We finally have a material update on the next ACOTAR book. The series’ author Sarah J. Maas has just posted to Instagram announcing that has officially finished writing the sixth instalment. On 12 July 2025, Maas shared a reel showing herself closing the cover on a notebook titled “ACOTAR 6”, shutting a laptop and then opening a bottle of sparkling wine.
This is it folks, it’s finally happening.
View this post on Instagram
So, what does that mean for the release date? And what details do we have so far about the plot and characters?
While we wait for more news. here's everything I (a member of the fandom) have managed to dig up about the sixth and currently untitled ACOTAR book. Here’s everything we know so far.
When was the last book in the series, A Court of Silver Flamer, released?
When Sarah J. Maas posted videos from a Taylor Swift concert, the reaction from the ACOTAR fandom was largely the same. Girl, get back to your computer!
The fifth book in the series – A Court of Silver Flames – was published in February of 2021, which means we're coming up on four years of waiting for the next book in the series. I don't know about you, but I'm getting impatient.
We've been told to expect it in 2025 – but others think its 2026
There was an update from the publisher Bloomsbury in 2023 that said fans could expect the book in 2025. But we're nearly half way through 2025 and we are yet to hear concrete news on the release date. Some sources have circulated saying we might have to wait until early 2026. Honestly, at this rate, we might end up with the first series of the ACOTAR TV Show first, even though its been repeatedly cancelled.
We do know now that it’s finished at last. The only other update we’d received on the actual writing of the book was in April 2024 when Maas posted to Instagram about heading North "to write for a while" with ACOTAR hashtags in the caption.
View this post on Instagram
There was some hype that we were going to get some news in March 2025 regarding the the official release date. This is when the quarterly Bloomsbury trade and business update happened – on 20 March. It's common for Bloomsbury to make major book release announcements on these dates. Alas, nothing happened and there was no meaningful news on the book.
My gut is telling me that we could see a release date around the end-of-year holiday period in 2025. It would make sense for the release to come at the Christmas gifting season. Or maybe I’m being too ambitious regarding how long it will take to edit and print.
We know its going to be long
Maas sat down with Spotify in late 2024 and although she refused to divulge any plot details, she did say that the book was going to be a long one. Which would explain why it is taking such a long time to come together.
@spotify ACOTAR fans, author of the year Sarah J. Maas spills the tea. #SpotifyWrapped #booktok #acotar #sarahjmaas ♬ original sound - Spotify
It will likely focus on Elain's perspective
Maas did say in the same Spotify interview it was "too early" for her to reveal who the book was about. She then said she hoped to have more details for us soon, but it's been more than six months since then.
Without any concrete details, we can make some educated guesses. Fans know books one, two and three focused on Feyre. Book four, a novella, set up the transition of events to hint at a change of perspective in the story line. Following on, book five, focused on Nesta's (Feyre's sister) point of view and her eventual romance with Cassian. As a result, the current hypothesis is that book six will follow the perspective of Elain, Feyre's other sister. Many people have taken this Time Magazine article as confirmation, but it really just confirms it as a fan theory.
In one of my many reddit deep dives, I found a theory that some of the book could be in Mor's POV. Silver Flames often had cryptic references to the day that Eris found Mor in the woods. So, it could be a set up to give us the full story, and in her point of view. I personally think that we'll see a potential Mor and Emerie romance, which adds to the theory that we'll see the storyline through her eyes at some points.
We're going to get a lot more Azriel
Because we don't really know anything concrete, we have to largely rely on hints and clues. And a lot of these come from the unpublished bonus chapters. There was an unpublished bonus chapter early on that detailed a demure but heated encounter between Nesta and Cassian which in a way foretold the events of book five.
Most fans will know of the two bonus chapters that came with Silver Flames, one that features Azriel – if you haven't read them, you can find links to the bonus chapters on the subreddit. In one bonus chapter, he has an electric moment with Elain at the townhouse and then in the other, a sweet encounter with Gwyn at the House of Wind. Using the theory that these bonus chapters give us some insight into the events of the coming books, we can expect to get a lot more Azriel in ACOTAR book 6.
Maas has certainly hinted that he may form a romance with the third Archeron sister Elain. It's stirred up mixed feelings in the fandom. Some are here for it. Others – like myself – love Lucien as a character and are rooting for him to get the girl.
Also, a third Archeron sister ending up with the final member of the Illyrian trio? Does it perhaps feel too neat? I think it's more likely Azriel will end up with Gwyn? All of this is still very much speculation and opinion. We’ll just have to wait and see where the story goes.
One of the core group will betray them
The origin of this theory is not clear but everyone in the fandom is on board. There are suggestions that the theory began here, with quotes from the evil queen Briallyn: “There are many in the world who would happily see the Night Court fall. Who would betray their so-called High Lord for a chance at power.”
A popular theory is that Mor will betray the group. She's known for being secretive and there's still a lot we don't know about her back story. Eris for example has hinted there was a specific reason he left her in the woods to die.
Other theories say it will be Gwyn who is the betrayer. Or even Nesta after some speculate that Cassian dies. Personally I think it could be Lucien. Especially if Elain ends up with Azriel.
But let's be clear. Sarah J Maas has never confirmed there will be a betrayer, so this could just be a theory.
Expect the spice to stay high
This one is confirmed, straight from the horse's mouth. Maas has said that Azriel is a freak in the bedroom.
Anyone who's read the series knows that the heat was turned all the way up when we arrived at book five. Given this Azriel titbit, there's absolutely no sign of it being turned down in book six.
Maas has hinted at a seventh ACOTAR book – or so we think
It was widely accepted that this book was going to be the last book in the series but Maas recently did an interview with Today, that hinted there might be another one.
Maas said that she knows what her next four books are going to be. One of them we know is ACOTAR 6, what about the rest? Given that she's only got two active series going (ACOTAR and Crescent City), this hints there is more ACOTAR coming. The other three can't all be Crescent City books, right? So, unless she's already got another series in the works, this suggests we'll get more from the ACOTAR universe.
