Sarah J. Maas reveals plans for her next books – including a fourth in the “Crescent City” series

Attention fans of Sarah J. Maas: The romance novel author of the BookTok favorite “A Court of Thorns and Roses” has news for you.

Her latest novel, House of Flame and Shadow, the third in her Crescent City series, was just released today—but she already has several more books in the pipeline.

What are they? And when are they coming? In an interview with Jenna Bush Hager of TODAY and TODAY.com, she spilled the details. Here’s what she told us.

Sarah J. Maas’ next book will be an “ACOTAR” book

When Maas’ publisher at Bloomsbury announced House of Flame and Shadow in 2023, it also announced that the author had signed a new contract for four more books in addition to the three others she already had under contract.

In her interview with Jenna, Maas explained that she had planned her next four books, which were structured in what she called a “rolling position.”

The next book she plans to publish after “House of Flame and Shadow” will be set in the universe of “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” she said.

“I’m very, very excited about it,” Maas told Jenna. “I know a lot more about what happens in this book. And then the next book in this series, I have the ideas and general, vague thoughts. But the hard facts of writing and the emotional journeys with the characters — I usually love taking those journeys with them.”

“A Court of Thorns and Roses”, known by the acronym “ACOTAR”, currently includes five books in this series:

1. “A Court of Thorns and Roses” (2015)

2. “A Court of Mist and Wrath” (2016)

3. “A Court of Wings and Doom” (2017)

4. “A Court of Frost and Starlight” (2018)

5. “A Court of Silver Flames” (2021)

Maas has not revealed when the next “ACOTAR” book will be published or what its title will be. But considering that she Only “House of Flame and Shadow” is published, readers will probably have to wait a year or two.

The last book Maas published before House of Flame and Shadow was in 2022 – House of Sky and Breath, the second Crescent City novel – and before that, A Court of Silver Flames in 2021.

A fourth “Crescent City” book is also in preparation

Speaking to Jenna, Maas confirmed that there will indeed be a fourth Crescent City book. As for where it falls in her “taxiing” line of upcoming projects, Maas said it’s further down.

“You’ll have to wait a bit,” she said. “It’s a bit slow on the taxiway to the airport, but I know who the book is about. I know the big ideas I want to realize.”

Maas had previously stated in a 2022 interview that she was hoping for a fourth book. She had a contract for three books, she said, but since she had made it a habit to title these books after the four houses of Midgard, the planet where the series is set, another book was still possible.

So far, the “Crescent City” series includes three books:

1. “House of Earth and Blood” (2020)

2. “House of Heaven and Breath” (2022)

3. “House of Flame and Shadow” (2024)

What Sarah J. Maas plans after the next “ACOTAR” book

So we know that a new “ACOTAR” book is next on Maas’ “Taxiing Line.” What’s next after TheMaas said she had that under control too.

“There is a book I will be writing after this next ‘ACOTAR’ book that I am very excited about. I will not say what world it is set in. I will not say anything” she told TODAY.com. “But it’s a story that’s been brewing in the back of my mind for a long time. … I think it’s going to be a very emotional book for me, just because of the world I’m describing and the characters that might show up.”

🚨 Warning! The next section contains spoilers for Sarah J. Maas’ three series: “ACOTAR,” “Throne of Glass,” and “Crescent City.”

What could Sarah J. Maas’ next books be about?

While the synopsis of the next “ACOTAR” book is not yet publicly known, readers have been able to guess: The first four books followed the adventures of heroine Feyre Archeron and her love story with Rhysand, while the latest book, “A Court of Silver Flames,” followed Feyre’s sister Nesta and her romance with Rhysand’s friend Cassian. There is a third Archeron sister, Elain, as well as another in Rhysand’s trio of friends, Azriel, whose stories have yet to be told. (And Maas said she plans to explore Azriel more.)

The “companionship” motif – where two characters are destined to be together – is also a big part of SJM’s work. Those who have read the ACOTAR books know that Elain has a mate and Azriel hasn’t found his yet. There’s a bonus chapter for A Court of Silver Flames where readers get a glimpse into Azriel’s point of view, where he’s attracted to Elain… and another character named Gwyn.

So there’s a lot to work with here – and her characters often have multiple love interests. Without giving details, Maas told TODAY.com that the idea of ​​having agency in one’s love life was “very interesting” for them.

“There’s a lot to explore in terms of the concept of partners and your freedom of choice,” she said. “I won’t say whether I explore that in future books or not. But it definitely offers a wealth of things to explore, with this concept of free will and what true love is. Is it something that’s destined? Or is it something you make? Is it both?”

There are also many questions about “Throne of Glass”. The last book in this series, “Kingdom of Ash”, was published in 2018. But in an interview in 2022, Maas pondered a sequel to these books.

“‘Throne of Glass’ is technically over, but… is that it?” she said in 2022. “I’ve said before, there are other stories in this world that I want to tell at some point.”

Anyone who has read “House of Sky and Breath,” the second “Crescent City” book released in 2022, knows that Maas created a crossover between two of her book series when “Crescent City” heroine Bryce falls into the “ACOTAR” world in a shocking cliffhanger ending. This left fans wondering: Could “Throne of Glass” be involved in all this, too?

Maas told TODAY.com: “The gates between the worlds could open again, possibly to other places.”

“I’m not committing to anything,” she added. “But I love the idea of ​​being able to play in all three worlds.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com.