Throne of Glass Books in Order: The Best Reading Order for Sarah J. Maas’s Series

Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series contains eight books, but choosing the right reading order is not as simple as starting with Book 1 and continuing numerically. The main question is where to place The Assassin’s Blade, a collection of prequel novellas set before Throne of Glass but published after the first two novels.

There is also the matter of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. The two books unfold during roughly the same period, prompting some fans to read them in tandem.

For most first-time readers, the best Throne of Glass reading order is the one preferred by Sarah J. Maas: begin with Throne of Glass, read Crown of Midnight next, and then go back to The Assassin’s Blade before continuing with Heir of Fire. This approach preserves the opening mysteries while giving the prequel’s characters and events greater emotional weight.

Below is the complete order, along with the chronological alternative, the publication order and a spoiler-free explanation of what each book contributes to the series.

Throne of Glass books in order at a glance

Here is Sarah J. Maas’s preferred reading order for the complete series:

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

Maas lists this exact sequence in the FAQ on her official author website. Bloomsbury’s official Sarah J. Maas reading-order guide recommends the same arrangement and explains that The Assassin’s Blade should be read before Heir of Fire.

The series is complete, so readers can experience Celaena Sardothien’s entire story without waiting for another installment. Bloomsbury describes Throne of Glass as an eight-book series, a count that includes the collected prequel novellas.

1. Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass introduces Celaena Sardothien, a feared assassin who has survived imprisonment in the salt mines of Endovier. She is offered a path to freedom when Crown Prince Dorian brings her to the royal castle to compete against other criminals and warriors for the position of the king’s champion.

The contest gives the first novel an immediately accessible premise, but the story quickly expands beyond a simple tournament. Competitors begin dying under mysterious circumstances, forcing Celaena to investigate an evil hidden inside the castle while navigating her relationships with Dorian, Captain of the Guard Chaol Westfall and Princess Nehemia.

This is the correct starting point for most readers. It establishes the kingdom of Adarlan, introduces the central cast and allows the larger secrets surrounding Celaena to emerge at the pace Maas intended.

2. Crown of Midnight

After winning the competition, Celaena serves as the king’s champion. However, carrying out the commands of a brutal ruler conflicts with her own loyalties, and the secrets she keeps become increasingly dangerous.

Crown of Midnight deepens the political conflict and changes the direction of the series. The book contains revelations that reshape Celaena’s journey and prepare readers for the much larger fantasy story ahead.

Reading this before The Assassin’s Blade makes the prequel feel less like background information and more like an emotionally revealing look at the person Celaena was before Endovier.

3. The Assassin’s Blade

The Assassin’s Blade collects five prequel novellas:

• The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
• The Assassin and the Healer
• The Assassin and the Desert
• The Assassin and the Underworld
• The Assassin and the Empire

These stories follow Celaena during her years with the Assassin’s Guild and explore her relationship with fellow assassin Sam Cortland and guild master Arobynn Hamel. Her missions take her from pirate territory to the Red Desert, revealing the choices and losses that shaped her before the opening of Throne of Glass.

Although the novellas occur first chronologically, this is the best place to read them. Several people, locations and past decisions become important in later installments, particularly from Queen of Shadows onward. Reading the collection here supplies that context without delaying the main series before readers have become invested in Celaena.

4. Heir of Fire

Heir of Fire significantly expands the world of Throne of Glass. Celaena travels to Wendlyn, where she must confront painful truths about herself and learn to master abilities she has long resisted.

The novel also introduces major characters, including Rowan Whitethorn and Manon Blackbeak, whose stories become essential to the remainder of the series. What began as a castle competition now develops into an epic conflict involving magic, kingdoms and forces capable of threatening far more than Adarlan.

This is one reason The Assassin’s Blade should not be postponed too long. Once Heir of Fire begins, the main plot accelerates and rarely offers another natural place to step backward.

5. Queen of Shadows

Celaena returns to Rifthold with unfinished business. She must confront enemies from her past, protect the people she loves and challenge the powers controlling the kingdom.

Queen of Shadows brings together storylines established across the previous books. The political stakes become higher, alliances shift and several characters introduced in The Assassin’s Blade acquire greater importance. Readers who skipped the prequel collection may understand the plot, but many reunions and confrontations will not carry the same emotional impact.

6. Empire of Storms

The fight for Erilea grows into a war in Empire of Storms. Old allies and newly formed armies must unite against an enemy whose plans reach across kingdoms.

This installment follows the central storyline and ends with major developments that lead directly toward the series finale. It also occurs during approximately the same period as Tower of Dawn, which is why some readers combine the two through a tandem reading order.

For a first read, however, the simplest choice is to finish Empire of Storms and then read Tower of Dawn. Bloomsbury specifically recommends this order because starting with Tower of Dawn can reveal parts of Empire of Storms.

7. Tower of Dawn

Tower of Dawn shifts the focus to Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq as they travel to the Southern Continent. Chaol seeks healing in Antica while the pair tries to secure military support from the powerful khaganate.

The change in setting and central characters can initially feel like a detour, especially after the ending of Empire of Storms. It is not an optional side story, however. The novel introduces important characters, develops Chaol’s arc and reveals information needed to understand Kingdom of Ash.

Readers should not skip Tower of Dawn. It is the seventh book in the preferred order and an essential part of the overall narrative.

8. Kingdom of Ash

Kingdom of Ash is the final book in the Throne of Glass series. The characters and conflicts introduced throughout the previous seven volumes converge as the struggle for Erilea reaches its conclusion.

Because the finale depends heavily on earlier relationships, promises and revelations, readers should complete both Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn before beginning it. This is not a finale designed to stand on its own; it is the payoff to the entire saga.

When should you read The Assassin’s Blade?

The short answer is: read The Assassin’s Blade third, after Crown of Midnight and before Heir of Fire.

That is both Sarah J. Maas’s preferred order and Bloomsbury’s recommendation. It offers the strongest balance between mystery and emotional context:

• Throne of Glass introduces Celaena as the world now knows her.
• Crown of Midnight reveals enough to make her history more meaningful.
• The Assassin’s Blade then shows the experiences that led her to Endovier.
• Heir of Fire begins the next, much larger phase of her journey.

There are two other common placements. Readers who always prefer chronological storytelling can begin with The Assassin’s Blade. Others place it after Heir of Fire, sometimes calling this the “romantic” or maximum-emotional-impact order. That fan-created option can work, but it delays useful context and interrupts the momentum between Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows.

For a first-time reader who simply wants the clearest answer, third is the best position.

Throne of Glass chronological order

Readers who want every story arranged by its in-world timeline can use 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

This sequence is easy to follow and does not spoil the series in a way that makes it unusable. Bloomsbury explicitly says it is acceptable to read the prequel first. Its main drawback is that new readers meet Celaena through five shorter adventures rather than through the stronger central hook of Throne of Glass.

Chronological order is especially suitable for a reread, when the mysteries have already been revealed and the goal is to trace Celaena’s development from the earliest point.

Throne of Glass publication order

The collected books were published in this order:

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

In other words, the publication order of the collected volumes is also Maas’s preferred order. Some of the individual prequel novellas appeared digitally before the first novel, but they were later gathered into The Assassin’s Blade. Readers buying the currently available books can follow the eight-volume list above.

Should you tandem read Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn?

A tandem read alternates selected chapters of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn so that their overlapping timelines unfold together. It can turn the two novels into one very large, multi-perspective story and reduce the frustration some readers feel about stepping away from the cliffhanger at the end of Empire of Storms.

It also has disadvantages. Moving between two books requires careful tracking, disrupts the pacing designed for each novel and makes a first trip through the series more complicated than necessary.

My recommendation is to read the books separately the first time:

1. Finish Empire of Storms.
2. Read Tower of Dawn.
3. Continue immediately to Kingdom of Ash.

Save the tandem approach for a reread or use it only if you already know that parallel narratives appeal to you. Bloomsbury acknowledges the tandem option but still favors publication order to avoid spoilers.

Is Tower of Dawn optional?

No. Tower of Dawn is essential to the Throne of Glass story.

The novel may center on Chaol and take place away from several familiar characters, but it contains major developments that affect the final book. Skipping it means missing new allies, character growth, world-building and crucial information about the enemy.

Think of it as the other half of the story begun in Empire of Storms, not as a spinoff that can be ignored.

How many Throne of Glass books are there?

There are eight collected books in the complete Throne of Glass series: seven main novels and The Assassin’s Blade, which contains five prequel novellas.

Readers may occasionally see the series described as seven books because some lists separate or exclude the prequel collection. For a complete reading experience, the correct total is eight volumes.

Is Throne of Glass connected to ACOTAR or Crescent City?

Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City are separate Sarah J. Maas series. You do not need to read ACOTAR or Crescent City to understand Celaena’s story, and you can begin with any of the three series.

The official Sarah J. Maas reading guide describes Throne of Glass as the choice for readers drawn to classic fantasy, an assassin protagonist and a world where magic has been banished. For readers who prioritize world-building, adventure and a completed epic over romance-heavy fantasy, it is arguably the best introduction to Maas’s work.

The best Throne of Glass reading order for first-time readers

First-time readers should follow the author’s preferred order: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, The Assassin’s Blade, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn and Kingdom of Ash.

This order lets the opening novels establish Celaena’s mysteries, places the prequel before its characters and events become crucial, and keeps the final five books moving in a clear sequence. Chronological order remains a reasonable alternative, while the Empire of Storms–Tower of Dawn tandem read is best treated as an optional experiment rather than a requirement.

With all eight books already available, Throne of Glass offers something increasingly valuable in modern fantasy: a sweeping series with a finished ending and no release-date wait between installments.

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