That theory fits with the caption, in which she wrote, “First drafts done.” Plural, drafts-with-an-S. Of course, maybe it’s a typo and Maas meant to write “draft’s,” a contraction of “draft is.” But let’s give her credit; Maas is a professional writer and Instagram does in fact have an edit feature; that plural is absolutely intentional.
So what do we make of this ambiguous number of ACOTAR books, and the plural “drafts”? Me personally? I think this Instagram post was about finishing the drafts (plural) of the rest of the books in the series.
Maas is a writer who always has more than one novel cooking, usually across multiple series, and, as she confirmed with the release of HOFAS, those series are interconnected. (Here is a handy publishing order post for chronological reference.) Her writing practice and the nature of her work mean that concurrently drafting (and completing) more than one book at the same time isn’t just possible, it’s pretty likely.
So given the interconnected nature of her work, let’s go a dream level deeper, beyond the words and symbols Maas has given us. Many fans—including yours truly—have noticed that that cover of the notebook she closes is very evocative of a certain landscape that doesn’t appear in ACOTAR. Instead, the snowcapped peaks and pine speckled hills look an awful lot like Terrasen, the kingdom of Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, aka the heroine of Maas’ Throne of Glass series.
Could it be that the Easter egg in this post isn’t the words and numbers but the images? Remember, in April 2024, Maas posted that she was “heading North” to draft. The northernmost kingdom in the Throne of Glass series is Terrasen. And the place where Maas has been holed up writing is covered in snow and pine trees—just like Terrasen. Maybe that environment just gets her creative juices flowing. Or maybe, as I and plenty of other people think, the next ACOTAR books could bring us a crossover between the worlds of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Throne of Glass.
Just to provide an alternate theory, I’ll point out that the Night Court, which is the home of ACOTAR main characters Rhys and Feyre, also bears similarities to the winter wonderland from which Maas is posting. And, yes, the Night Court occupies the north of its magical continent, Prythian. But pine and snow (iykyk) is so quintessentially Throne of Glass and Terrasen coded, it’s hard to see anything else when I look at the cover of that notebook (which I have since purchased from my local stationary store, like a good little obsessive).
Even if this post turns out to be a straightforward announcement about the status of ACOTAR 6, there’s plenty of predicting to be done. The fandom has been taking blind guesses at the title of ACOTAR 6 and which couple will take center stage long before this news. That might be a surprise to more-casual fans who assume Rhys and Feyre, the book’s central couple, will continue their reign over the series. But the last book, A Court of Silver Flame, belonged to Feyre’s eldest sister, Nesta, and many fans assume this shift marks a permanent departure for the series, a sentiment with which I agree. Plus, we know that Maas can write a heel-turn like no other; I personally think a partial one might be coming for the High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court.
But guesses at plotlines are at best speculative, and probably closer to daydreaming, as is any speculation about when the books might be released—not that that’s stopping the fandom. Hardcore fans frequently scan Goodreads and Amazon, looking for dummy entries that might indicate a release date communicated only to publishers and major booksellers. This kind of “information” regularly gets circulated as evidence that Something Is Happening; recently, Rebecca Yarros, author of Fourth Wing, had to respond to rumors that the next Empyrean book would come out in January 2026 because of a stray Goodreads post.
However, ACOTAR fans have correctly pointed out that there’s been a ramp up in marketing this year, including Barnes & Noble’s Night Court editions and a re-record of the audiobooks.
So here’s my final prediction: This post from Maas is part of a coordinated marketing scheme to get organic buzz buzzing ahead of an imminent release date announcement. The announcement will be for all three books, and those dates will be sooner than we think, throughout 2026 and 2027.
Will any of my predictions come true? I don’t care! The romantasy fandom, specifically Maasverse stans, love to read the tea leaves; it’s a part of the fun that comes with loving these books. Maas’ works invite that level of scrutiny; her series don’t just contain Easter eggs, they contain Russian nesting-doll-style Faberge contraptions she all but dares her readers to crack open. She operates in signs and symbols, mysteries and connections. And we wouldn’t want it any other way.
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