Sarah J. Maas Announces Two New ACOTAR Books, Reveals She Has the Rights Back to All Her Properties
Fantasy author Sarah J. Maas dropped a string of major announcements during her appearance on the March 4 episode of “Call Her Daddy,” the popular podcast hosted by Alex Cooper. Two new A Court of Thorns and Roses books. A story too massive for a single volume. Full creative control over any future screen adaptation. And three or four unpublished manuscripts sitting on her computer that nobody knew about.
The interview spanned the full breadth of Maas’s career and creative life, from exclusive release dates and fan theories about beloved characters to deeply personal reflections on the emotional labor behind her writing process.
Maas is the author behind three major fantasy book series: the Throne of Glass series, the A Court of Thorns and Roses series (commonly abbreviated as ACOTAR by fans), and the Crescent City series. Her fanbase has been waiting for news about what comes next, and this conversation delivered.
The headline news: fans can expect two new ACOTAR books in rapid succession. The first arrives on October 27 of this year. The second follows just months later on January 12, 2027.
But the details behind those releases, and the unconventional storytelling approach Maas described, are what turned the conversation into a full-blown event.
A word of caution for those who haven’t yet read Maas’s books: The interview — and this article — contain major spoilers about the Throne of Glass series, A Court of Thorns and Roses series and the Crescent City series. If you are considering picking up any of these books for the first time, you may want to bookmark this piece and return after reading.
The Instagram Post That Started It All
The interview kicked off with Cooper asking Maas about a specific Instagram post from June 2025 that had sent fans into a frenzy. The post showed Maas closing a book that appeared to read “ACOTAR 6-7,” which immediately sparked widespread speculation about multiple upcoming books in the series.
Maas was quick to clarify — with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor — that the confusion was entirely unintentional.
“OK, well, first of all, I guess I have really shitty handwriting, like really f*****g s****y handwriting of my like arrows and like, numbers look messed up. Like I’m ashamed of this. Like, that was not intentional at all,” Maas said. “But I will say that that was ACOTAR 6 with the arrow pointing forward to indicate like things going ahead of that.”
What the post actually represented, Maas explained, was work on the next ACOTAR book — the one now set for its October 27 release.
What POVs Will the Books Be In?
When Cooper pressed for more details — specifically asking whose point of view the new book would be told from — Maas held firm, declining to reveal the POV character or the title.
“No. And that was one of the like surprising things for me, like writing this and like what came out. Like it’s, you got a lot of like, insight to like various things,” Maas said.
But Cooper pushed further: “Hold on though, because if I know anything about you there’s always a plot twist. You’ve always got something also that’s like, oh, you thought this, but also this. So is there anything else you want to share here on Call Her Daddy today?”
What followed was arguably the biggest reveal of the entire interview.
Maas explained that the reason for the back-to-back release dates is that the story she’s telling is simply too large to fit within the conventional boundaries of a single book — or even two.
“OK, well, part of why I guess it’s tricky to talk about the length of this book is because this book’s coming out October 27th, and then on January 12th, like two months later, I can’t do math, whatever that is, the next ACOTAR book will be coming out. So there will be two books within like a very short span,” Maas said.
She then pulled back the curtain on the sheer scale of what she’s been writing. What she described is not a traditional sequel or even a duology in the usual sense, but a single story told across multiple physical volumes — a decision driven entirely by the demands of the narrative itself.
“It’s just the story that was finally ready to come out of me was big, really, really, really big,” Maas said. “And as I started writing this in like this, like Montana, like energy vortex, like it came outta me in a way that surprised me. And by the time I reached, you know, I like to do like parts like part one part two, part three, by the time I gotta end of part one it was like 400 pages long.”
A Story in Four Parts Across Three Volumes
The structure, as Maas described it, is a story told in four parts. She explained that after writing part one — a massive 400-page section — she realized the full story would require four parts total. She then wrote parts two and three, which she described as “really f*****g long” as well.
The plan, as Maas laid it out:
Part one will be released as its own physical volume on October 27.
Parts two and three will be combined into a single volume releasing on January 12, 2027.
Part four has yet to be written, as Maas is currently focused on getting the first two volumes to readers.
“So it’s basically gonna be like three physical volumes, but it’s like one thing altogether that like no amount of glue in like any publisher’s like factory could ever like hold this,” Maas said.
She was emphatic that this should not be thought of as a trilogy. The individual volumes are not self-contained stories with neatly wrapped-up arcs.
“It’s meant to be read ideally as like one massive, massive story as opposed to like in like a trilogy. It’s not a trilogy. Like arcs aren’t like wrapped up. It’s like in the way, like, you know, you take my book, it’s like if you expand it all of part one, all of part two, all parts, like all part, like it would be huge like that,” Maas said.
The ACOTAR TV Adaptation: Where Things Stand
One of the most anticipated topics among fans has been the potential adaptation of ACOTAR for the screen. The interview touched on the complicated history of those efforts — it was revealed that Hulu would be adapting the series back in 2021, until it was revealed in 2025 that the deal fell through.
Cooper asked directly: “People are obviously dying to know what is going on with this potential ACOTAR TV series. Can you give us any update of what do you think is happening?”
Maas’s answer was both illuminating and definitive. She confirmed that she now has the rights back to all of her properties — a development that she hinted has been a major undertaking in recent years.
“So, I have the rights back to everything now and getting the rights back to all my things has been a big part of my journey in recent years that maybe at some point soon I will talk more about, but right now my focus is on books and it’s been a little while since you guys have had something, so I’m focusing on that,” Maas said.
But she didn’t close the door on adaptations. Instead, she described a vision for any future adaptation that places her firmly at the creative center.
“I look at any TV movie adaptation as kind of like another facet of the worlds that I’ve created and it’s something that I want to be in charge of, I want to be figuring out, like I want to be learning everything that I can. I’m a type A control freak a little bit, but I want to know everything about how it gets made, not because of that control, but just because I love movies. I love TV. I want to be a part of that and I want to see everything adapted the way I envision it and the way I know fans want it,” Maas said.
She was pointed about refusing to compromise on creative vision for the sake of commercial demographics.
“I don’t ever want to hear like, ‘Oh, we need to change this to appeal to XYZ’s demographic.’ I’m like, ‘No, that’s not how you make art. That’s not how I create my stories,’” Maas said. She added that when an adaptation does happen, “it’s gonna be me and I will dedicate everything that I have to making it right.”
There is no current TV or film adaptation in active production. Maas’s focus right now is on the books.
‘F*** Marry Kill’ and Dream Casting
The interview wasn’t all serious business. Cooper brought some levity with a round of “F*** Marry Kill” featuring three of Maas’s most beloved male characters: Rhysand (from ACOTAR), Hunt (from Crescent City), and Rowan (from Throne of Glass).
Maas’s response was playful: “OK. OK. OK. I’m trying to think of the realities of my own marriage and what has worked and what doesn’t work. I’m like, ‘Which one of them farts the least?’ That’s the one I want to marry, because I live with that reality.”
When Cooper pointed out that Maas, as the author, would be the one who knows the answer to that question, Maas conceded with a laugh.
“I know this is hard. I kind of want to f*** all of them to be quite honest and marry all of them. I don’t want to kill any of them,” Maas said.
Cooper’s response was succinct: “You’ll f*** them all.”
On the subject of dream casting for her characters, Cooper asked about Rhysand, one of the most popular characters in the ACOTAR series. Maas was brief but definitive: “I have yet to find my perfect Rhys.”
The Tamlin Question
One of the more emotionally complex portions of the interview centered on the character of Tamlin, a figure in the ACOTAR series who has prompted intense debate among fans about whether he deserves a redemption arc. Cooper asked the question directly: “Do you think Tamlin will ever have a full redemption arc?”
Maas’s answer revealed the tension she feels between her instincts as a storyteller and her awareness of the real-world impact her characters have had on readers — particularly women who are survivors of abusive relationships.
“I don’t know. It’s tricky because I’ve had so many women, especially including some like very dear friends of mine who like come up and told me about like how they saw their own abusive relationship mirrored in Tamlin,” Maas said. “And so if I were to ever write like more about Tamlin, it would be done in a way where like, it doesn’t erase what he has done and it doesn’t like invalidate the feelings of like my readers who have connected to that.”
She emphasized that any exploration of Tamlin’s story would need to be “genuine to him and to reality” while remaining “well aware of like what he means for like, different types of people and different experiences and to honor and respect them for that.”
Maas also shared a deeply personal detail — that one of her closest friends is a survivor of domestic abuse who “often refers to her ex as Tamlin.” She described having direct conversations with this friend about the implications of exploring the character further.
“I’ve actually talked to her that like, how would you feel like, you know, like if just like me as the creator, like separating us as friends, like, would that feel like a betrayal to you? And so like we’ve had like interesting conversations about it, but it’s something I’d really want to think about,” Maas said. “And I’ve given myself like several options because it’s something, hat’s probably like the hardest thing for me to figure out, like, to be quite honest, like, that’s tricky for me.”
She concluded with a raw admission of the competing impulses she feels: “It’s tricky for me also just emotionally because like partying wants to be like, that f***er can burn in hell forever. But like as a writer I’m like, but like, what is the story? What is like, and like, not to excuse him for any of it, but explore it.”
What Did Lorcan Do?
Referring to a lingering question from the Throne of Glass series, Cooper asked about the character Lorcan and what exactly he did. Maas’s answer suggested that whatever it is, she’s been thinking about it.
“Oh, someone explained this to me, like a couple months ago. I dunno, I didn’t know how to feel about it then. I dunno how I feel about it now. I mean, like, maybe like bonus content and like a surprise Christmas present sometime for all,” Maas said.
Where Is Vaughn?
Another Throne of Glass character, Vaughn, has been something of a mystery for fans wondering about his whereabouts. Maas’s answer was brief but loaded with implication.
“You know, that’s actually a thing that I think about a lot. A lot. And that’s all I’ll say about that,” Maas said.
Is the Settling the Same or Similar as the Drop?
This question, which references concepts from Maas’s book worlds, received the most evasive response of the entire segment.
Maas simply said: “OK, let’s skip, just skip. Just skip. Just come out, come go.”
The refusal to engage with the question at all is likely to fuel even more fan speculation rather than quiet it.
Why Did Aelin Have to Lose Her Powers?
This question, about the ending of the Throne of Glass series and the sacrifice made by the character Aelin, prompted one of Maas’s more reflective answers of the rapid-fire segment.
“I do think that, like, I actually really grappled with that one. Where I was like, I hate the idea of her having to give up something that she learned to love and embrace. But at the same time, I do think that there needs to be some level of sacrifice when it comes to making a decision that big. To give up something that you love for something else, like that’s powerful. I don’t think it would, the ending, would’ve felt as deserved,” Maas said.
But she also revealed that the ending, for her, was not truly an ending at all — at least not in her creative imagination.
“But then I also think it opens up again in my endless thinking about things, just in me as her creator and writing this. What does it look like for her after that? You know, like you go from like all this power and you give it up and, how does that feel? I find that there was, even with that as an ending, it felt like a different start of a journey. That just was fascinating for me,” Maas said.
How Do Mates Work?
One of the central fantasy concepts across Maas’s series is the idea of “mates” — a bonded pairing between characters. When asked to explain the mechanics, Maas offered a clear breakdown.
“It’s kinda like your destined true love… [But] there’s a biological component to it, where you can be mated with someone who’s not your true love. There’s true-true mates, and there’s nature made a mistake. Like Rhys’ parents did not love each other, it was not a great relationship, but they were mates,” Maas said.
How Do Fae Get Into the House of Wind?
Cooper raised a practical question that has nagged ACOTAR readers: The House of Wind in the Night Court is famously accessible only by 10,000 stairs, which presents an obvious logistical problem for Fae characters who don’t have wings.
“How do Fae get into the House of Wind? Because they don’t have wings. Like, do they climb the stairs?” Cooper asked.
Maas’s response was a brief but tantalizing tease: “This might be something that you find out,” she hinted.
What Are Mor’s Powers?
The character of Mor in the ACOTAR series has been a source of fan curiosity because her powers have only ever been described as being related to “truth,” and she hasn’t been shown to have extensive powers beyond that — a fact that has fueled theories that there’s more to her abilities than has been revealed.
“Truth. But you like to have other powers beyond that. But I’m not gonna reveal any more about it, there might be more about that. You know what, everything is possible. Everything you’re asking right now could just be like, yes. The answer is yes. You’ll find out,” Maas said.
That sweeping statement — “everything is possible” and “the answer is yes” — applied to all of the questions in the rapid-fire round, suggesting that many of the mysteries fans have been debating could find answers in the upcoming books.
The Twilight of the Gods Pinterest Board
One final mystery Cooper addressed was a now-deleted Pinterest board created by Maas titled “Twilight of the Gods.” Fans had noticed the board and speculated that it might represent a brand-new book series from the author.
“We’ve all seen the now deleted Twilight of the Gods Pinterest board. What’s really going on there?” Cooper asked.
Maas’s answer was fascinating for what it revealed about her creative process.
“Really? That was just like a story that I like. It was kinda like Crescent City where like, I always have manuscripts and other stories in my head. I think I have… probably like three or four like unpublished full books for different series on my computer. That I dunno if they’ll ever see the light of day, but, sometimes I just get a story in my head and I wanna start writing it and I get ideas for it, and it comes out, and sometimes I wanna share that with the world and sometimes I don’t,” Maas said.
The revelation that Maas has three or four complete unpublished manuscripts for entirely different series sitting on her computer is a striking detail. It speaks to the prolific nature of her creative output and raises the tantalizing — if uncertain — possibility that readers may someday have access to entirely new worlds from the author.
Watch the full “Call Her Daddy” episode here.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
