What Is the Sarah J. Maas Reading Order?
There is no single required order across all three series. Sarah J. Maas has three separate universes: Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City, and you can read any of them first without missing something essential.
The only real internal debate lives inside Throne of Glass, where the prequel novella collection The Assassin’s Blade can be read first (chronologically) or fourth (in publication order). Everything else below breaks down each series individually, including which released books exist, which announced titles are still undated, and where fans blur confirmed facts with speculation.
It helps to think of the three series as three separate shelves rather than one long hallway. Throne of Glass finished its run in 2018. A Court of Thorns and Roses is still adding books. Crescent City is the newest of the three and shares the most overt connective tissue with ACOTAR. None of that changes where a new reader should start, but it does explain why online discussion treats them so differently.
Throne of Glass Reading Order Explained: Publication vs. Chronological
The Throne of Glass series has eight books, and the only real disagreement is where to place The Assassin’s Blade, a prequel collection that can go either first or fourth depending on which order you follow.
| Position | Publication Order | Chronological Order |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Throne of Glass | The Assassin’s Blade |
| 2 | Crown of Midnight | Throne of Glass |
| 3 | The Assassin’s Blade | Crown of Midnight |
| 4 | Heir of Fire | Heir of Fire |
| 5 | Queen of Shadows | Queen of Shadows |
| 6 | Empire of Storms | Empire of Storms |
| 7 | Tower of Dawn | Tower of Dawn |
| 8 | Kingdom of Ash | Kingdom of Ash |
Sarah J. Maas has publicly said new readers can pick either order and be fine, which is exactly why “Throne of Glass reading order according to Sarah J. Maas” is one of the most searched questions in this whole cluster. Neither order is wrong. They just produce a different reading experience.
Publication order was how the earliest readers actually experienced the series, discovering the protagonist’s backstory in pieces rather than all at once. Chronological order front-loads that backstory, which changes how certain reveals in the early main-series books land. Neither approach affects the plot itself. The events happen in the same sequence either way. The only thing that changes is when you, the reader, learn certain details relative to the main character.
Should You Read The Assassin’s Blade First or Fourth?
Read it first if you want the backstory before the main plot starts, and read it fourth if you want to preserve the mystery the way the author originally released it. The Assassin’s Blade explains the protagonist’s past in detail, so reading it chronologically means you walk into Throne of Glass already knowing information the original readers didn’t have.
Reading it in publication order, meaning after Crown of Midnight, keeps you guessing about her backstory the way readers experienced it in real time. Neither choice will confuse you later. It’s purely a spoiler-timing preference, and either path lands you in the same eight books by the end.
If you tend to enjoy backstory-first storytelling, chronological order will likely feel more satisfying because early character decisions make immediate sense. If you prefer mystery and slow reveals, publication order rewards patience instead. There is no wrong answer here, which is unusual for a franchise with this much online debate attached to it.
A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) Reading Order, Including the New Books
Read A Court of Thorns and Roses in publication order: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, and A Court of Silver Flames. Two additional books have been announced but do not have confirmed release dates yet.
| Title | Status |
|---|---|
| A Court of Thorns and Roses | Released |
| A Court of Mist and Fury | Released |
| A Court of Wings and Ruin | Released |
| A Court of Frost and Starlight | Released (novella) |
| A Court of Silver Flames | Released |
| ACOTAR 6 | Announced, no confirmed release date |
| ACOTAR 7 | Announced, no confirmed release date |
A Court of Frost and Starlight functions as a shorter bridge novella rather than a full-length entry, and A Court of Silver Flames follows a side character rather than continuing the original protagonist’s arc directly. Neither one is skippable if you want the full picture, but knowing what kind of book you’re walking into (novella-length versus full sequel) helps set expectations before you start.
Readers who binge the first three books back to back sometimes assume the series ends there, since A Court of Wings and Ruin resolves the central conflict introduced in book one. A Court of Frost and Starlight and A Court of Silver Flames both exist past that resolution point, which is part of why some casual readers stop and miss two-fifths of the current series without realizing it.
Do You Read ACOTAR or Throne of Glass First?
It doesn’t matter which one you read first, because Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses are unconnected universes with no shared characters or plot. The choice comes down entirely to what you’re in the mood for.
Throne of Glass leans toward assassin fantasy, war, and a slower-burn romance built over eight books. A Court of Thorns and Roses moves faster into fae romance and leans more explicitly into romantic tension from earlier in the series. If you’ve been building out a fantasy watchlist alongside your reading list, other book-to-screen franchises worth tracking follow a similar pattern of readers debating entry points before an adaptation even exists.
Genre preference is really the deciding factor. Someone who enjoys long political arcs with a slow-building central romance will likely prefer Throne of Glass out of the gate. Someone who wants the romance front and center from chapter one will probably enjoy starting with A Court of Thorns and Roses instead. Both are valid entry points into the wider Maas catalog.
Crescent City Reading Order and Its Connection to ACOTAR
Crescent City has three released books, and yes, it shares a universe with A Court of Thorns and Roses, but the connection is confirmed by the author as supplementary, not a required reading prerequisite.
| Book | Release Year | One-Line Description |
|---|---|---|
| House of Earth and Blood | 2020 | A half-fae, half-human woman investigates a murder in a modern fantasy city. |
| House of Sky and Breath | 2022 | The investigation’s fallout pulls the main cast into a wider political conflict. |
| House of Flame and Shadow | 2024 | The story expands the universe’s scope and deepens crossover references to other Maas series. |
Crescent City reads differently from the other two series because it is set in a modern world with phones, social media references, and cars alongside magic. That tonal shift is often what decides whether a reader starts here first or saves it for after Throne of Glass and ACOTAR.
Are Crescent City and ACOTAR Connected?
Yes, Crescent City and A Court of Thorns and Roses exist in the same broader universe, and Sarah J. Maas has confirmed this directly. The connection shows up as cameos, references, and shared worldbuilding details rather than a plot you need both series to fully understand.
You do not need to read Crescent City before or after ACOTAR to follow either story on its own. Any specific claims about a deeper future crossover, additional Crescent City books beyond the three released so far, or exact plot connections between the two series should be treated as reported or author-teased rather than confirmed, since those details haven’t been locked down publicly.
House of Flame and Shadow, the third Crescent City book, is generally considered the point where crossover references become noticeable enough that readers unfamiliar with ACOTAR may feel like they missed something. That reaction is accurate. The book rewards familiarity with both series without technically requiring it.
The Best Sarah J. Maas Reading Order If You’re Starting From Zero
Pick your starting series based on genre preference, not continuity, because none of the three series requires reading another one first.
- Start with Throne of Glass if you want assassins, political warfare, and a romance that builds slowly across a long series.
- Start with A Court of Thorns and Roses if you want fae romance with faster pacing and more explicit romantic content from earlier on.
- Start with Crescent City if you want urban fantasy where the world has phones, cars, and modern slang layered on top of magic.
None of these choices locks you out of the others later. The “correct” Sarah J. Maas reading order is really a genre-preference decision dressed up as a continuity question, and that’s the piece of information most guides skip entirely.
For readers who enjoy tracking overlapping tropes across authors, the same genre-first logic applies when comparing romantasy series more broadly rather than treating any single author’s backlist as a puzzle to solve.
Sarah J. Maas Reading Order Facts vs. Fan Speculation
The confirmed facts are the book counts, the official series groupings, and the announced-but-undated status of upcoming ACOTAR titles. Everything beyond that, like specific release dates or detailed crossover plot points, tends to circulate online as if it’s settled when it isn’t.
| Confirmed | Speculation or Unverified |
|---|---|
| Throne of Glass has 8 books | Exact release date for ACOTAR 6 |
| ACOTAR has 5 released books plus 2 announced titles | Whether a fourth Crescent City book is officially planned |
| Crescent City has 3 released books | Specific plot details of any future crossover between series |
| The three series share a broader universe, confirmed by the author | Sales figures or “total books sold” claims circulating on fan forums |
If a claim about upcoming books or crossovers can’t be traced back to something the author or her publisher has actually stated, treat it as a rumor no matter how confidently it’s phrased in a Reddit thread or a fan account’s caption. Reading-order discourse online moves fast, and speculation gets repeated as fact within days.
Common Mistakes People Make With the Sarah J. Maas Reading Order
The most common mistake is assuming Crescent City must be read after finishing ACOTAR entirely. It doesn’t have to be. The crossover references are additive, not load-bearing, so reading Crescent City first will not leave you lost.
The second common mistake is treating A Court of Frost and Starlight as optional filler because it is shorter than the other entries. Skipping it means missing setup that A Court of Silver Flames builds on directly.
The third mistake is assuming the Throne of Glass debate over The Assassin’s Blade extends to the other series. It doesn’t. A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City each have one clean publication order, with no equivalent prequel-placement debate.
The Bottom Line
The real takeaway here is simpler than most reading-order guides make it sound: Sarah J. Maas built three separate universes, and the only genuine order debate is a small one inside Throne of Glass. Everything else people argue about online, especially around Crescent City crossovers and unreleased ACOTAR books, is speculation dressed up as certainty.
Pick your series based on what kind of story you’re in the mood for right now. If you want assassins and war, start with Throne of Glass. If you want fae romance with quicker pacing, start with A Court of Thorns and Roses. If you want a modern-world fantasy mystery, start with Crescent City.
Whichever door you walk through, you won’t be locked out of the others, and you won’t need a spreadsheet to keep it straight. If you’re mapping out what to read next once you finish this backlist, upcoming fantasy release calendars are a reasonable next stop for figuring out what else is worth adding to the list.
Sarah J. Maas Reading Order FAQ
What order should you read the Sarah J. Maas books in?
There’s no single required order across all three series. Pick Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, or Crescent City based on which genre appeals to you most, then read that series in publication order. The one internal debate is where to place The Assassin’s Blade within Throne of Glass, which can go first or fourth depending on your spoiler preference.
Do you read ACOTAR or Throne of Glass first?
It doesn’t matter, since the two series don’t share characters, plot, or continuity. Throne of Glass leans toward assassin fantasy and slower-burn romance across eight books, while A Court of Thorns and Roses moves faster into fae romance. Choose based on which tone you want right now, not which one “comes first.”
Are Crescent City and ACOTAR connected?
Yes, confirmed by the author, but the connection is supplementary rather than required reading. Expect cameos, references, and shared worldbuilding rather than a plot that depends on reading both series. You can read either one on its own without missing the core story.
In what order do I read A Court of Thorns and Roses?
Read in publication order: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, then A Court of Silver Flames. Two more books have been announced but don’t have confirmed release dates yet, so the current complete reading order stops at five released titles.
Is there a Sarah J. Maas reading order before ACOTAR 6?
Yes, the current order before ACOTAR 6 releases is the five existing books: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, and A Court of Silver Flames. ACOTAR 6 has been announced but not released, so this section will get updated once a confirmed date exists.
