A Court of Splintered Harmony: The Sixth Book In the Globally Bestselling, Fantasy Romance Series

Sarah J. Maas, the #1 bestselling author of the Court of Thorns and Roses series, returns to the courts of Prythian.

Romance, danger and intrigue await in the breathtaking sixth book in the #1 bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.

What was broken will be remade.

Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he has been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies determined to reclaim what was once theirs: the human lands.

The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. But with Prythian still recovering from the devastating Hybern War, uniting the Fae is proving more difficult by the day.

Worse still, those who rule and protect the Night Court are reeling from betrayals and devastating revelations. The rifts dividing them seem impossible to overcome.

To defeat Koschei's growing shadow, they must find their way back to one another and resurrect old alliances. To survive, they must repair the fractured bonds around them before it is too late.

Perfect for fans of fantasy romance, romantasy, fae courts, enemies-to-lovers romance, magical worlds, epic adventures and Sarah J. Maas's bestselling ACOTAR series.

The full Court of Thorns and Roses series includes:

1) A Court of Thorns and Roses
2) A Court of Mist and Fury
3) A Court of Wings and Ruin
4) A Court of Frost and Starlight
5) A Court of Silver Flames
6) A Court of Splintered Harmony
7) A Court of Forgotten Melody

Also available from Sarah J. Maas:
The bestselling Crescent City series, beginning with House of Earth and Blood, and the internationally bestselling Throne of Glass series, starting with Throne of Glass.

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 bestselling author of the Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold more than seventy-five million copies and are published in forty languages.

sarahjmaas.com

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"A deliciously badass rivals-to-lovers romance that nearly singed my fingers. Intensely emotional, wildly sexy, and absolutely unputdownable." - Sarah MacLean on A Court of Silver Flames "Deeply sexy and spectacularly propulsive." - Christina Lauren on A Court of Silver Flames

A Court of Splintered Harmony is the sixth installment in Sarah J. Maas's globally bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series. It returns readers to the magical world of Prythian, where fae courts, ancient powers, complicated loyalties, and intense romantic relationships have shaped the series from the beginning. The book is scheduled for publication on October 27, 2026, and is officially described as Movement I of the new “Valkyrie Cycle.”

Because the novel has not yet been published, a complete plot summary would require inventing events that readers have not yet seen. What is currently available is the publisher's premise and the information Sarah J. Maas has publicly revealed. The following is therefore a spoiler-safe summary of the confirmed story setup, rather than a fabricated account of the full novel.

The story begins in the aftermath of the devastating Hybern War. Prythian has survived the conflict, but peace remains fragile. The various fae territories are still trying to recover, and the Night Court is dealing with the consequences of everything that has happened. Just when the characters might hope for stability, an ancient threat begins to stir.

That threat is Koschei the Deathless.

Koschei has been bound to a mountain lake for thousands of years, but his influence is beginning to spread again. The danger is no longer confined to one mysterious immortal figure. Powerful allies are gathering around him, and their ambitions threaten to disturb the fragile balance between the fae territories and the human lands.

The central idea suggested by the book's teaser is captured in the haunting phrase:

“What was broken will be remade.”

That line is particularly fitting for Prythian after the previous books. The characters have survived wars, betrayals, personal transformations, and enormous losses. But survival has not necessarily meant healing. The new story appears poised to explore what happens when characters must rebuild a world that has been deeply damaged.

One of the most important pieces of background comes from A Court of Silver Flames, where Nesta Archeron, Emerie, and Gwyn form a powerful friendship through their training as Valkyries. Their transformation from traumatized and isolated women into a fiercely loyal group became one of the emotional highlights of the previous novel.

The new arc is specifically called the Valkyrie Cycle, making their connection highly significant. Current official information, however, does not yet confirm which character or romantic pairing will serve as the primary point of view or central relationship. Popular theories involving Elain, Azriel, Gwyn, and other characters remain theories rather than confirmed plot information.

This distinction matters because much of the discussion surrounding ACOTAR Book 6 has been driven by fan speculation. Maas has confirmed the title, cover, publication date, and the broader Valkyrie Cycle structure, but she has not publicly announced a definitive central couple or full character synopsis.

What is clear is that the story will return to the political and magical tensions of Prythian.

The Night Court cannot simply remain isolated.

The threat represented by Koschei has the potential to affect multiple territories, forcing old enemies and uncertain allies to reconsider their positions. The political landscape is therefore likely to become increasingly important as the characters attempt to determine who can be trusted.

The idea of rebuilding is particularly significant.

The previous books repeatedly dealt with characters whose lives had been broken by trauma. Feyre had to rebuild herself after surviving the Spring Court and Under the Mountain. Nesta had to confront her own anger and shame. Other characters have carried scars from war, imprisonment, loss, and betrayal.

Now Prythian itself is in a similar position.

The world has been damaged.

Its political structures have been tested.

Its people have been traumatized.

And an ancient enemy is beginning to emerge.

The phrase “what was broken will be remade” therefore suggests that the new story may be concerned not simply with defeating another villain, but with what kind of world the characters want to create after everything they have endured.

Koschei is an especially interesting antagonist because he belongs to a much older layer of the mythology.

He is not simply another political rival or warlord.

His presence connects the current events of Prythian to ancient powers that existed long before the protagonists' generation.

This expands the scale of the story.

The previous books often focused on individual courts and political conflicts.

The new arc appears to move toward a more ancient and potentially more dangerous conflict.

The question is no longer simply who controls a particular court.

It may become a question of whether the existing order of Prythian can survive at all.

Romance, as always in Maas's work, remains an important part of the world.

Relationships in the ACOTAR universe are rarely simple. Characters must navigate attraction, magical bonds, loyalty, jealousy, friendship, family expectations, and personal choice.

The previous books established several unresolved emotional possibilities, particularly among characters who have spent years orbiting one another without reaching a clear resolution.

But because Maas has not confirmed the central romance for A Court of Splintered Harmony, it would be misleading to present any particular pairing as established fact.

What can safely be said is that love and loyalty will continue to intersect with the larger political and magical conflict.

Another intriguing aspect of the upcoming book is the relationship between personal transformation and supernatural power.

ACOTAR characters frequently undergo enormous changes.

They gain powers.

They lose powers.

They discover unexpected abilities.

They are transformed physically and emotionally.

The new book's emphasis on something “broken” being “remade” seems particularly appropriate for a series in which transformation has always been central.

The Valkyrie concept also reinforces this idea.

Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie did not become Valkyries simply because they possessed extraordinary physical abilities. Their transformation was also emotional. They learned discipline, trust, friendship, and courage. They discovered strength by supporting one another.

That makes the Valkyrie Cycle potentially significant beyond action and warfare.

It can also represent female friendship as a source of power.

The series has repeatedly emphasized relationships between women, particularly through Feyre, Nesta, Elain, Mor, Amren, Gwyn, Emerie, and others. Friendship can be as important as romance.

The new story may therefore continue the idea that people survive extraordinary circumstances not only because they are powerful individually but because they form communities.

The world of A Court of Splintered Harmony also exists within Maas's increasingly interconnected fantasy universe.

Readers familiar with Throne of Glass and Crescent City know that Maas has established connections between her fictional worlds. The third Crescent City novel, House of Flame and Shadow, made these connections especially explicit.

As a result, the upcoming ACOTAR books are being discussed not merely as isolated fantasy romances but as part of the larger “Maasverse.” However, specific crossover details for A Court of Splintered Harmony have not been officially revealed, so predictions about particular appearances should be treated cautiously.

The structure of the new story is also unusual.

Maas has described the new material as a large narrative divided into multiple movements. A Court of Splintered Harmony is Movement I, while A Court of Forgotten Melody, scheduled for January 12, 2027, encompasses Movements II and III. A further part is planned, making this a larger story arc rather than a conventional standalone sequel.

This means readers should not necessarily expect every major conflict to be resolved within Book 6.

Instead, A Court of Splintered Harmony is positioned as the opening movement of a much larger story.

Its role is likely to establish the new threat, deepen character conflicts, reveal new aspects of Prythian's history, and place the protagonists in circumstances that will continue into the following books.

The Meaning of the Title

The title A Court of Splintered Harmony is rich with possibilities.

Harmony suggests peace, balance, and cooperation.

Splintered suggests something that has been broken into pieces.

Together, the words describe a world in which peace exists only imperfectly.

Prythian has technically survived the previous war, but its harmony has been fractured.

The new threat may force its inhabitants to confront those fractures.

The title therefore suggests that the central conflict may not simply be about defeating evil.

It may be about whether broken relationships, broken political systems, and broken individuals can be rebuilt into something stronger.

Conclusion

A Court of Splintered Harmony promises to open an ambitious new chapter in Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses universe.

The story returns to Prythian after the devastation of the Hybern War, when the various courts are still recovering and trying to establish a new balance. Meanwhile, Koschei the Deathless, an ancient and terrifying figure who has been imprisoned for millennia, is beginning to stir. His growing influence threatens the fragile peace and appears to be attracting powerful forces determined to reclaim the human lands.

Against this background, the Valkyries and the wider Night Court will face a new challenge.

The story's central promise—“What was broken will be remade”—captures the direction of this new era.

These characters have already survived extraordinary suffering.

Now they must determine what comes after survival.

Can a damaged world truly be rebuilt?

Can old enemies become allies?

Can ancient evil finally be defeated?

Can relationships survive the pressures of war and destiny?

And can people who have been broken by the past create something better rather than simply returning to what existed before?

Those questions appear to lie at the heart of the new ACOTAR arc.

For now, however, the full plot and central romance remain unrevealed, so any detailed “summary” claiming to know the novel's complete events before its October 27, 2026 publication would be speculation. The confirmed premise points toward a story of ancient magic, political danger, Valkyrie strength, complicated relationships, and the rebuilding of a fractured Prythian.

In other words, A Court of Splintered Harmony appears poised to begin a new chapter with an old lesson at its center:

when a world has been broken by war, rebuilding it may require more courage than winning the war itself.