{"id":948043,"date":"2026-10-31T21:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T21:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/948043\/"},"modified":"2026-10-31T21:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T21:58:10","slug":"acotar-readers-frustrated-over-new-sarah-j-maas-books-height","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/948043\/","title":{"rendered":"ACOTAR readers frustrated over new Sarah J. Maas book\u2019s height"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Aussie readers have been left with a towering problem following the release of a highly anticipated novel this week. <\/p>\n<p>Fantasy author Sarah J. Maas released A Court of Splintered Harmony on Tuesday, arriving more than five years after her previous instalment in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.<\/p>\n<p>Be the first to know when news breaks.<a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/onelink.to\/wpmth9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> Download our new app<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The bestseller boasts the same kind of feverish fandom that gripped bookshelves circa 2007 when Harry Potter was at its height. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"poster-img\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/9156aebf2dd170e7b71b508e77344b9b\" data-sctrack=\"op-poster-img\" alt=\"Lamington overnight oats\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Maas has sold more than 75 million books across her catalogue, with her previous launch selling more than one million copies globally in its first week alone. <\/p>\n<p>But when local bookworms unboxed the new paperback and placed it on their Ikea bookcases, an impossible-to-ignore problem began to be pointed out online: the new book is noticeably taller than the rest of the set.<\/p>\n<p>For Queensland reader Kayla, the difference is a mild annoyance. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t too surprised by the size of this book because I already knew the trade paperback is always taller, but it\u2019s still frustrating putting yet another book on my shelf that doesn\u2019t match any versions of the series that I already own,\u201d Kayla told news.com.au. <\/p>\n<p>A trade paperback is a larger softcover format released first into stores to dominate new releases. <\/p>\n<p>They typically measure taller and wider than the standard mass-market paperbacks that release months later. <\/p>\n<p>The fan also purchased a hardback copy, but that also didn\u2019t match the rest of her set. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we want a matching set, we\u2019re left waiting for the smaller paperback edition, which could be another six to 12 months,\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt won\u2019t stop me from enjoying the story in the slightest (it\u2019s actually super juicy). I would just love my bookshelf to be cohesive, which shouldn\u2019t be this hard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@lala.gucci.tears\/video\/7700991095630499093\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">created a video<\/a> post to point out the frustration, like many other readers are flocking to social media to do. <\/p>\n<p>The clip reveals her trying to figure out where to place the book beside the smaller novels that have come before.<\/p>\n<p>Judging by her comment section, it\u2019s a problem others have had to troubleshoot. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m triggered. Why is it so tall?\u201d one user questioned.<\/p>\n<p>Another admitted: \u201cI literally went to the store, saw the size and DID NOT BUY IT for this reason. I\u2019m waiting for the smaller size.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is criminal,\u201d a third added.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere online, fans are making videos showcasing the height difference while forums have been flooded by readers poking fun. <\/p>\n<p>Carly Dober, from Enriching Minds Psychology, pointed out one reason fans are collectively dog-earing the issue. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think a few things can be happening here \u2013 firstly, when people are used to a consistent format, that deviates, this can be stressful or unexpected and our brains don\u2019t like this,\u201d Ms Dober told news.com.au<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen there is a collection, and we perceive or anticipate something to fit into this collection, we do prefer uniformity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The height difference poses a particular frustration given the fandom\u2019s obsession with the series. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFandom can involve identity and markers of identity which can include height and width of a book. Some people also may have a particular area in their room that they display the books in this series, and if there is an odd one out, it can look uninviting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Her advice for readers glaring at their bookshelf is to \u201ctake a step back and acknowledge\u201d their disappointment while trying to gain \u201cperspective on how big an annoyance\u201d it is. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it doesn\u2019t actually impact your life, your relationships, your sense of safety or material wellbeing, it is just a preference that hasn\u2019t been met. Will this matter in six months? two years? five years?\u201d she posed. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou may just have to hide this book if it\u2019s in your line of sight and really annoying you for the time being.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aussie readers have been left with a towering problem following the release of a highly anticipated novel this&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":948044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[405786,515661,126183,448610,450006,515653,380048,458435,515642,515667,515648,515708,515712,515690,515715,417121,385815,400956,515643,515695,515646,515698,8786,515711,515680,515655,515671,515666,515703,64,515705,515656,515692,63,515644,746,474274,515672,151846,515684,359859,515652,515645,515649,134,82477,1635,515687,515660,379313,97085,525,16984,515716,515641,491206,515647,515659,490510,13096,515691,424628,515710,131089,515669,515657,9051,515650,515678,515658,515689,515702,515670,4803,44,381654,515673,515709,515651,498898,515676,1861,18025,70731,515685,24237,384465,1314,376918,515681,62478,515706,515683,376865,402207,381869,378647,394003,515686,382541,391994,515662,515677,378343,515701,515693,379649,378229,515664,378595,515665,377130,515713,515694,515717,515697,515696,401854,376533,376927,515654,378969,515663,515699,515704,408990,482362,515700,502402,486685,199184,515668,515714,28333,381028,515682,14855,515688,1720,515679,515675,515707,515674,139171],"class_list":["post-948043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-s-obsession","tag-s-biggest-book-launch","tag-126183","tag-a-book","tag-a-collection","tag-a-consistent-format","tag-a-court","tag-a-few-things","tag-a-hardback-copy","tag-a-highly-anticipated-novel","tag-a-larger-softcover-format","tag-a-matching-set","tag-a-mild-annoyance","tag-a-particular-area","tag-a-particular-frustration","tag-a-preference","tag-a-problem","tag-a-step","tag-a-third-added-elsewhere","tag-a-towering-problem","tag-a-trade-paperback","tag-a-video-post","tag-advice","tag-an-agonising-wait","tag-an-annoyance","tag-an-impossible-to-ignore-problem","tag-an-odd-one","tag-another-six-to-12-months","tag-any-versions","tag-au","tag-aussie-book-lovers","tag-aussie-bookworms","tag-aussie-readers","tag-australia","tag-big-problem","tag-book","tag-bookshelves","tag-breakfast-time","tag-carly-dober","tag-circa","tag-colesy13","tag-creamy-dessert-inspired-overnight-oats","tag-did-not-buy","tag-enriching-minds-psychology","tag-entertainment","tag-fandom","tag-fans","tag-fantasy-author-sarah-j-maas","tag-feverish-fandom","tag-five-years","tag-forums","tag-fun","tag-harry-potter","tag-height-and-width","tag-her-catalogue","tag-her-comment-section","tag-her-previous-instalment","tag-her-previous-launch","tag-her-set","tag-identity","tag-identity-and-markers","tag-its-first-week","tag-its-height","tag-kayla","tag-local-bookworms","tag-many-other-readers","tag-months","tag-more-than-75-million-books","tag-more-than-five-years","tag-more-than-one-million-copies","tag-ms-dober","tag-my-bookshelf","tag-my-shelf","tag-new-releases","tag-news","tag-news-com-au","tag-one-gigantic-problem","tag-one-reason-fans","tag-one-user-questioned-another","tag-our-brains","tag-our-new-appthe-bestseller","tag-people","tag-perspective","tag-readers","tag-safety-or-material-wellbeing","tag-sight","tag-six-months","tag-social-media","tag-some-people","tag-splintered-harmony","tag-stores","tag-super-juicy","tag-the-a-court","tag-the-book","tag-the-books","tag-the-clip","tag-the-difference","tag-the-fan","tag-the-fandom","tag-the-first","tag-the-frustration","tag-the-height-difference","tag-the-hottest-book-drop","tag-the-issue","tag-the-new-book","tag-the-new-paperback","tag-the-release","tag-the-rest","tag-the-same-kind","tag-the-series","tag-the-set-for-queensland-reader-kayla","tag-the-size","tag-the-slightest","tag-the-smaller-novels","tag-the-smaller-paperback-edition","tag-the-smaller-size","tag-the-standard-mass-market-paperbacks","tag-the-store","tag-the-story","tag-the-time-being","tag-the-trade-paperback","tag-the-year","tag-their-bookshelf","tag-their-disappointment","tag-their-ikea-bookcases","tag-their-room","tag-this-book","tag-this-collection","tag-this-reason","tag-this-series","tag-this-week","tag-thorns-and-roses-series-be","tag-three-steps","tag-tuesday","tag-two-years","tag-uniformity","tag-videos","tag-visual-detail","tag-world","tag-yet-another-book","tag-your-line","tag-your-relationships","tag-your-sense","tag-your-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=948043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/948043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/948044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=948043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=948043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=948043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}