Reading Order
A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses Reading Order
A dark fairy tale retelling that becomes a full epic fantasy by book two. Feyre is pulled into a world of immortal fae, political power, and war — with romance woven through every layer. ACMAF is the breakout book that defines the series.
Reading Order
Read the trilogy first. The companion books are best read after — they assume you've finished ACWAR.
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Core★ 4.22
2015
A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Thorns and Roses #2
Core★ 4.65
2016
A Court of Wings and Ruin
A Court of Thorns and Roses #3
Core★ 4.32
2017
A Court of Frost and Starlight
A Court of Thorns and Roses #4
Extra★ 3.76
2018
A Court of Silver Flames
A Court of Thorns and Roses #5
Core★ 4.49
2021
⚡All five books — read in order. ACFAS is a short bridge novella (~230 pages); read it before A Court of Silver Flames. ACMAF is frequently cited as one of the best romance-fantasy novels of the decade.
⚡ Essential (4 books)
ACOTAR → ACMAF → ACWAR → ACSF. The first book is the slowest — ACMAF is where the series truly begins.
🔀 Bridge Novella (1 book)
A Court of Frost and Starlight — short (~230 pages), covers the aftermath of ACWAR. Read before A Court of Silver Flames.
What to expect from each book
- → ACOTAR: Beauty and the Beast retelling. Slower pacing, establishing tone. The romance is understated.
- → ACMAF: The series expands completely. New court, new POV, the world triples in scale. Most consider this the best in the series.
- → ACWAR: War arc. Wraps all main threads. More political than the previous two.
- → ACFAS: Short recovery story. Skip if you only want the main plot — read if you want emotional closure after ACWAR.
- → ACSF: Nesta's book. Darker and more intense than the trilogy. Works best if you appreciated her character arc.
Spoiler-free notes
- → The first ~100 pages of ACOTAR are the slowest in the series. Don't judge it until you've finished the book.
- → ACMAF is where most readers fall for the series — the tone, setting, and characters shift significantly.
- → The fae world has internal politics that reward paying attention — courts, powers, and allegiances matter.
- → The series has explicit content from ACMAF onward.
Darkness progression
Scale: 🕯️ Lighthearted → 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️ Brutal
Finished the series?
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