A MIDNIGHT launch of a highly anticipated publication was the catalyst for one of the most ambitious events in Waterstones Truro’s history.

Last night (Monday, October 26), A Court of Splintered Harmony - the sixth book in Sarah J. Maas’s internationally bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series - was the subject of a sold-out immersive experience in the Boscawen Street store.

Around 170 ACOTAR fans queued round the block in sumptuous costumes, from floor-length dresses to pointy ears. At 9pm, they streamed through the doors for a festival featuring literary quizzes, potion bottle making, book bedazzling, mocktail stations and merch from tote bags to jigsaw puzzles.

Visual backdrops, including a six-foot arch at the escalator and a fantasy throne in a ballroom that hours before was a humble coffee shop, transformed the shop into the Seven Courts of Prythian in collaboration with Truro-based Rich Fabrics. Upstairs, professional make-up artist Jessie Maree will be provided face painting inspired by the distinct iconography of the books, while artist Imogen Blackburn sketched hand-drawn portraits of attendees styled in the aesthetics of the series, to the musical backing of violinist Juliet Walshe.

The driving force behind the event was bookseller and mega-Maas fan Ronnie Turner, who had been nailing down the fine details since June. “This is a massive publication for 2026 - the author’s first book in about 10 years,” she enthused.

“Many Waterstones stores across the UK and overseas are celebrating, but only Truro is doing an event on this scale. We have a jam-packed events programme here, but we haven’t had a midnight launch since Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – it’s the biggest, most ambitious event in our history.”

Some VIP guests were admitted before 9pm, including Amy Enever – ACOTAR super-fan, fantasy book club member and Instagram influencer @misse_lovestoread.

“I absolutely love the books – they are unputdownable, the characters so relatable - and this is a really exciting opportunity to talk to other people who feel the same,” said Amy, who is also a primary school teacher and director of the St Austell Festival of Children’s Literature.

“I’ve always enjoyed fantasy books, the escapism of being able to go somewhere completely different to the real world we’re living in. But I’ve never done anything like this. When I was a child, I found the idea of a release party very exciting, but I was too young. When I found out about this event, the child in me was excited.”

Many arrivd in groups. Friends Fern Ward and Sophie Bemand, from near Truro, met through the books. and attended for “a bit of fun”, while Zoe Mills from Helston, Gina Dengler from Truro and Becky Searle from Falmouth were looking forward to “geek out with like-minded people”.

The trio have been friends since school and now share a love of the Maas universe. “We couldn’t remember the last time we had a shared interest like this,” said Gina. “We read the books this past year, and when this event came up, it was a chance to just be us for a night.”

Kayleigh Carew from Truro and Stanley Powell from Falmouth arrived together. “I love the books – they got me out of a reading slump,” said Stanley. Kayleigh added: “I used to watch Harry Potter book releases on YouTube, so to be at one now is a dream.”

Bookshop manager Yasmine El Mahdy said: “I feel incredibly proud of Ronnie’s efforts, and proud of the community that have found the love of reading again thanks to the world Sarah J Maas has created. I’m also proud that Waterstones allows the flexibility for its bookstores to work independently, and do what’s right for their own towns and cities.”

The seventh installation in the series will be launched at a similar event on Monday, January 11, 2027. To book a place, visit waterstones.com/events.