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Im talking to a woman in an otter onesie when the screaming starts.
Then the noise doesnt stop for almost a minute.
I worry for the health of my eardrums and my audio recorder.Sarah J. Maas has arrived.
That books final pages are notoriously shocking.
Maass books are big on TikTok and long, long, long.
As she addresses the crowd, I hear someone in the audience sobbing quietly.
The speech is short but heavy on drama.
This night is about you guys.
You are a force of nature, Maas says.
They have made me realize I have the strength to fight for myself.
Yes, bitch, yes!
More screams follow, and the countdown begins.
All right, you guys, go read the shit out of this book!
Maas yells, then she exits back down the escalator, bodyguard trotting behind her.
Hours before her arrival, a line offaux-black-leather-covered fans inched down 17th Street.
Maas is a Swiftie, they tell me after they make it inside the bookstore.
She loves Easter eggs; she likes to hide things in random areas.
Any predictions, I ask, for where this book might take readers?
Theres no prediction in my head, one says.
Im just here for the ride.
Upstairs, Catherine Cumming is more decisive: I have three.
And then I think Ruhn is Rhyss nephew.
And I also believe that Gwyn is Helions grandmother.
Were going straight back to the airport.
Im getting on the subway after this, and Ill be reading it on the subway.
Theres a trivia contest, too, but apparently its not for casual readers.
Have they seen any of the leaks online, I ask?
Dont scare me, says Sheryl.
Theres art for every single page, she says.
It almost makes it like a graphic novel.
Sarah hasnt read any Maas she has to finishThe Count of Monte Cristofirst.
Its just a man starting drama, so thats fun, she says.
Other people are just sitting around with books or Kindles.
Im reading an ARC,To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, says Rivka Demidovich.
I was a Bookstagrammer for a long time, and Im in recovery.
It was just like,Why?
Why is she doing this?
So why come to the release?
I dont think Im ever doing this again, she says.
Its past my bedtime.
I live in Brooklyn.
I have to get back home.
I hear Alvarez shout from the sidewalk, and the yelling kicks up again.
