Water stonesFans lined up for Onyx Storm, the hotly anticipated new book by bestselling fantasy author Rebecca Yaros, at one of the publishing events of the year.
Onyx Storm is the third novel in Yaros' Empyrean series, set in a world of dragons, magic, war, and whirlwind romance.
Its publisher, Little, Brown, said it would be the company's biggest pre-order title since it released the script for the Harry Potter play in 2016.
Almost 60 Waterstones branches held special events – either opening at midnight on Monday or early on Tuesday – and the chain said the book was likely to “completely eclipse our first day sales” of the previous installment.
The stores also held special openings around the world, including in the US and Australia.
In the US, some keen readers waited until 3am for an exclusive special edition from Target to go online – but many who stayed up complained on social media that the store's website couldn't keep up with the demand.
Rebecca West, editorial director of Little, Brown's Piaktus imprint, said the Telegraph: “This level of fan devotion hasn't been seen since the days of Harry Potter.”
In a message to fans on Instagram, Jaros wrote: “1. Now it's in your hands. 2. Thank you for sharing this amazing experience with me. 3. Enjoy the ride.”
One reader replied: “On the first chapter and I'm already dying”, another wrote: “Thank you for sharing this amazing world with us!!!” and someone else asked: “Is it bad that I'm very close to retiring, to read?”
A magical and brutal world
Katie Marie SrAmerican author Jaros is one of the biggest names in the burgeoning romance genre.
In anticipation of Onyx Storm's release, the first two Empyrean books, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, returned to the top two spots on the New York Times Fiction Bestseller list.
Both are currently in the top five of the UK Sunday Times Paperback Fiction Chart and were the two most read books of the past year worldwide among Goodreads users.
The Fourth Wing introduced the heroine Violet Sorengale, a 20-year-old woman who undergoes brutal training to become an elite dragon rider.
Like the author, Violet has a genetic disorder that means the heroine dislocates joints and breaks bones easily – so she must use her wits and inner strength to help her survive.
She is also involved with another candidate named Xaden Riorson, who comes from a rival family.
Iron Flame then takes place during Violet's second year at Basgiath Military College, while in Onyx Storm, according to the publisher, she “knows she has no more time for lessons” because “the battle has truly begun.”