A Comprehensive Guide to the Sarah J. Maas Universe — And How to Read Her Books in Order
Sarah J. Maas has been the queen of romantasy for nearly a decade now, but the rise of BookTok has only made her more popular — and now it seems like everyone is ready to join the author in the Fae realm.
Maas started writing her debut novel, Throne of Glass, when she was a teenager, and she’s since expanded it into an eight-book series. Her second series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, debuted in 2015, launching a thousand Tumblr accounts and making Maas a household name among romance and fantasy fans. Her popularity has only soared further since BookTok took hold of A Court of Thorns and Roses, commonly abbreviated as ACOTAR.
“I think it’s so wonderful that people have become aware of the joys of romance and fantasy all in one,” Maas told Today in January 2024. “I started writing all these books just because that was the kind of story that I wanted to read.”
The ongoing addition of ACOTAR into the daily vernacular of Gen Z and millennials has also been heightened since Hulu bought the rights to the books. In February 2024, reports circulated that the streaming giant had dropped the series, but a source told Us Weekly at the time that the show was still in development.
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Ahead of the cancellation reports, Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, offered a minor update on the ACOTAR TV series.
“That show has been in development, but I don’t have any news to share today,” he said during the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour.
While bookworms wait for the show (or the next installment in the ACOTAR book series), there are tons of Maas novels to keep readers busy. Scroll on for a complete guide to the author’s novels — and the different orders to read them in:
‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’
These five books follow young adult Feyre Archeron as she finds herself thrust into the world of the Fae thanks to a chance encounter. She soon finds herself caught in a love triangle — does the name Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, sound familiar to anyone?
While there are only five books (so far), Maas revealed that there’s another story in the works.
“I’m very, very excited about that one,” the author said on Today in January 2024. “I know much more about what’s happening in this one. And then the next book in that series, I have the ideas and general, vague thoughts.”
The ACOTAR reading order is as follows:
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Wings and Ruin
A Court of Frost and Starlight
A Court of Silver Flames
‘Throne of Glass’
Maas’ first series is complete (for now) and follows a teenage assassin named Celaena Sardothien as she journeys through the Kingdom of Adarlan. Fans have taken the Throne of Glass series to a new level by sharing multiple ways to read the eight books. Books five and six, Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn, take place simultaneously and so can be read in tandem, meaning at the same time and in a certain chapter order. Various book bloggers have broken down a complete guide for those brave enough to take on the challenge.
The Assassin’s Blade, meanwhile, is a prequel book of short stories that was published after book two, Crown of Midnight, but is set before the events of book one. Fans — and Maas herself — have different thoughts on where this book falls in the reading order.
Mass’ preferred reading order is as follows:
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
The Assassin’s Blade
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows
Empire of Storms
Tower of Dawn
Kingdom of Ash
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There’s also a chronological, purist reading order, which changes things up so that The Assassin’s Blade comes first:
The Assassin’s Blade
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows
Empire of Storms
Tower of Dawn
Kingdom of Ash
Finally, there’s what fans have called the romantic reading order, which prioritizes the series’ romance over its plot:
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
The Assassin’s Blade
Queen of Shadows
Empire of Storms
Tower of Dawn
Kingdom of Ash
‘Crescent City’
Maas’ latest series tells the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan, who is seeking revenge for the death of her best friend. Maas dropped her first Crescent City novel in 2020 and has since released two sequels.
While it’s not necessary to read A Court of Thorns and Roses first, Maas and her publishers have said it may be more “rewarding” to tackle ACOTAR before Crescent City. The reading order is below:
House of Earth and Blood
House of Sky and Breath
House of Flame and Shadow
