With the highly-anticipated release of Crescent City: House of Flame and Shadow, Sarah J. Maas has completed the trilogy of books set in the world of Crescent City that she promised. However, in a recent interview, the romantasy author dug a little deep into her future books.
With three franchises under her belt, two of which are still ongoing, Maas has plenty of work opportunities to be getting on with. Her first series, Throne of Glass, is the only one that’s technically finished (even if fans would love to return to Erilea at some point).
According to Maas’ own website, the Crescent City series is still ongoing. Read on for everything we know about a possible fourth book, as well as the future of the Massiverse at large.
Four Houses mean four books—right, Ms Maas?
The world of Crescent City has four Houses, detailed on the very first page of each of the three books published so far. Each book has been named after a different house (home to different fantastical beings) that takes centrestage in the novels: House of Earth and Blood, House of Sky and Breath, and House of Flame and Shadow.
That leaves House of Many Waters without a book. In 2022, Maas said in a live interview shared to TikTok that she was under contract for three Crescent City books. However, she also hinted that there might be a fourth installment.
In an interview with TODAY published on House of Flame and Shadow‘s release date, Maas indeed confirmed that a fourth book is indeed on the way, suggesting that it will focus on different characters from the first trio, which centered around Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar, with viewpoints from other characters as well.
This follows the same rhythm as Maas’ other ongoing series, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR). The first three books, as well as some chapters of book four, followed Feyre Archeron, before switching to her sister Nesta in the fifth, A Court of Silver Flames.
Her priorities are elsewhere—for now
However, it seems we’ll have to wait before we see the next steps of Crescent City.
“You will have to wait a bit,” Maas told TODAY. “On the airport taxiing line, it’s a little down, but I know who the book’s about. I know the big ideas of what I want to happen.”
That doesn’t mean that Maas is sitting on her literary laurels, however. She also confirmed to TODAY that the next book will be set in Prythian aka the world of ACOTAR.
“I’m very, very excited about that one,” she said. “I know much more about what’s happening in this one. And then the next book in that series, I have the ideas and general, vague thoughts. But the nitty-gritty of writing and the emotional journeys with the characters—I usually love to go on those journeys with them.”
That means we have ACOTAR coming next, with at least one more book to follow. To mix things up still further, Maas went on to confirm that a book will split up those two ACOTAR releases, with a project “that’s been brewing in the back of my mind for a long time”.
“There’s one book that I’m going to be writing after this next ‘ACOTAR’ book that I’m very excited about. I’m not going to say what world it’s in. I’m not going to say anything,” she continued. “But it’s a story that’s been brewing in the back of my mind for a long time.
“I think it’s going to be a very emotional book for me to write just in terms of the world I’ll be writing and the characters that might pop up.”
Warning: spoilers ahead for the entire Maasiverse
The wording of “characters that might pop up” seems to suggest that characters might be familiar to both readers and Maas, leading some fans to hope that she will be working on a follow-up to Throne of Glass, the final book of which was published in 2018.
With the worlds of Crescent City and ACOTAR already blurring in House of Flame and Shadow, perhaps this upcoming book will see all three worlds collide in an Endgame-style climax. After all, Maas herself is a known fan of the MCU.
All that remains to be seen, but we do know that Maas is contracted to write at least seven more books for Bloomsbury, including the aforementioned two ACOTAR books, one more Crescent City and mysterious project. That leaves three open gaps for whatever Maas chooses to do next—perhaps even an entirely new series.
(featured image: Bloomsbury Publishing)
