Scenes from Midnight Maas: Bookshop Santa Cruz holds first midnight release party in 10 years

Pacific Avenue was abuzz Monday night as 300 fans decked out in elf ears, wings, capes and plenty of glitter descended on Bookshop Santa Cruz for the sold-out midnight release of “A Court of Splintered Harmony” by Sarah J. Maas.

The novel is the sixth installment in Maas’ series “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” which has sold over 13 million copies, making it one of the most popular series in the fast-growing romantasy (romance + fantasy) genre. 

Miya Renteria and her friends secured the coveted first spot in line, arriving an hour early for the midnight release party, dubbed “Midnight Maas.” At 9:50 p.m., the trio eagerly awaited the festivities, their Halloween headbands bobbing as they huddled for warmth. 

“We got here a little too early, so we ended up walking around and went to the Halloween store,” Renteria explained.

Renteria, who drove in from Gilroy, was drawn to Bookshop Santa Cruz’s event rather than those hosted by other retailers for the extra activities, including tarot readings and tattoos. 

“Barnes & Noble is doing theirs, but this one just seemed so much better,” she said. “I am such a big fan of the series, so I was so happy when I heard this was going on. I was like, ‘I need to sign up ASAP.’”

As the clock struck 10 p.m., attendees rushed inside to get in line for food, photos, tarot readings and tattoos. The DJ played a selection of pop hits featuring Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Rihanna. Toward the back of the store, a poster board filled up with blue and green sticky notes as attendees voted on which of the male characters from the books they would “Kiss, Marry, Kill.”

For the occasion, Freedom Tattoo in Aptos designed a custom flash sheet for the event with references to Maas’ books, including a bedazzled half-mask like those worn at high fae court balls in “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and an affecting line from her “Throne of Glass” series, written in a flowy script: “To whatever end.” Renteria chose a design of a mountain range emerging from the pages of a book, which she had tattooed on her forearm.

By 11 p.m., the crowds had settled in, some sitting down among Bookshop’s crowded shelves and others gathering by the DJ. Attendees Andrea Hanna and Sarah Anderson took photos by the custom backdrop, posing inside a large cauldron.

Hanna was dressed as main character Feyre Archeron, her dress and sparkly makeup evoking Feyre’s look at the Starfall celebration in the novels. “It’s a very romantic scene,” Hanna explained. The winding Sharpie design on her forearm represented Feyre becoming “fated mates” with her love interest, Hanna explained.

Anderson came as Feyre’s sister Elain, hopeful to hear more about the side character’s story in “A Court of Splintered Harmony.”

“We’re kind of predicting this is going to be Elain’s book,” Anderson said. “We’re hoping to see who she ends up with because [Maas has] left it up in the air a bit, so I’m very excited. She’s a bit of a mystery.”

The pair first met in a Harry Potter fan fiction group online, and have now belonged to a romantasy book club that formed about two years ago after conversations about what their friend group was reading revealed their shared love for the genre.

“When I read Sarah J. Maas’ books, I was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that this world existed, that books could make you feel like this,’” Anderson said. “I just wanted to keep reading. It turned me into a reader.”

Back by the children’s books section, more attendees chatted over coloring pages. For Dylan Meyer, the event gave him the chance to reconnect with a friend who lives over the hill in San Jose. He said the event “went above and beyond” his expectations. 

Meyer credited the series with being a stepping stone for many people to rekindle their love for reading. 

“This series, people can critique it or whatever, the writing or the plot or the smut, but it really got a lot of people back into reading,” Meyer said. “I fell out of love with reading in school because I was just forced to read, and read things that I wasn’t necessarily interested in. This was one of the series that really restarted my love.”

Among the crowded shelves and his elf-eared peers, Meyer was right at home. Meyer, who lives on the Eastside of Santa Cruz, said he shops at Bookshop often, searching for new fantasy novels and “Lord of the Rings” editions. 

“With the rise of Target stocking books and box stores, I’m here for Bookshop,” he said. “I’m doing it for an indie bookstore that I love that I frequent weekly, and that provides me a lot of joy. I feel like it’s kind of a way to give back.”

The evening was also a milestone for the bookstore. Magnolia Mugele, Bookshop’s digital marketing coordinator, said the staff began planning the event in August, enlisting friends and local businesses to make the night magical. Each $75 ticket included a copy of the book, along with a drink, dessert and access to the activities. 

Because Bookshop hasn’t held a midnight release party in a decade, Mugele wanted to go “all out.” 

“We used to do these huge midnight release parties for the Harry Potter crowd, and just the way that time lines up, these are the same people who were really into Harry Potter as kids,” Mugele said. “They’re now grown up and coming to more adult release parties. We have to go all out again because it’s the same people, so they’re going to be expecting it.”

By 11:30, a new line had started to form to get the physical copy of “A Court of Splintered Harmony.” Mugele and her colleagues stood outside Bookshop’s doors with cardboard boxes, which they said they weren’t allowed to open until the clock hit midnight. 

The fans’ shared enthusiasm was palpable as they counted down to midnight. In a flurry of pink and yellow books, everyone received a copy of “A Court of Splintered Harmony,” cheering as they left Bookshop. After a night of dancing, drinking and reading, Midnight Maas may have come to a close, but the romantasy party had just begun. 

“We’ve been talking about wanting to do more community events, so this was the perfect opportunity,” Mugele said. “What’s better than coming to a bookstore after hours and partying with like-minded people?”

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