A Court of Thorns and Roses is a fantasy romance series written by American author Sarah J. Maas. The story follows 19-year-old Feyre Archeron after she is taken to the magical land of Prythian. The first book in the series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, was published in May 2015. The series explores Feyre’s experiences in Prythian and the faerie courts, including the challenges she faces and the love story that develops. The series has sold more than 13 million copies. There are currently five books in the series, with the sixth set to release on October 27, 2026, and the seventh on January 12, 2027. The eighth book will complete the story that begins in books six, seven, and eight.

The series is a New York Times Best Seller. Hulu has the rights to create a television adaptation of the series, produced by Ronald D. Moore. In 2024, Variety magazine reported that the Hulu project was still in development, though work on it was not currently active.

Development

Sarah J. Maas originally planned the series as a new version of the fairy tales Beauty and the Beast, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and Tam Lin. These stories influenced the series, but it was not a direct retelling of the tales.

She began writing A Court of Thorns and Roses in early 2009. The first draft of the book took about five weeks to complete.

The first draft of A Court of Mist and Fury was written from the perspectives of both Feyre and Rhysand. The second book went through several name changes, including A Court of Wind and Stone, A Court of Calm and Fury, A Court of Stars and Smoke, A Court of Wings and Stars, A Court of Venom and Silver, and A Court of Stars and Frost. Like the first book, the second novel was inspired by multiple fairy tales and myths, such as the story of Hades and Persephone. Characters like Rhysand and Feyre, as well as their home in the Night Court, were influenced by Greek mythology. Other inspirations include Hansel and Gretel, which inspired the character of the Weaver, and the Book of Exodus, which loosely shaped parts of the backstory for Miryam and Drakon.

The final cover of A Court of Wings and Ruin was designed by Adrian Dadich. The dress shown on the cover was originally created by Charlie Bowater and later modified by Dadich.

On July 12, 2016, Entertainment Weekly reported that Maas was writing five new books for the series. These would include two novellas and three additional novels set before and after the first trilogy.

In 2020, the series was reprinted by Bloomsbury with new illustrated covers. Since the first book was published, A Court of Thorns and Roses has been classified in both the Young Adult and New Adult fiction categories. At the time of the first book’s release, the New Adult category had not become as popular as publishers had hoped. Maas agreed to publish the book as Young Adult only if her editor did not remove any sexual content. The series is now classified as New Adult.

In September 2023, Maas announced plans to write a sixth book for the series. On July 11, 2025, a post on Maas’ Instagram account stated she had completed the first draft of the sixth book. In March 2026, Sarah J. Maas confirmed on the Call Her Daddy podcast that books six through eight would be “a book told in four parts.” The sixth book is scheduled for release on October 27, 2026, and the seventh book on January 12, 2027. The eighth book has not yet been written and has no release date.

Reception

In 2022, the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom reported that A Court of Mist and Fury was one of the ten most banned and challenged books in the United States. In 2023, a school district in Mason City, Iowa, received international attention when it removed the book from library shelves after using ChatGPT to determine if the book "contains a description or depiction of a sex act."

In 2023, the Central Media Advisory Committee for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina voted to ban A Court of Frost and Starlight, the fourth book in the series. The committee stated its responsibility to review and remove books that are "educationally unsuitable, pervasively vulgar or obscene, or inappropriate to the age, maturity, or grade level of students." The book remains available online, but students may be blocked from accessing it through parental controls.

In February 2024, staff in the Rutherford County Schools (RCS) library system in Tennessee were instructed by higher-level officials to remove 20 books from all library shelves. This five-book series was among the 20 selected for removal. An internal review by RCS found that two of the 20 books did not meet Tennessee state law's definition of obscenity and were allowed to stay on shelves. The remaining 18 books were removed without consulting librarians or following the school system's due process policies. As of mid-March 2024, all 18 books, including the entire series, remain off school shelves. The Rutherford County Library Alliance, a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting intellectual freedom and access to information in public libraries, is challenging this action.

In 2024, all five books in the series were among 13 books banned from all Utah public schools by the state school board for containing "objective sensitive material." One additional book by the same author, Empire of Storms, was also banned.

Adaptations

In November 2015, Tempo Productions, owned by Jo Bamford and Piers Tempest, bought the rights to A Court of Thorns and Roses. In 2018, the producers announced that Rachel Hirons had been hired to write the movie script.

In March 2021, 20th Television for Hulu announced plans to adapt A Court of Thorns and Roses into a television series. Ronald D. Moore and Maas were chosen to develop the series. Maas confirmed in an interview with The New York Times that she was working with the writers and serving as the executive producer of the adaptation. As of December 2023, no actors had been cast, but scriptwriting for the series continued. In February 2024, TVLine reported that the adaptation had been canceled and would not be offered to other networks. However, Variety later stated that these reports were incorrect.