Trending Author Alert! Five Fun Facts About #BookTok Favorite Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas has made a habit of blowing up #BookTok with her bestselling YA fantasy novels. Her newest Crescent City series marks her foray into adult territory. The first book, titled House of Earth and Blood was released in March of 2020. The story centers on half-fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan and fallen angel Hunt Athalar joining forces to save their world. Book two, House of Sky and Breath, comes out Feb. 15 and is available for pre-order. (ReadingRewards alert: if you pre-order the book with us by February 14, we'll give you a FREE BOOK credit on release day!)

Get to know Maas and her work a little better with these five fun facts about the author.

1. She's a huge Harry Potter fangirl.

I can survive well enough on my own—if given the proper reading material.

Like so many authors, Maas found early inspiration in her reading, with one of her first obsessions being J. K. Rowling's iconic series. She also used to write Sailor Moon fanfiction, some of which has been excerpted in her books. Aside from literature, Maas has said that she is deeply inspired by music, particularly classical works, which often serve as her soundtrack as she writes. Some of the other books she counts as early favorites include:

• Sabriel by Garth Nix
• The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
• The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

2. Maas started writing her debut novel at sixteen.

The sense of discovery is why I love writing so much. It's a total thrill for me.

Maas posted several chapters of her tale, then called Queen of Glass, on FictionPress.com, where it quickly became one of the most popular stories on the site. She later removed it when she got serious about publishing the book, now titled Throne of Glass. Here is one description of her premise: "What if Cinderella was not a servant, but an assassin? And what if she didn't attend the ball to meet the prince, but to kill him, instead?" The subsequent bestselling series consists of seven novels and several prequel novellas.

3. She's got a Hulu adaptation in the works.

No one was my master— but I might be master of everything, if I wished. If I dared.

Maas's second series begins with A Court of Thorns and Roses, a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast. In March, her husband, Josh, accidentally leaked the news of a Hulu adaptation deal with an Instagram post of a PB&J sandwich. Visible in the pic is the edge of the script with the handwritten words: "ACOTAR TV adaptation notes." Maas responded to the resulting fan frenzy with her own post, saying, "So, it's official (and thank you, Josh, for accidentally spilling the beans!) Ron Moore (creator of Outlander and one of my creative idols) and I will co-adapt ACOTAR as a tv show for Hulu." It seems entirely likely that the show will go on to adapt the rest of the series, including:

• A Court of Mist and Fury, #2
• A Court of Wings and Ruin, #3
• A Court of Frost and Starlight, #3.1
• A Court of Silver Flames, #4

4. New parents have started naming their babies after Maas's iconic characters.

I'm pretty sure Tolkien thrashes in his grave at least once a day over my fantasy naming methods.

Maas describes a fairly broad (and sometimes nonsensical) approach to choosing her character's names, but it seems successful! The author has heard from fans who have chosen names for their children from her books, including Aelin, Celaena, Nehemia, Elentiya. She commented, "I'm holding out for a Manon, like Manon Blackbeak (featured in Heir of Fire), but I don't think anyone is going to name their sweet innocent baby after a hundred-year-old witch."

5. She has written a novel about Catwoman.

No space for fear, for doubt, for hesitation. Not with so many eyes watching.

Maas brings her signature touch to the DC Icons series, which features beloved YA writers—like Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, and Matt de la Pena—tackling classic superheroes. Catwoman: Soulstealer imagines Selina Kyle returning incognito to Gotham City after intense training at the League of Assassins preparing for an epic takedown of her hometown. And with Batman away, Gotham City is vulnerable and primed for a fall.

Hopefully this gives you a little insight and intrigue about Maas's work. If it doesn't show, we are huge fans of this compelling author and excited to see where she goes next.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon