Bookstores across the United Kingdom experienced unprecedented demand following the release of Sarah J. Maas’s latest novel, A Court of Splintered Harmony, the first installment of her popular A Court of Thorns and Roses series in over five years. The book, which debuted at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, sparked intense fan enthusiasm leading to ticket sellouts, extended store hours, and celebratory events.
In Leamington Spa, The Spicy Librarian, a romance-focused independent bookshop, hosted a masquerade ball at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire to mark the occasion. The event, featuring riders in faerie warrior costumes carrying torches on horseback, was met with overwhelming interest as the shop sold 220 tickets within 13 minutes, attracting over 6,000 attempts to purchase. The shop reprised the event the following night, also selling out, and had ordered approximately 750 copies of the new release to meet demand for both events and pre-orders.
“This book has reignited excitement for readers who have been waiting for years,” said Ali Maynard James, co-founder of The Spicy Librarian. Guests were given their books at midnight and many reportedly began reading immediately, with some finishing the novel within hours.
Maas’s series, which originated with a dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast in 2015, has sold more than 13 million copies by 2021 and has reached over 75 million sales worldwide across her three fantasy series. The books trace the adventures of the protagonist, Feyre, through the fictional realm of Prythian. Maas is considered one of the most influential figures in the "romantasy" genre—a fusion of romance and fantasy that has grown significantly in popularity, particularly among young women and through online platforms such as TikTok.
Bookshops specializing in romance and romantasy have reported robust sales and enthusiastic customer engagement. Bad Girl Books in Oxford, noted as the UK’s first romantasy-only bookstore, held a midnight release event that evolved spontaneously into a busy gathering, with customers queuing outside and enjoying themed refreshments. Owner Starlin Marot highlighted the series as a gateway for readers new to the genre or to reading in general.
Meanwhile, London’s Main Character Books opted for a more subdued midnight, providing breakfast for customers collecting pre-orders and hosting an evening party. The shop reported unexpectedly strong pre-order numbers, doubling their initial stock and requiring additional orders following the release.
The new novel is the opening installment of a four-part story, with the next two parts in A Court of Forgotten Melody scheduled for release on January 12. Maas is still completing the final part of the series.
Maas reclaimed adaptation rights to the series earlier this year after it was initially optioned by Hulu in 2021. She has expressed a desire to oversee the adaptation process to ensure fidelity to her and her fans' vision.
Industry observers note that the surge in romantasy sales reflects wider trends in the publishing market, which has seen UK fiction revenues surpass £1 billion in 2024, driven in part by fantasy and romance genres. According to bookstore owners, the heroine-driven narratives of Maas’s work strongly resonate with a predominantly female readership, often emphasizing characters who prioritize their own strength and agency over traditional romantic tropes.
Overall, the strong sales and enthusiast response suggest that the genre’s growth and Maas’s influence within it remain robust, demonstrating the evolving tastes of contemporary readers.