Dear Sarah J. Maas,
I have two small children, a full-time job, and approximately 47 things running through my head at any given moment.
And yet, somehow, I have found the mental capacity to remember the names of seven High Lords, the political dynamics of Prythian, and an alarming amount of information about fictional people who have pointy ears and magic powers.
I can’t always remember why I walked into the kitchen, but I can remember the intricate details of the latest ACOTAR theory and how that connects back to one specific line I read in A Court of Wings and Ruin three years ago.
Some people know sports. I know the Night Court.
With the anticipation of books six and seven in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, I’ve been reminded just how much I love escaping into the worlds you’ve created.
Because here’s the thing about being a mom. Actually, two things. One, I’ve given up on even trying to control the TV. And two, sometimes even taking a break feels like work.
A night out requires finding a babysitter and planning. A weekend away is practically nonexistent with young kids. Even a quick trip to Target has to be coordinated around nap time if I want 30 minutes of alone time with minimal guilt.
But opening a book? That’s something I can do after bedtime, in the car while my husband drives us to the next practice or activity, or when “Mommy has to go shower,” and I hide in the bathroom to sneak in an extra chapter before actually getting in.
And suddenly, I’m not thinking about daycare schedules, grocery lists, or what we’re having for dinner tomorrow.
I’m thinking about my faerie friends in Prythian.
And while I love my real life, there’s something pretty wonderful about stepping away from it for a little while.
Somewhere along the way, these books became more than just something I read. They became something I looked forward to. Something I could get excited about that didn’t revolve around my kids, my career, or keeping our household running.
Now, I recognize that my level of emotional investment in a fictional universe may be slightly obsessive. If you had asked me whether I read fantasy books four years ago, I would have replied with a quick “absolutely not” and proudly told you whatever genre I was reading at the time.
But somewhere along the way, a coworker convinced me on a work trip that reading this series would change my life, so I decided to give it a chance. I remember thinking there was no way I was finishing the first book, let alone the four that came after it. And I certainly didn’t expect to become this invested in a world full of faeries.
Then came my first experience with full-on heart palpitations during the final 20% of book one, an SJM signature, and I was hooked.
And apparently, there was no turning back.
Fast forward to today, and I just clicked purchase on a “High Lady” sweatshirt from Target and watched the latest AI book edit of Cassian and Azriel landing on the ice in the Winter Court to save Feyre.
Yes, I’m 38 years old.
My Instagram feed is currently centered on theories about what books six and seven will be about, and it’s distracted me at work more than I’d like to admit. While some may read this and think it’s a bit weird, I think it’s so cool that you’ve created a book series that allows us moms to channel our younger selves and fangirl over something that’s just ours.
I’ve also loved the community I’ve found along the way. With your series being so popular, I can’t tell you how many connections and conversations I’ve made just from talking SJM shop at work, on Bookstagram, or with friends.
Finding a Maasverse fan in the wild is equivalent to making a connection with another Swiftie (another fandom I’m proudly part of).
I love knowing exactly who to text when I think I’ve uncovered a potential plot for your upcoming books, knowing we’ll discuss it as if it’s a real-life headline in the news. Or who I’ll be lightning-speed DMing when your publisher drops another cryptic quote for us to dissect.
As a mom, we don’t always have the luxury of getting out with friends or having a ton to talk about outside of our kids. It’s mentally refreshing to have people you can talk to about something that’s for you, something you genuinely enjoy, and not about everyone and everything else you take care of.
And on the surface, books about faeries may seem “silly” to those who haven’t read them. But to those of us who have, yes, they’re a fun place to escape to, but they’re also a place where we can connect with characters on a level we didn’t expect.
In A Court of Silver Flames and Kingdom of Ash, Nesta and Aelin’s mental health journeys resonated deeply with me at a time when I was struggling with secondary infertility.
I remember relating so much to Nesta’s desire to turn off the noise in her head and the feeling of being a failure.
And I’ll never forget reading these words spoken to Aelin by her mother in Kingdom of Ash:
“You have been very brave. You have been very brave, for so very long. But you must be brave a little while longer, my Fireheart.”
I remember sobbing on my back patio during a nap-time read. Those words were an emotional moment for Aelin, but they were also exactly what I needed to hear that day to keep going for my family’s future.
That’s the beauty of reading any book, isn’t it? It can be an escape from a chaotic day of motherhood, but it can also be a hobby that brings out emotions you didn’t even know you needed to release.
I’ve always been a reader, but reading took on a different meaning for me as a mom.
I don’t have specific hobbies that get me out of the house or groups of friends I regularly hang out with. But I have a couch or a bed and comfy pajamas that I know will always be waiting for me after a long day.
I’m sure there are times when there’s something way more productive I could be doing, but reading has become something that allows me to shut off a portion of my brain.
It’s given me a “low-lift” way to create some me time where I can refill my cup so I can be a little more recharged for my kids.
That is, if I don’t stay up until 2 AM to see how the battle with Hybern is going to end.
Somewhere between becoming a mom and being needed by everyone, it’s really nice to have something that belongs entirely to you.
And sometimes that something happens to involve a 500-year-old fictional man with wings.
So, Sarah, thank you.
Thank you for giving me and so many other moms a place like Prythian to escape to that feels like a vacation from our everyday stressors.
You’ve created something so special with these characters and stories that goes far beyond the pages of a book.
You’ve given me a way to create space for myself, to feel emotions through your writing that I’d buried deep, a chance to channel my inner child and get obnoxiously excited about something for myself, and many good-looking fictional boyfriends that I don’t have to tell my husband about.
I hope that in the craziness of these next book releases, and beyond the online chatter and opinions, you’re able to feel the impact of your work on moms like me who appreciate what you’ve created for us.
P.S. Any chance we can release future books at 6 AM instead of midnight? Ya girl can’t hang at that hour anymore!
With love,
The Real House Moms of Prythian
