134 Fun Facts About ACOTAR

Who wrote A Court of Thorns and Roses?

Sarah J. Maas wrote A Court of Thorns and Roses, one of her three fantasy series alongside Throne of Glass and Crescent City.

How old is Feyre Archeron when the series begins?

Feyre Archeron is nineteen when the story opens, a huntress feeding her father and two sisters in a village near the Wall.

What does Feyre kill in the woods to set the whole story in motion?

Feyre shoots a wolf that is really the faerie Andras in disguise; under the Treaty, Tamlin comes to claim a life for a life.

What is the name of the faerie land Feyre is taken to?

Prythian is the faerie land north of the Wall; Erilea is the world of Maas's Throne of Glass and Midgard is Crescent City's.

Which court does Tamlin rule as High Lord?

Tamlin is High Lord of the Spring Court; Feyre lives on his estate there after being taken across the Wall.

Which fairy tale was NOT one of the three Maas originally set out to retell in the series?

Cinderella was the seed of Throne of Glass instead: 'What if Cinderella was not a servant, but an assassin?'

In which year was the first ACOTAR book published?

A Court of Thorns and Roses was published in 2015, with two sequels following at yearly intervals in 2016 and 2017.

Roughly how long did Maas's first draft of A Court of Thorns and Roses take to write?

She began it in early 2009, six years before it was published.

Which villain does Feyre defeat at the end of the first book, having been held Under the Mountain?

Kirkus describes the sequel opening 'in the months after defeating Amarantha and escaping hellish captivity Under the Mountain'.

What does Feyre become after surviving the trials Under the Mountain?

The official description says she 'now has the powers of the High Fae' but 'her heart remains human'.

Rhysand is High Lord of which court?

Rhysand is High Lord of the Night Court; Feyre's bargain with him Under the Mountain is what draws her there in the second book.

Under her bargain with Rhysand, how often must Feyre go with him to his realm?

One week a month is the price of the bargain; Rhys, believing war is coming, wants her for what Kirkus calls 'his dangerous scheme to win it'.

How many Fae courts does the faerie land have?

Prythian has seven courts, each ruled by a High Lord: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Dawn, Day and Night.

What is the title of the second book in the series?

At 640 pages it is far longer than the first book's 432, and Publishers Weekly rated it for ages 14 and up.

Which kingdom's king invades the faerie lands in the third book?

The war with Hybern leaves the scars that A Court of Silver Flames is built around.

Which character travels with Feyre on the dangerous journey back to Velaris in the third book?

Kirkus notes that 'after her cover is nearly blown, she and Lucien undertake a dangerous journey back to Velaris'.

What is Velaris?

Velaris, the City of Starlight, is the Night Court's hidden city, kept secret from the rest of Prythian for thousands of years.

What happens to Nesta and Elain at the end of the second ACOTAR book?

They are transformed into Fae after being forced into the Cauldron; Nesta in particular struggles with her new reality.

Which title does Feyre hold in Rhysand's court by the fourth book?

The novella follows her first Winter Solstice in the role, several months after the war.

Which two characters narrate the fourth book in first person?

Feyre and Rhysand narrate A Court of Frost and Starlight in first person, with shorter third-person chapters from Cassian and Morrigan.

Which festival is approaching during the fourth book?

The Winter Solstice is days away in A Court of Frost and Starlight, the Night Court's first festive season since the war.

Who is the heroine of A Court of Silver Flames?

Nesta Archeron is the heroine of A Court of Silver Flames, which follows her training at the House of Wind and her recovery after the war.

What is the name of Feyre and Rhysand's son?

Nyx is Feyre and Rhysand's son, born at the end of A Court of Silver Flames after a pregnancy that nearly killed Feyre.

Which warrior does Nesta fall for while training at the House of Wind?

Cassian, the Illyrian general of the Night Court's armies, is Nesta's love interest; he trains her at the House of Wind.

Who has forged a 'dangerous new alliance' that threatens the peace in A Court of Silver Flames?

The human queens who fled to the Continent during the war forge the alliance; Queen Briallyn binds herself to the death-god Koschei.

In which year was A Court of Silver Flames published?

A Court of Silver Flames was published on February 16, 2021, four years after the original trilogy ended with A Court of Wings and Ruin in 2017.

Which is the shortest entry in the series, at about 240 pages?

The novella runs to roughly 57,000 words against more than 200,000 for the third and fifth books.

Which member of Rhysand's Inner Circle is known as the shadowsinger?

Azriel, Rhysand's spymaster, is the shadowsinger; shadows whisper to him and he wields the Illyrian blade Truth-Teller.

Which streaming service optioned ACOTAR for a TV adaptation in 2021, with Ronald D. Moore attached?

Hulu announced the adaptation in March 2021 with Ronald D. Moore and Maas writing the pilot; by 2024 the project was reported to be inactive.

Which publisher reissued the series with new illustrated covers in 2020?

Bloomsbury, which also bought Throne of Glass in 2010, reissued the series with new adult-market covers in 2020.

Which two ACOTAR titles won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction?

A Court of Mist and Fury won in 2016 and A Court of Wings and Ruin in 2017; the first and fourth were nominated.

Which US state's school board banned all five ACOTAR books from public schools in 2024?

Utah's State Board of Education removed 13 titles statewide in August 2024 under a new law, including all five ACOTAR books and one Throne of Glass novel.

The author began writing her debut novel, Throne of Glass, at what age?

Maas began Throne of Glass at sixteen, posting early chapters on FictionPress, where they became one of the site's most popular stories.

Where did Maas graduate in 2008 with a degree in creative writing?

Maas graduated from Hamilton College in upstate New York in 2008, magna cum laude, with a degree in creative writing.

Which outlet crowned Maas 'romantasy's reigning queen'?

Vox called Maas 'romantasy's reigning queen', crediting A Court of Thorns and Roses with defining the genre's blend of fantasy and romance.

Which two novels does Maas credit with making her love fantasy?

Maas credits Garth Nix's Sabriel and Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown with making her love fantasy; she has also cited film scores and classical music.

Which artist originally designed the dress on the cover of A Court of Wings and Ruin?

Charlie Bowater designed the dress; Adrian Dadich, who painted the original covers, adapted it for the final A Court of Wings and Ruin jacket.

Which official companion title to the series was published in 2017?

The A Court of Thorns and Roses Colouring Book, illustrated by a team of artists, was published in 2017 as the series' official companion title.

Who is the High Lord of the Summer Court?

Tarquin is High Lord of the Summer Court, ruling from the coastal city of Adriata; Feyre steals half of the Book of Breathings from him.

On which podcast did Maas describe ACOTAR books six to eight as 'a book told in four parts'?

The eighth book had not yet been written at the time.

Where did a July 2025 post reveal that Maas had finished the first draft of the sixth ACOTAR book?

She had first publicly discussed a sixth book in September 2023.

Which Greek myth inspired A Court of Mist and Fury, especially Rhysand, Feyre and the Night Court?

The myth of Hades and Persephone shaped Rhysand, Feyre and the Night Court in A Court of Mist and Fury.

Which fairy tale spawned the character of the Weaver in A Court of Mist and Fury?

Maas has said the Weaver, the ancient creature in her cottage in the Middle, grew out of Hansel and Gretel and its witch in the woods.

Which biblical book loosely inspired the backstory of Miryam and Drakon?

Maas has said the Book of Exodus loosely inspired Miryam and Drakon's backstory: Miryam, a human slave, led her people out of bondage in the Black Land.

Which of these was one of the working titles of the second ACOTAR book?

Others included A Court of Calm and Fury and A Court of Venom and Silver.

How was the first draft of A Court of Mist and Fury written, in terms of point of view?

The published book is told largely from Feyre's perspective.

Which creature from beneath the Night Court library agrees to fight for Feyre in the war?

Bryaxis, the nameless fear living beneath the library under the House of Wind, agrees to fight for Feyre in the war in exchange for a window.

Which magazine reported in July 2016 that Maas was writing five more ACOTAR books?

The plan was for stories set both before and after the first trilogy.

Maas agreed to publish the first ACOTAR book as young adult on what condition?

Maas agreed to a young-adult label only on condition of no cuts to the sexual content; the series was later rebranded as adult fantasy.

Who is Rhysand's Second, an ancient being who drinks blood instead of eating?

Amren, Rhysand's Second, is an ancient being from another world bound into a High Fae body; she drinks animal blood rather than eating food.

Which production company first optioned ACOTAR for film, in November 2015?

Tempo Productions optioned the film rights in November 2015; Rachel Hirons was hired to write the screenplay in 2018, but the film never materialised.

Which studio was announced in March 2021 as developing the ACOTAR TV series?

20th Television, where Ronald D. Moore had an overall deal, was announced in March 2021 as the studio behind the planned series.

In which month and year was the Hulu ACOTAR adaptation officially scrapped?

A February 2024 TVLine report of its death had been disputed by Variety.

What do Illyrian warriors wear on their armour to focus their raw power?

Siphons are the coloured stones Illyrian warriors wear on their armour to filter and focus their raw killing power; Cassian and Azriel each carry seven.

A 2023 Iowa school district banned A Court of Mist and Fury after checking books with what tool?

Mason City schools ran their list through ChatGPT in 2023, asking whether each book depicted a sex act, and removed 19 titles including A Court of Mist and Fury.

In 2024, Rutherford County Schools in which state pulled all five ACOTAR books among 20 titles?

Rutherford County Schools, near Nashville in Tennessee, removed 20 titles in 2024 under the state's Age-Appropriate Materials Act, including all five ACOTAR books.

Which Throne of Glass novel was banned statewide alongside all five ACOTAR books in 2024?

Empire of Storms, the fifth Throne of Glass novel, was among the 13 titles the state board removed statewide in 2024.

In 2025 the ALA ranked A Court of Thorns and Roses at what position for removal requests in the US?

The count covers requests by individuals and political groups.

On what date was Sarah J. Maas born?

March 5, 1986 makes her a New Yorker born and raised; she was 29 when A Court of Thorns and Roses came out.

In which Manhattan neighbourhood did Maas grow up?

She was adopted by a Catholic mother and a Jewish father, and grew up Jewish.

What was Maas's college minor, alongside her creative writing major?

Maas minored in religious studies, graduating magna cum laude in 2008 with a creative writing major.

Which Night Court city, carved into a mountain, is the seat of the Court of Nightmares?

The Hewn City, carved into the mountain beneath the Night Court's seat, is the Court of Nightmares, run day to day by Morrigan's father Keir.

Under what title did Maas's debut first appear online, on FictionPress.com?

Queen of Glass was the FictionPress title; it became one of the site's most popular stories before Maas took it down to pursue publication.

Which literary agent signed Maas in 2009?

Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency signed Maas in 2009, a year before her publisher bought Throne of Glass.

Which rite must Tamlin perform on Calanmai, the fire night?

On Calanmai, Tamlin performs the Great Rite, a magical coupling with a chosen maiden that renews his court's land for the year.

Which creature must answer truthfully once caught, and does Feyre trap for answers?

The Suriel is a gaunt, robed creature that must answer truthfully once caught; Feyre snares one in the woods near Tamlin's estate to learn about Amarantha.

How many years did Amarantha rule Prythian from Under the Mountain?

Amarantha held the High Lords Under the Mountain for forty-nine years; Tamlin's curse gave him that long to win a human girl's love.

What is the answer to Amarantha's riddle?

The answer is love; Feyre solves the riddle as she lies dying on Amarantha's floor, breaking the curse on Tamlin's court.

Which British newspaper compared Maas's success to that of J. K. Rowling?

The Independent likened Maas's success and fan devotion to J. K. Rowling's, praising her books' 'female agency' and complex worlds with caste systems.

Alongside Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which anime has Maas named as an influence?

Maas has named Sailor Moon, alongside Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as a formative influence; she also credits film scores and classical music.

Maas married Josh Wasserman, whom she met as a Hamilton freshman, on what date?

He had been a resident assistant in her dorm building.

Maas's 2020 cover reveal for A Court of Silver Flames drew backlash for referencing whose killing?

The post came nine days after Louisville settled a civil suit with Taylor's family.

Which Spring Court High Priestess betrays Feyre and her sisters?

Ianthe, the Spring Court's High Priestess, sells out Feyre and helps deliver Nesta and Elain to the enemy king; Feyre later breaks her hand with magic.

Prince Drakon, Miryam's mate, belongs to which winged people?

Drakon is a prince of the Seraphim, a winged people from the Continent who fought beside the humans in the War and sheltered Miryam's freed slaves.

Which title did Feyre earn for freeing Prythian from Amarantha?

Feyre is called Cursebreaker after her death and remaking Under the Mountain ends Amarantha's curse on Prythian and frees the High Lords.

What does Feyre steal from the Weaver's cottage at Rhysand's request?

Feyre slips into the Weaver's cottage in the Middle to retrieve a ring that belonged to Rhysand's mother, a test of her new powers.

Which Night Court celebration sees spirits streak across the sky once a year?

Starfall is the Night Court's yearly celebration when migrating spirits cross the sky as streaks of light; Feyre first sees it with Rhysand in Velaris.

Who is Rhysand's cousin and third-in-command?

Morrigan, called Mor, is Rhysand's cousin and his Third; she escaped her father Keir's Court of Nightmares to live in Velaris.

Which Prison inmate appears to each visitor in a different form?

The Bone Carver, locked in the Prison, takes a different shape for each visitor; to Feyre he appears as a small dark-haired boy.

Rhysand's inner circle calls itself which court?

Rhysand's friends call themselves the Court of Dreams, the true Night Court behind the Court of Nightmares he rules for show.

Which Fae ability lets Rhysand and Feyre slip into other minds?

Daemati are Fae who can enter and control other minds; Rhysand is one, and Feyre inherited the gift with the High Lords' power.

Which court hosts the meeting of the High Lords in the third book?

Thesan, High Lord of the Dawn Court, hosts the gathering of High Lords in A Court of Wings and Ruin, where Feyre takes her place beside Rhysand.

What did Amarantha's curse force Tamlin and his courtiers to wear?

Amarantha's curse fixed masquerade masks to the faces of Tamlin and his court, impossible to remove until the curse broke.

Which creature does Feyre fight in her first trial Under the Mountain?

In her first trial, Feyre is dropped into a mud pit with the Middengard Wyrm and kills it by luring it onto a bed of sharpened bones.

How does a Fae female traditionally accept the mating bond?

A Fae female accepts the mating bond by offering her mate food; Feyre does so with a meal she cooks in the Illyrian mountain cabin.

What artistic pursuit does Feyre love?

Painting is Feyre's passion; before Prythian she decorated the family cottage with cheap paint, and in Velaris she later takes a studio of her own.

What colour are Rhysand's eyes?

Rhysand's eyes are violet, often likened to a starlit night sky; Feyre notices them the first time she sees him, at Calanmai.

What does 'winnowing' let a Fae do?

Winnowing lets a Fae teleport, vanishing from one place and reappearing in another; Feyre gains it along with the High Lords' other powers.

How has Maas said Feyre's name is pronounced?

Maas pronounces Feyre as FAY-ruh, a point she has clarified for readers who stumbled over the name.

Which wood is deadly to faeries in A Court of Thorns and Roses?

Ash wood kills faeries; Feyre carries an ash arrow when hunting and must use ash daggers in her final trial Under the Mountain.

Which body part did Lucien lose to Amarantha, later replaced with a metal one?

Amarantha took one of Lucien's eyes and scarred his face; it was replaced with a whirring mechanical eye of gold.

What does Rhysand habitually call Feyre?

Rhysand calls her 'Feyre darling', a teasing endearment he uses from their earliest encounters onward.

Rhysand's raw power manifests as what?

Rhysand's power is darkness; he wields night and shadow, the signature magic of the High Lords of the Night Court.

Which of the first five ACOTAR books is the longest?

A Court of Silver Flames is the longest of the five, running to about 768 pages in hardcover, ahead of A Court of Wings and Ruin.

On which part of Feyre's body does her bargain with Rhysand appear as a tattoo?

The bargain marks Feyre's left arm and hand with swirling black ink that runs from her fingertips to her elbow.

Roughly how many words long is A Court of Mist and Fury?

It is 640 pages, a big jump from the first book.

Who is the third faerie Feyre must stab in her final trial Under the Mountain?

The third faerie is Tamlin; Feyre stabs him only after realising Amarantha has turned his heart to stone, so the blade cannot kill him.

In which month were the first four ACOTAR books all released?

All four came out in May: on the 5th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st of the month in successive years.

Which fan-voted sci-fi and fantasy prize nominated A Court of Wings and Ruin in 2017?

A Court of Frost and Starlight earned the same nomination in 2018.

Which Goodreads Choice category did the fifth ACOTAR book win in 2021?

The earlier books competed in the young adult category.

Where did BuzzFeed rank A Court of Thorns and Roses on its 32 Best Fantasy Books of 2015?

Bustle placed it ninth among the year's 25 best YA books.

Which magazine ranked A Court of Frost and Starlight 33rd on its 71 Best Books of 2018?

The midwinter novella was a companion to the main trilogy.

Which tech magazine listed ACOTAR among 36 fantasy books everyone should read in 2021?

Business Insider also listed the series among the 23 best fantasy series that year.

Which state's teen book award did A Court of Thorns and Roses win in 2017 for grades 10-12?

Throne of Glass had been nominated for the same award in 2014.

Whose eye did Amarantha wear set in a ring on her finger?

Amarantha wore the eye of Jurian, the human general who killed her sister Clythia, in a ring; he is later resurrected to fight in the war.

Where did A Court of Thorns and Roses rank on Publishers Weekly's top 25 bestsellers for 2023?

Eight years after release, BookTok kept the first book on the charts.

Which human queen is cursed to become a firebird by day?

Vassa, the youngest of the human queens, was sold to the death-lord Koschei and cursed to be a firebird by day and a woman by night.

Which two producers' company, Tempo Productions, optioned ACOTAR in November 2015?

They later hired Rachel Hirons to write a screenplay.

Which mirror in the Court of Nightmares shows its viewer their true self?

The Ouroboros, kept in the Court of Nightmares, shows whoever looks into it their whole true self; Feyre faces it to claim it as the Bone Carver's price.

Roughly how long before the series did the War that raised the Wall end?

The War between humans and faeries ended about 500 years before the story, with the Treaty and the Wall dividing the human lands from Prythian.

What gift does Elain show after emerging from the Cauldron?

Elain becomes a seer after the Cauldron remakes her, voicing visions of the future that at first sound like madness.

Who is revealed to be Lucien's mate?

Elain is Lucien's mate; he recognises the bond the moment she emerges from the Cauldron, though she keeps him at a distance.

What does the Cauldron destroy in the third book?

The invading king uses the Cauldron to bring down the Wall, opening the human lands to his armies in A Court of Wings and Ruin.

Which High Lord of the Day Court is revealed to be Lucien's real father?

Helion, High Lord of the Day Court, is revealed in A Court of Wings and Ruin to be Lucien's true father through an affair with the Lady of Autumn.

Maas was adopted by parents of which two faiths?

She grew up Jewish on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Who is High Lord of the Autumn Court?

Beron, High Lord of the Autumn Court, is a cruel ruler and Lucien's father in name; Lucien fled his court to serve Tamlin.

Which Autumn Court heir was once betrothed to Morrigan?

Eris, heir to the Autumn Court, was betrothed to Morrigan; he left her bleeding in the woods after her family's brutal punishment, which Azriel never forgave.

Which river runs through Velaris?

The Sidra river winds through Velaris; Feyre and Rhysand walk its banks, and the city's artists' quarter, the Rainbow, sits beside it.

The Illyrian Blood Rite ends at the summit of which mountain?

Ramiel is the sacred mountain where the Blood Rite ends; Cassian, Azriel and Rhysand reached its summit as youths, and Nesta and her two friends later do the same.

Nesta and her friends revive which ancient order of female warriors?

Nesta and two friends revive the Valkyries, an ancient order of female warriors, training in their mind-stilling and shield techniques at the House of Wind.

Which priestess from the Night Court library trains alongside Nesta and Emerie?

Gwyn, a priestess sheltering in the library beneath the House of Wind, joins Nesta's training and becomes her closest friend.

What name does Nesta give the sword she unknowingly Made?

Nesta names her Made sword Ataraxia, a word for serene calm; it is one of the weapons she Makes after the Cauldron's power wakes in her.

What are the Mask, the Harp and the Crown collectively called?

The Mask, the Harp and the Crown form the Dread Trove, objects Made by the Cauldron that Nesta alone can sense and that Queen Briallyn hunts.

Who is High Lord of the Winter Court?

Kallias is High Lord of the Winter Court; his mate Viviane is Morrigan's friend, and his court lost many children to Amarantha's cruelty.

Who commands the Illyrian war camp at Windhaven and resists training females?

Devlon, lord of the Windhaven camp, grudgingly follows Rhysand's orders to train Illyrian females while Cassian pushes the reforms.

Who killed Tamlin's father and brothers?

Rhysand's father, then High Lord of the Night Court, killed Tamlin's father and brothers in revenge for the murder of Rhysand's mother and sister.

Who is the Night Court's healer?

Madja, an ancient healer of the Night Court, treats Rhysand's inner circle and attends Feyre through her dangerous pregnancy.

Who narrated the audiobooks of A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury?

Jennifer Ikeda, a Juilliard-trained actor, narrates the A Court of Thorns and Roses audiobooks; Elizabeth Evans voices the Throne of Glass series.

What was Feyre's father's trade before the family lost its fortune?

Feyre's father was a wealthy merchant until a failed shipping venture ruined him; creditors shattered his leg and the family fell into poverty.

How many mortal queens rule jointly on the Continent?

Six mortal queens rule jointly on the Continent; Feyre and Rhysand petition them for the human half of the Book of Breathings in A Court of Mist and Fury.

In which ACOTAR book were the sexualities of all four LGBTQ+ characters revealed, drawing criticism?

The third book was originally meant to conclude the series, and all four characters' sexualities were revealed in it.

Which winged servant of Amarantha later leads an attack on Velaris?

The Attor, a winged, skeletal faerie that served Amarantha, later leads the enemy's attack on Velaris; Feyre carries it into the sky and drops it.

What does Nesta discover about the House of Wind while living there?

The House of Wind turns out to be sentient, leaving Nesta romance novels and hot food, and eventually becoming a friend she simply calls the House.

Feyre's ability to summon fire comes from which court's High Lord?

Feyre's fire comes from the Autumn Court's drop of power, just as her ice is Winter's and her light is Day's; each High Lord gave a piece to remake her.