Sarah J. Maas Books in Order: 2 Ways to Read

Sarah J. Maas is one of my favorite authors of all time. I’ve read everything she’s written, usually within about a week of release. New readers are discovering her every day and I can’t tell you how many times I’m asked for a list of the Sarah J. Maas books in order.

I’ve already written an in-depth reading order for Throne of Glass, but we’ll cover the basic details here as well.

Jump to:

• Sarah J. Maas Books in Order by Series
  • Throne of Glass
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses
  • Crescent City
• Sarah J. Maas Books in Order by Publication
• Sarah J. Maas Reading Guide & Checklist

Sarah J. Maas Books in Order by Series

There are three different series that Sarah J. Maas has written that you’ll be interested in.

Those series are Throne of Glass (TOG), A Court of Thorns and Roses (also known as ACOTAR), and Crescent City (CC).

Let’s start with Throne of Glass.

Throne of Glass

There are two main ways you can read the Throne of Glass series. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll only list out these books in order of publication.

There is some debate amongst fans as to when is the best time to read the prequel, The Assassin’s Blade. Many readers also seemingly want to skip Tower of Dawn because of a massive cliffhanger at the end of Empire of Storms (readers be warned).

If you want to learn more about this, check out my Throne of Glass reading order I mentioned earlier.

1. The Assassin’s Blade
2. Throne of Glass
3. Crown of Midnight
4. Heir of Fire
5. Queen of Shadows
6. Empire of Storms
7. Tower of Dawn
8. Kingdom of Ash

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A Court of Thorns and Roses

While Throne of Glass might have been the first series Sarah J. Maas ever wrote, A Court of Thorns and Roses is probably the most popular.

ACOTAR is fantasy romance series about Feyre Archeron, a human who gets dragged into the fae world after a hunt goes sideways. It starts with a “Beauty and the Beast” vibe, then expands fast into bigger stakes, darker politics, and war.

There’s also a lot of sex. A lot.

First Series

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses
2. A Court of Mist and Fury
3. A Court of Wings and Ruin

Interlude

4. A Court of Frost and Starlight

Second Series

5. A Court of Silver Flames
6. Untitled ACOTAR Book 6 (October 27, 2026)
7. Untitled ACOTAR Book 7 (January 12, 2027)
8. Untitled ACOTAR Book 8 (TBA)

Do I Need to Read A Court of Frost and Starlight?

The only real debate in this series is whether you need to read A Court of Frost and Starlight or not. It’s a novella, and it doesn’t play a significant role in the story of the first trilogy. It also doesn’t matter much to the core plot of A Court of Silver Flames.

It does set up Cassian and Nesta’s “interactions” a little bit, and it notes a change in scenery for where the group meets in ACOSF. But otherwise, it’s basically a puff piece with almost no plot. Think of it more as a bridge book and emotional aftermath book than a must-read plot installment.

That said, if you’re going to read it, Christmas time is honestly the best time to do it. The story takes place during the Winter Solstice, which is celebrated basically like Christmas without Christmas, cause you know, fantasy world.

My understanding is that there will be at least two more books in the second series, and another novella.

What are Books 6, 7, and 8?

This is where the numbering gets confusing. Books 6, 7, and 8 aren’t separate stories, but one larger story arc that’s being split up for publishing. Maas explained on the Call Her Daddy podcast that the project became so long that releasing it as one standard volume wasn’t practical, so the story is being broken into multiple parts instead.

This one book, split into three. Not a brand-new series.

In other words, the numbering may make it look like you’re getting several distinct books, but the plan is really one larger narrative told across multiple releases.

The first two volumes are already up for pre-order and total more than 1,200 pages without the third volume even being known, which helps explain the split.

The whole story is told in four parts. Book 6 will kick it off with Part 1, Book 7 is Parts 2 and 3, and Book 8 will wrap up the arc with Part 4. While we don’t have an announced release date for Book 8, I imagine it will be just a few months later, similar to the gap between Books 6 and 7.

We’ll keep this page updated as we know more.

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Crescent City

The last of Sarah J. Maas’s series is her newest with the first being published in 2020. House of Earth and Blood was Sarah J. Maas’s first adult fantasy book.

It’s kind of like a mash-up of epic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and a whodunnit mystery.

Based on the ending of HOFAS (check out my House of Flame and Shadow review to learn more), it would seem the story is complete, but it’s left sort of open ended. Maas has already confirmed a fourth book is incoming, but it’s hard to predict exactly where the story is going to go. Either way, I’m all for it.

1. House of Earth and Blood
2. House of Sky and Breath
3. House of Flame and Shadow

Do I have to read A Court of Thorns and Roses before Crescent City?

While reading A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) is not strictly “required” for Crescent City. It is highly recommended that you read at least the first three novels of ACOTAR before reading Crescent City #2, House of Sky and Breath.

Sarah J. Maas Books in Order by Publication

It really doesn’t make sense to read the books in publication order, but it is the way that millions of people, including myself, have read Maas’s books.

Plus, any good bibliography of an author’s work would include this most standard type of list. So I’ll include it here.

Nowadays, you’re better off reading a whole series rather than jumping around.

Either way, here is your list of Sarah J. Maas books in order by publication:

1. The Assassin’s Blade (2012) — Throne of Glass #.5
2. Throne of Glass (2012) — TOG #1
3. Crown of Midnight (2013) — TOG #2
4. Heir of Fire (2014) — TOG #3
5. A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015) — A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
6. Queen of Shadows (2015) — TOG #4
7. A Court of Mist and Fury (2016) — ACOTAR #2
8. Empire of Storms (2016) — TOG #5
9. A Court of Wings and Ruin (2017) — ACOTAR #3
10. Tower of Dawn (2017) — TOG #6
11. A Court of Frost and Starlight (2018) — ACOTAR #4
12. Catwoman: Soulstealer (2018)
13. Kingdom of Ash (2018) — TOG #7
14. House of Earth and Blood (2020) — Crescent City #1
15. A Court of Silver Flames (2021) — ACOTAR #5
16. Houseof Sky and Breath (2022) — CC #2
17. House of Flame and Shadow (2024) — CC #3
18. Untitled ACOTAR Book 6 (October 27, 2026) — ACOTAR #6
19. Untitled ACOTAR Book 7 (January 12, 2027) — ACOTAR #7
20. Untitled ACOTAR Book 8 (TBA) — ACOTAR #8

Sarah J. Maas Reading Guide & Checklist

Want to take your reading experience to the next level? Check out my Sarah J. Maas reading guide and checklist for two ways to read the Sarah J. Maas books in order.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more fantasy authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Fantasy Books in Order index.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• Cassandra Clare Books in Order
• The Cruel Prince Series in Order
• Leigh Bardugo Books in Order