ACOTAR or Throne of Glass first?
Start here
A Court of Thorns and Roses
2015
ACOTAR or Throne of Glass first? Either. They do not spoil each other. Finish both before Crescent City book two if crossovers matter.
Short answer · Start here
Either. They are different doors.
TOG and ACOTAR do not spoil each other. Pick the tone you want. Crescent City’s later books assume you already know both endgames.
Two finished-enough Maas doors
Throne of Glass is a complete assassin-to-epic run. Start with the novel Throne of Glass, not The Assassin’s Blade.
ACOTAR is the courtly romantasy door. Start with A Court of Thorns and Roses, not Silver Flames — short version: Where to start ACOTAR. Further ACOTAR novels are announced; that is not a reason to wait, and it is not a reason to treat TOG as ACOTAR book zero.
There is no required “Maas chronological order” that turns book one into a syllabus.
Crescent City is the spoiler engine
Crescent City book one can stand as its own case. From House of Sky and Breath onward, named crossovers arrive. If you care about that, finish TOG and get through the published ACOTAR run before Crescent City book two. See the Crescent City guide.
If you do not care about crossovers, you can read Crescent City as urban fantasy and treat the cameos as noise. That is a taste, not a rule.
How to choose if you only want one
Pick TOG if you want a finished long fantasy with a contested prequel. Pick ACOTAR if you want faerie courts and a novella that looks like a novel. You can read the other later. You cannot make Crescent City book two into a gentle on-ramp for either.
FAQ
Do I need TOG before ACOTAR?
No.
Do I need ACOTAR before TOG?
No.
Where to start ACOTAR if I picked that door?
A Court of Thorns and Roses. Not Silver Flames. See Where to start ACOTAR.
Should I start with Crescent City?
Not if the other two series are on your list and spoilers bother you. Start with House of Earth and Blood only if this is the series you actually want.
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