The multiverse of Sarah J. Maas

IT'S 9:30 ON A FREEZING MONDAY NIGHT IN JANUARY and there's a line stretching down the block outside of Manhattan's Book Club Bar. The occasion: a midnight release party for fantasy author Sarah J. Maas' House of Flame and Shadow, the third entry in her Crescent City series. The twist there's always a twist where Maas is concerned-is that Maas is on her way to surprise the throng of almost exclusively female fans willing to wait in the cold to get their hands on her book the minute it becomes available.

- MEGAN MCCLUSKEY

When she enters through the front door, fans are so busy sipping on themed drinks and prepping for trivia that she goes unnoticed. There are a few stunned gasps. Then the cheering begins. "I feel like this will go down as one of the best nights of my life," she tells me at the next stop, a Barnes & Noble where she will count down to midnight with a bigger crowd. "There's such a positive energy." 

So much has led up to this moment: Maas has sold more than 38 million copies of her books. She is a titan of fantasy fiction whose three best-selling series-Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), and Crescent City-are a driving force behind the meteoric rise of romantasy (a portmanteau for "romantic fantasy"). On BookTok, the influential, reader-centric corner of TikTok, the #ACOTAR hashtag boasts over 8.5 billion views, with users touting podcasts and tattoos. Demand for Maas' books has surged in response, with her publisher, Bloomsbury, announcing that sales of her work had increased by 79% in the first half of 2023-a boost compared to the "Harry Potter effect."

"My fans are a force of nature," Maas, 37, had warned me over Zoom, the day before the new book's release. "I wouldn't be where I am today without them."

She's reached a critical juncture-a crossover between two of three fantasy worlds that grounds her 15-plus books within one multiverse. It's an ambitious move, and not without risk-even if her book is a blockbuster, can she continue to top her own success? As the clock inches closer to 12, the palpable excitement makes one thing clear: as long as her readers have a say, Maas is here to stay.