5, fourth most read). The point of view shifts to Nesta Archeron, who was forced into the Cauldron and made High Fae against her will. She can't move past the war with Hybern, and the person who provokes her most is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior of Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court.

Book 6 picks up a Prythian still recovering from the Hybern War, with the Night Court's inner circle divided by betrayals and revealed truths.

Do I need to read the earlier books first?

Yes. The blurb for A Court of Splintered Harmony leans on the Hybern War, the Night Court's leadership and recent betrayals within it, and none of that will mean much without the five books before it.

Start with A Court of Thorns and Roses and read in publication order. The full A Court of Thorns and Roses reading order is on our series page, with every book and its date.

If you are catching up now, three days is not enough to read five books unless your plans for the week are very flexible. The good news is that the bonus chapters for Nesta and Cassian, Feyre and Rhys, and Azriel are included in all copies of the new book ^[10], so you won't need to track down special editions to fill the gaps.

How to know the moment there's news

With book six out this week and book seven following in early 2027 ^[1], ACOTAR readers have two releases to keep track of in quick succession. Checking Goodreads or StoryGraph works, but it relies on you remembering to look.

AuthorPing tells you when a series or author you love has a new book coming out and keeps a countdown to every release, so the next ACOTAR date won't sneak past you. It's free on iPhone and Android.