Fantasy Fangirls: Everything We Learn from Sarah J Maas on Call Her Daddy Podcast (March 5, 2026)

Episode Overview

Nicole and Lexi—sisters, book obsessives, and hosts of Fantasy Fangirls—record an emergency bonus episode covering every major reveal and insight from Sarah J. Maas’ headline-making interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast. This episode contains massive spoilers for the ACOTAR series (especially A Court of Silver Flames), and later delves into Throne of Glass, Crescent City, and the broader Maasverse. The sisters geek out, analyze future book teases, and offer heartfelt reflections on creativity, motherhood, trauma, and the power of fantasy fiction.

Key Insights & Discussion Points

1. Sarah J. Maas Breaks Her Silence: Three New ACOTAR Books Incoming

[06:09] – [13:28]

• Announcement: Sarah J. Maas revealed on Call Her Daddy that not just one, but three new ACOTAR books are in the works—and they're essentially a single story split into three physical volumes.
  • “These next three books are technically one big book, basically split into three volumes... literally physically impossible for book glue to hold that many pages together.” (Nicole, [06:58])
• Book Structure:
  • Not a trilogy, but one tale in four parts, published as three books due to length constraints. Book glue trauma after Kingdom of Ash is real!
  • Release Dates:
    • Part 1: October 27, 2026, (~352 pages)
    • Parts 2 & 3: January 12, 2027, (~928 pages)
    • Part 4: TBD, but Sarah’s on deadline.
• Writing & Headspace:
  • Sarah needed to be in the right emotional space to craft this story, especially after giving birth and regaining creative rights for TV adaptations.
  • “It took her a long time to write this book because there was a lot going on in her life...” (Nicole, [07:00])
  • Her breakthroughs began during a retreat to Big Sky, Montana—book girlies, take note!

2. Speculation & Teasers for the New ACOTAR Books

[13:29] – [30:27]

• Titles and Cover Art: Title and cover exist, but are embargoed until closer to publication. Lexi and Nicole speculate based on teaser colors—Dusky, sunset shades—that Dusk Court will be central to the plot.
  • “I definitely think we are getting a major Dusk Court plotline based on the teaser cover colors…” (Nicole, [14:21])
• Book Length: First volume is a “normal-sized novel” to set up the story, followed by the “Big Kahuna” in January—one of the largest Maas books ever.
• Vibe: Sarah’s writing playlist includes grunge and dark tracks from the Batman soundtrack, hinting at a darker, possibly more emo tone.
• Unexpected POVs: The sisters theorize the next ACOTAR will feature multiple POVs (possibly 4–8), Throne of Glass-style, not just a single main narrator.
  • Potential POVs: Elain, Azriel, Nesta (possibly larger role), Lucien, Mor, Eris, Gwyn, Emery, Feyre, and perhaps even young Nyx.

3. Big Themes: Trauma, Healing, and Motherhood—Behind the Story

[40:57] – [73:27]

• Maas Reflects on Success:
  • New definition of success centers on personal happiness and relationships, not just book sales or fandom hype.
  • “...now it’s instead about how happy she, Sarah, is.” (Nicole, [41:44])
• Creativity & Worldbuilding:
  • Sarah works without maps or spreadsheets; the interwoven, intricate Maasverse all lives in her head.
• Pantser versus Plotter:
  • She “headlight writes”—writing only as far as she can see, letting the story and its characters surprise her. (No, Rhysand did not exist in her early drafts!)

4. Criticism & Joy: The “Smut” Debate and Female Empowerment

[45:45] – [55:01]

• Genre Dismissal:
  • Strong stance against how fantasy written by women—with romance or sex—gets trivialized.
  • “Sex is always tied to the plot with these books... the second it brings a woman joy, it’s dismissed.” (Nicole, [51:14])
  • Calls out the double standard versus male-written fantasy (Game of Thrones noted as a specific example).

5. Pregnancy, Autonomy, and Healing: Feyre, Rhysand, and Nesta

[62:27] – [74:14]

• Feyre’s Pregnancy: Directly reflects Sarah’s own traumatic experiences with childbirth and motherhood.
  • Shared feelings of loss of control, fear, and real physical danger.
  • “She channeled a lot of that fear into Rhys... he’s allowed to make bad decisions and learn from it.” (Nicole, [65:29])
• Nesta & Silver Flames: Sarah channeled her own postpartum depression and therapy journey into Nesta’s arc in A Court of Silver Flames.
  • “Nesta was in a hole, SJM was in a hole. And, quote, we dug our way out of it together.” (Nicole, [73:33])
• Found Family and Mental Health: The healing journey isn’t just about romantic love, but friendship, found family, and self-forgiveness.

6. Fandom Questions, Crack Theories & Minor Revelations

[82:03] onward

• Elaine’s Arc: All signs point to Elaine having a central POV in the coming books, with her trauma, autonomy, and romantic fate (Lucien vs. Azriel vs. no one) being a major focus.
  • “Her own emotional journey will be a major plot point. Plot A, yes.” (Nicole, [85:40])
  • SJM was super cagey, leading to much theorizing but no spoilers given.
• Lucien, Vassa, and the Band of Exiles: Serious plotlines expected.
• Mor’s Powers: Heavily hinted to be more than just “truth”—theorized to be kraken- or witch-related.
• Bryaxis: The ultimate “where do you think fear goes?”—expect ambiguity.
• Logistics: How do Fae get to the House of Wind? SJM promises an answer soon!
• Fan Favorite Minutiae: Rhysand’s last name? Doesn’t matter, per SJM. King of Hybern's name? Also non-essential. Pool of starlight in Spring Court? Maybe a portal, but SJM won’t confirm.

Major Quotes & Moments

• On Book Length & Structure:
  • “She’s literally waging war against the publishing glue by doing this. And I’m so proud of her.” (Lexi, [13:10])
• On POV Surprises:
  • “One of the surprising things that came out of her with this book was the POV, which... I’m leaning more and more toward this being more epic like Throne of Glass and even Crescent City with more character POVs.” (Nicole, [25:05])
• On the Dusk Court:
  • “This cements, confirms, underline, italicize... that this is absolutely what we are going to be learning about in Acotar 6, 7, and 8.” (Nicole, [97:30])
• On Sex in Fantasy:
  • “At the end of the day, when it comes to a woman writing... the second you tap into sex, it suddenly dismisses the rest of the work because it’s suddenly all about sex. And as Sarah J. Maas puts it, it suddenly devalues the work when it’s like, ‘what the fuck?’ Sex is a huge part of the human and experience.” (Nicole, [50:18])
• On Pregnancy and Motherhood:
  • “Just because you become a mom, you become stronger... the strongest, most beautiful version of yourself as a mom.” (Nicole, [68:23])
• On Mental Health & Silver Flames:
  • “At the end of the book, Nesta’s not healed by any means. She’s still a work in progress, just as we all are.” (Nicole, [73:33])
• On Film Adaptation Control:
  • “She sees these film adaptations as extensions of her world and she wants to be in charge of it... She loves TV and movies and wants to be part of the process... she’s excited about her books again.” (Nicole, [56:09])

Fast Facts & Fandom Notes

• Should you read TOG and Crescent City before ACOTAR 6?
  • Strongly recommended, especially Crescent City, for full context on crossovers. (Nicole, [37:02])
  • But not mandatory—you can rely on shows and recaps (like Fantasy Fangirls!)
• Twilight of the Gods:
  • Was once a work-in-progress, but SJM says to “ignore” the theorizing about a giant series crossover.
• Crossover Theories (Maasverse, mass first):
  • Mor as a kraken witch, Fury’s connection to Amren, Rhysand and Ruhn lineage links, Mama Archeron potentially a descendant of the Fae Selene of Crescent City.
  • SJM dodges and laughs off many intricate theories, but fans speculate Dusk Court, Selene, and cross-series bloodlines will all be key.

Memorable and Emotional Moments

• Sarah’s Emotional Transparency: Cried on Call Her Daddy; reflected deeply on motherhood, healing, and reader impact.
• Lexi and Nicole’s Vulnerability: Shared personal struggles with postpartum, mental health, and the search for identity outside of professional success—themes mirrored in Maas’s books.
• FFG Housekeeping & Community:
  • Plugs for Fantasy Fan Club, Discord, and upcoming live shows.
  • Reminders of their extensive ACOTAR and Throne of Glass episode libraries ([38:32]), plus full-throttle excitement over “living in ACOTAR” for months.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [06:09]: ACOTAR book structure and release schedule breakdown
• [14:21]: Major speculation on Dusk Court and cover colors
• [18:08]: Playlist inspirations—Batman soundtrack, K-pop, hints at book’s mood
• [25:05]: Multi-POV speculation; possible characters
• [40:57]: Sarah’s new outlook on success, happiness, and relationships
• [41:44]: Joy vs. fear and pressure of external validation
• [50:18]: “Smut” debate, Romantasy, and genre devaluation
• [65:29]: Themes of trauma, healing, and pregnancy arcs in ACOTAR
• [73:33]: Silver Flames as personal and cathartic
• [97:30]: Dusk Court as the next big plot arc
• [122:22]: Dusk Court, Maeve, and Archeron lineage connections (full spoiler zone)

Final “Fan Lightning Round” & Crack Theories

• Rhysand, Hunt, Rowan—Fuck, Marry, Kill: SJM won’t answer; Lexi and Nicole do!
  • Lexi: Marry Rowan, F* Rhysand, kill Hunt
  • Nicole: Marry Rhysand, kill Rowan, F* Hunt (for reasons involving wings and tongue/vibrator crossovers…)
  • “I mean, don’t we all, girl?” (Nicole, [135:37])

Closing Takeaways

This episode is an enthusiastic, nerdy, and deeply emotional debrief of both SJM’s creative life and the future of Prythian’s saga. It’s essential listening for fans who want a full, heartfelt speculative roadmap for ACOTAR’s next era—with all the sisterly warmth, fandom giddiness, and sharp analysis the Fantasy Fangirls are known for.