This page outlines Sarah J. Maas books in publication order, plus series reading paths and related works.
Quick Index
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Scope: the three main Sarah J. Maas series currently presented on the author’s official site and reading guide: Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. The official guide currently presents 8 Throne of Glass books, 5 published A Court of Thorns and Roses books plus 2 upcoming installments, and 3 Crescent City books.
Best starting points
- Publication entry: Throne of Glass (2012)
- Romantasy entry: A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015)
- Urban fantasy entry: House of Earth and Blood (2020)
- Complete-series entry: Throne of Glass because that sequence is finished
Does order matter?
- Yes within each series
- Yes for the recommended placement of The Assassin’s Blade in Throne of Glass
- Helpful, though not strictly required, to read A Court of Thorns and Roses before Crescent City if you want the broader crossover reading experience
Not to be confused with
- Sarah J. Maas writes three separate series, not one single numbered universe list
- The Assassin’s Blade is a prequel novella collection for Throne of Glass, not a standalone unrelated title
- A Court of Thorns and Roses 6 and A Court of Thorns and Roses 7 are currently listed as forthcoming placeholders rather than final titled books
Reading Paths
1. Publication order
This route follows first release order across the published catalog and keeps the official Throne of Glass placement for The Assassin’s Blade.
- Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1, novel, 2012)
- Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2, novel, 2013)
- The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass, novella collection, 2014)
- Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3, novel, 2014)
- A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1, novel, 2015)
- Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4, novel, 2015)
- A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2, novel, 2016)
- Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5, novel, 2016)
- A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3, novel, 2017)
- Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6, novel, 2017)
- Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7, novel, 2018)
- A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses #4, novella, 2018)
- House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1, novel, 2020)
- A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses #5, novel, 2021)
- House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2, novel, 2022)
- House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City #3, novel, 2024)
2. Chronological order
A single cross-series internal chronology is not formally published. For Sarah J. Maas, chronological reading is most useful inside each series.
Throne of Glass
- 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
A Court of Thorns and Roses
- 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
Crescent City
- House of Earth and Blood
- House of Sky and Breath
- House of Flame and Shadow
3. Beginner path
This route samples the three main lines without requiring a full commit to every volume at once.
- A Court of Thorns and Roses
- A Court of Mist and Fury
- Throne of Glass
- House of Earth and Blood
- The Assassin’s Blade
4. Completionist path
Read Throne of Glass in the author’s preferred sequence, then A Court of Thorns and Roses, then Crescent City. This path keeps the prequel placement intact, preserves the later series developments, and leaves room for the two announced ACOTAR follow-ups after the published books.
Publication Order Master List
Throne of Glass
- Throne of Glass
- Series: Throne of Glass #1
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2012
- Notes: Opening book in Maas’s first published series
- Crown of Midnight
- Series: Throne of Glass #2
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2013
- Notes: Read after Throne of Glass
- The Assassin’s Blade
- Series: Throne of Glass
- Format: Novella collection
- Year: 2014
- Notes: Prequel material; the author’s current preferred order places it after Crown of Midnight
- Heir of Fire
- Series: Throne of Glass #3
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2014
- Notes: Best read after The Assassin’s Blade in the preferred sequence
- Queen of Shadows
- Series: Throne of Glass #4
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2015
- Notes: Continue in listed order for character and plot continuity
- Empire of Storms
- Series: Throne of Glass #5
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2016
- Notes: Read before Tower of Dawn if following publication order
- Tower of Dawn
- Series: Throne of Glass #6
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2017
- Notes: Runs alongside parts of Empire of Storms, but publication order is the spoiler-safe default
- Kingdom of Ash
- Series: Throne of Glass #7
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2018
- Notes: Final full-length conclusion to the series
A Court of Thorns and Roses
- A Court of Thorns and Roses
- Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2015
- Notes: Main entry point for the ACOTAR line
- A Court of Mist and Fury
- Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2016
- Notes: Read after A Court of Thorns and Roses
- A Court of Wings and Ruin
- Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #3
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2017
- Notes: Third core novel in the sequence
- A Court of Frost and Starlight
- Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #4
- Format: Novella
- Year: 2018
- Notes: Bridge volume between the early arc and later books
- A Court of Silver Flames
- Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #5
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2021
- Notes: Follows the bridge novella and shifts focus within the same world
Crescent City
- House of Earth and Blood
- Series: Crescent City #1
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2020
- Notes: Starting point for the Crescent City sequence
- House of Sky and Breath
- Series: Crescent City #2
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2022
- Notes: Read after House of Earth and Blood
- House of Flame and Shadow
- Series: Crescent City #3
- Format: Novel
- Year: 2024
- Notes: Current newest published novel in the Crescent City line
Related Works and Where They Fit
These items matter for collectors or planners, but they sit outside the named published-novel list above.
- A Court of Thorns and Roses 6
- Format: Forthcoming novel
- Placement: After A Court of Silver Flames
- Notes: Officially listed as an upcoming installment with a placeholder title
- A Court of Thorns and Roses 7
- Format: Forthcoming novel
- Placement: After A Court of Thorns and Roses 6
- Notes: Officially listed as a second upcoming installment with a placeholder title
- The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
- Format: Individual novella
- Placement: Collected inside The Assassin’s Blade
- Notes: Read through the collected edition unless you specifically want the separate ebook form
- The Assassin and the Desert
- Format: Individual novella
- Placement: Collected inside The Assassin’s Blade
- Notes: Usually not listed separately in the main master order
- The Assassin and the Underworld
- Format: Individual novella
- Placement: Collected inside The Assassin’s Blade
- Notes: Best treated as part of the collection
- The Assassin and the Empire
- Format: Individual novella
- Placement: Collected inside The Assassin’s Blade
- Notes: Keep with the collected prequel volume for most reading plans
Dependencies & Notes
- Read each of the three series in its own listed order.
- Sarah J. Maas’s official reading guide says you can begin with the first book in any of the three series.
- The current author FAQ gives a preferred Throne of Glass order of: 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.
- The Assassin’s Blade takes place before Throne of Glass, but the official recommendation is to place it after Crown of Midnight.
- Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn overlap in time. Some readers do a tandem read, but publication order is the cleaner spoiler-light path.
- The current Bloomsbury guide notes that Crescent City can be read on its own, but the experience may be more rewarding if you read A Court of Thorns and Roses first.
- Bloomsbury currently describes the first four ACOTAR books as the arc centered on Feyre, with A Court of Frost and Starlight closing that phase and setting up A Court of Silver Flames.
FAQs
What is the best order to read Sarah J. Maas books?
For one full author read, publication order works well. For Throne of Glass specifically, the current preferred sequence places The Assassin’s Blade after Crown of Midnight.
Which Sarah J. Maas series should a new reader start with?
Start with A Court of Thorns and Roses if you want romance-forward fantasy, Throne of Glass if you want a finished epic fantasy run, or House of Earth and Blood if you want urban fantasy.
Do I need to read The Assassin’s Blade first?
No. The current recommended placement is after Crown of Midnight, even though the stories are prequel material.
Do I need to read A Court of Thorns and Roses before Crescent City?
Not strictly, but current official guidance says the Crescent City reading experience may feel more rewarding if you read A Court of Thorns and Roses first.
Is Sarah J. Maas still writing ACOTAR?
Yes. The author site and Bloomsbury currently list A Court of Thorns and Roses 6 for October 27, 2026, and A Court of Thorns and Roses 7 for January 12, 2027.
Change Log
- Last checked: April 18, 2026
- What changed: aligned the page to Sarah J. Maas’s current official reading guide and author FAQ; used the current preferred placement of The Assassin’s Blade; noted the publication-order guidance for Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn; added the two announced upcoming ACOTAR installments as related forthcoming entries rather than placing untitled placeholders in the master list
- Most recent known release included: House of Flame and Shadow (2024)