S5 : Ep 22 - ACOTAR 6 Announcement!!

Summary

Flights of Fantasy Podcast Summary
Episode: S5 : Ep 22 - ACOTAR 6 Announcement!!
Release Date: July 16, 2025

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Introduction and Exciting News

In this highly anticipated episode of Flights of Fantasy, hosts Anna, Kim, and Kristina dive into the much-awaited announcement of the sixth installment in the A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series by Sarah J. Maas. The excitement is palpable as Anna announces, “[...] ACOTAR 6 has officially been announced. Sarah J. Maas has finally, finally confirmed that she's finished a draft of the next book in the series. And we are so ready” (01:57).

Decoding the Mysterious Notebook Clue

The conversation quickly shifts to the viral phenomenon surrounding Sarah J. Maas's notebook, which fans have been scrutinizing intensely. Kim shares her observations, “[...] there is no 8. There is no way that Sarah drafted three books at once” (04:04), dismissing theories that the notebook refers to multiple books or drafts beyond ACOTAR 6. Anna adds, “We don't think that this draft's plural is because she wrote multiple books” (05:09), emphasizing that Sarah's writing process typically focuses on one book at a time.

Speculating on the Drafts and Publication Timeline

The hosts delve into what the notation "6D" might signify, with Anna explaining the complexities of manuscript drafts: “[...] every draft brings the book closer to its final form” (07:11). They discuss two primary schools of thought regarding the plural "drafts," considering both multiple points of view (POVs) and the layered nature of the writing process. Kim suggests, “It could be 6D, as in she has multiple notebooks for book 6, and this is notebook D” (04:29).

Analyzing Sarah J. Maas's publishing history, Kim notes, “[...] with the exception of Silver Flames, every other Acotar book came out in May” (11:28). This leads them to speculate that ACOTAR 6 might also release around May, approximately ten months from the announcement, though they acknowledge the possibility of a six-month traditional publishing window.

Analyzing Sarah J. Maas's Recent Activities

Anna and Kim engage in a detective-like analysis of Sarah's recent social media activity, particularly a post from 15 months prior showing her at the Yellowstone Club in Montana. They compare seasonal clues from the post and a recent video to deduce that the footage is likely recent, suggesting that the draft completion is fresh. Kim reflects, “I think that...

tranlating the content here - about discussions on the possible timing of drafts and the writing process—probably not crucial to go into each minute-by-minute detail.

But the user requested that the summary include notable quotes with timestamps and proper attribution.

Proceeding:

Timeline and Release Date Speculations

Kim emphasizes the typical publishing timeline: “Typically traditional publishing takes about nine to 12 months at a minimum” (11:05). Considering Sarah J. Maas's history of releasing ACOTAR books in May, the hosts predict a possible release within the next year, though they express frustration with the wait: “I don’t love May as a release date, guys. If you're an elementary school aged mom, you know, you know May Simon is a real thing” (11:43).

Theories on Main POV Characters

A significant portion of the episode focuses on speculating who will hold the main POV in ACOTAR 6. Anna posits, “If every sister is getting her own book and we. That is the trajectory of the series, then it went Feyre Nesta, and naturally Elain would be next” (17:22). Kim concurs, adding, “So that's my guess as of right now is that Elain is going to be the main character” (17:49). They discuss the potential for multiple POVs, including characters like Azriel and Lucien, expressing both excitement and concerns about character focus and development.

Listener Questions: Rhysand and Character Arcs

Addressing listener inquiries, the hosts defend Rhysand’s character against rumors of a negative arc in Silver Flames. Anna asserts, “I cannot stress this enough. And again, we will go into it in the episodes. But our high lord and savior is not evil” (21:08). Kim supports this by stating, “She does not think that this means anything necessarily” (08:36), and both hosts emphasize Sarah J. Maas's history of creating morally complex yet fundamentally good characters.

Excitement and Anxieties for ACOTAR 6

Anna and Kim share their personal excitements and concerns regarding ACOTAR 6. While Anna is thrilled about returning to the beloved world and witnessing character developments, Kim expresses nervousness about potentially Elain-centric narratives possibly sidelining beloved characters like Azriel. Kim mentions, “I am nervous about if it is going to be an Elaine centric book. Where does that leave us with Azriel?” (24:10). Despite these anxieties, both hosts convey unwavering trust in Sarah J. Maas’s storytelling prowess.

Upcoming Content and Community Engagement

Looking ahead, the hosts announce the revival of their Theories and Predictions episodes in light of the ACOTAR 6 announcement. Anna enthuses, “We will be bringing back our Theories and Prediction episodes” (26:35), inviting listeners to engage through their social media platforms. They highlight their favorite segment, “Mastermind spelled M A A S,” where they explore Easter eggs and cross-series theories, promising more in-depth discussions as they unravel the mysteries of the upcoming book.

Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with Anna and Kim expressing their collective excitement and gratitude towards their listeners. They encourage the community to join their conversations on Instagram and TikTok, and remind fans to rate and review the podcast to support its growth. Anna signs off with heartfelt enthusiasm: “Cheers and happy reading. Happy listening” (27:06).

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Notable Quotes:

• Anna: “ACOTAR 6 has officially been announced. Sarah J. Maas has finally, finally confirmed that she's finished a draft of the next book in the series. And we are so ready.” (01:57)

• Kim: “There is no 8. There is no way that Sarah drafted three books at once.” (04:04)

• Anna: “Every draft brings the book closer to its final form.” (07:11)

• Kim: “Typically traditional publishing takes about nine to 12 months at a minimum.” (11:05)

• Anna: “Our high lord and savior is not evil.” (21:08)

• Kim: “I am nervous about if it is going to be an Elaine centric book. Where does that leave us with Azriel?” (24:10)

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Join the Conversation:

Stay updated with all things Flights of Fantasy by following them on Instagram and TikTok. Share your theories, favorite moments, and engage with fellow Romantasy enthusiasts as they embark on this exciting journey towards ACOTAR 6.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content segments to focus solely on the insightful discussions and key points raised by the hosts.

Transcript

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[Anna]

Welcome to Flights of Fantasy, your Romantasy podcast book club. I'm Anna, joined by my book besties Kim and Christina, and together we're diving into the characters, theories, lore and magic behind all your favorite fantasy romance books. It's happening, people. ACOTAR 6 has officially been announced. Sarah J. Maas has finally, finally confirmed that she's finished a draft of the next book in the series. And we are so ready. In this episode, we are breaking down everything we know so far from what Sarah said about the book to what this might mean for the publication timeline. No release date yet, but that is not stopping us from speculating wildly and celebrating the fact that the story is finally moving forward.

[Kim]

Finally.

[Anna]

All right, so spoilers from here on out for the entire mass verse that includes Throne of Glass, Crescent City and Acotar. There will be mostly Acotar spoilers. Yeah, very, very. We are not talking about things that would, you know, ruin the book for you, but we will be referencing characters from Throne of Glass and Crescent City. So spoilers for those from here on out. Yeah, let's go.

[Kim]

Let's go. Okay, let's start with the thing that has the Internet so abuzz. It's taken over the Internet in the last 24 hours, and that is the notebook. And what is written on this? Not Bless Sarah. I mean, you know what? We're all Taylor Swift fans, and I think we've all gone a little insane, but it's fun. It's fun. We're being delulu. It's fine.

[Anna]

It's fine.

[Kim]

Let's talk about what is following the writing on the notebook after ACOTAR 6. Is it the number 8? Is it a letter D? Is it an arrow? Let's break it down. What it is not is six through eight. You guys, we love you so much, but There is no 8. There is no way that Sarah drafted three books at once. That has not ever been her process. She has slowed her publishing schedule way down since having kids, as she should, and we just don't see this as feasible whatsoever. That notebook is nowhere near big enough for three SJM books, guys. Her books are massive.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

So it is not six through eight. Let's just put that to rest. Is it six with an arrow potentially pointing to the title when she announces it? Which I like that. Anna and I both ride our arrows that way.

[Anna]

Yeah, we actually do. It's very millennial coded, so when I.

[Kim]

First saw that, I was like, that is a millennial riding an arrow.

[Anna]

That is literally how we all wrote them in high school, in our notes that we pass back and forth.

[Kim]

Yes. Like, that is how we write an arrow. I totally.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

But what we think it most likely is is 6D. So the D could either be drafts or 6D, as in she has multiple notebooks for book 6, and this is notebook D. Okay. So she has 6A, 6B, 6C. And this is D. Now, it could be like D as in the fourth draft, because Sarah has been known to draft her books and then completely redraft them. So is this the fourth and final draft of the book? We don't know.

[Anna]

Yep.

[Kim]

But speaking of drafts. Plural. Anna, let's talk about that as well.

[Anna]

Yes. Okay, I really want to break this. So let us just first say that. No, we don't think that this draft's plural is because she wrote multiple books, just like Kim said earlier. That's just not her M.O. she is known, though, to write notes and thoughts on future books, but the majority of her focus is generally fixated on one book at a time. This is what we've gathered from listening to multiple interviews with her. Also having read her books, been in the process for over a decade now with all of her new releases. That's just generally not her writing process.

[Kim]

Right.

[Anna]

With that being said, there are generally two schools of thoughts on why an author uses the term drafts, plural. So let's break it down. Kim, what was the first one that you found?

[Kim]

So, when I looked this up originally, the first thing I found is that apparently it is common to refer to a book as drafts, plural, when there are multiple POVs. And we know that Sarah loves to do multiple POVs. We've got Nesta and Cassian's in the most recent Acotar book, A Court of Silver Flames, I think it's safe to say we can assume there are going to be multiple POVs. Now, how many? We can get to that in a little bit.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

But apparently in the publishing world, just from my research, it is common to say drafts when there are multiple POVs. Because she could be drafting one character's POV, go do another POV, and she could consider that multiple drafts.

[Anna]

Yes, agree. There's a second school of thought when it comes to drafts, plural, is that when writers refer to drafts of a single book, they're highlighting the layered and evolving nature of the writing process. Right. So you have one manuscript that often goes through multiple rewrites before it ever sees publication. And there's three important things to remember when it comes to drafting a book. Iteration is key. That means most books start with basically a rust draft. Right. Just getting the ideas on the page. From there, authors revise and reshape their manuscript, often producing entirely new versions, which we know Sarah has done. She did it for Crescent City 3.

[Kim]

Yep.

[Anna]

The second thing, each draft does have a purpose. So in one round, the author might focus on plot holes and character development, while another round of drafts focus on language, rhythm, and the pacing of the book. The final third thing about drafting is the feedback. This is when the author takes notes from the editors from beta readers. And that can lead to major structural changes in the story. You can totally rewrite scenes, reimagine character arcs. Sometimes this is, again, where authors might be like, scrap it. We're starting over.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

In short, every draft brings the book closer to its final form. And the published version is rarely the second or even the third draft that they've written. Right. So it's usually the result of many, many rounds of problem solving. So, again, that kind of goes back to what you were saying, Kim. Is it slightly. Is it ACOTAR 6D. Because it could be, you know, it could be complicated. It might be confusing if she was to write, like, on her notebooks, ACOTAR 6 1. Because it's like, what does that mean? Is this Draft one? What does that mean?

[Kim]

Right.

[Anna]

A draft, a draft, B draft, C, draft, D. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, it does look like an era to me. That's where my heart agrees. It's like, turn the page, you know? Or maybe that's where she was gonna put the title of the book. Yeah, but it also D makes sense to me, too.

[Kim]

Agree.

[Anna]

Either D for drafts or D as in this is the fourth draft.

[Kim]

Yeah. I think there is a school of thought also where it's like, did she just miss the apostrophe? People are saying, well, she's a writer. She would never do that. I mean, I think she's human and she could have missed the apostrophe. But also, sometimes people say, like, the coffee's done, the food's done, the chicken's done. Yeah. Like, that's a very normal, like, phrasing for her to just say the draft's done.

[Anna]

Especially if you're, like, texting or just writing a note to yourself.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

You don't always have perfect grammar.

[Kim]

Right. I just don't think that this means anything necessarily when it comes to multiple manuscripts, multiple drafts of different ACOTAR books.

[Anna]

Agree. I totally agree. All right, so moving on, little sleuthy sleuth Christina told us. So there is a YC sticker, and that apparently is from the Yellowstone Club in Montana, which is an exclusive members only club, like, resort type place.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Anna]

And that is apparently where she is also in the final clip where she pops the champagne. Yeah. So we were, like, wondering, you know, was this filmed recently? Like, did she literally just finish this? But we also know that about 15 months ago, to be exact, she posted a story, like, one of the last times that she was basically. Yeah.

[Kim]

She posted, like, a post. Yeah. On her feed.

[Anna]

A post on her feed where she was up in the mountains and she's, you know, went up north to write for a while is what the caption says. So I don't know, like, did she film this a while ago and she's just now releasing it? Because we're in like, maybe the final stages of the editing process.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

I don't know.

[Kim]

It is interesting to me that she posted, like, went up north for a while to write 15 months ago, and she's just now done with the first draft. Like, I find that Kind of hard to believe. I think that's a really long time, especially since this book has been in play for years.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

She's had this idea in her mind for a long time. It's not like she's coming up with like a completely new world, completely new characters. Like, she's talked about Acotar 6, the next Acotar book, for years.

[Anna]

Right.

[Kim]

So I find like a 15 month. I mean, I'm not a writer. You guys could be like, yeah, you have no idea. I'm like, what if she did film those clips from when she was there and we are a little bit further along? I don't know.

[Anna]

I know. I just had a thought. Kim.

[Kim]

What?

[Anna]

Let me do a little detective work. One second.

[Kim]

Okay. Do a little detective work.

[Anna]

Okay. So wait a second. In the post from 15 months ago, there is snow on the ground.

[Kim]

I did notice that.

[Anna]

And it is evergreen. So they're green all year, but the trees have snow on them.

[Kim]

Yep.

[Anna]

So then let's look at the video.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

From this current. Oh, no, that's spring.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

There's no snow on the ground.

[Kim]

There's no snow.

[Anna]

And that is grass. Green grass.

[Kim]

There's grass. There's grass.

[Anna]

If you know, you know.

[Kim]

If you know, you know, there's grass, there's grass. Oh, that's interesting.

[Anna]

And that would mean. So if she's up in Montana, dead grass usually starts to turn green. It depends on, like, how long your spring is. But probably April, May.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

But it takes longer in the north. Up in Montana, probably.

[Kim]

Right. I feel this is fairly recent.

[Anna]

Yeah, I feel like it's fairly recent.

[Kim]

Being realistic. I mean, maybe a couple weeks ago, but, like, I don't think this was six months ago or a year ago.

[Anna]

No, I think you're right, Kim.

[Kim]

So let's talk about the timeline. Let's talk about one of the major questions you guys have is like, when are we going to get our hands on Acotar 6? So we would love to know, but typically traditional publishing takes about nine to 12 months at a minimum. Okay. And that puts us at about April at the earliest to get this book. But let's go back and look at her history of when she released all the other books in all of her series, all the 500 books that she's written.

[Anna]

Okay.

[Kim]

With the exception of Silver Flames, every other Acotar book came out in May, which is very interesting to me. Akasoft came out February of 2021, if you were wondering. But every other Acotar book came out in May. That makes a lot of sense to me. That's about 10 months from now.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

For her to release this book, which. That checks out. I don't love May as a release date. Guys. If you're an elementary school aged mom, you know, you know May Simber is a real thing.

[Anna]

Sarah, it's gonna be real rough. It's gon.

[Kim]

Sarah, why would you do this to us? So she's had different kind of times of the year for each of her series. So Throne of Glass was mostly August, September, and one book in October. And then CC has been January, February, March.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

So it's been kind of all over the place. Right. But if we're just going based off of Acotar books, they usually come out in May and I think that's very realistic. I could definitely see May. Most people are saying probably a year from now, which just seems like long.

[Anna]

But I mean it's been 84 years.

[Kim]

It's been a thousand years. Like what's another one? But I'm also like, Sarah, don't do this to us. We know that Sarah usually announces the title fairly soon after she posts about being done with the draft, slash the book. Kind of entering that editing process. It could be a few days. It's been as early as like four days after a few weeks or even a few months, but we think it'll be fairly soon. I want to shout out Yaz the bookish on Instagram. She has done some incredible detective work. Please go check out her Instagram. She has some posts with screenshots of dates and times that Sarah has announced first drafts being done for her other books.

[Anna]

Right. She does.

[Kim]

There has been some talk like, and I just said that these clips were filmed months ago and that ACOTAR 6 is coming out much sooner than we think. As in like three months from now. Just speaking from like a marketing perspective, which is my background, I would think her team would need at least six months to do a proper marketing hype campaign for the book. Yes, she is sjm, but she still needs to do promo and there still needs to be some kind of marketing campaign.

[Anna]

Agree.

[Kim]

You just aren't going to do that. You've got to build hype and buzz around the book. She needs to drop the title, she needs to drop the COVID teaser quotes, have her do some appearances. Yeah, all things she has done for what, I mean, at least her last five books. She's.

[Anna]

I think the only one she didn't do was Crescent City and then Akasoff, because Crescent City Book one was, was 2020. Yeah, 2020. And then Akisoff was 2021.

[Kim]

But she still did, I think, announcements of, like, the title and the COVID Like, you've got to build that buzz.

[Anna]

That's.

[Kim]

That's part of being an author.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

Her team is just not gonna let her just draw. Like, she's too big. Her brand is too big. We hope.

[Anna]

I mean, just get us started.

[Kim]

Hope that her editing team is being very, very aggressive maybe this time around. Okay. And Sarah is a brand. Okay. She's not just an author. She is a brand. The actor series is a brand.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

There is a whole team of people that has to come together to get this book out. I just don't think three months is enough adequate time to get it out.

[Anna]

I don't think we're definitely not seeing it in the beginning of the new year. Like, that's 100% not happening.

[Kim]

No, I don't think so.

[Anna]

Unless she was to announce tomorrow that it's coming out end of January. And that would shock me.

[Kim]

Agreed. It would shock me as well. I agree.

[Anna]

Okay, so let's do some rapid fire questions that we've gotten from listeners in DMs today.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Anna]

All right, so the first one is, do we think the events of ACOTAR 6 will take place in the same timeline as House of Flame and Shadow, which was CC3? I personally think the bigger question here is whether or not Sarah is going to further connect the worlds in this book. And so let me explain why the previous five Acotar books do not make Crescent City or Throne of Glass mandatory reading. You do not need to know who Bryce and Aelin are to read and enjoy the first five Acotar books. If Sarah all of a sudden made a reader's enjoyment contingent upon the fact that you also had to have read all of Crescent City, I think, honestly, that would be alienating a large group of people.

[Kim]

True.

[Anna]

Now, with that being said, could the events of book six happen simultaneously as the events in CC3? Of course. But I think Sarah also has been laying the groundwork for a new evil Koschei. So we think the focus and story will revolve around that and not the events of CC3. I think it will be hard for her to maybe not reference this person, this stranger from a new land. Like, I don't.

[Kim]

I know. That's why I think she will. I think it will take place at the same time. Only because Bryce was actually only with them for such a short amount of time.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

Like, it was very short. If this had Been like, they were there for two months. No, but I think there's a way that Sarah could slip it in. Where it's very vague and it doesn't take away from the story.

[Anna]

I agree.

[Kim]

But it's a little bit of something.

[Anna]

It's a nod.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

I think she 100% has to do a nod to Cece because there was a crossover. It happened.

[Kim]

Right.

[Anna]

We can't ignore it.

[Kim]

Right.

[Anna]

But I don't think that the events of CC3 will be like, a focal point of the story.

[Kim]

No, absolutely not. But interestingly, Elain and Lucien were absolutely nowhere to be found.

[Anna]

Nowhere to be found. I mean, Lucien's off doing his thing with his. What do they call. What's his little.

[Kim]

His little band of.

[Anna]

Band of exiles.

[Kim]

Exiles.

[Anna]

The band of exiles.

[Kim]

Jurian and Vassa and Lucian. But it's interesting because they were not present at the House of Wind. Like, Elain was not there. I don't think ever remember her being mentioned. So I think there's a way to throw it in. But I agree that I think Sarah's smart enough to know, like, I'm not going to make people go read three massive urban fantasy books just to read this book.

[Anna]

Yes, that's my point, I think. Exactly. And obviously we're going to dive so much more deeply into this in coming episodes and when we do more theories episodes.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

But that's just our brief. 2 cents on that matter.

[Kim]

Absolutely agree. Okay, so the next main question is, who is the main POV going to be? Oh, friends. We wish we knew.

[Anna]

Let me tell you, we've talked about this for so long.

[Kim]

Oh, God. Years and more to come. I wish we knew. Guys. I'm nervous for her. I think at this point, the fandom has become so divided that I really don't think she's gonna win because there's gonna be half of the people that are gonna be happy in half that aren't, no matter what. Right. Like, yeah, if we're going based off of past books, it should be Elaine. Right.

[Anna]

If every sister is getting her own book and we. That is the trajectory of the series, then it went Feyre Nesta, and naturally Elain would be next.

[Kim]

Next, right?

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

So that's my guess as of right now is that Elain is going to be the main character, and then it will either be a second POV of Azriel or a second POV of Lucien.

[Anna]

Unless she just totally out the gate is like, you guys are insane. I don't think anyone's insane. If you do Ship Azriel Lane. Because there absolutely is hints of that happening.

[Kim]

Oh, 100%.

[Anna]

So I don't know how we get Elain's book without also. Not like, we would also have to get Asriel and Lucian's pov. I think.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

I think that would be the only way to make Elain's character arc work properly. Right. But then the flip side to that.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

Is that if. If Elain, Lucien, and Asriel are getting their own POVs, I'm worried. Does that dilute specifically Asriel. I'm just gonna.

[Kim]

I mean.

[Anna]

I mean, honestly, that's all I care about.

[Kim]

Let's be honest. That's what I'm worried about.

[Anna]

I mean, I don't care about Lucian.

[Kim]

Is it gonna be too much Elaine and not enough astronauts?

[Anna]

That's real.

[Kim]

That's really what we're worried about. That's what I'm worried about.

[Anna]

Let's just call it what it is.

[Kim]

Let's just be honest. Yeah.

[Anna]

So that's my fear, is that if. And listen, listeners, we will be happy. Sarah always makes us happy at the end of the day.

[Kim]

Most.

[Anna]

Yeah, most of the time. If Elain and Lucien are together, if that mating bond happens or Elain ends up, you know, whatever. If Azriel is separate from that, my fear is that I still want his story. Does that mean he gets a book later?

[Kim]

Sure.

[Anna]

I just want Asriel's book.

[Kim]

Guys, really, we just want Asriel's book. However we need to get there is how we're gonna get there.

[Anna]

Don't care, Hal. Just give it to me eventually.

[Kim]

We want it. We want it.

[Anna]

I want a Tower of dawn situation with Azriel, which.

[Kim]

Oh, actually, that's interesting.

[Anna]

Anna Would be fascinating if she did. What if she just said, I'm totally Tower of Dawning this. Yes.

[Kim]

And she pulls Azrael and she's like.

[Anna]

We'Re doing Asriel as the focus of this story.

[Kim]

Okay, but see, she can't do that for this book because she didn't set that up. She set Tower of Dawn.

[Anna]

She did. Well, I mean.

[Kim]

Well, we knew that Kale was getting sent away. We didn't know he was going to be the focus, but we knew he was going to be somewhere separate from the group. The last that we know, everyone's together.

[Anna]

True.

[Kim]

In Valaris, happy as clan. Well, sort of happy.

[Anna]

Yeah. Sort of happy. Yeah.

[Kim]

I mean, really, the only one that is away is Lucian, right?

[Anna]

Yeah, it's really just Lucian. And then Moore is God knows where.

[Kim]

Guys, Which?

[Anna]

Another pov, But I don't think it's going to be more.

[Kim]

No, I don't. And I don't know what she's doing with more. I really don't. Someone said, like, they think it's novella from Morse perspective, which, like, I don't think so. I would love a more novella. Let's be very clear. I would love a more novella. Yeah, I don't think that's what this is. I'm very interested to see how she will go, because no matter what, it's going to be l. People are going to be pissed if they don't get that. Elain and Lucian. People are going to be pissed if they don't get that.

[Anna]

I know.

[Kim]

If she does an Azriel only book, I think the Elain stands would riot in the streets.

[Anna]

Well, we can still have Elaine's pov. I just.

[Kim]

But it can be Azriel's book with Gwen. What? Who said that? I don't.

[Anna]

Who said that?

[Kim]

Gwen. What? Oh, hey, Shadow Singer on her. What? I don't know. I don't know. I'm just saying, guys, we don't know.

[Anna]

We don't know.

[Kim]

We are waiting with bated breath just like all of you. Baited breath.

[Anna]

All right, so we also got a ton of people asking our thoughts on Rhysand, specifically in regards to Silver Flames. And if you don't already know, listeners, we are currently revisiting the entire ACOTAR series and releasing weekly deep dive into those books. So we'll save our comments and character analysis for those episodes. But, y', all, I cannot stress this enough. And again, we will go into it in the episodes. But our high lord and savior is not evil.

[Kim]

No, he's just not.

[Anna]

Come on. I mean, we just don't just subscribe to that line of thought. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, Sara based Rhysand on her own husband.

[Kim]

Yes. And I do not think she would.

[Anna]

Make a character that is Beloved over three. Over his entire trilogy.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And then all of a sudden be like, psych. That would be one of the worst decisions.

[Kim]

No. She has stated in multiple interviews that Rhysand is based on her husband. There is no logical world where she's making Rhysand evil. Also, Sarah has never done that before. She's never had a character that was Beloved become evil. You guys literally go look at every single book she's written. That's just not her MO. That's not what she does. In fact, she takes morally gray characters and gives them the most fascinating, interesting character arc. Yes, we Won't spoil things. But like, if, you know, you know.

[Anna]

In every series, there is a character who you. By the end of the series or even within a book or two, you're in a completely different place with that character.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

That is what she does. She takes a morally gray. She turns them good or you see, you know, all the aspects of that personality.

[Kim]

Agreed.

[Anna]

She never takes a beloved character and then all of a sudden upends it. Except for Tamlin.

[Kim]

But I would argue that we don't think Tamlin's evil. I don't think Tam is evil. She's just having a hard time. Okay. Like, this whole line of thought is just like, we're not interested in that. We don't subscribe to that. No, no, he's not evil. It's not going to happen. We don't think more is evil either. Guys, she's not going to take the only queer character in Acotar and make them evil. That would be suicide for her as an author.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

It's not gonna happen.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Just. She's not gonna do it. She's not an idiot. She's a very smart woman. She's not gonna take more and make her evil.

[Anna]

She's not gonna do that. Okay, so let's. What are we excited about or anxious about?

[Kim]

I'm anxious about an Elaine centric book. I'm gonna be honest with you. Okay. Like, we're all friends here. But I was anxious about Nesta's book too. O never my favorite character. I hated her going into silver flames.

[Anna]

Right.

[Kim]

And look what Sarah did with Nesta's story. Okay. Like, she's not my favorite, but her story arc is one of the best that Sarah has ever written, ever.

[Anna]

Oh. We start at the bottom and we make it to the top, let me tell you.

[Kim]

So I am nervous for Elain only because. Talk to Sarah. Okay. Sarah has given us really nothing to go on with Elaine. Barely anything.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Kim]

I'm nervous just because I just haven't seen a lot that's made me interested in Elaine.

[Anna]

I'm with you, Kim. I trust. We all do. We all trust that she can get us there, right?

[Kim]

Absolutely.

[Anna]

Like you said with Nesta, we go in there and we're in a dark, bleak place.

[Kim]

It's dark, it's bad.

[Anna]

And then we rise out of the ashes. She's literally a phoenix. And it's amazing. And we love to see it.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And with Elain, it's like. Yes. In Acowar and then in the novella, you are starting to see aspects of her character a little bit more of a backbone. Obviously the moment with the high priest Burn King. I'm nervous with you, but I trust and we both trust the process. In sjm, we trust.

[Kim]

In sjm, we trust she'll get us there. But I, like you, am anxious about if it is going to be an Elaine centric book. Where does that leave us with Azriel? Because I. That's what I'm most excited about. I want to learn more about Azriel. You can see the excitement on Sarah's face when she talks about writing about Azriel.

[Anna]

Oh, my God.

[Kim]

And I'm like, give it to me, Sarah.

[Anna]

We were watching a bunch of interviews with her, and she really loves Azriel. Not just. She's like, not just in the bedroom.

[Kim]

And I'm like, but. But say more about.

[Anna]

Like, but, like, say more.

[Kim]

But say more about the.

[Anna]

Tell me more.

[Kim]

Tell me more about that.

[Anna]

Tell me more about that blindfold.

[Kim]

So, like, that makes me excited as the reader to, like, see the passion that she has for that character. I just, like, I want. I want Azriel's book so bad.

[Anna]

I just want. Has hinted that she wants to explore his character more.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Anna]

She did say that in an interview. She's like, I know. I want to go someplace with him. Honestly, I think what I'm most excited about is, for me, it's Acotar, similar to Throne of Glass. It's like, when we get a new book, it's a comfort. It feels like coming home.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

I'm just really excited to be back in that world and to see those characters and to hear Cassian laugh and to see Nesta finally in a good place with her family.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And to see. I don't care whose POV it's through, but to see Nesta and Cassian happy and Feyre happy and Nyx.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And, like, I want to see all those moments. And hopefully we do get like. Like Arisian being a dad or Cassie and Asriel being an uncle.

[Kim]

Oh. Oh, I'm. I'm so excited.

[Anna]

I'm excited for the inner circle family dynamics.

[Kim]

Absolutely.

[Anna]

That's what I'm most excited about.

[Kim]

Yeah, me too. It's gonna be amazing. Okay, so just to remind our listeners, we are releasing full Acotar Revisited episodes every single week. We have gotten so many questions in the last 24 hours since Sarah's announcement. Everything from what exactly are Morse powers to do? We ship lreal or gwen real tamlin vs. Eris redemption arc. Will Throne of Glass tie in and more. And the good news is we actually cover most of these questions in depth in our ACOTAR episodes. So if you're wondering where we stand or you want to hear us break it down, make sure to tune in. And especially you don't want to miss our favorite segment, Mastermind spelled M A A S where we dive into every possible Easter egg and series crossover. You don't want to miss it. We go into like, theories and all of the master multiverse stuff. It is our favorite part of every single episode.

[Anna]

It's the best chef's kiss.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

All right. And on that note, actually, now that Sarah has officially announced ACOTAR 6, you know, we will be bringing back our Theories and Prediction episodes.

[Kim]

Woo.

[Anna]

I know.

[Kim]

Woo.

[Anna]

If you've been with us for a while, you already know how much we love a deep dive. Getting completely lost in the catacombs of these incredible worlds. I mean, we've already done four Crescent City Mass verse theories episodes before CC3 came out. So yes, we are beyond excited to dive back in and bring you more theory filled episodes. As we all start piecing together our questions, our hopes, our wild predictions for ACOTAR 6. It's going to be quite the ride and we cannot wait to go there with you.

[Kim]

Yay.

[Anna]

So listeners, cheers and happy reading. Happy listening.

[Kim]

Yay.

[Anna]

We are just so excited.

[Kim]

We're so excited for ACOTAR 6. Well, friends, that wraps up another episode of Flights of Fantasy podcast. Don't forget to join our book club community on Instagram and TikTok Talk at Flights of Fantasy Podcast where you can share your thoughts, theories and favorite moments with us and fellow listeners. We'd love to hear from you. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us spread the magic of Romantasy to even more book lovers. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep reading, and remember, every good story deserves to take flight.