Reading Order

Throne of Glass

by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass Reading Order

✓ Completed Series

📚 8 books (7 essential) 📄 ~4,808 pages ⏱ ~160 hours reading time 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️ Dark

An assassin forced to compete for her freedom becomes the fulcrum of a war against an immortal darkness. Starts as a YA competition novel and grows into a full-scale epic fantasy with Fae, ancient magic, and a world-ending threat. The series earns its scope.

Reading Order

Publication order is the correct order. The Empire of Storms / Tower of Dawn overlap is the one structural complication — see the note below.

The Main Series(books 1–6 + optional prequel)

Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass #1

Core

🕯️

★ 4.25

2012

Start here. Celaena Sardothien, assassin, enters a deadly competition in a corrupt kingdom.

The Assassin's Blade

Throne of Glass #0

Optional

🕯️

★ 4.43

2014

Five prequel novellas in one volume. Best read after Throne of Glass — contains spoilers for book 1.

Crown of Midnight

Throne of Glass #2

Core

🕯️

★ 4.28

2013

The series finds its footing. Darker, faster, with a reveal that reframes everything.

Heir of Fire

Throne of Glass #3

Core

🕯️

★ 4.59

2014

The world expands massively. Magic, Fae, and the true threat are introduced. A turning point.

Queen of Shadows

Throne of Glass #4

Core

🕯️

★ 4.57

2015

Aelin returns to Rifthold. High stakes, new alliances, and a cast that finally converges.

Empire of Storms

Throne of Glass #5

Core

🕯️

★ 4.58

2016

The war begins in earnest. Read alongside Tower of Dawn or before it — both cover the same timeline.

⚡All main books are essential and must be read in order. The Assassin's Blade (prequel) is optional — read it after Throne of Glass or skip it. The series takes off at Crown of Midnight.

The Finale(Tower of Dawn + Kingdom of Ash — read back-to-back)

Tower of Dawn

Throne of Glass #6

Core

🕯️

★ 3.85

2017

Chaol's story, running parallel to Empire of Storms. Read EoS first or alternate chapters using a reading guide.

Kingdom of Ash

Throne of Glass #7

Core

🕯️

★ 4.74

2018

The finale. All characters and storylines converge for the last battle. Massive in scope.

⚠️Tower of Dawn runs parallel to Empire of Storms from Chaol's POV. Option A: read EoS then ToD in full. Option B: alternate chapters using an online reading guide. Do not skip ToD — its events are essential for Kingdom of Ash.

CoreEssential to the main story

OptionalAdds depth, not required

ExtraSide stories & novellas

IncompleteNot yet released or unfinished

⚡ Essential (7 books)

All main books — ToG through Kingdom of Ash. Tower of Dawn is mandatory despite being a "companion" novel.

📖 Optional (1 book)

The Assassin's Blade — prequel novellas. Adds emotional depth but nothing you'll lose without. Read after book 1.

⚠️ ⚠️ The Empire of Storms / Tower of Dawn problem

These two books cover the same timeline from different POVs. Option A (recommended): Read Empire of Storms in full, then Tower of Dawn. Slightly less immersive but easier to follow. Option B: Use the chapter-interleave guide (search "ToG EoS ToD reading guide"). More work, better payoff. Do not skip Tower of Dawn — its events directly affect the finale.

Before you start

→ The first book is the weakest. The series takes off at Crown of Midnight. Don't judge it on book 1 alone.
→ Heir of Fire is when the magic system, the Fae, and the true antagonist arrive. This is where it becomes epic fantasy.
→ The protagonist goes by Celaena in early books — her name and identity evolve over the series. This is intentional.
→ The series grows significantly darker from book 3 onward. Book 1 is YA-adjacent. Book 7 is not.

Darkness progression

Books 1–2 🕯️🕯️ Competition, intrigue, assassination — relatively contained

Books 3–5 🕯️🕯️🕯️ War builds, magic escalates, loss becomes real

Books 6–8 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️ Full-scale war, sacrifice, world-ending stakes

Scale: 🕯️ Lighthearted → 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️ Brutal

Finished the series?

Browse Epic Fantasy →