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A Court of Splintered Harmony
A Court of Splintered Harmony: The Valkyrie Cycle, Movement I by Sarah J. Maas Review: Setup Without Resolution
Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Splintered Harmony: The Valkyrie Cycle, Movement I is the sixth ACOTAR book, opening a new war arc around the imprisoned death god Koschei. Reviewers split: one blogger loved the messy drama, others found it all setup, 5.5/10 at The Review Geek.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Committed ACOTAR readers who want more time with the Night Court's Inner Circle and don't mind that this sixth instalment is the first part of a larger story and leaves everything unresolved.
Worth it if
Worth reading if you are already invested in the series and enjoy the Inner Circle's tangled romances and arguments enough to carry you through a book that mostly sets up the next one.
Skip if
Skip it if you want a self-contained arc, tight plotting, convincing motivation or a resolution, since the reviews we can cite fault the repeated arguments, heavy exposition and recaps, and the lack of any ending.
Where reviewers agree and split
Readers rate it 4.4 on Amazon. The reviews we read that discuss it in depth split on some points:
Of the 3 reviews we read that discuss its plot, 1 enjoys its many opened plot lines, but 2 find the plot unconvincing or all setup.
Plot
1 enjoys its many opened plot lines · 2 find the plot unconvincing or all setup
Who says what
Plot
“With many plot lines opened across the Continent, while serving up some juicy, messy, GREAT drama to read about”
— Bookish Goblin · Book blog“This one was all setup for the next book without an arc of its own. Nothing is resolved.”
— Mae Polzine · Book blogWhat readers & critics say
The three genuine reviews we found are split rather than hostile: The Review Geek scores it 5.5/10 and says it works "purely on nostalgia," while the blogger at Mae Polzine still recommends it to fans but calls it all setup, and the blogger at Bookish Goblin finished it in under a day and loved the messy drama. The shared ground is that it is mostly a setup volume; the disagreement is whether the character drama reads as compelling or as regression.
Sources: The Review Geek, Mae Polzine, Bookish GoblinAsk LuvemBooks
Was this helpful?
- Is it worth reading?
- It depends on how much you value payoff. Bookish Goblin finished it in under a day and loved the messy relationship drama, while Mae Polzine still recommends it to fans but calls it nowhere near her favourite. The Review Geek scored it 5.5/10 and argued it works purely on nostalgia.
- Similar books
- If you want more of Sarah J. Maas, House of Earth and Blood and Throne of Glass are the closest in-catalogue picks. For other romantasy, The Book of Azrael, When the Moon Hatched and Fourth Wing sit in the same lane of romance-driven fantasy with high stakes.
- Who should read this?
- The audience is readers already invested in the Night Court's Inner Circle who enjoy dissecting its squabbles and tangled romances. Polzine and Bookish Goblin both support it for fans, with Bookish Goblin the more enthusiastic. Readers who want an ending will find the objections of The Review Geek and Polzine more to the point.
- What age is it for?
- It follows adult romantic entanglements and a war arc, so it is better suited to mature readers.
- About Sarah J. Maas
- Sarah Janet Maas is an American fantasy author associated with three series: Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. This book is the sixth in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
- How does it compare to the earlier ACOTAR books?
- The Review Geek sets it against the series' original appeal, when ACOTAR reached teens wanting something less daunting than Game of Thrones, and finds the magic thinner here. Polzine contrasts it with the novella A Court of Frost and Starlight, which at least had its own Winter Solstice arc, whereas Splintered Harmony lacks one.
- Is this a good book club pick?
- It suits a group of existing fans who want to argue over the Inner Circle's choices, since reviewers disagree sharply on whether the drama is compelling or regressive. It is a poor fit for a mixed group, as it ends with nothing resolved.
Summarize this book
Follow up
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Our Review
We review the evidence: published critics, reader verdicts and BookTube reviews, gathered and weighed with AI assistance and edited by LuvemBooks, rather than one reader's first-hand take.
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Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
naberbook.twointomedia.com
- Further reading
- 2
Sarah J. Maas, LuvemBooks
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
bookishgoblin.com
- 8
- 9
Age & Reading Level
Our age band
Adult
Our age band groups books for browsing; it isn't an age a review gave.
2 content notes · who it suits
Content to know about
Best for: Adults 18+ — part of an adult romantic fantasy series
Skip if you want a self-contained story with a resolved arc, since the reviews we can cite say nothing is resolved.
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