Sarah J. Maas has the fastest-selling science fiction and fantasy book in UK chart history. A Court of Splintered Harmony, the sixth novel in her A Court of Thorns and Roses series, sold more than 187,000 copies in its opening chart week and went straight in at No. 1 on the UK's overall bestseller chart. The record it broke was less than two years old.

What record did A Court of Splintered Harmony break?

A Court of Splintered Harmony is now the fastest-selling science fiction and fantasy book in UK chart history, with more than 187,000 copies sold in its opening chart week. The figure comes from The Bookseller's reporting on the UK charts.

The sixth A Court of Thorns and Roses novel by Sarah J. Maas also debuted at No. 1 on the UK's overall bestseller chart, not only in its category. Records in science fiction and fantasy tend to be set by a handful of names, and this one moved by a wide margin rather than an inch.

Whose record did Sarah J. Maas beat?

The previous record for the fastest-selling science fiction and fantasy book in UK chart history belonged to Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros, which sold 155,141 copies and had held the title since January 2025.

That is a gap of roughly 32,000 copies in a single week. Two authors, two series, two sets of readers who clear their calendars on publication day — and barely twenty-two months between the records.

Did the new book lift Sarah J. Maas's earlier novels?

The release of A Court of Splintered Harmony sparked a substantial sales increase for Sarah J. Maas's earlier A Court of Thorns and Roses titles and for her Crescent City novels.

That backlist surge is the quiet part of a launch like this one. A new instalment sends first-time readers to book one and sends returning readers back through everything else the author has written, which is why a single release week can reshape an entire chart.

How many copies has Bloomsbury reported worldwide?

Bloomsbury, publisher of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, reported approximately 1.7 million English-language print and ebook copies sold across four major markets through preorders and release day.

That publisher figure counts preorders and the first day of sale together, which is a different measure from a national chart week. Both numbers point the same way: this is one of the largest fantasy launches Bloomsbury has had.

A Court of Splintered Harmony: the details

Title	A Court of Splintered Harmony
Author	Sarah J. Maas
Publisher	Bloomsbury
Series	A Court of Thorns and Roses, book six

Frequently asked questions

Why are two different sales figures being quoted for this book?

The two figures measure different things. The 187,000-plus copies is UK chart sales for the book's opening chart week, as reported by The Bookseller. The approximately 1.7 million copies is Bloomsbury's own figure, covering English-language print and ebook sales across four major markets and counting preorders alongside release-day sales.

Is A Court of Splintered Harmony a standalone or part of a series?

A Court of Splintered Harmony is the sixth novel in Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series, published by Bloomsbury. Its release also drove a sales increase for the earlier books in that series and for Maas's separate Crescent City novels.

Source

Based on material from The Bookseller, received November 4, 2026. Written up for The Bookclub Boutique.