Spoiler-Free Blog
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (lovingly shortened to SJM) has been a juggernaut of a series thanks to bookish social media, and I’d be shocked if you’ve never heard of it. All of Sarah J. Maas’s books have sold millions of copies.
If you’re looking to get into SJM – here’s a comprehensive guide on what to expect, complete with thoughts, reading order recommendations, and more.
What to expect
Before we dive into the nitty gritty, I want to establish what you can expect from Sarah J. Maas’s books.
SJM writes fantasy romance, and sometimes with spice. The amount of this content really varies (more on that later). These books all boast a female main character, but many of the books include additional POV characters both male and female.
If spice isn’t your thing, there is definitely still enough plot outside the spice. I recommend checking out @thereallifebookreviewer on Instagram; she does closed-door modifications so you know which chapters to skip, if you prefer.
SJM’s biggest strengths
She stands out as both a character writer and a worldbuilder.
- The details of her worlds are so finely crafted, it’s sometimes a wonder how she’s come up with it all
- Her characters often feel very unique, with fully developed side characters who can stand on their own, as well
- The characters feel flawed and relatable; some are heroic and good, yet don’t always make the right call. Some are downright unlikable but trying to be better. None are above making mistakes, even while saving the world
SJM’s biggest weaknesses (in my opinion)
Her prose can come across as very “commercial” and beginnings are not her strong suit.
- She has words and phrases she likes to reuse a lot, which can feel repetitive
- The first book in her A Court of Thorns and Roses series, as well as the first several books in Throne of Glass did not hook me as much as the later books in both series; the beginning of book 1 in Crescent City was difficult to get into but the end was excellent
That’s not to say it’s not worth it – it is! I really enjoyed my time reading SJM’s books, even though I’ve only given two of them 5 stars. These stories are really engaging, even if you kind of have to work to earn it at the beginning of each series.
Also, the final 100-200 pages of almost every SJM book are wild. She’s notorious for that.
Reading order suggestions
Start with A Court of Thorns and Roses.
This is a great entry point; it’s not too demanding, the romance elements are strong, and you’ll want to know these characters first.
(It gets spicier as it goes, with book 1 being fairly mild to book 4 being very erotic.)
- Book 1: A Court of Thorns and Roses
- Book 2: A Court of Mist and Fury
- Book 3: A Court of Wings and Ruin
- Book 3.5 (optional novella): A Court of Frost and Starlight – I skipped this one
- Book 4: A Court of Silver Flames
- Book 5: coming soon (most likely 2025)
Next up is the Throne of Glass series.
It’s a young adult fantasy, so while it does have a few romantic subplots, it’s not the main plot. You could start with this series before A Court of Thorns and Roses if you wanted, but I only recommend that if you’re more of an epic/high fantasy lover.
(Since it’s young adult, the spice is limited. We don’t start to see any spice until book 5, and I felt it was fairly tame.)
Click here for my full series review.
- Book .5: The Assassin’s Blade
- I recommend reading it first if you don’t like spoilers, or if you prefer chronological order, or if you enjoy world- & character-building as your intro point
- I recommend reading it third if you prefer to start with a more plot-heavy intro point, which would be Throne of Glass
- Book 1: Throne of Glass
- Book 2: Crown of Midnight
- Book 3: Heir of Fire
- Book 4: Queen of Shadows
- Book 5: Empire of Storms
- You can tandem read books 5 and 6, there are guides online if you’re interested, but I don’t recommend this for your first read
- Book 6: Tower of Dawn
- Book 7: Kingdom of Ash
Regardless of where you start, Crescent City comes last.
It’s an urban fantasy, which means it feels like a modern setting with modern tech. But with traditional fantasy creatures and magic. I will say that I absolutely loved book 1, but books 2 and 3 were just okay. I definitely didn’t love this series overall as much as I loved the other two. But it’s still required reading for the Maasverse.
(Book 1 has basically no spice, book 2 amps up the spice, and book 3 only has a couple scenes near the end.)
- Book 1: House of Earth and Blood
- Book 2: House of Sky and Breath
- Book 3: House of Flame and Shadow
Should you read Sarah J. Maas?
I recommend these books to fantasy romance lovers, naturally, but A Court of Thorns and Roses specifically can also make a good place to start in fantasy if you’re not much into this genre yet.
I say that because the main character of that book is a human who finds herself thrust into a magical world – therefore, the magic system has to be explained to her, and so it gets explained to you, the reader, as well. It makes it easy to keep up with the fantasy elements if you’re not used to that yet. Several of my friends who initially brushed off this series as “just fairy stuff” quickly became obsessed after I bullied them into reading it – and I’m proud to report that many are now fantasy readers who were not before.
Similarly, Throne of Glass is a good place to start in high fantasy because the world is built more and more with each book. It eases you in.
The characters are sometimes morally gray, but only to the extent that they may have to do questionable things in service of a greater good. Others must overcome trauma and guilt after making bad choices. If you don’t enjoy that sort of thing, or have a hard time forgiving characters who try to be better, you may struggle with some parts.
I also think it’s important to go into these stories knowing they’re written to be engaging and immersive with plot and characters, not so much the writing. So don’t expect a lot of outstanding prose. SJM’s books are a really fun time, and that’s great! They’re the kind of romantasy I can read after a long day’s work after my brain is already fried and still get sucked in.
Also, SJM has managed to make me cry several times. So, there’s that.
Happy reading!
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