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By Lydia Patrick
Life & Trends Reporter
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Sarah J. Maas’ long-awaited return to A Court of Thorns and Roses has sparked fresh debate online after the bestselling author revealed not one, but two upcoming releases tied to the series during a rare sit-down with Alex Cooper on Call Her Daddy.
In the episode, Cooper pressed Maas about a recent Instagram tease that had "lit the internet on fire," with fans debating whether her scribbled note referenced an "arrow" or "6 to 8." Maas confirmed it was "Acotar 6” and said the next book will arrive October 27, 2026, with another volume following January 12, 2027. Newsweek reached out to Sarah J. Maas's publicist for comment.
What Maas Announced on 'Call Her Daddy'
Maas told Cooper the next installment took time because she needed "to find the right story and to be in the right head space," adding that the project "poured out" quickly once she found her way into it in Montana.
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"What poured out of me was this, and it poured out like very quickly. I was in Montana this summer; I don't know, like, I think there's like some kind of, like, energy vortex around Big Sky because I just got there and it clicked. It all came out of me," Maas said.
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Maas also explained the unusual release strategy: the story grew so large that she decided to publish it as a single, massive arc, split across multiple physical books, rather than sticking to a traditional one-volume format.
The announcement instantly energized BookTok and romantasy readers who have been waiting since A Court of Silver Flames (2021) for the next mainline entry.
Who Is Sarah J Maas?
Maas is the author behind the blockbuster romantasy series Throne of Glass, Crescent City, and A Court of Thorns and Roses. She has a catalog spanning 16 books across three major series, and her work has helped define the modern "romantasy" boom. The 40-year-old has sold over 75 million copies worldwide.
Why the Announcement Reignited Controversy
While many fans celebrated the new release dates, others said the interview and platform reignited long‑running criticism of Maas’ public image and past controversies—particularly around representation and how she has engaged with political moments.
A prominent line of criticism directed at Maas across social platforms has focused on representation and diversity in her books, including debates over how marginalized characters are portrayed and whether the worlds she builds meaningfully include BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters.
On Threads, some users argued that Call Her Daddy should have addressed controversies more directly.
"Call Her Daddy giving the woman who used Breonna Taylor's death as a way to promote her s**** a** book a platform was certainly a CHOICE," wrote Jennifer Lyn Briggs.
Another Threads user, Serena, posted takeaways from the episode, writing: "Disappointed but not at all surprised that they didn’t tackle any of the actual controversies surrounding her," after listing reactions including "Platforming AI fan edits right off the bat??" and saying she "Teared up" when Maas discussed her cesarean section experience.
A third commenter, Georgia (@peachyqueencosplay), suggested there is more context behind recurring backlash, pointing to long-running criticisms about diversity and the author’s limited online presence.
In her view, readers’ frustrations are not only about inclusivity, but also about wanting major authors with huge platforms to engage more meaningfully with cultural and political conversations—while also acknowledging Maas has stayed offline in part due to mental health.
In an essay titled The Book of Infamy—Entry 2: Sarah J. Maas, writer Chelsea Uzomah revisits several controversies associated with the author.
The piece criticizes Maas for a now‑deleted social media post made on September 24, 2020, which Uzomah argues referenced the death of Breonna Taylor while promoting A Court of Silver Flames.
Uzomah also raises broader concerns about what she views as a lack of diversity and inclusivity in Maas’ novels, arguing that some characterizations reinforce harmful stereotypes, including the portrayal of bisexual characters as hypersexual and the exoticization or othering of Arab and Middle Eastern-coded characters, whom, Uzomah says, are sometimes depicted as "exotic, mysterious, or dangerous."
The Episode’s Other Flashpoints
Part of the online discourse also focused on the episode’s tone and content choices.
Early in the interview, Cooper referenced fandom-created visuals and Maas discussed the challenges of translating character perfection into casting decisions, while later parts of the conversation veered into personal topics—most notably Maas’ experience with pregnancy, emergency C-sections, and mental health.
"All of my books kind of have mirrored my own mental health journey," Maas said.
She added that she was asked to come back from her maternity leave early to work on edits, and, in the middle of recovering from a C-section and trying to nurse a baby, she started to have panic attacks.
"I had a panic attack that lasted for like two or three days out of the blue. I'd never had one before and then they just started happening like more and more frequently until I got to the fall of 2019. And I reached such a dark place that I scared myself and I realized I needed to talk to someone. I needed therapy," she said.
What Happens Next
For Maas’ fans, the release calendar is now clear: October 27, 2026 for the next ACOTAR book, followed quickly by January 12, 2027 for the next volume.
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