A novel featuring a protagonist who is half fairy and half human has captivated readers in the UK, with its popularity leading it to claim the number one spot on the bestseller list this week.

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas, the third book in the Crescent City series featuring Bryce Quinlan, has become the third fastest-selling science fiction and fantasy title since records began since its publication on 30 January.

According to the Bookseller, Maas’s latest book sold 44,761 copies during its launch week. This puts it behind Terry Pratchett’s Snuff, which sold 54,687 copies in its launch week in 2011, and Rebecca Yarros’s Iron Flame, which set a record with 57,055 sales in November of last year.

Maas and Yarros are increasing the demand for the “romantasy” category, which combines romantic and fantasy elements and has gained a significant following through recommendations on social media, especially TikTok. According to her publisher Bloomsbury, videos with hashtags related to Maas have accumulated over 14 billion views.

According to Philip Stone from Nielsen BookData, Maas has a devoted fanbase and the emergence of TikTok has contributed to the rise of romantasy as the top trend in the book world.

The buzz on the internet became a reality when enthusiastic Maas supporters flocked to bookstores for the release of House of Flame and Shadow. Maas even made surprise visits to stores in New York City to meet readers. Nine Waterstones locations hosted midnight launch events, while others opened early and organized ticketed celebrations on the day of publication.

Nessa Urquhart, the buyer for genre fiction at Waterstones, expressed great enthusiasm from the initial announcement and eagerly anticipated the launch of House of Flame and Shadow as a joyous occasion. The pre-orders were deemed “impressive” and surpassed the already high expectations. Following its release, the book has maintained a strong demand and attracted numerous new customers to our stores.

For the third week in a row, a romantasy book has claimed the top spot as the overall bestseller. This follows the success of Georgia Summers’ The City of Stardust and Saara El-Arifi’s Facebound in the previous two weeks. This is also the first time since 1998 that three science fiction and fantasy books have consecutively held the overall bestseller title.

Kathleen Farrar, Bloomsbury’s managing director of group sales and marketing, expressed her delight over the response to Maas’s latest sales, which have brought her total worldwide book sales to over 40 million copies in 38 languages.

Farrar stated that Sarah’s compelling narratives and passionate love stories have been highly valued by readers for more than ten years. The remarkable sales in the first week further solidify her status as one of the most beloved contemporary authors.

Last week, eight of Maas’s novels, including A Court of Thorns and Roses, the first book in her well-known five-book series, ranked in the top 250 bestselling list. It placed 23rd.

Source: theguardian.com