Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas was one of the first YA fantasy series I completely fell for, and if you’re starting it now, you’re in for a ride. This guide gives you the best Throne of Glass books in order—plus the spoiler-free publication order if you’d rather keep it simple.
There are a lot of strong opinions about where The Assassin’s Blade belongs and whether Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn should be read together. I’ll keep it simple: here are the two reading orders that actually make sense, and why you’d pick one over the other.
Jump to:
- Best reading order
- Publication order
- When to read The Assassin’s Blade
- Should I skip Tower of Dawn?
- Tandem Read
- FAQ
Throne of Glass Books in Order
Best Throne of Glass Reading Order (Romantic)
This is the recommended Throne of Glass reading order if you want the strongest emotional connection to the characters and story. This order has you reading the prequels, The Assassin’s Blade, after Book 3, Heir of Fire, but the story will mean so much more if you read it this way.
It’s also strongly recommended to read Tower of Dawn and Empire of Storms at the same time, as the timeline in each book happens concurrently. We’ll show you how a little later.
- Throne of Glass
- Crown of Midnight
- Heir of Fire
- The Assassin’s Blade (Prequel)
- Queen of Shadows
- Empire of Storms (Tandem with Tower of Dawn)
- Tower of Dawn (Tandem with Empire of Storms)
- Kingdom of Ash
Throne of Glass Books in Publication Order (Purist)
Read the Throne of Glass books in this order if you want to stay true to publication dates (no surprises).
- 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
Which Order Should I Choose?
If you’re not sure which one to use, here’s the quick rule: choose the Recommended order if you want the biggest emotional payoff and you don’t mind sliding The Assassin’s Blade in later. Choose the Publication order if you want the original release flow with the fewest “wait, why is this here?” moments.
Common Reading Order Questions
When should I read The Assassin’s Blade?
The Assassin’s Blade is a prequel. In the strictest order, all of the stories compiled take place before Throne of Glass. So if you are a purist who wants to read chronologically, then starting with The Assassin’s Blade is the way to go. But many readers disagree.
I run a large group of YA Fantasy Addicts on Facebook and they all have a very different story to tell about proper Throne of Glass reading order.
Many of our members swear by reading The Assassin’s Blade after Heir of Fire, but before Queen of Shadows. The stated reason is that the conflict in The Assassin’s Blade centers around a relationship between Celaena and Sam, and that relationship means much more to you after you understand more about these characters from the later books.
So if you’d rather forgo some surprises for greater emotional engagement with the characters, then I’d strongly recommend first reading Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire before reading The Assassin’s Blade.
Should I skip Tower of Dawn?
Now that we’ve got that cleared up, what’s up with Tower of Dawn? You might be thinking: “I’ve heard a lot of mixed feelings about this book and its cover is so different from the rest of the series. Is it essential?”
The answer is an unequivocal YES. After reading the previous books, you may not be a big Chaol fan (I don’t get this personally, I think he’s fine, but I know plenty of people who hate him), but the response is undeniable: Tower of Dawn is a must read.
The problem, when we’re talking about a Throne of Glass reading order, is that many people want to skip Tower of Dawn because of the HUGE cliffhanger at the end of Empire of Storms.
But that would be a grave mistake.
So your best decision is to actually tandem read Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn at the same time.
Throne of Glass Tandem Reading Guide
For that, I’ve created a Throne of Glass Tandem reading guide. It includes the chapter-by-chapter switches for Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn, plus a printable checklist. The checklist also includes both ways to read Throne of Glass that we’ve outlined above.
Throne of Glass Reading Order FAQ
Do I need to read Throne of Glass before Crescent City?
No. You can read Crescent City without reading Throne of Glass first. If you prefer a clean Maas read-through (and zero “did I miss something?” anxiety), finish Throne of Glass first.
Is Throne of Glass finished?
Yes. The main series is complete, so you’re not signing up for an endless wait between books.
Can I read Throne of Glass if I didn’t love ACOTAR?
Yes. The vibe is different. Throne of Glass starts more YA/assassin-competition and grows into bigger epic fantasy, so not loving ACOTAR doesn’t automatically mean TOG won’t work for you.
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.
65 thoughts on “Throne of Glass Books in Order: Best Reading Order”
What about the Novellas? Where do they fit into the reading order?
The novellas are all in the book “The Assassin’s Blade” so you can either read them first, or after Heir of Fire. I recommend after Heir of Fire.
Hi Sarah!
I don’t know why it wouldn’t have gone through. I’d recommend checking the spam or promotions folder. Either way, I sent you an email directly with the reading guide attached! Let me know if you didn’t get it.
I am going to start The Assassins Blade by Sarah j Mass can you guide me in sequence from where I begin it will very help full for me
.
Hi Haris!
If you’re starting with the Assassin’s Blade, I’d just read it through in publication (Purist) order. Though I do still recommend reading Tower of Dawn before reading Empire of Storms.
Hi Olivia!
Every now and again, someone has difficulty getting it to download. I haven’t been able to pinpoint the issue, but I’ve sent the PDF directly attached to you via email. Enjoy!
Could you send it to me as well?
Hi Shav,
It looks like it sent okay on my end. I’d recommend checking your Promotions folder or Spam as those are two likely spots for it to have ended up.
I’ll go ahead and send over the file directly to your email rather than using the automated service the download link is attached to. Check for my email shortly.
Thank you!
So I bought the book set and assumed Assassins blade was a regular prequel so I have kept it for last. I’m halfway through empire of storms, will leaving assassins blade until last change anything for me?
The prequels are the story of Celaena’s relationship with Sam as well as her time with Arobynn Hamel. They have little affect on the overall story other than to inform you more on Celaena’s emotional state earlier in the series. However, you may be less interested in them the further you progress. I generally recommend reading them before Queen of Shadows. But if you’re the type of person that doesn’t mind reading prequels after a series is complete, you’ll be fine.
I’ve seen some posts suggesting that parts of “Tower of Dawn” won’t make sense if you read it before “Empire of Storms”. Also that ToD gives away massive spoilers for a twist in EoS. Is any of this true?
I’m not sure about it not making sense. The story in Tower of Dawn is completely different, and Chaol has absolutely no idea what’s going on back with Aelin and crew.
But there is a major twist revealed in Tower of Dawn, though it won’t really affect anything important. However, I did just read a synopsis of Tower of Dawn to make sure, and the final chapter of Tower of Dawn would spoil the ending of Empire of Storms as the scene jumps back to Aelin and crew for some reason.
The tandem read might actually be the best path to avoid those sorts of problems. Either way, my recommendation still holds because so many reach the cliffhanger at the end of Empire of Storms and immediately want to skip Tower of Dawn.
It’s that strong of an ending and I don’t think Tower of Dawn should be skipped.
mine did the same thing
Feel free to email me at tl@tlbranson.com and I’ll send the file over. The automated system works about 98% of the time and I’m not quite sure why it doesn’t for a few.
I just replied to your other comment. Feel free to email me directly at tl@tlbranson.com
Check your promotions folder or spam. If it’s still not there, feel free to email me at tl@tlbranson.com and I’ll send it directly. Sometimes the automated system doesn’t work.
hey, i was wondering if you need to read tower of dawn and empire of storms as a tandem read? i’ve seen people say the story is better if you do but i’m terrible at them:’)
If it’s your first time, it’s strongly recommended to read that way.
Hi, will I be confuse if I read it the second way?
There are a few moments in Tower of Dawn that are spoilerish for EOS. Notably toward the end.
I’d recommend the tandem read for new readers, or the Romantic pathway for re-reads.
Hi!!!
I don’t often read so I might get confused if I read it out of order of publication, but it does speak to me more? what should I do?
I would recommend reading in publication order. It’s the safest bet. There would be some slight spoilers reading Tower of Dawn before Empire of Storms unless you do the tandem read.
There is a HUGE cliffhanger at the end of Empire of Storms, though, that will basically make you want to skip Tower of Dawn (because it’s a parallel story with different characters).
That is the primary, and really only, concern with reading in Publication order.
Thank you for the information. Appreciate if you could recommend the minimum age for reading the Sarah J Mass series books ? are they suitable for 12 yr old?
Definitely not. Throne of Glass is better than A Court of Thorns and Roses, but both series contain sexual content.
Depending on how comfortable you are with exposure to romance and sexual situations, Throne of Glass is probably passable. Between PG-13 and R rated content.
A Court of Thorns and Roses would be X-rated if it were a movie based upon the book’s contents.
I’m finding it almost impossible to read Assassin’s Blade after finishing Heir of Fire. I want to go straight into Queen of Shadows. Will I regret not going back and reading Assassin’s Blade?
I went straight from HOF to QOS (Heir of fire to Queen of shadows-) And it made sense for me, I dont believe you miss much
The Assassin’s Blade isn’t required at all. It’s a prequel. I just recommend it where it is in my list because you’ve learned a lot about Celaena and her backstory by that point in the story so actually reading what happened means a little more given what you’ve discovered in HoF. But you will absolutely not miss anything if you don’t read TAB
I sent you an email!
Sent, apologies for the delay
Sent, apologies for the delay
Hi! Just wondering, If I were to skip TOD would kingdom of ash make sense?
Could you skip it? Sure. There’s really only one major plot point in ToD that you really should learn about before continuing on. But if you skip it, you’ll also miss out on all the events that take place for a certain army to be in place for the final showdown in KoA. That, and ToD is a really great book, so I wouldn’t recommend skipping it. But you can, yes. The story from EoS continues in KoA with almost no break in time.
Personally, I think Assassins blade fits in perfectly read third in the series before Heir of Fire.
Awesome! I’m glad to hear that works for you. A lot of our members at YA Fantasy Addicts prefer it after HoF, but before works too!
No worries. I still haven’t figure out why it doesn’t work for about 5% of people. My guess is it’s an email server issue. But I’d be happy to send it to you.
Thank you so much! It could be because of server of my country or something, but thank you so much! I have just order the series for Christmas and I am verry accited!!
Enjoy! It’s a great series. One of my favorites.
If you’re on Facebook and looking for a community to chat about the series, check out my group YA Fantasy Addicts
I am definitelly doing that!!
Sent!
Thank you got it
This is my first time reading this series and I started with Throne of Glass instead of The Assassin’s Blade. Do you think it’s okay if I read it in the romantic order or should I read it in the purist order?
I’ll tell you a secret. I never read Assassin’s Blade at all. The information I gathered on where to place it for the two reading orders came from my Facebook group. I asked where it was best to be read and most people were split half and half. Some preferred it first, before Throne of Glass, others preferred it later on after Heir of Fire.
I would highly recommend the tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn when you get to that point. While there is very little overlap in the two stories, some readers mentioned that one part of Tower of Dawn can be considered spoilery for Empire of Storms.
The main problem there, though, is that there is a MAJOR cliffhanger at the end of Empire of Storms and a lot of people want to skip Tower of Dawn entirely because of it. So that’s why I recommend reading Tower of Dawn first. But you can decide what’s best for you.
The members in my Facebook group rave about the tandem read though. It’s their absolute favorite way to read those books.
I wouldn’t sweat The Assassin’s Blade too much, though.
I would be happy to. Sending it your way shortly.
The zip file triggers an automatic download, which is why I use a compressed file type. I sent you the direct PDF file via email.
Sent!
I’m not sure. I’ve never owned one of the pocket editions. I have the paperback boxset. But from what I’ve heard, they’re pretty small with Bible thin paper. It’s more of a novelty collector’s item than something you’d want to actually read.
To all the readers who are considering whether or not to skip the novellas: read them. Just read them. The novellas weren’t made for funsies, but to provide context behind events and relationships within the main storyline that weren’t otherwise explained. The romantic order makes more sense, as it makes the story flow in a way that makes the story less stressful to understand. Hope this helps!
Awesome advice! Thanks for sharing.
Oh, I understand, but it’s my experience that folks don’t want to wait (hence why I see “can I skip TOD?” so many times in my Facebook group). A work around is that a good 90% of the same people tell me a tandem read is the true way to go. But I do agree, technically, Tower of Dawn should be read where it is, at least on a first read through.
can i read tog series without reading assasins blade
Yes! You absolutely can.
I just finished Crown of midnight and am loving the series so far. I sometimes struggle with keeping plot lines like this together, so thank you so much for the romantic order. It’s going to be so helpful!
If you can, I highly recommend the tandem read of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn!
Hi! This is really helpful. You say it’s better romantically to read AB after HOF because by then you know more of the characters and it would make better impact. But I was curious why people suggest reading it particularly before QOS?
I’m not sure that it really matters. The point is simply that you don’t read it first, because you don’t have the context on the main characters that Celaena provides throughout the earlier books.
Normally I’m totally against reading books out of publication order, but this series is an exception. I read Assassins Blade after heir of fire which works because I was a bit hard on Calaena until I read that. It helped me understand her better. I only just finished Queen of shadows and after reading this article I’ve decided to read the next two in tandem (books six and seven). Thank you for making the reading guide!!! I know I won’t have the patience to really appreciate it if there’s a cliffhanger. I’m excited to get started.
Wait until you read the ending for House of Sky and Breath. It’ll blow your mind.
And if you weren’t planning on reading Crescent City, it is a must. And that’s all I can really say at this point.
Glad you enjoy the guide!
I’m planning on reading the Crescent City Series when all the books are released. If the article I read is true it’s a trilogy. So, I shouldn’t have to wait too long.
You can download it directly from this link: https://www.tlbranson.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Throne-of-Glass-Reading-Guide.pdf
I’m already halfway through Queen of Shadows. Is it to late to pause that and instead read Assassin’s Blade? I’m up to the part where Rowan comes back.
You can read Assassin’s Blade whenever you want, really. It was written first and falls in the timeline first. The only reason I moved it to later in the series is in my alternate Throne of Glass reading order is that Celaena shares more info about Sam, her first love, which makes reading it where I placed it more impactful of a romance.
But really, you can read it whenever you like. Before, after, right now. It won’t spoil anything.
hey! getting towards the end of the tandem read… what does the “T” next to ch 55 in TOD mean ??
I came here to find this answer too
It’s just a typo. I hit the “Return” button in the wrong spot. If you look at the next line, it’s missing the T at the beginning. It says “ower of Dawn”