After nearly two years of waiting, crowds of fans gathered at their local bookstores to celebrate the highly anticipated release of Sarah J. Maas’ third book in the “Crescent City” series. Fans arrived in “Crescent City” cosplay and fan-made merchandise, eager to get their hands on the newest book in Maas’ 16-book universe (also known by fans as the Maasverse). At a daunting 848 pages, “A House of Flame and Shadow” has taken Maas’ total book sales to over 40 million.
This level of enthusiasm is rare in the publishing industry, with Bloomsbury Publishing stating a 79% year-on-year sales growth related to Maas’ books. Maas’ first book, “Throne of Glass,” published in 2012, started the eight-book adventure of teenage assassin, Celaena Sardothien, who fights for her freedom from the villainous King of Adarlan. In 2015, “A Court of Thorns and Roses” (ACOTAR) debuted. Inspired by “Beauty and the Beast,” the adult fantasy series seamlessly mixed steamy romance with fae-versus-human politics, and swiftly brought the fiction subgenre “romantasy” to life.
Maas receives rave reviews in all aspects of her writing. Fans continuously praise the characterization of not only the main female protagonists in her books, but also the side characters whom readers end up cherishing just as much. Ria Nanjundan, a first-year business major at UT, attributed Maas’ success to the connection readers build with all the characters. By the end of Throne of Glass, readers become so attached to Maas’ characters, that seeing their stories end is a satisfying, yet emotional conclusion to the series, Nanjundan said.
“Even when I first opened the (final) book, I started crying,” Nanjundan said. “Many tears were shed, and I think that goes back to her characters and becoming so connected with them.”
In addition to the attachment readers feel to these characters, the fantastical world-building in Maas’ books helps readers find an escape from the stressful and mundane world that is our reality. In particular, Velaris, also known as the City of Starlight, is a frequent setting in the “ACOTAR” world. Built upon sprawling mountains and a dazzling river, fans dream of this fictional place so much so that they create and sell merchandise specifically for Velaris through online marketplaces.
For Priyanka Naidoo, a PhD student studying in China, Maas’ worlds provide an escape unlike any other book she’s read.
“She’s managed to do world-building in such a way that you’re invested in these characters in that world,” Naidoo said. “If somebody opened up a Velaris theme park, you would go, which isn’t necessarily how you would feel about other good fantasy books out there. It’s much more than just a book.”
While in the past, many best-selling book series have also reached worldwide acclaim, Maas’ success is unique in that social media platforms such as TikTok have catapulted her success to new and unprecedented levels. Just “ACOTAR” alone accumulated over several billion views among the reading community on TikTok, also known as BookTok. Fan edits, memes and explanatory videos for new readers are all the type of content that amasses (no pun intended) hundreds of thousands of views per video.
Explanatory videos are a necessity in the Maasverse, as her books serve as a stepping stone back into reading for many people. Questions about choosing what series to read first, picking the right reading order for “Throne of Glass” and deciding whether you really need to read “ACOTAR” before “Crescent City” (yes, you do), are all queries BookTok creators seek to answer.
Abigail Greer is one of those creators who’s found success in sharing guidance online, with over 48,000 followers on her account. Greer posts summaries, theories and reading guides for her followers. The most popular video on her account, which she started in September of last year, has over three million views. The four-minute TikTok condenses everything new SJM readers need to know about her books into one video.
“When I posted that video, I had so many (people asking) questions,” Greer said. “I just started implementing what I would want to see (as a beginner) into my content. It bloomed from me being confused in the beginning and then people asking questions. I was like, ‘alright, we’re gonna (make this) as simple as possible.’”
Through BookTok creators, “ACOTAR” has reached new levels of success. It opened up the world of SJM to dormant, childhood readers, and first-time readers alike, creating a community for people to share their passions for the different worlds of SJM. Reddit groups dedicated to Maas have over 58,000 members, and book clubs are going through all of Maas’ books. Niya Sarvis, a claims adjuster in Washington D.C., created a book club at her work devoted to discussing all things SJM. Although the group just started, it already has over 300 members. For Emma Swonke, a seventh-grade English teacher, Maas’ books strengthened her connection to her family.
“One of the coolest ways I’ve connected to people through Sarah J. Maas is getting all of the women in my family to read the books,” Swonke said. “My mom, all my aunts, even my grandma have read all the series. (Maas’ books) are a super easy segue into emotionally harder topics… It’s made it easier for me to open up about my own emotions.”
Additionally, Maas’ books allow Nanjundan to connect with new people wherever she goes.
“When I was rereading ‘Throne of Glass,’ I was in a small town, and I was holding a Sarah J. Maas book. This girl came up to me and said, ‘I love that book,’ and we sat there for a good ten minutes talking about it,” Nanjundan said. “I think a really special thing about her universe is I feel like I can connect with so many of her readers.”
With fae people, archangels, witches, and many other creatures created by the mind of SJM, it’s easy to feel the escapism Maas’ books provide early in the reading experience. Watching the main characters fight gigantic wyrms, receive mail via messenger otter and keep a fire sprite as a companion is the perfect amount of fantasy needed to give anyone a reprieve from their real life.
Alexis Lewis, a program manager and UT alumni, appreciates Maas’ writing for the escape it provides.
“(These books) are a great way to escape and dissociate. I work in a high-stress job … and ‘ACOTAR’ specifically, had no connection to my real life,” Lewis said. “It’s an opportunity to escape, and it reignited a part of my brain that can be creative and dream. ‘ACOTAR’ brought that (desire to fantasize) back.”
As many fans already devoured “House of Flame and Shadow” within days of its release, Maas announced the next book she releases will be in the “ACOTAR” world. While the release date remains unknown, fans in the meantime are discussing who the next book will be about, what plot holes it may address and how it’ll tie back into the grand scheme of the Maasverse. Readers have been searching for an escape, and a community to seek that escape with; Sarah J. Maas invites these readers into her worlds with open arms.