This guide is for those that can’t wait for the upcoming Sarah J. Maas novel, A Court of Splintered Harmony, that releases on October 27, 2026. If you just need a quick refresh or maybe you don’t have time for a full reread and want to jog your memory, then this is for you!

WARNING – This page contains spoilers so if you haven’t read a single book from the series, don’t look below!

1 – A Court of Thorns and Roses

Poor, starving human Feyre shoots and kills a wolf in the woods bringing a terrifying, magical creature to her door demanding retribution. The creature kidnaps her and drags her into the land of the fae that she only knows from legends. Feyre’s captor, Tamlin, is not truly a beast but a shapeshifting, immortal faerie. As she spends time in the fae world, her feelings for Tamlin change from hostility to passion. Every lie she once heard about fae is breaking down alongside the walls she built to keep Tamlin out of her heart. What Feyre will later discover is that she has the powers to stop a curse plaguing the fae. Feyre will have to face the evil Amarantha that has the magical creatures of the world indentured to her. If she can’t find a way to survive Amarantha’s trials, it will doom Tamlin and fae forever. She must either solve a riddle or complete the three trials Amarantha sets before her. 

Her first trial is to kill a Middengard Wyrm while running through a muddy labyrinth. She manages to use the bones from the Wyrm’s previous victims to impale it thus winning the first trial. The suspicious and charming High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand, has begun to help Feyre survive. In the second trial, Feyre must save Tamlin’s best friend, Lucien, from being crushed to death by spiked walls. She must read the labels and pull the correct lever to free Lucien, but she is unable to read. In order to save Lucien, Feyre, and the future of the fae, Rhysand secretly uses his magic to burn the correct answer in the back of her hand. The third and worst trial forces Feyre to kill three innocent High Fae by stabbing them in the heart with an ash-wood dagger. She kills the first two and then discovers the third she must kill is Tamlin. Remembering that he has a heart of stone, Feyre stabs him knowing that he will not be harmed. Amarantha refuses to break the curse on a small technicality until Feyre realizes the answer to her riddle. In the moment that Feyre speaks the answer, “love”, the curse is broken, but she is killed. With the curse destroyed, Tamlin and Rhysand are able to use their powers to kill Amarantha. After she saved the fae world, each high lord gifts Feyre with a kernel of their power and immortality, bringing her back to life and transforming her into fae.  

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2 – A Court of Mist and Fury

After defeating Amarantha, dying, and being revived by high lords, and transforming into fae, Feyre should be resting, enjoying her victory and her engagement to Tamlin. Instead she is plagued by nightmares about her time Under the Mountain and the evil deeds she committed to save him and his people. On the day of her wedding, following Feyre’s decision to not go through with the wedding, Rhysand shows up. He calls in his bargain with Feyre from Under the Mountain, meaning she must now spend a week every month in the Night Court. In the Night Court, Rhysand begins to teach her to read and how to wield mental shields to protect herself. Wanting to ally with the Spring Court, Rhys tells Feyre of a potential war with the King of Hybern. 

She becomes split between her life in the Night Court where she is treated normally and her life in the Spring Court where Tamlin continues to treat her like a damsel in distress. Feyre begs for a chance to leave Tamlin’s manor with him, to be treated normally but Tamlin refuses locking her into his manor. Desperate, Feyre’s powers create a cocoon around herself made of ice, fire, and darkness. Mor, a member of the Night Court’s Inner Circle, comes to save her and bring her back to the Night Court. In spending an extended time in the Night Court, Feyre begins to see the beauty of the court and realizes that she had been misled about Rhysand. Rhysand shows her the city of stars, Velaris, that he hid during Amarantha’s reign. In Velaris, Feyre meets all of the Inner Circle, Cassian, Azriel, and Amren and agrees to work with them to prepare for the war with Hybern. 

This is when they learn from the Bone Carver that Jurian, from the first war, is still alive and the King of Hybern is after the Cauldron so they start to hunt down the book of breathings which can be used to nullify its power. This leads them to the Summer Court where they deceive the High Lord and steal half of the book of breathings from a hidden vault. In a meeting with the mortal queens and Feyre’s human sisters, Elain and Nesta, the Night Court hopes to obtain half of the Book of Breathings but the queens refuse unless Rhysand can prove that he is not the monster of his reputation. He shows them Velaris using a magical orb to show the peaceful city that he has protected. Shortly after, Rhysand and Feyre are attacked and he is fatally injured. In Feyre’s attempts to save him, she consults a magical creature called the Suriel. In his advice, he reveals that Rhys is her mate, but Rhys has known that since they were leaving under the mountain. After days of anger over being lied to she accepts the mating bond. 

In the second meeting with the mortal queens, one of them secretly leaves the other half behind in defiance of her sisters. The queens turn out to be allied with Hybern when a legion of the King’s forces attacks Velaris and Feyre helps defend it. Amren has worked on decoding the Book of Breathings so that they can finally nullify the Cauldron. They travel to Hybern’s castle to find the Cauldron, but Feyre is unable to destroy the Cauldron. This gives the King of Hybern enough time to nullify their powers. Also allied with Hybern, Tamlin and Lucien show up to get Feyre back. Then the mortal queens with the kidnapped Nesta and Elain appear to receive the immortality that the king promised them. He first sends Nesta and Elain into the Cauldron to prove that it is safe thus turning them into fae. In turning them into fae, Lucien and Elain are found to be mates. Using their bond to communicate her plan to Rhys, Feyre pretends that he has been brainwashing her, begging the King of Hybern to “snap” the mating bond, saving her. He breaks the bargain they made Under the Mountain, not the mating bond, allowing Feyre to break the wards for the Night Court to return home. Feyre returns to the Spring Court with Tamlin who is unaware that she is the High Lady of the Night Court plotting against him. 

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3 – A Court of War and Ruin

Feyre is spending her time in the Spring Court learning information about Hybern’s plans and turning the Spring Court against itself. By using the priestess Ianthe and soldiers from the court, Feyre is able to create distrust in Tamlin. Jurian shows up with the twins Brannagh and Dagdan to find the hole in the wall and to formalize their alliance with the Spring Court. Feyre also creates distrust between Tamlin and Lucien by convincing Tamlin that Lucien has feelings for her. As the twins and Jurian are looking for the hole in the wall, Feyre is able to obtain more information. On the third trip exploring, Feyre is planning to run from the Spring Court when she discovers Ianthe has tied Lucien up and is planning to make moves on him. Feyre uses her mind control powers to control Ianthe and forces her to break her own hand. Dagdan and Brannagh show up and reveal that they’ve been poisoning Feyre and Lucien with faebane limiting their powers. Feyre and Lucien fight, kill the twins and run off. They run into the Autumn Court where Lucien’s brothers attempt to capture them under orders of Beron. In their struggles, Feyre reveals to Lucien’s brothers that she has Autumn Court powers. They manage to claw their way to the Winter Court where Cassian and Azriel come to save them.

Returning to the Night Court, Feyre is able to reunite with Rhysand and their Inner Circle, and fills them in on what she has learned about Hybern. With the information about the impending war, Rhys and Feyre call a meeting with all of the High Lords. Feyre then goes to visit the Bone Carver making a deal to fight in the war in exchange for the Ouroboros Mirror at the Court of Nightmares. The Inner Circle goes to the Court of Nightmares to meet with Keir, Mor’s father and steward of the Court. They request their legion, the Darkbringers’ assistance in war and to obtain the mirror. Rhys creates an alliance with Eris of the Autumn Court and Keir in exchange for their access to Velaris. Keir agrees to both the alliance and giving the mirror away but Feyre must go through facing the mirror to get it. 

In the time before war, Feyre works to shapeshift her wings and learn to fly with Azriel and works with Cassian to train in combat fighting. Lucien goes to find the human queen on the continent that has been cursed by the others and sold to a death god. At the same time Amryn works to decode the Book of Breathings and to train Nesta in her powers. Feyre and Nesta go to the library in the Night Court looking for some answers but instead are attacked by agents of Hybern. In their struggle, they reveal that Nesta took something from the cauldron when she was made fae, and that the King of Hybern is after her specifically. Feyre and Nesta run to the bottom of the library where a deadly creature, Bryaxis, lives. Feyre makes a deal promising him company occasionally in exchange for protection. Bryaxis kills Hybern’s agents, saving Nesta and Feyre. Elain had made cryptic and odd comments predicting the attack which Azriel identifies as Elain being a seer. 

Before the meeting between all the courts can occur, the Summer Court is attacked by Hybern. The Night Court’s Inner Circle go to help defend despite the tension between the two courts. The high lord meeting is then able to happen Under the Mountain. As they discuss what is coming with Hybern, Feyre is revealed to be the first high lady of any court. Tamlin shows up with an attitude, but also reveals that he has been a spy with Hybern. Towards the end of their meetings, Hybern knocks the wall down which in turn makes Nesta sick because of her connection to the Cauldron. In fast preparation for the war, Feyre makes a second bargain with Bryaxis for his assistance in exchange for a window in the library to see the stars. Jurian shows up and reveals that he is also a double agent working against Hybern. 

With the wall destroyed, humans are at great risk so Elain creates a plan to evacuate the humans to her ex-fiance’s father’s house. Graysen rejects Elain as a partner because she is now fae, but they agree to shelter humans. With intel from Jurian, the fae are able to prepare and fight Hybern in the Summer Court and toward the Winter Court. In a moment of despair and fear for their armies, Feyre seeks out the Suriel again. He informs her that Nesta’s connection to the Cauldron will allow her to find it and that the secret to defeating Hybern is in the Book of Breathings. Feyre didn’t realize it, but Ianthe has been tracking the Suriel. She kills him, leaving Feyre to run for her life. Feyre leads her to the Weaver’s Cottage who happily kills Ianthe. 

Upon returning to camp, Feyre finds out that Cassian has almost died in battle. Nesta is able to locate the Cauldron and discover where Hybern’s armies are, but in doing so it reveals their own location to Hybern. The Cauldron is able to lure Elain so she disappears to Hybern’s camp. Azriel and Feyre travel to save her with Feyre disguising herself as Ianthe to gain entrance. They are able to find Elain, but they are discovered and must fight their way out. Tamlin, in his beast form, gives them the small window that they need to leave. In one last moment, the high lords winnow all the humans away from the battle about to begin.

War then begins with Bryaxis, the Bone Carver, and the Weaver, in a bargain for her freedom, aiding the courts. The King of Hybern wields the Cauldron as a weapon, immediately killing thousands of soldiers and the Bone Carver. Out of the mist of battle, comes Draken and Miriam accompanied by Vassa, the human queen, and Mr. Archeron, Nesta, Elain, and Feyre’s father, in ships that he has named after his daughters. Amren and Feyre go to the Cauldron while Nesta baits the King of Hybern to distract him. When Feyre puts her hands on the Cauldron, she is able to see what is happening across the battlefields. Nesta was trying to lure the King out so that she can kill him, but he is able to get to their father first, killing him. As the king goes to kill Nesta and Cassian, Elain stabs him in the neck, killing him. Nesta finishes the job by decapitating him. With the spells that Amren and Feyre have used, Amren is able to unbind herself from her fae worm, and she jumps into the Cauldron. She emerges as a giant, silvery creature and destroys the rest of Hybern before fading away. This creates cracks in the Cauldron that Feyre is able to seal by channeling Rhys’s powers. This, however, kills Rhys. 

Devastated, Feyre begs the high lords to each use their magic and power to revive him. The last of the high lords to give is Tamlin who tells Feyre to be happy. Rhysand is revived and pulls Amren out of the Cauldron in a regular body. In the aftermath of the war, Feyre and her sisters bury their father. They meet with Miriam and Draken to discuss a treaty with the fae. Feyre meets Vassa, who requests help breaking the curse that binds her to the death god. Feyre, Rhys, and their Inner Circle then return home to Velaris, bruised and battered, but having won the war. 

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4 – A Court of Frost and Starlight

In this novella we get a view into the holidays with the Night Court. The Night Court is working their way back to a normal life after surviving the war. Feyre is adjusting to being High Lady and serving her court. She is volunteering within the city and prepping for the winter solstice. In part of Feyre’s healing, she opens an art studio in an old gallery to create a space for children to paint. Rhys is spending his time helping the Spring Court that was in shambles at the end of the war. Cassian has been appointed to soothe tensions with the Illyrians and prevent the possibilities of a rebellion. He is also trying to ensure that women are treated fairly in the camps. Amren is adjusting to her new fae body after leaving behind her old form. Mor has become an emissary to other lands to avoid her father, Keir, and his men when they are in Velaris and is seeing suspicious shadows. Elain spends her time recovering by gardening and being with Azriel. Lucien ends up living in the human realm with Jurian and Vassa. Nesta has moved across the city in her own apartment and avoids her family and friends. Rhys’s gift to Feyre is land in Velaris for them to build a new house together and they decide that they want to have a child together soon. 

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5 – A Court of Silver Flames

Feyre puts an end to Nesta living across the city and drinking away her sorrows. She forces Nesta to move to the House of Wind to begin training with Cassian and start working in the library with high priestess and librarian Clotho. Cassian and Nesta butt heads intensely in their training, but Nesta slowly works through her grief and shame that stems from the war against Hybern. Cassian and Nesta’s tension runs deeper than their verbal sparring. In the library, Nesta meets Gwyn, a quick-witted half-fae princess, who faced suffering at the hands of Hybern soldiers. Their friendship becomes a changing point for Nesta. Through long hours of training and fighting, Nesta is able to see her body grow and strengthen, whilst also growing in her friendships and in her feelings for Cassian. Though, the pair is not willing to admit what is happening between them. In an Illyrian camp, Nesta meets Emerie, a shopkeeper and warrior, who completes a close knit friendship trio with Gwyn. Nesta’s Cauldron powers begin to stir, and strange things start to happen around Nesta. 

The Night Court Inner Circle discovers that Briallyn, a mortal queen, is hunting after the Dead trove, a collection consisting of a powerful mask, harp, and crown. As Rhysand and the other high lords are attempting to repair their fractured courts, Briallyn is building power. In research about the Dead Trove, Nesta learns she is directly connected to the objects because she is also Made, so she and Cassian begin to hunt down the objects. In their pursuit to find the Mask that Nesta feels drawn to, the pair grows much closer. After a high adrenaline close call with Briallyn’s forces, Cassian and Nesta finally act on their feelings, escalating their physical relationship. Briallyn obtains the Crown, turning the struggle for the Harp into a desperate search. When Nesta finds it, the Crown responds to her showing her that she truly is Made by the Cauldron. The depth of Nesta’s powers is far older and more demanding than typical Fae magic. 

Cassian and Nesta’s walls lower with one another, leading Cassian to reveal his tragic upbringing as an Illyrian orphan. Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie start their journey of training as Valkyrie in ancient fighting skills focusing on physical strength and mental discipline. At this time, Feyre is pregnant and expecting hers and Rhys’ first child, but complications with the size of the Illyrian baby’s wings. Fear for Feyre’s health and safety arises, with Rhys being the most scared. Briallyn is making bold moves to retrieve the final Dead Trove item, The Crown, putting even more pressure on the Inner Circle. 

Following their intense training, Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie enter the most emotionally and physically demanding test to prove their new strength. The Blood Rite is a brutal Illyrian survival competition in the mountains where fighters battle to reach the summit of the sacred mountain Ramiel. The warriors are sent to compete with no weapons, no magic, and no use of their wings. The trio’s entrance is unofficial so they are separated from the rest of the competitors at the start. They become the target of other Illyrian warriors who assume they will be an easy target. Instead, Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie fight back and win using their combat skills and strategy. Weapons have been added to the Blood Rite, potentially by Briallyn, putting Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie in danger. Each member of the trio suffers serious injuries that puts them into desperate situations, but Nesta uses her powers in ways she never has to protect Gwyn and Emerie. She continues to fight, holding off their remaining enemies so that Gwyn and Emerie are able to reach the top of Ramiel. The second they touch the stone, it winnows them away, leaving Nesta alone with one remaining Illyrian, Bellius. It is at this time, that Nesta begins to accept that her and Cassian are mates.

While Nesta is competing in the Blood Rite, Eris, the oldest son of the Autumn Court, has been kidnapped by Briallyn. Though the Inner Circle is afraid that it is a trap, Eris would be a dangerous weapon under the influence of the Crown. When spying on the castle, Cassian and Azriel see Eris riding a horse with the queen whilst holding a dagger that should protect him from the control of the Trove. This leads them to believe that he has betrayed them. As they follow the pair towards a small lake, Eris is able to sneak up on Cassian. Though Eris tries to make it seem like he has betrayed them, the way that he refers to Mor as Morrigan is enough to reveal that he is under Briallyn’s control. The cloaked figure they believed to be Briallyn is actually a magical illusion. A shadowy figure appears above the lake introducing himself as Koschei. This distraction allows Briallyn to pull Cassian under her mental control. 

As Nesta begins to fight Bellius, Cassian appears and kills Bellius before Nesta can. He then hugs Nesta and says that he is going to kill her. He is under Briallyn’s control of the Crown who has also appeared with him. Briallyn reveals that she was orchestrating things behind the scenes so that Nesta performs the Blood Rite ensuring that she is without her powers and is physically exhausted. Briallyn demands that Nesta hand over the rest of the Trove. When she refuses, Briallyn commands Cassian to kill her. Even under the control of the Crown, Cassian is able to gain enough strength to turn the dagger against himself instead of Nesta. The thought of Cassian dying sends the Cauldron’s magic flying out of Nesta, reducing Briallyn to ash. Her burst of power has not harmed Cassian in any way, so she tells him that he is her mate, and they kiss. Azriel and Mor appear to bring them home. 

On their return, they discover that Feyre has gone into labor prematurely. The baby’s wings begin to tear her stomach so the healer, Madja, performs an emergency c-section delivering a baby that is not going to survive. Because Feyre and Rhys share a death pact, Feyre being on the brink of bleeding out means that Rhys is also on death’s door. Nesta is able to intervene, using the power she stole from the Cauldron to save Feyre, Rhysand, and the baby. Nesta puts on the Crown, the Mask, and the Harp, though no one has wielded all and survived. Plucking the 26th string of the Harp, Nesta stops time and bargains with the mother. She promises her Cauldron powers in exchange for Feyre’s life. Time resumes and as power leaves her body, life returns to Feyre’s. Cassian sees a slightly glowing hand prevent all of the power from leaving Nesta’s body. Feyre, Rhysand, and their baby all return to their full health. In the midst of this, Nesta is able to change Feyre’s reproductive anatomy to be Illyrian permanently to prevent this from ever happening again. Rhys kneels at Nesta’s feet thanking her for saving his mate and wife. Nesta kneels down and hugs him. 

Cassian and Nesta have a conversation later where Nesta reveals that she gave all her power back to the Cauldron but something stopped it from taking it all. She also discloses that she changed her own anatomy so that if she wants to have a baby, she won’t be in danger. Cassian asks her what she wants and Nesta says that she wants him. She asks for a fancy mating ceremony that Cassian is not keen on having. She then pulls a biscuit out of her pocket to complete the official ritual but Cassian says he’d rather have the ceremony. Eris is home safe in the Hewn City, no longer under the influence of Briallyn. Cassian and Nesta are planning their mating ceremony. Feyre and Rhysand are safe and get to raise their son Nyx. Briallyn has been killed eliminating her threat, but Koschei is still a danger.

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6 – A Court of Splintered Harmony – The Valkyrie Cycle Movement I – October 27, 2026

On the continent, Koschei the Deathless is beginning to stir. He’s been bound to a mountain lake for hundreds of years, but there is now threat of his return. There are rumors that he is fixated on reclaiming the human lands alongside powerful allies. The Night Court will not allow innocents to be attacked while they just stand by, but uniting Prythian after the devastating Hybern War is easier said than done. Even more difficult, the leaders and protectors of the Night Court are stumbling after a betrayal. If they want to defeat Koschei, they must get past the disloyalty, unite with past alliances, and repair the splintered harmony. 

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7 – A Court of Forgotten Melody – The Valkyrie Cycles Movements II & III : Scheduled to release on January 12, 2027

Prythian is stumbling as alliances are failing and diplomacy isn’t enough to mend them. With Koschei the Deathless still on the horizon, creating an allied front is more vital than ever. Their bonds will be tested, powers will change, and old enemies are going to return. The Night Court’s Inner Circle may be spread apart, searching for advantages against Koschei, but hope can come from dark shadows. The Night Court won’t go down without a fight.

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The synopses that have been released for the next two books are very vague so if you’re wanting some more specifics, we’ve rounded up all of the fan theories for the next release.