Throne of Glass reading order (Throne of Glass, 2012)

Short version of the prequel question: Should I read Assassin’s Blade first?. Maas door choice: ACOTAR or Throne of Glass first?. This page is the TOG table.

Throne of Glass is a finished eight-book argument if you count the novella collection. The contested pieces are where the prequels go and whether to tandem-read Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn.

ACOTAR and Crescent City are other Maas doors. Crescent City’s later books assume you already know this endgame. Finish TOG before House of Sky and Breath if you care about spoilers. See ACOTAR and Crescent City.

Publication path (house first read)

Contested order, labeled:

• Assassin’s Blade first. Some readers want Celaena’s earlier jobs before book one. Bloomsbury says that is allowed and that publication placement after Crown of Midnight is the path they picture. This house follows Bloomsbury for a first read: meet the novel, then the prequels, then Heir of Fire.
• Tandem read. Tower of Dawn runs beside Empire of Storms. Reading ToD first spoils parts of EoS. Publication order (EoS then ToD) is clean. Chapter-by-chapter tandem charts exist for a reread. Do not postpone the series until you print a tandem spreadsheet.

What is not Throne of Glass

A Court of Thorns and Roses is not TOG book 9. House of Earth and Blood is not TOG book 10. Cross-world cameos arrive later, in Crescent City. That is a reason to finish this series before those later CC novels, not a reason to shuffle TOG.

Common mistakes

• Starting with The Assassin’s Blade because it is “chronological.”
• Reading Tower of Dawn before Empire of Storms.
• Starting Crescent City book two before Kingdom of Ash.
• Quitting after book one because the later books are a different temperature — that change is designed, not a bait-and-switch you fix by starting on book five.

What to read next

1. ACOTAR (Sarah J. Maas) — If you want the other finished-for-now Maas fantasy door. It does not spoil TOG.
2. Crescent City (Sarah J. Maas) — After TOG (and ideally ACOTAR) if you want the crossover books to land.
3. Empyrean (Rebecca Yarros) — If you want another unfinished romantasy school with a correct first book.
4. Grishaverse (Leigh Bardugo) — If you want another YA-to-adult shelf with a duology that looks like a starting point.
5. The First Law (Joe Abercrombie) — If you want a finished grim trilogy after a long assassin run.

FAQ

Assassin’s Blade first or third?
Bloomsbury’s pictured path is third. First is a valid reread or a stubborn chronological taste. Not required. Start at Throne of Glass (2012).

Do I have to tandem-read?
No. Publication order is enough.

Is the series complete?
Yes.

Can I start with ACOTAR instead?
Yes. That is a different door. It is not a TOG prequel.

Sources

• Bloomsbury, Sarah J. Maas reading order — publisher placement for The Assassin’s Blade and the tandem note. Opened 2026-09-13.
• Sarah J. Maas — author site. Opened 2026-09-13.