Which Sarah J. Maas series to read first & in what order? A guide
So, you’ve decided to check out the Maasverse, aka the world of Sarah J. Maas. Welcome!
Whether you’re here to see if the hype is real, to check out who has the biggest… wingspan, or just need to understand why everyone is screaming about Chapter 48 in ACOMAF, you’re in the right place.
But before you start, there’s one big question: In what order should you read Sarah J. Maas books? Between the multiple series, prequels, spin-offs, and potentially some interesting crossover theories there is a lot to unpack.
Luckily, I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time overanalyzing which is the best order to read ACOTAR, Throne of Glass and the Crescent City series. Whether you're a newbie or planning a reread, here’s how to read the Sarah J. Maas books in the best possible order, that works for you and your reading preferences.
Which Sarah J. Maas series to read first?
Look, I’ll be real. As long as you don’t read the Crescent City (CC) series first, you’re in the clear.
So that leaves you with:
A Court of Thorns & Roses; or the
Throne of Glass series as your two options to begin with.
So which out of those two Sarah J. Maas series to read first? There is no right or wrong answer, but I recommend having a think about your personal genre preferences.
Here are a few factors to consider when choosing whether you’d like to start with ACOTAR series or Throne of Glass series.
1. Are you more of a romance reader or lover?
I’d recommend starting with A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) if you’re a romance lover who enjoys fantasy with plenty of spice. The romantic element is a huge focus in this series and it’ll get you hooked.
2. Or do you gravitate more towards epic fantasy and adventure?
If you’re more of a fantasy lover, you could start with Throne of Glass first. Sarah J. Maas started this series when she was 16. The first few books lean more YA, with fade-to-black romance. But don’t worry, things heat up later in the series. However, bear in mind that the romance comes second to the fantasy.
At the end of the day, you do you. Just don’t start with Crescent City, and you’ll be fine.
How to read the A Court of Thorns and Roses book series in order.
Here is the A Court of Thorns and Roses book series order to read in.
That’s it, that’s the whole order.
Look, if you want to be a true Sarah J. Maas series purist, you can:
Read books one to three of ACOTAR.
Then move onto Throne of Glass and read the entire series.
Then read books four and five of ACOTAR, A Court of Frost & Starlight, and A Court of Silver Flames.
Then, finally, read the Crescent City series.
Throne of Glass series order and the three ways to read it.
If you want to start a debate amongst Sarah J. Maas fans, simply just ask them what point to read Assassin’s Blade in the Throne of Glass series. Everyone has strong opinions about it.
However, here’s the bottom line. Read The Assassin’s Blade first, third, fourth? Doesn’t matter. The only thing it changes is when you learn certain info, not if you learn it.
The Assassin’s Blade starts when Celaena is 16, giving you a deep dive into her backstory, her loves, losses, triumphs, failures—and why they all matter later. It covers two years of her life, and every moment is significant as the series unfolds.
Meanwhile, Throne of Glass kicks off when she’s 18. If you start with TOG, then move on to Crown of Midnight before circling back to The Assassin’s Blade, you’ll experience it as a kind of prequel, filling in the gaps and making certain moments from the first two books hit even harder. It’s a bit of an Ohhh, so that’s why that mattered moment.
But if you read The Assassin’s Blade first, you’ll go into Throne of Glass already understanding Celaena’s history, her grief, and the weight behind her decisions. Either way, you’ll get the full picture.
Bottom line? Read it in whatever order feels right. No stress, no wrong choices. Now, just to add to the kerfuffle, once you get to book six, which is Empire of Storms, bear in mind that the events are taking place at the same time as Tower of Dawn. Many people recommend reading these two books in tandem, which means reading batches of chapters from one book and then switching to the other. Don’t worry, I’ll cover that in a separate blog post.
But for now, here are the three ways to read the Throne of Glass series.
Throne of Glass publication order, aka, emotional order.
People who are Team Throne of Glass Publication Order say that reading this way is best because they believe it fits perfectly between Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire, right in that two-week gap between books. Reading it here makes it feel like the main character is reflecting on her past and on everything that led her to this moment.
Plus, it sets up her emotional state at the start of Heir of Fire beautifully, making her upcoming character growth hit even harder, hence why some people refer to this order as the emotional order. Bloomsbury, the publisher recommends this way.
Here is the publication order to read Throne of Glass in.
Throne of Glass (August 2012)
Crown of Midnight (August 2013)
The Assassin’s Blade (March 2014)
Heir of Fire (September 2014)
Queen of Shadows (September 2015)
Empire of Storms (September 2016)
Tower of Dawn (September 2017)
Kingdom of Ash (October 2018)
Throne of Glass chronological order, aka, timeline or purist order.
Also known as the purist order, reading this way is the chronological order of when events happen in the Throne of Glass series. The TOG fans who prefer this order reason that Throne of Glass starts off exactly where Assassins Blade leaves off, and it wouldn’t make sense to read it any other way.
Below is the TOG chronological order to read in.
The Assassin’s Blade
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows
Empire of Storms (Tandem)
Tower of Dawn (Tandem)
Kingdom of Ash
Throne of Glass romantic order.
Throne of Glass fans who recommend the TOG romantic order of reading argue that this way is best because it hits hardest when you’ve already invested in the characters. If you read Assassin’s Blade first, you may not feel the full impact, as you won’t have developed that connection yet.
Below is the TOG romantic order to read in.
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
The Assassin’s Blade
Queen of Shadows
Empire of Storms (Tandem)
Tower of Dawn (Tandem)
Kingdom of Ash
Crescent City reading order.
Now, in theory, that you’ve read ACOTAR AND TOG, your bases will be covered to read Crescent City, no accidental spoilers, just serotonin and emotional damage.
Some SJM fans argue that you can read Crescent City after ACOTAR and before Throne of Glass, but you might miss some of the more subtle TOG connections if you go that route.
Here’s the Crescent City book reading order.
House of Earth and Blood (2020)
House of Sky and Breath (2022)
House of Flame and Shadow (2024)
The best SJM reading order? The one that works for you.
My personal reading order was as follows, and it worked well for me.
TOG
Crescent City
So start with ACOTAR or TOG depending on your personal tastes, then prepare for chaos, and accept that no matter what, SJM will find a way to emotionally wreck you while helping you develop an appreciation for Fae anatomy. Happy reading!
