You’re standing in a bookstore or staring at your Kindle, and you’ve got a problem. You want to start Sarah J. Maas’s epic saga, but the Throne of Glass order is a total mess of debates, reddit threads, and conflicting TikTok opinions. Some people swear by the publication date. Others insist you have to start with the prequels or you won't feel the "emotional damage" properly.
Honestly? It's confusing.
I've been through this world multiple times. I've felt the heartbreak of Empire of Storms and the slog of the early books before the series really finds its wings. If you get the order wrong, you risk spoiling the biggest twists in the entire YA fantasy genre, or worse, getting bored before the story even gets good. Sarah J. Maas didn't write these in a perfectly linear way, so you shouldn't necessarily read them that way either.
Why the Throne of Glass order matters so much
The series consists of eight books in total, including a collection of novellas called The Assassin’s Blade. This is where the headache starts. The Assassin's Blade was published after the first few main novels, but chronologically, the events happen first.
If you read it first, you meet a younger, brasher Celaena Sardothien. If you wait, those stories serve as a flashback.
Here is the thing: the "correct" way to read them depends entirely on what kind of reader you are. Do you like linear history? Or do you like the mystery of a character's past unfolding slowly? Most fans are split into three camps, and each camp thinks the others are dead wrong.
The Purist Path: Publication Order
This is how the world first experienced the story. You start with Throne of Glass, the book Maas wrote when she was incredibly young.
- Throne of Glass
- Crown of Midnight
- Heir of Fire
- The Assassin’s Blade (The Prequels)
- Queen of Shadows
- Empire of Storms
- Tower of Dawn
- Kingdom of Ash
Why do people love this? It preserves the mystery. When you start with the main novel, you don't know why Celaena is in the salt mines of Endovier. You don't know who Sam Cortland is, other than a name she whispers in her sleep. You discover her scars at the same time the other characters do.
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The downside is that by the time you get to book four, The Assassin's Blade, you're already deeply invested in the main plot. Stopping the momentum of the "present day" story to read five short stories about the past can feel like a chore. It’s like hitting a massive speed bump right when the car is finally hitting 80 mph.
The Emotional Damage Path: The "Romantic" Order
If you ask the hardcore fandom, especially on BookTok, they’ll tell you to read The Assassin’s Blade first.
Basically, you read the prequels, then Throne of Glass, and continue from there.
The logic is simple. By the time you get to the end of the main series, characters and items from the prequels come back in a huge way. If you read the prequels first, you have an emotional connection to those cameos that is basically unmatched. You’ll cry harder. You’ll understand Celaena’s trauma more deeply.
But be warned. Throne of Glass (the first novel) can feel a bit "young" after the gritty, high-stakes vibe of the novellas. Maas’s writing style evolved significantly over the decade she spent on this series. Going from the polished novellas back to her earliest work can be jarring for some readers.
The "Master" Order: The Heir of Fire Pivot
This is my personal recommendation for the Throne of Glass order.
Read Throne of Glass, then Crown of Midnight, then Heir of Fire.
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Stop.
Now read The Assassin’s Blade.
Why? Because Heir of Fire is the turning point of the series. It’s where the story shifts from a "girl in a competition" to a "high-fantasy world-ending war." Reading the prequels after book three provides the perfect context for the massive revelations that happen in book four, Queen of Shadows. It makes the character shifts feel earned rather than abrupt.
The Tower of Dawn Controversy
We have to talk about the "tandem read."
Books six and seven, Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn, happen at the exact same time. However, they take place on different continents with different characters.
Empire of Storms ends on one of the most brutal cliffhangers in literary history. If you read it, and then you have to read 600 pages of Tower of Dawn (which follows a character many people hated at the time), you might actually throw the book across the room.
Many fans suggest a "tandem read" where you switch between chapters of both books. There are literal spreadsheets online for this. It’s intense. It’s complicated. It’s also arguably the best way to experience the scale of the war.
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If you’re a first-time reader, maybe skip the tandem read. It’s a lot to juggle. Just be prepared that Tower of Dawn is a slower, more character-driven story. It’s actually one of the best-written books in the series, but it gets a bad reputation because it stands in the way of the finale.
Is the series worth the hype?
People often ask if they should even bother. The first two books are definitely "YA" in every sense of the word. They feel like 2012-era fantasy.
But Heir of Fire changes everything.
The world expands. The magic system gets complicated. The stakes become real. By the time you reach Kingdom of Ash, the final book, you’re looking at a 1,000-page behemoth that ties together threads from eight different books. It’s an achievement in long-form storytelling.
Avoiding Spoilers in the Throne of Glass order
If you search for character art, you will be spoiled.
If you look at the Wiki, you will be spoiled.
If you even look too closely at the cover of Kingdom of Ash, you might be spoiled.
The series relies on several "hidden identity" tropes. Who someone is, or who they become, is the engine of the plot. Stick to the reading order and stay off Pinterest until you’re at least halfway through Queen of Shadows.
Actionable Steps for New Readers
If you're ready to dive in, here is the most practical way to handle it without losing your mind:
- Buy the Box Set or the Bundle: It’s almost always cheaper than buying them individually, and you won’t have to wait for shipping when a cliffhanger leaves you reeling.
- Decide on the Prequel Early: If you want to feel the full weight of the character's history, read The Assassin's Blade first. If you want to be surprised by the mystery, read it after book three.
- Don't Give Up on Book One: Many people find the first book a bit cliché. Push through. The series matures along with the author.
- Prepare for the Shift: Be aware that the series changes genres. It starts as an assassin story and ends as a high-stakes political and magical war epic.
- Check the Tandem Guide: If you decide to do the tandem read for Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn, print out a chapter guide. Trying to wing it will result in accidental spoilers.
The Throne of Glass order isn't just about chronology; it’s about pacing your own emotional journey through Erilea. Whether you start with the girl in the mines or the assassin in the desert, you're in for one of the most significant fantasy runs of the last two decades. Just keep some tissues nearby for the final three books. You'll need them.
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