Five Target stores across Nevada are hosting release events on October 26 so fans can get their hands on Sarah J. Maas's newest fantasy novel as it goes on sale. The retailer's release event runs from 9 p.m. on October 26 to midnight on October 27, but only the first 100 guests at each location will get a ticket allowing them to buy the book when the clock strikes twelve.
The book is A Court of Splintered Harmony, the latest entry in Maas's wildly popular A Court of Thorns and Roses series, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Each of the five stores will host themed trivia, an in-store Starbucks, and a spread of ACOTAR-branded merchandise including drinkware, jewelry, fragrances, and apparel, the paper reports. The participating Las Vegas-area stores are at 4100 Blue Diamond Road, 6371 N. Decatur Blvd., and 8750 W. Charleston Blvd. The Reno store is at 6845 Sierra Center Pkwy., and the Sparks store is at 1550 E. Lincoln Way.
A Nationwide Push, Not Just a Vegas Party
The Las Vegas events are part of a much bigger rollout. Target is holding similar midnight release celebrations at roughly 250 stores nationwide to mark the book's launch, according to Target Corporate. The retailer is also launching a dedicated ACOTAR product collection starting October 11, with the same corporate announcement noting that nearly 85% of the items — including Fine'ry fragrances, BrüMate drinkware, Alex and Ani jewelry, and Republic of Tea blends — are exclusive to Target.
It is a notable move for a big-box chain to stage this kind of experiential launch, a tactic historically reserved for independent bookstores. Maas's previous major release, House of Flame and Shadow, came out in January 2024. Target is also offering pre-order buyers a discounted hardcover at $22.40, down from its $32.00 list price, along with an exclusive promotional gift co-designed with Maas, per Target Corporate.
What's Actually In the New Book
A Court of Splintered Harmony runs 352 pages and carries the subtitle The Valkyrie Cycle: Movement I, signaling the start of a new multi-book arc within the broader series, per Bloomsbury Publishing. The story centers on the looming threat of Koschei the Deathless as internal betrayals fracture the Night Court, according to the same publisher listing.
Readers won't have to wait long for more. Maas announced that a second ACOTAR novel, A Court of Forgotten Melody, will be published on January 12, 2027. The two books are scheduled to arrive 11 weeks apart.
The Numbers Behind the Hype
The scale of Target's event makes more sense in light of just how dominant Maas has become. She was the top-selling author in the United States in 2024 according to Circana sales data cited by Forbes, with her books surpassing 75 million copies sold globally across 40 languages. Much of that momentum traces back to TikTok's BookTok community, which has generated more than 14 billion views of Maas-related content and helped drive an 86% increase in her backlist sales during peak growth periods, per the same Forbes report.
That sales engine has had real financial consequences for her publisher. Bloomsbury reported record company revenues exceeding £290 million for its 2023–2024 fiscal year, a surge the company attributed in part to Maas's series, according to Business Insider. The publisher has since upgraded its long-term profit forecasts ahead of Maas's 2026–2027 releases.
Merch Beyond the Bookshelf
The release window is also bringing new tie-in products beyond Target's shelves. Board game developer Goliath Games launched A Court of Thorns and Roses: Fate and Favor on Tuesday, an officially licensed strategy game priced at $24.99 that includes a Target-exclusive edition with custom packaging, according to GodisaGeek.com. The outlet notes the game was developed with input from series fans and debuted at Gen Con 2026.
