I'm nerdy about quite a few things, so I've spent a lot of my life waiting for stuff to come out. Whether it be the next Taylor Swift album, an upcoming book-to-screen adaptation, or the new Sarah J. Maas book, I'm perpetually on the edge of my seat. It's part of the game -- it's what I sign up for, and it's part of the fun of it all, which is why I have no interest in leaked content. The moment I saw the first whiff of chatter about A Court of Splintered Harmony leaks. I let out a sigh of frustration, because come on, guys. We're so close!
I couldn't tell you exactly how much of the book has been leaked online, or what the content entails, as I haven't tried to look for it. All I know is that, at least a week ago, I started seeing updates from fans online mentioning leaks -- either how there were alleged leaks circulating, or trying to discuss what the content included. It's made me wary of some of my favorite sources of ACOTAR fan chatter. What a bummer too, as the buildup of anticipation for this book has been so much fun, and we're in the final countdown, so what better time to be celebrating the anticipation with other fans?
It seems this situation has become big enough that the author herself weighed in. Sarah J. Maas posted an Instagram story, pleading with fans not to share the links.
Maas' update speaks about the amount of work that goes into releasing a book and keeping spoilers from readers until the book arrives, which can only imagine is a lot, but it's what she said at the end that really got me:
...and it is beyond disheartening to see out-of-context moments take away from all of you who have waited so patiently. All I'm asking for is just a bit more of that patience - until you can get everything in its fullness, the way it's meant to be read.
By that, I take it that it's segments of the book that are circulating? If so, I had to think about this a bit to try to understand the appeal for fans. As I said, I'm a fan of a lot of things, so I understand the impatience. I can even empathize with the temptation on some level. If someone were to hand me pages from the new book and ask me if I wanted to read them, there might be some impulse to look and satisfy a bit of that anticipation. So I kind of get it, but I also know better than to act on that impulse if it's for something I'm really excited about and invested in.
A good story is more than just a sequence of moments. For a tale as epic as ACOTAR, with characters we've come to know and love (or loathe) over several books, context is everything. The reason I'm so excited about A Court of Splintered Harmony is because I've read and reread the previous ACOTAR books and love these characters and the journey they're on. I'm only going to get to read this new book for the first time once, and when I do, I want it to be in the right order, and preferably around when a lot of other fans are reading it so I can check out the discussions and reactions.
That brings me to the last part of this, which is the fans. A lot of what I said above applies to people who are like me, just excited to read the book. I think that's who Maas is addressing with her post, based on her tone. The more cynical side of me, the one who's seen spoilers and leaks circulate aggressively through fandoms in the past, will suspect that it's not just fans spreading these leaks.
Assuming there are benefits to having it and sharing it, you don't need to be a fan to reap whatever rewards one gets from engagement or follows or whatever. My point is, the leaks will be out there no matter what, but if you are a fan, you can choose to look away, and wait for the actual book you bought or borrowed to be in your hands! A Court of Splintered Harmony arrives in a literal week (October 27th).
