10 Things You Need to Remember Before A Court of Splintered Harmony

It has been more than five years since A Court of Silver Flames expanded the world of Prythian through Nesta Archeron’s story, and there is a lot for readers to remember before Sarah J. Maas returns with A Court of Splintered Harmony.

The sixth book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series is officially scheduled for October 27, 2026. Bloomsbury is calling it the beginning of The Valkyrie Cycle, which will continue with A Court of Forgotten Melody on January 12, 2027.

And judging from the official description, Maas is not starting small.

Koschei the Deathless is becoming an increasingly dangerous threat, old alliances are fractured, Prythian is still recovering from the war with Hybern, and divisions inside the Night Court could become just as important as the enemies waiting beyond it.

That means several storylines from the previous ACOTAR books suddenly matter a lot more.

If you don’t have time to reread the entire series before October, here are 10 important things to remember before reading A Court of Splintered Harmony.

Warning: Major spoilers for the first five ACOTAR books follow.

1. Koschei the Deathless Is Now the Biggest Threat

The most important name to remember going into A Court of Splintered Harmony may be Koschei the Deathless.

Koschei has existed largely in the background of the series so far, but that is about to change.

He is an ancient death-god who has been trapped beside a lake on the continent for thousands of years. Readers encountered his influence most directly through Vassa, one of the human queens, who was cursed to transform into a firebird and forced to remain under his control.

By A Court of Silver Flames, Koschei was already manipulating events beyond his prison.

Now Bloomsbury’s official synopsis confirms that he is stirring and that his growing influence is attracting powerful allies who want to reclaim the human lands.

In other words, Koschei is no longer just a mysterious future villain.

He appears to be the central threat of ACOTAR 6.

2. Prythian Never Fully Recovered From the War With Hybern

The Inner Circle defeated the King of Hybern in A Court of Wings and Ruin, but winning the war did not magically repair Prythian.

Entire regions were devastated.

Relationships between courts remained complicated. Trust between humans and Fae was fragile at best. And several rulers were left dealing with the political consequences of everything that happened.

That instability looks like it will finally become central to the story.

The official description for A Court of Splintered Harmony says the Night Court needs to unite Prythian against Koschei, but bringing the courts together is proving increasingly difficult.

That gives the title Splintered Harmony a pretty obvious second meaning.

The threat may come from Koschei, but Prythian’s inability to work together could be just as dangerous.

3. Nesta Is Now a Valkyrie

One of the biggest developments in A Court of Silver Flames was Nesta’s transformation.

She began the novel angry, isolated, and struggling after everything she experienced during the war.

By the end, she had become something very different.

Alongside Gwyneth Berdara and Emerie, Nesta revived the tradition of the legendary Valkyries, female warriors who once fought alongside some of Prythian’s greatest armies.

The three trained together under Cassian and Azriel and eventually survived the Blood Rite.

Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie didn’t just become friends.

They became warriors.

And Bloomsbury’s decision to officially label the upcoming books The Valkyrie Cycle makes their development impossible to ignore.

Whatever happens next, the Valkyries appear poised to become a much bigger part of ACOTAR.

4. Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie Survived the Blood Rite

Surviving the Illyrian Blood Rite is an enormous achievement.

Reaching Ramiel during the Rite is even rarer.

Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie were forcibly placed into the competition after being kidnapped, yet they survived against warriors who had spent much of their lives preparing for it.

Their experience also demonstrated exactly why their friendship matters.

They repeatedly chose one another over individual glory.

That relationship could become crucial if Koschei’s plans force the Valkyries into an actual war rather than a training exercise.

And with A Court of Splintered Harmony officially launching the Valkyrie Cycle, the events of the Blood Rite feel less like the conclusion of Nesta’s story and more like preparation for whatever Maas has planned next.

5. Nesta Gave Up Most of Her Cauldron-Made Power

Nesta once possessed some of the most terrifying magic in the entire series.

When she was forced into the Cauldron, she didn’t simply receive power.

She essentially took it.

That power allowed her to create incredibly dangerous magical objects and gave her abilities even powerful Fae feared.

But during the climax of A Court of Silver Flames, Nesta used much of that power to save Feyre, Rhysand, and their newborn son Nyx.

She did not lose everything.

But she emerged fundamentally changed.

Exactly what remains of Nesta’s abilities could become extremely important moving forward—particularly because she has already demonstrated a connection with ancient objects, forgotten magic, and forces even the High Lords don’t completely understand.

6. The Dread Trove Still Matters

One storyline worth remembering is the Dread Trove.

Nesta discovered several ancient magical objects throughout A Court of Silver Flames, including:

• The Mask
• The Harp
• The Crown

These artifacts possess terrifying abilities.

The Mask can command the dead.

The Harp can manipulate space and potentially move between locations and perhaps much more.

The Crown can control the minds of others.

Nesta was uniquely capable of using them because of her connection to the Cauldron.

And the fact that multiple objects with this level of power have now been introduced suggests they may have a role beyond a single novel.

If Koschei truly is preparing to break free, ancient weapons capable of altering death, minds, and space could suddenly become extremely relevant.

7. Vassa Is Still Connected to Koschei

Vassa may be one of the most important characters readers should remember.

The human queen was cursed by Koschei and forced to spend much of her existence as a firebird.

She was temporarily allowed to leave his lake during the war against Hybern, but the bargain surrounding her freedom was never completely resolved.

That makes Vassa one of the few characters with direct knowledge of Koschei.

She also gives the Night Court a personal reason to confront him.

If Koschei’s influence begins spreading through the human territories, as the official synopsis suggests, Vassa could become one of the most valuable allies in understanding exactly what he wants.

Her story also remains intertwined with Jurian and Lucien, setting up another unresolved thread.

8. Lucien, Vassa, and Jurian Formed Their Own Alliance

Lucien hasn’t exactly been spending all his time in the Night Court.

Instead, he has become increasingly connected with Vassa and Jurian.

Feyre jokingly referred to the three as the Band of Exiles, but their alliance may turn out to be much more important than the nickname implies.

They are positioned between multiple worlds.

Lucien has connections to the Spring Court, Autumn Court, Night Court, Day Court, and human lands.

Jurian understands both humanity and the Fae after centuries of conflict.

Vassa has firsthand experience with Koschei.

If A Court of Splintered Harmony revolves around rebuilding alliances across Prythian and the human territories, few groups are better positioned to bridge those divisions.

Lucien’s political importance may therefore become much greater in the next book.

9. Elain and Lucien’s Mating Bond Is Still Unresolved

One of ACOTAR’s longest-running unresolved relationships remains exactly that: unresolved.

Lucien discovered that Elain Archeron is his mate shortly after she was Made into Fae.

But Elain has never accepted the bond.

She also hasn’t formally rejected it.

That leaves both characters trapped in an uncomfortable middle ground.

Meanwhile, Elain developed an increasingly complicated relationship with Azriel.

Their attraction became especially clear in the bonus chapter attached to some editions of A Court of Silver Flames, although Rhysand prevented Azriel from pursuing it because of the political consequences.

And then there is Gwyn.

Azriel’s interactions with Gwyn have generated one of the largest ongoing debates in the ACOTAR fandom.

Whether ACOTAR 6 resolves any of these relationships remains unknown, but the tension has been building for several books.

10. The Night Court Is More Divided Than It Looks

The Inner Circle has always appeared incredibly close.

That doesn’t mean everything is fine.

Nesta’s relationship with Rhysand has been tense.

Azriel has occasionally pushed against Rhysand’s authority.

Elain increasingly appears determined to make her own choices.

Cassian is balancing his loyalty to Rhys with his relationship with Nesta.

And several major truths and secrets have damaged trust between characters.

The official synopsis for A Court of Splintered Harmony specifically says those ruling and protecting the Night Court are dealing with betrayals, revealed truths, and seemingly overwhelming divisions.

That is one of the most intriguing clues Bloomsbury has given readers.

Koschei may be preparing to attack from outside the Night Court.

But Maas appears equally interested in what is breaking apart inside it.

What Is A Court of Splintered Harmony About?

Bloomsbury’s official description gives us the clearest picture yet of ACOTAR 6.

Koschei’s influence is beginning to spread throughout the Fae territories while powerful allies gather around him with the goal of reclaiming the human lands.

The Night Court wants to intervene, but Prythian remains politically fractured following the war with Hybern.

At the same time, the relationships among the Night Court’s most important characters have been damaged by betrayals and revelations.

To stop Koschei, they will apparently need to rebuild those relationships and restore old alliances.

That sounds much more like a large-scale ACOTAR story than another mostly isolated character romance.

And that may be exactly what the series needs.

When Does A Court of Splintered Harmony Come Out?

A Court of Splintered Harmony will be released on October 27, 2026.

Both Sarah J. Maas’s official website and Bloomsbury list the same publication date.

It will be followed surprisingly quickly by A Court of Forgotten Melody on January 12, 2027.

Bloomsbury refers to the two upcoming novels collectively as The Valkyrie Cycle.

That designation alone makes Nesta, Gwyn, Emerie, and the future of the Valkyries some of the most important things to watch when the series returns.

Do You Need to Reread ACOTAR Before Book 6?

Probably not.

But I would at least recommend revisiting A Court of Silver Flames before reading A Court of Splintered Harmony.

That novel establishes the Valkyries, significantly expands Nesta’s powers and relationship with the Dread Trove, develops Koschei’s role behind the scenes, and leaves several relationships unresolved.

Readers who want an even more complete refresher could reread A Court of Wings and Ruin as well, since the aftermath of the Hybern War appears to play a major role in the political situation of ACOTAR 6.

Final Thoughts

What makes A Court of Splintered Harmony particularly exciting is that Sarah J. Maas appears ready to bring together storylines she has been quietly developing for years.

Koschei is finally moving toward the center of the story.

The Valkyries are established.

Vassa remains connected to Koschei.

Lucien occupies a fascinating position between multiple courts and the human territories.

Elain’s story remains unresolved.

The Dread Trove is still enormously powerful.

And the Night Court may not be nearly as united as it once seemed.

With another ACOTAR novel arriving only a few months afterward, A Court of Splintered Harmony could also be less of a standalone adventure and more like the opening half of a much larger conflict.

After such a long wait between ACOTAR novels, I’m especially interested to see Maas return to the political conflicts and larger mythology of Prythian. The series has accumulated so many unanswered questions that ACOTAR 6 has the potential to connect storylines stretching all the way back through the earliest books.

October suddenly doesn’t feel that far away.

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