Sarah J. Maas Books in Order

Use the series that matches the kind of reading experience you want today. You do not need to read Throne of Glass before ACOTAR, or either of those before Crescent City.

For most new romantasy readers, ACOTAR is the easiest first step. That is a recommendation for accessibility and tone—not an official ranking.

The best first-time path is simple: choose one series, read its main books in publication order, and only then add optional experiments such as chronological or tandem reading. The author’s official guide presents the three series as separate starting points, not as one alternating mega-order.

If you want a cross-series route, a practical spoiler-conscious option is ACOTAR → Crescent City, with Throne of Glass wherever your mood takes you. This is a RomantasyOrder recommendation, not an official universal sequence.

1. 1Throne of Glass2012
2. 2Crown of Midnight2013
3. 3The Assassin's Blade2014
4. 4Heir of Fire2014
5. 5Queen of Shadows2015
6. 6Empire of Storms2016
7. 7Tower of Dawn2017
8. 8Kingdom of Ash2018

The official reading guide places The Assassin’s Blade after Crown of Midnight. The series ends with Kingdom of Ash.

There is no need to reread the entire series to try a different placement. On a reread, starting with The Assassin’s Blade can be a fun chronological experiment; on a first read, use the current publication-order sequence above.

Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn overlap in timeline, but the chapter-by-chapter tandem order is fan-created. The publisher-supported sequence is Empire of Storms → Tower of Dawn → Kingdom of Ash.

1. 1A Court of Thorns and Roses2015
2. 2A Court of Mist and Fury2016
3. 3A Court of Wings and Ruin2017
4. 4A Court of Frost and Starlight2018
5. 5A Court of Silver Flames2021

A Court of Frost and Starlight belongs between A Court of Wings and Ruin and A Court of Silver Flames. Keep the ACOTAR books together in publication order before moving to related reading.

No. The first five books are published, and the next two officially listed books are:

Dates and publication status are included from the current official listings and should be rechecked after each release.

1. 1House of Earth and Blood2020
2. 2House of Sky and Breath2022
3. 3House of Flame and Shadow2024

Read all three in order. No fourth Crescent City title is currently listed on the official series page, so this guide does not invent a Book 4.

No—you can begin Crescent City first. Its first book establishes its own setting and cast. If you are planning to read across the wider Maas catalogue, ACOTAR before Crescent City is the more spoiler-conscious recommendation for later crossover context. Throne of Glass is not required before either one.

Publication order follows the order readers originally received the books. Chronological order follows the internal timeline. For a first read, publication order is usually safer because prequels can be written with later context in mind.

That distinction explains both major TOG questions: The Assassin’s Blade happens earlier in the timeline but is recommended after Crown of Midnight; Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn overlap in time but are not an official tandem sequence.

This guide uses the current reading order published by Sarah J. Maas and Bloomsbury for Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City.

Where readers have multiple valid options—such as The Assassin’s Blade placement or the Empire of Storms / Tower of Dawn tandem read—the guide distinguishes publisher guidance from popular reader-created alternatives.

Upcoming books and release dates are included only when confirmed through official Sarah J. Maas or Bloomsbury sources.