Sarah J. Maas Books in Order: Throne of Glass, ACOTAR and Crescent City

Sarah J. Maas has written three fantasy series, and for years they looked completely separate. They aren't anymore. Her later books connect her worlds, which means the order you read them in matters more than it used to. Here's every series in order, where to start, and the crossover you really don't want spoiled.

The Three Series at a Glance

Throne of Glass (2012–2018): eight books following the assassin Celaena Sardothien. It starts as a YA competition story and grows into a sprawling epic.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015–2021): five books of romantasy that begin as a loose Beauty and the Beast retelling and become much more. It's written for adults, with explicit content.

Crescent City (2020–2024): three long adult novels set in a modern city of angels, shifters and Fae.

Throne of Glass Reading Order

The Assassin's Blade is the placement people argue about. We list it where it was published, after Crown of Midnight: by then you care about Celaena, and the novellas set up characters who matter in Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. Tower of Dawn runs alongside Empire of Storms with a different cast; read it before the finale.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Reading Order

Frost and Starlight is short and quiet, but it sets up Silver Flames, so don't skip it.

Crescent City Reading Order

The Crossover You Shouldn't Spoil

The ending of House of Sky and Breath connects Crescent City to the world of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and House of Flame and Shadow builds directly on that connection. If you read Crescent City first, you'll walk into major ACOTAR reveals out of context, and the crossover won't mean much. Finish A Court of Thorns and Roses, through A Court of Silver Flames, before you read House of Sky and Breath. Readers have spotted hints tying Crescent City to Throne of Glass too, so finishing that series first doesn't hurt either.

So Which Should You Start With?

For the cleanest experience, read the series in publication order: Throne of Glass, then A Court of Thorns and Roses, then Crescent City. That order never spoils a crossover. If you mainly want romance, starting with ACOTAR is fine; just finish it before Crescent City. And if you'd prefer less explicit content, Throne of Glass is the best entry point, though its later books grow more mature as well.

Plan for a long haul. At our standard pace of about 50 pages an hour, Throne of Glass is roughly 95 hours and A Court of Thorns and Roses about 55, before you even open Crescent City's three hefty volumes.