For a solid, spoiler-light answer to “what order to read Sarah J. Maas books,” many readers treat all of her series as one big interconnected Maasverse and follow a hybrid of author guidance, publication order, and fan-tested forum advice.

Below is a friendly-professional “Quick Scoop” you could use as your post.

what order to read sarah j maas books

Quick Scoop

If you want the fullest “Maasverse” experience with payoffs, crossovers, and minimal confusion, a popular modern approach is:

  1. Throne of Glass series
  2. A Court of Thorns and Roses series (ACOTAR)
  3. Crescent City series
  4. Standalone: Catwoman: Soulstealer

This lines up well with how her worlds and easter eggs build over time and matches what many long‑time fans on forums now recommend.

Big-picture reading strategy

Think of her work as three main fantasy pillars plus one DC tie‑in:

  • Throne of Glass (ToG) – completed YA/NA epic fantasy series.
  • ACOTAR – ongoing romantasy series with heavy crossover energy.
  • Crescent City (CC) – adult urban‑epic fantasy that directly connects to ACOTAR.
  • Catwoman: Soulstealer – DC YA tie‑in, optional and separate.

Most current guides and forum “masterposts” suggest finishing the completed ToG arc before diving deep into ACOTAR and CC, because ToG includes lore that later feels like a treasure hunt of references.

Throne of Glass: best orders

There are actually multiple accepted ToG orders. Fans argue about this constantly, but three main styles recur in recent guides and subreddit threads.

Option A – Publication / “emotional” order

Often recommended if you like to experience twists as the original audience did.

  1. Throne of Glass
  2. Crown of Midnight
  3. The Assassin’s Blade (prequel novella collection)
  4. Heir of Fire
  5. Queen of Shadows
  6. Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn in tandem (interwoven timelines)
  7. Kingdom of Ash

Many recent blog guides call this the best “emotional” route because prequel material slots perfectly between early books once you care about the characters.

Option B – Chronological order

Best if you want a strictly linear timeline from the main heroine’s early assassin years onwards.

  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 / Tower of Dawn (tandem)
  7. Kingdom of Ash

Guides describe this as “cleaner” for newcomers, though some fans feel the emotional punch of The Assassin’s Blade hits harder later.

Option C – “Romantic” order (fan-favorite twist)

This one appears a lot in fan discussions and tries to maximize heartbreak and attachment.

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

Readers who swear by this order say reading The Assassin’s Blade after you know the cast makes the prequel much more devastating.

ACOTAR: how to tackle it

Most up‑to‑date guides and BookTok‑adjacent articles suggest starting with at least the first three main trilogy books together, then deciding whether you want to keep going.

Core order:

  1. A Court of Thorns and Roses
  2. A Court of Mist and Fury
  3. A Court of Wings and Ruin
  4. A Court of Frost and Starlight (holiday/bridge novella)
  5. A Court of Silver Flames (spin‑off, but important going forward)

Several reading-order blogs recommend reading books 1–3 as a block , then either continuing straight on or pausing before diving into the later spin‑offs. Fan forum posts often emphasize not skipping Silver Flames because of its impact on future ACOTAR/CC crossover implications.

Crescent City: where it fits

The current consensus from many 2024–2025 guides is: save Crescent City until after ACOTAR , because CC leans hard on multiverse crossover moments and surprise cameos.

Straightforward CC order:

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

Recent longform guides note that while you can read Crescent City right after ACOTAR and before finishing ToG, you will miss or delay some of the joy of picking up subtle ToG ties if that series isn’t fresh in your mind.

Popular full-“Maasverse” path

Pulling together the more detailed online guides plus recurring subreddit advice threads, a commonly recommended full reading path today looks like this:

  1. Throne of Glass series
    • Choose either Publication/Emotional or Romantic order.
    • Read Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn in tandem, then finish with Kingdom of Ash.
  1. ACOTAR series
    • ACOTAR → ACOMAF → ACOWAR → ACOFAS → ACOSF.
  1. Crescent City series
    • House of Earth and Blood → House of Sky and Breath → House of Flame and Shadow.
  1. Catwoman: Soulstealer (optional, last)
    • Often placed at the end since it is not woven into the main Maasverse timeline.

Many fans on discussion boards also share the reverse macro-order (ACOTAR → CC → ToG) and insist it still works great, but those same threads often add that keeping CC for last makes the cross‑series payoffs feel most satisfying.

Simple starting recommendation

If your main question is literally “what order to read Sarah J. Maas books” and you want a straightforward, beginner‑friendly answer without deep fandom debates, this minimal path aligns with the most recent online guides:

  • Start with Throne of Glass in publication/emotional order.
  • Move to ACOTAR in straightforward series order.
  • Finish with Crescent City in release order.
  • Save Catwoman: Soulstealer for whenever you want a separate, lighter DC‑world detour.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.