Curated News Summary

‘We sold out tickets within 13 minutes’: new novel from romantasy author Sarah J Maas sparks fan mania

Source: The Guardian Published Wed, 28 Oct 2026 20:21:54 GMT
‘We sold out tickets within 13 minutes’: new novel from romantasy author Sarah J Maas sparks fan mania

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Move over Oasis – 6,000 people tried to buy 220 tickets to a masquerade ball to celebrate the release of A Court of Splintered Harmony, while specialist bookshops catering for the genre report huge sales</p><p>When The Spicy Librarian, a romance bookshop in Leamington Spa, announced a masquerade ball to celebrate the new Sarah J Maas novel, 6,000 people tried to buy 220 tickets. “We sold out within 13 minutes,” says the shop’s co-founder Ali Maynard James. “As soon as tickets went on sale, our website crashed”.</p><p>The shop was one of many across the UK marking the release of A Court of Splintered Harmony, the first instalment of Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series in more than five years. On Monday night, bookshops threw parties and opened past midnight – and The Spicy Librarian hired a stately home to mark the occasion.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/oct/28/we-sold-out-tickets-within-13-minutes-new-novel-from-romantasy-author-sarah-j-maas-sparks-fan-mania">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.

Move over Oasis – 6,000 people tried to buy 220 tickets to a masquerade ball to celebrate the release of A Court of Splintered Harmony, while specialist bookshops catering for the genre report huge salesWhen The Spicy Librarian, a romance bookshop in Leamington Spa, announced a masquerade ball to celebrate the new Sarah J Maas novel, 6,000 people tried to buy 220 tickets. “We sold out within 13 minutes,” says the shop’s co-founder Ali Maynard James. “As soon as tickets went on sale, our website crashed”.The shop was one of many across the UK marking the release of A Court of Splintered Harmony, the first instalment of Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series in more than five years. On Monday night, bookshops threw parties and opened past midnight – and The Spicy Librarian hired a stately home to mark the occasion. Continue reading...

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