Sarah J. Maas Books in Order: Throne Of Glass

The Throne of Glass is complete at last! That means that if you’ve been waiting to binge-read the whole series, the time has finally come.

The Kingdom of Ash has long been awaited, and now you can enjoy the entire series in all its glory.  

Since the final book of a series usually attracts legions of new readers, more and more people are going to be wondering the same thing; what order should you read the books in? 

A lot of people will have waited for the whole series to be released before starting reading. If that is you, then you know that it’s been a long wait.

Okay, well the wait is nothing compared to other series like A Song of Ice and Fire, or Game of Thrones for the television lovers (which is still being released), but six years is nothing to turn your nose up at!

If you have been waiting all these years to enjoy Sarah J. Maas’ epic adventure (which has sold over 12 million books), this article is for you.

This will be an unforgettable high fantasy series (If you like fantasy-themed books, check out The Legend of Drizzt Books and how to read them) that will be worthy of being read over and over again. 

Let’s find out a little more about the series, then jump into the best way to read these books.

The Ultimate Reading Guide: Two Ways To Read Throne Of Glass In Order

You might initially think that there is only one order you should ever read a series, but this is not always true!

While this rule probably works for the majority of series out there, there are a number that it doesn’t always apply to. One of those is the Throne of Glass series. 

This series can be read in two distinct ways, depending on what you want to get out of your reading experience.

You can choose to read the series like the author intended (purist), or you can read it in a completely different order to have a more emotional experience (romantic). 

The choice is yours, but either way, you will have an amazing experience and enjoy every single book.  

Overview On The Throne Of Glass Series

If you haven’t heard a lot about Throne of Glass, you might be wondering what the big deal is! Well, this is a young adult (YA) high fantasy (If you like High Fantasy-themed books, check out The Chronicles Of Narnia Books and how to read them) novel series written by Sarah J. Maas, an author from the United States. 

The first book was released back in August 2012, and the final was released in October 2018. There is a lot to love about this series.

The story follows a teenage assassin by the name of Celaena Sardothien, who lives in a corrupt kingdom under the rule of a tyrannical leader, the King of Adarlan.

How Many Books Are In The Series?

There are eight main books in the Throne of Glass series. However, there are nine books in total, with the ninth one being a compilation of prequel novellas. This book is Assassin’s Blade.

Depending on a purist or romantic reading style, this book should either be read first or fourth in the series order. 

In this prequel novella compilation, the book tells of short stories about the protagonist Celaena Sardothien. These stories run up to the Salt Mines of Endovier, and then the other stories begin. 

All books in the series are as follows: The Assassin’s Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, and Kingdom of Ash.

The Assassin’s Blade, When To Read It

Okay, the first thing you are going to want to know about is The Assassin’s Blade. This book was actually published before 2012 (when the series officially began) and is a series of novellas.

Instead of being able individually, they have been compacted into The Assassin’s Blade and were re-released as such in 2013, along with a fifth novella. 

This book is actually a prequel to the Throne of Glass series. As such, purist readers will want to read this series of novellas first.

However, many people disagree! You can wait to read this book if you want to go down the romantic reading route. 

Many people prefer to read The Assassin’s Blade after Heir of Fire and before Queen of Shadows. This is because the conflict that takes place in The Assassin’s Blade revolves around Celaena and Sam.

The relationship between these two characters will mean a lot more to the reader if you understand more about the characters from these later books. 

In other words, if you want to be more emotionally engaged and invested in the characters and do not mind a surprise or two being ruined, this is the way to read it.

Read Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heit or Fire before you pick up The Assassin’s Blade, you will love it. 

Just remember that there is no one set rule for this list! You can pick one or the other, or read the series one way first, and try the second. That way, you can decide which option you like the most. 

If you plan on reading the story in both formats, we would recommend sticking to the purist list first. This will ensure that you experience all the same surprises you’re meant to.

Once you finish the series in the published order, you can get emotionally invested in your second read-through. 

It’s not like you’re going to read this book once and never pick it up again, anyway! 

Tower Of Dawn, When To Read It

A lot of people are hesitant to read Tower of Dawn for some reason! However, this book is full of information that you would really miss out on if you skipped it.

Tower of Dawn looks different from the other books in the series, and there are often a lot of mixed feelings about it. 

However, if you are wondering if you should read it, the answer is absolutely yes. 

Once you read the previous books, you are probably going to either love or hate Chaol, a lot of people dislike him for no reason.

Unfortunately, whether you like him or not, this book is a must-read and just makes sense in the grand scheme of things. 

So, now that you know that you have to read it, you might be wondering when you should read it. Well, this will depend on whether you would like to stick to the purist or romantic style of reading.

This book can be read both before or after Empire of Storms because the books are going on at the same time but in different parts of the world.

They have different characters and storylines, so the order does not matter too much regarding that!

If you would like to stick with the publication order, however, you should read Empire of Storms first, and then Tower of Dawn. 

That doesn’t mean that you have to do it that way, though. There has been some discussion recently that may lead us to believe that it is actually better to first read Tower of Dawn, than Empire of Storms. 

Why? 

Well, Empire of Storms ends with a cliffhanger. Because of this, a lot of people might be tempted to just skip Tower of Dawn and continue on with the plot.

This would result in you missing out on a lot of good stuff and would be a real shame. 

To get around that problem, it makes sense to read Tower of Dawn first, then move on to Empire of Storms so that you can move on to Kingdom of Ashes immediately.

It’s the perfect way of getting around that cliffhanger while not having to grit your teeth working through another book entirely. 

Overall, the process is a lot smoother, and it is something that impatient and excited readers would prefer. 

If you are impatient or know that the anticipation will kill you, then read Tower of Dawn followed by Empire of Storms. It could save you a whole lot of heartache!

You should just be aware that there will be some spoilers by reading them in this order. If that is a big no-no for you, then there is another option. 

Read Tower of Dawn and Empire of Storms at the same time. We realize that doing that can be a lot, but it is the perfect way to get around the whole issue! 

But how do you do that correctly? Well, there is a handy checklist that you can use that outlines which chapters to read in each book.

You can find that right here, it could be a real lifesaver if you don’t want spoilers or cliffhangers. 

Overview Of Throne Of Glass Reading Order

There are two ways that you can read this book series. These two ways are the purist and the romantic ways.

While the purist method will take you on a journey as the author intended, the romantic will give you a deeper connection with the characters. 

Technically, the purist way is considered to be the correct way, but who cares? If you want to forge unbreakable bonds with the characters depicted in this series, the romantic way might be a lot more fulfilling to you. 

For The Purist Reader

As a purist reader, you will want to read this series in the same order that the books were published. This is the order that the books are intended to be read in and is likely the most common way for them to be read.

In this order, connections with the characters won’t be as deep as they will with the romantic order, but you will get to see how the author planned it out in her own head. 

To read Throne of Glass in a purist format, read the books in this order:

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
7. Tower of Dawn
8. Kingdom of Ash

With this order, you will experience all the surprises the author hopes you would, and you can see her line of thought throughout the process. This way of reading makes for a very exciting series and one that you are bound to enjoy. 

For The Romantic Reader

As a romantic reader, you will want to get the most impactful emotional connections with all the characters involved in the story.

Although this way of reading is more out of order, you will probably make much stronger connections with every character this way. As such, it is more emotional, and might just make you fall in love with the series more. 

So, if you want to have a deeply personal connection to the characters, read Throne of Glass in this order: 

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

The romantic way of reading might not be as surprising or shocking as the first, but it gets you into a totally different headspace. You can bond with the characters and focus on their emotional journeys instead of the plot itself. 

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a consolidated version of this reading order, you can check out this printable checklist, it’s bound to come in handy.

It even includes the Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn reading instructions to really help you get the most out of this amazing series. 

In the end, you should go with the reading order that you think will make you happiest. Think of what you would like to prioritize and work from there!

You can always read the book more than once if you would like to try both ways of reading, too.  

The main thing to consider with this series is when to read The Assassin’s Blade, which is a prequel, and Tower of Dawn, which runs alongside Empire of Storms. 

There are always lots of great discussions going on if you were to take a look at various social media platforms.

Some people swear by reading it in a purist way, while others will put forth their arguments for the romantic way.

There might even be other orders to read these books that we do not know about yet! While that is unlikely, it is always good to keep your mind open and see what other people have to say on the topic.

So, pick your order, and enjoy your books. It will be a great experience either way.