How to Read All of Sarah J. Maas's Books in the Right Order

If you’ve ever stared at a shelf full of Sarah J. Maas books and had absolutely no idea where to begin, you’re not alone. Known for her incredible world building, swoon-worthy love stories and devastating cliffhangers, the author is truly one of a kind. Currently, she has three bestselling series—Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) and Crescent City—and the reading order actually matters more than you think. We’ve mapped out the best way to read every Sarah J. Maas book in order, including when and where her worlds collide in ways that will blow your mind. Read on for more.

The correct order of Sarah J. Maas books

The best order to read Sarah J. Maas books is by publication date, starting with the Throne of Glass series, then ACOTAR and finally Crescent City. This order ensures you catch every crossover moment between her three interconnected worlds.

‘Throne of Glass’

Throne of Glass was Maas’ first series. It follows assassin Celaena Sardothien during a deadly competition hosted by the King. If she wins, she could gain the freedom she’s been dreaming about for years. But if she loses? Let’s just say there are dark forces at work within the palace, and no one—not even Celaena—has the power to stop them.

There are seven books in the series—Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn and Kingdom of Ash—and one novella, The Assassin’s Blade. As of publication, it’s believed that Maas will not be returning to that world, which would make sense since Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius (formerly known as Celaena Sardothien) lost her powers at the end of book seven.

“I hate the idea of her [Aelin] having to give up something that she learned to love and embrace. But at the same time, I do think that there needs to be some level of sacrifice when it comes to making a decision that big,” Maas said on the Call Her Daddy, hosted by Alex Cooper earlier this month. “I also think it opens up again in my endless thinking about things, just in me as her creator and writing this. What does it look like for her after that? You go from like all this power and you give it up and, how does that feel? I find that there was, even with that as an ending, it felt like a different start of a journey. That just was fascinating for me.”

Also in book seven? A small section featuring Aelin falling through the ACOTAR and Crescent City worlds, making it the perfect entry point for the rest of the Maas universe.

‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’

The ACOTAR series currently has five books. It begins with A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury and A Court of Wings and Ruin, and the series follows Feyre Archeron after she’s taken to Prythian, a dangerous and magical world ruled by faeries. Book four, A Court of Frost and Starlight, shifts perspectives and shares how Feyre, her mate Rhysand, her friend Cassian and her sister Nesta navigate the Winter Solstice festivities.

Then in the fifth book, A Court of Silver Flames, Nesta and Cassian take center stage to battle dark forces threatening their world.

Maas is also working on the sixth and seventh books in the series, which are going to be released on October 27, 2026 and January 12, 2027.

“There’s gonna be a lot of ACOTAR in a very short time. And then eventually the conclusion will be written,” Maas said on Call Her Daddy. “I don’t want anyone to wait any longer. But it’s different. It’s ACOTAR, but I’m just telling it in a way that’s exciting to me and gives me the space that the story demanded and the characters demanded.”

‘Crescent City’

Crescent City is Maas’s most recent series, It follows Bryce Quinlan, a half-fae, half-human woman, and Hunt Athalar, a fallen angel, as they team up to solve the brutal murder of Bryce’s best friend, Danika Fendyr.

“I don’t want to give any spoilers away from the book. I mean, Bryce goes through, you know, depression, anxiety, PTSD. And those are things that I myself have struggled with, especially recently,” Maas said on NPR in 2020. “I was very hesitant to get help, mostly because I had just heard horror stories from other writers and creative types about how, you know, medication—the medication they were put on really messed with their creativity, and they couldn’t create once they were put on medication.”

“The path that she [Bryce] goes through from that place of darkness back to one of light was…that’s very, very close to me now,” the author continued. “I processed a lot of what I was going through, perhaps even unconsciously, through Bryce and her journey.”

Crescent City currently has three books—House of Earth and Blood, House of Sky and Breath, and House of Flame and Shadow—and the last two include a crossover with fan-favorite characters from ACOTAR. The series also features several callouts from the Throne of Glass world, so reading it last makes the most sense—otherwise you might not understand or catch them all. “For several years early on, I just idly loved the idea of little pieces from these worlds overlapping a little bit,” Maas told Today in 2024. “It wasn’t until about four or five years ago that I had this idea out of the blue: What if I took that to the next level? What if someone just went to another world? What would that be like? And once I had that idea, I saw the ending of House of Sky and Breath.”

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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 12:30 PM.