The best reading order to catch up on all 16 of Sarah J. Maas' books before the next 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' novel

• Sarah J. Maas is releasing two "A Court of Thorns and Roses" novels in the coming months.
• The books will tie into her other series, "Throne of Glass" and "Crescent City."
• Here's the best order to read Maas' books if you want to prep for the next "ACOTAR" novels.

Sarah J. Maas is back, baby.

On March 5, Maas announced she was releasing not one but two new "A Court of Thorns and Roses" novels. The bestselling author announced the books on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, telling host Alex Cooper that they would form a single story arc.

Maas' romantasy novels, which include 16 books across her "ACOTAR," "Throne of Glass," and "Crescent City" series, are typically split into parts. Rather than releasing the parts of her sixth "ACOTAR" story as a single book, she told Cooper she would publish them as separate volumes. Book six will be released on October 27, 2026, and cover part one; book seven will contain parts two and three and hit bookshelves on January 12, 2027; and book eight will tell the story of part four and be released at a later date.

"It's meant to be read ideally as one massive, massive story as opposed to in a trilogy," Maas said of the books. "It's not a trilogy. Like, arcs aren't wrapped up."

The world of "ACOTAR" has grown drastically since Maas' first installment was published in 2015, particularly in her latest works. When she released the third "Crescent City" book, "House of Flame and Shadow," in January 2024, Maas created an interconnected literary universe between all three of her series, much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (fans fondly refer to it as the Maasiverse).

Maas has yet to release any information about the plot of her coming books, but it seemed clear that the events of "House of Flame and Shadow" had a lasting impact on Prythian and the characters in "ACOTAR." Therefore, readers will need to be familiar with all of Maas' works to understand everything that happens in "ACOTAR" six and seven.

However, because her massive catalog overlaps at different points, it can be confusing to know where to start. Whether you're just getting started reading Maas' books or want to revisit her novels before her next works are released, here's the best reading order to follow.

Start with the first three 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' books

If you want to make sure you're ready for the sixth and seventh "A Court of Thorns and Roses" books, it makes sense to read the earliest installments in the series first as you dive into Maas' work.

"ACOTAR" follows Feyre Archeron, a human huntress who gets pulled into the faerie world after killing a fae. As the novels progress, Feyre dives deeper into the magical world of Prythian, discovering unexpected power and love as Maas flexes her world-building skills.

"A Court of Thorns and Roses" offers the best introduction to Maas' work for those who haven't read any of her writing before, even though she published "Throne of Glass" first. The otherworldly elements of the series are built slowly, the books offer a comprehensive view of Maas' writing style, and the romance is steamy and compelling.

Read the first three books in the series first, in the order they were released:

• "A Court of Thorns and Roses"
• "A Court of Mist and Fury"
• "A Court of Wings and Ruin"

Then, take a break from "ACOTAR." Books one through three wrap up Feyre's story, while four and five are arguably more closely tied plotwise to "Crescent City" and the coming "ACOTAR" books. More on that in a bit.

The 'Throne of Glass' series was released first, but it works best as the second Maas series

When readers enter the expansive and epic world of "Throne of Glass," they meet Celaena Sardothien, an 18-year-old assassin imprisoned in Adarlan, a kingdom where magic disappeared years ago.

The crown prince of Adarlan offers Celaena a chance at freedom, proposing she compete as his contestant to become the king's champion by defeating 23 other criminals. When other competitors start dying mysteriously around her, she will have to confront the pain of her past to face the battles ahead.

The world of "Throne of Glass" becomes enormous as the books progress, and the rich, developed fantasy world is so complex that it's easier to read once you're already familiar with Maas' style.

However, reading the "Throne of Glass" books in the order they were published doesn't offer the best narrative experience for the series.

Mass originally wrote one of the novels in the series, "The Assassin's Blade," as four novellas that she published as e-books between January and July 2012. Bloomsbury released "Throne of Glass" in August 2012 and later released the novellas, including one additional story, as "The Assassin's Blade" in March 2013.

Chronologically, the events of "The Assassin's Blade" take place before the rest of the series, but reading it first reveals details Maas intentionally leaves out of "Throne of Glass," "Crown of Midnight," and "Heir of Fire" that quickly become relevant in "Queen of Shadows." The mystery surrounding Celaena's past is part of what makes the first three books in the novel so captivating, so you shouldn't read "The Assassin's Blade" first.

In addition, the events of "Empire of Storms" and "Tower of Dawn" take place at the same time in different parts of the "Throne of Glass" world, so there's debate among the fandom on how they should be read. They were released in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and although "Empire of Storms" was released first, it leaves off on a cliffhanger, while "Tower of Dawn" does not.

To maintain the series' suspense without revealing spoilers, the best "Throne of Glass" reading order is:

• "Throne of Glass"
• "Crown of Midnight"
• "Heir of Fire"
• "The Assassin's Blade"
• "Queen of Shadows"
• "Empire of Storms"
• "Tower of Dawn"
• "Kingdom of Ash"

Maas recommends "The Assassin's Blade" as the third book in the series on her website, but you will experience more drama from "Heir of Fire" if you leave it for before "Queen of Shadows." Either way works, though.

Maas readers will be ready for 'Crescent City' after finishing books four and five of 'ACOTAR'

Half-fae Bryce Quinlan is at a crossroads when the "Crescent City" series begins, grieving the murders of her best friends by a demon.

She believes the killer was apprehended, but when similar murders start taking place in Crescent City, Bryce agrees to investigate the deaths with Hunt Athalar, a Fallen Angel who has been enslaved for hundreds of years by the all-powerful Archangels after an attempted coup.

The series has three installments to date, and the most recent book, "House of Flame and Shadow," was published in January 2024.

"Crescent City" doesn't work as an introduction to Maas' novels for a few reasons.

First, the fantasy is more complex than in her other two series. It combines technology and magic, and it includes a wider variety of fantastical creatures from the get-go, like werewolves and mermaids. Elements from the other series are also key to understanding the climax of the second installment in the "Crescent City" series, and Maas herself recommends reading "ACOTAR" before starting "Crescent City."

The events of the fifth "ACOTAR" book, "A Court of Silver Flames," are particularly pertinent to "Crescent City." In addition, the novel focuses on Feyre's sister, Nesta Archeron, so it also feels like a different story arc than the first three "ACOTAR" books, a jump that the novella "A Court of Frost and Starlight" helps to bridge.

So after you finish the "Throne of Glass" series, return to "ACOTAR":

• "A Court of Frost and Starlight"
• "A Court of Silver Flames"

It's ideal to go into "Crescent City" with the events of "ACOSF" fresh on your mind. Then, you can read the "Crescent City" series as it was released:

• "House of Earth and Blood"
• "House of Sky and Breath"
• "House of Flame and Shadow"

Once books six and seven in the "ACOTAR" series are published, they should be read after "HOFAS," since it's the latest installment in the Maasiverse and offers clues at what may be going on in "Prythian" when book six begins.

Happy reading!