The China Mail - Romantasy fans ready for sleepless night as 'Court of Thorns and Roses' returns

After a five-year hiatus, "A Court of Splintered Harmony" will reunite author Sarah J. Maas's passionate fan base for the midnight release of the sixth book in her genre-defining series.

ACOTAR, as it is known to aficionados, blends the swords-and-sorcery of fantasy epics like "Game of Thrones" with the smoldering romance familiar to readers of Danielle Steel.

Maas's series debuted in 2015 as a dark retelling of "Beauty and the Beast."

It follows 19-year-old Feyre Archeron and her sisters as they are carried out of the human realm and into Prythian, a land ruled by dashing faeries.

Over five books, it grows into a sprawling story of war, power and morally ambiguous immortals, in a formula that leaves its audience of mostly young women swooning.

- 'No amount of glue' -

Maas, 40, began writing at just 16, publishing early chapters of what became her "Throne of Glass" series online before Bloomsbury bought the novel in 2010.

She now presides over three interlocking sagas, which fans call the "Maasiverse": "Throne of Glass," "Crescent City" and "ACOTAR," which together account for the sales of more than 75 million books worldwide in 40 languages.

This year, Spotify named the original "A Court of Thorns and Roses" the most-streamed audiobook of all time on its premium plans, ahead of JRR Tolkien's "The Fellowship of the Ring."

In March, Maas sent fans into a frenzy when she told Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast that there was more to come in the series -- a lot more.

Her new story had grown so large, she said, that the first part alone ran to around 400 pages. A single volume holding all of it would simply fall apart.

"No amount of glue in any publisher's factory could ever hold this," she told Cooper.

Her solution was one story in four parts, spread across three physical books.

"A Court of Splintered Harmony" which goes on sale at 12:01 am around the world on October 27 carries part one, and "A Court of Forgotten Melody" follows on January 12 and bundles parts two and three.

A final volume, with part four, has yet to be written.

- 'The cherry on top' -

The wait does not seem to have cooled anyone's ardor. More than 500 Barnes & Noble stores across the US -- roughly 70 percent of the chain -- are hosting midnight launch parties. About 250 Target stores are holding their own countdowns.

Independent booksellers are making the most of the moment too.

In Beach Grove, Indiana, Moonlit Vine Bookstore is hosting an ACOTAR-themed costume contest while in Asheville, North Carolina, readers can get a flash tattoo or have their hair styled like a faerie while they wait for midnight.

Similar countdowns are planned from England to Canada to Germany.

"It's been a great year for genre fiction, especially in the fantasy and romantic space. This release is kind of just the cherry on top," said Morgan Lynch, owner of the Jupiter's Eye Book Cafe, in Washington state, who is hosting a sold-out pajama party for the release of the book.

"Everyone is so excited, it's been a while so there's a lot of hype for it," she told AFP.

D.Peng--ThChM