Sarah J Maas Reading Order: ACOTAR, Throne of Glass & CC

Published books and collections: 16 ·
Main series: 3 ·
Throne of Glass titles: 8 ·
ACOTAR titles: 5 ·
Crescent City titles: 3

Sarah J Maas books at a glance

Six numbers capture the shape of the reading universe: three series, three different lengths, and one completed saga so far.

The pattern: one series is finished, two are still running, and the only crossover-ready series is the one with the fewest books.

Which Throne of Glass books should be read together?

Throne of Glass is one continuous story told across eight books and collections, so “together” mostly means keeping the sequence straight. ABC News (GMA book guide), summarizing the path attributed to Maas’s website, lists the order as Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, The Assassin’s Blade, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, and Kingdom of Ash. That order settles most of the confusion, but it leaves one genuine fork: whether to keep reading straight through at Empire of Storms or switch to a tandem read.

Where does The Assassin’s Blade fit in the Throne of Glass order?

• Publication-order placement: The Assassin’s Blade sits after Crown of Midnight and before Heir of Fire (Mrs Books in Order (publication-order tracker))
• Story placement: the collection gathers prequel novellas, so it reads like a flashback even when it appears third
• Common guidance: slot it third, then continue with Heir of Fire

The prequel collection is not the first book in the series, and no source reviewed for this guide places it first. It is a backstory interlude that pays off before the story’s world widens in Heir of Fire.

The practical result: read the first two books, pause for The Assassin’s Blade, then move forward. That “two then pause” rhythm is the one point where almost every guide agrees.

What is the Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn tandem read?

• Timeline relationship: Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn take place over overlapping periods (TOG Tandem reader-built guide)
• Default order: Empire of Storms first, then Tower of Dawn, per the standard series list
• Tandem read: readers alternate between the two books using reader-built chapter guides rather than an official publisher order

If you read in publication order, you finish Empire of Storms and then enter Tower of Dawn knowing more than the new point-of-view characters do. The tandem read eliminates that gap by interleaving the two storylines. TOG Tandem supplies the chapter breakdown; it is a fan tool, not a Maas product.

The tandem read changes experience, not plot. The same chapters exist in both books; the only difference is which one you reach first.

The pattern: the Throne of Glass series offers two different experiences through the same stretch of story — a clean official sequence and a more immersive reader-built tandem path.

Should I read A Court of Thorns and Roses or Throne of Glass first?

The best answer is the least satisfying one: it depends on what you want. ABC News (GMA book guide) describes the Maas bibliography as an interconnected reading ecosystem and places Throne of Glass first in the path attributed to the author’s website, followed by ACOTAR and then Crescent City. Search results and reader guides also surface the opposite direction: ACOTAR first, then Throne of Glass, then Crescent City. Both paths work because the series were built as separate entry points.

Is one Sarah J Maas series a better entry point?

• ACOTAR: five published titles, romance-forward fantasy, and a shorter commitment for new readers
• Throne of Glass: eight books including the prequel collection, a completed high-fantasy saga, and the starting point attributed to Maas’s website
• Crescent City: three books, urban fantasy with crossover elements, usually positioned after the other two series

ACOTAR’s five-book list is the faster read, and its romantic arc lands quickly, which is why many reader guides push it as the softer entry. Throne of Glass asks for a longer commitment but repays it with a closed story and a bigger world. Neither series is a strict prerequisite for the other, so the choice really is about pacing and mood.

The real difference is the waiting. ACOTAR and Crescent City are still ongoing; Throne of Glass ended in 2018, which means saga readers get a complete experience immediately.

Can you start with Crescent City?

Crescent City is the shortest series list so far, and its urban fantasy setting is the clearest genre shift in the bibliography. Its crossover elements are the payoff for readers who already know the other two worlds.

Starting there is not a mistake, but it is a different experience: the reveals that readers of the other series recognize on arrival would simply be new worldbuilding to a Crescent City-first reader.

The trade-off: a Throne of Glass-first path respects the author-site order and the longest story arc; an ACOTAR-first path shortens the commitment and reaches the romantic core faster. Both are legitimate, and neither shuts the door on the rest of the Maas universe.

Will there be more ACOTAR books?

Retail series lists show five published ACOTAR titles and no sixth book in the set (BookSeriesInOrder series-order database). The five are A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, and A Court of Silver Flames.

Any sixth ACOTAR book will depend on an announcement from Sarah J. Maas or her publisher. None of the sources reviewed for this guide carries a confirmed release date.

Is there a 6th book in A Court of Thorns and Roses?

• Catalogue status: five titles, and the retail list stops there (BookSeriesInOrder series-order database)
• Ongoing status: the series is commonly discussed as unfinished, but standard retail lists show no sixth book
• What would change that: a confirmed announcement from Maas or her publisher

Readers sometimes describe A Court of Frost and Starlight as a shorter bridge installment rather than a fifth full-length novel. That point belongs in the “still unclear” column because it is a reader interpretation, not a retail distinction.

The practical read: the confirmed part of the ACOTAR story stops at five books, and every “what’s next” claim after that needs an official source.

Is Throne of Glass more spicy than ACOTAR?

The honest short answer is no. ACOTAR’s later books are widely described as explicit adult fantasy romance, while Throne of Glass is widely described as less explicit even though it includes mature themes.

• ACOTAR trajectory: the first books stay closer to YA fantasy; later books carry explicit romantic scenes and adult retail classification
• Throne of Glass: mature themes and some romance, but generally described as less explicit than ACOTAR’s later books
• Reader rule: content-warning pages beat blanket series labels when explicitness matters

Is ACOTAR very spicy?

The closer the reader gets to A Court of Silver Flames, the more explicit the content becomes. The first volume reads as fantasy with romantic tension; the later volumes are the ones that carry the adult signals in retail listings. That is why “ACOTAR is spicy” is too broad. The series has a steep maturity curve, and the right answer for one book is not the right answer for all five.

How explicit is Sarah J. Maas?

• By series: ACOTAR’s later books carry the explicit content; Throne of Glass is described as less explicit with mature themes
• By book: the same author moves between YA-coded fantasy and adult romance across the bibliography
• By preference: book-by-book warnings matter more than a single author-wide rating

Order of Books (publication-order database) notes that publication-order guides recommend reading ACOTAR in release order rather than rearranging it chronologically. The same logic applies to the maturity question: release order shows the shift clearly, from the lighter opening books to the explicit later ones.

The catch: if explicit content is a concern, choose by book, not by series. The ACOTAR umbrella covers very different maturity levels, and the difference matters more than any single label.

What age group is ACOTAR for?

There is no universal age rating for ACOTAR, because the series does not hold one tone. It starts close to young-adult fantasy and shifts into explicit adult content in later volumes, as covered in the spice-level section above.

Can my 13 year old read A Court of Thorns and Roses?

• Book one: closer to young-adult fantasy in tone and content
• Later volumes: explicit romantic scenes and adult retail classification change the picture
• Parental guidance: base the decision on the content notes for each specific volume

For a 13-year-old, the practical question is not “is ACOTAR okay?” but “which ACOTAR book?” The opening volume is the natural starting point, and the conversation about the series’ later direction can happen before the reader moves on.

What this means: ACOTAR’s age-group label is a moving target. Anyone planning a gift or a classroom shelf should verify the specific volume, especially once the story moves past the original trilogy.

Why is ACOTAR being banned?

The word “banned” usually collapses several different actions into one: a formal challenge, a restricted-access decision, a removal, or an online boycott call. They are not the same event, and each has its own record.

Why is Sarah J. Maas boycotted?

• Challenges: some school and library challenges to ACOTAR cite sexual content and mature themes
• Boycott calls: documented online, with stated reasons that vary by campaign
• Attribution rule: specific boycott claims belong to named organizers, not to one general explanation

The stated reasons for boycotting Maas vary from campaign to campaign. Rather than treating “boycott” as one thing, the useful approach is to check who is organizing it and what their stated reason is. That is also the responsible way to describe it: attribute the claim to the organizer, then evaluate it.

Why is ACOTAR so hated?

Part of the backlash is the ordinary price of visibility: a series this widely read accumulates fierce defenders and vocal critics. The “so hated” conversation mixes taste, content reactions, and reactions to the ban discourse itself.

Separating those threads is more useful than picking a side. The term “banned” needs a specific case before it means anything concrete.

The distinction: challenge, removal, restricted access, and boycott are different actions with different stakes. Readers asking why ACOTAR is banned need the specific case, not a blanket answer.

Series comparison: which entry point fits you?

One pattern separates the three series: length, status, and genre point readers in completely different directions.

The implication: if you want a finished story today, Throne of Glass is the only series that delivers one. If you want to be inside a phenomenon while it develops, ACOTAR and Crescent City both keep you waiting.

Sarah J Maas series specs: the details

Seven specifications separate the series, and the most useful one is the maturity profile: ACOTAR starts young-adult and shifts to explicit adult content in later books.

The implication: series length tracks with reading experience — the completed Throne of Glass offers a closed arc, while the two ongoing series leave readers in waiting mode.

The Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn tandem read: pros and cons

The tandem read is the only place where the Maas reading order asks for an actual strategy decision. The upsides and downsides are both real.

The catch: the tandem read is a comfort tool, not a completion requirement. Skipping it does not change the story; using it does not change the official order.

How to build your Sarah J Maas reading order

The whole decision path fits in six steps, and the first one is the only one that forces a real choice.

1. Pick your entry series. ACOTAR for romance-forward fantasy with a shorter book list; Throne of Glass for a completed, plot-heavy saga.
2. Read that series in its standard order. For ACOTAR: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, then A Court of Silver Flames.
3. If you chose Throne of Glass, slot The Assassin’s Blade third. The prequel collection reads best after Crown of Midnight and before Heir of Fire, matching both the author-site order and publication trackers.
4. At Empire of Storms, make the tandem-read decision. Sequential readers go Empire of Storms then Tower of Dawn; tandem readers alternate between the two using a reader-built chapter guide.
5. Finish Kingdom of Ash before switching series. The final Throne of Glass book closes the longest arc in the Maas universe.
6. Move to Crescent City last. Its crossover elements land harder after the other two series are in your rearview mirror.

The pattern: every reading path in this ecosystem is a sequence of two decisions — which series, then which book inside it — and only the tandem-read fork forces a genuine choice after you start.

Sarah J Maas publication timeline

Five dates mark the spine of the Maas universe, and they come from the bibliographic record in the quick snapshot above plus the publication-order data tracked by Mrs Books in Order (publication-order tracker).

Why this matters: the publication record separates the completed Throne of Glass era (2012–2018) from the ongoing ACOTAR and Crescent City eras, and it shows why readers who want closure have only one finished lane to stand in.

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

The Maas reading order is one of those topics where a few things are solid and everything else is guidance. Here is the split.

The pattern: the confirmed list is stronger on book counts than on meaning. The series’ future, its official order, and its real-world controversy all require case-level facts rather than series-level guesses.

Voices on the Maas reading order

Two sources carry most of the practical weight in this decision path: the reader-built tandem tool and the publication-order tracker.

Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn take place over overlapping periods in the Throne of Glass story, which is exactly why reader-built tandem tools alternate between the two books.

TOG Tandem (reader-built tandem guide)

The tandem tool speaks to story structure; the publication-order tracker speaks to sequence. Together they cover the two main forks in the reading path.

Publication-order guides generally recommend reading ACOTAR in release order rather than attempting a chronological rearrangement — the series’ own order is the recommended path.

Order of Books (publication-order database)

What to watch: if a “definitive” Maas reading order appears online, check whether it distinguishes author-site order, publication order, and fan-built order — the three are not always the same.

The takeaway

Sarah J. Maas built a three-series ecosystem that reads in almost any order, and that freedom is the part that makes the choice hard. Throne of Glass is the complete arc, ACOTAR is the romance-forward entry, and Crescent City is the crossover payoff — each path is valid because the series are separately structured. For the first-time Maas reader, the decision is clear: let the series premise choose for you. Romance-forward readers should open with ACOTAR’s five-book set; saga readers should open with Throne of Glass and let the author-site path carry them forward. The tandem read at Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn is a bonus, not a requirement — skip it if switching books hurts your momentum, or use it if you want the full immersive experiment.

Frequently asked questions