How to Read the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

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You’re probably here for one of two reasons: 1. You just finished reading the A Court of Thorns and Roses series and are desperate to fill the bat-boy-sized hole in your heart, or 2. A wise and kind Sarah J. Maas (SJM) expert did you a favor and advised you to read Throne of Glass before ACOTAR. No matter the reason, we’re glad you’re here because there are many ways to read the Throne of Glass series and we’re going to break them all down for you so you can choose which experience you want to get from the series. Either way, we advise you to stock up on tissues because the emotional roller coaster you’re about to embark on is unlike any other, with only the strongest making it through to the end. And don’t worry, all of this info is coming to you completely spoiler-free.

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There are three popular ways to read Throne of Glass: the chronological order (this is also frequently referred to as the purist order), the romantic order, and the emotional order. The author of the series, Sarah J. Maas, recently revealed her preferred reading order as well, but we’ll get into that later. The different reading orders all revolve around the book (which is technically a prequel to the series) The Assassin’s Blade. When you choose to read The Assassin’s Blade in the series can impact whether the story has a greater emotional or romantic effect on your Throne of Glass journey. There is no right or wrong way to read the series, so don’t stress yourself out. You can also read two of the books, Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn in tandem (I highly recommend doing this), but we’ll save that for later too.

The Chronological or Purist Order

This one is pretty simple and has you read The Assassin’s Blade first because the events in the book take place before Throne of Glass. You’ll read the series in this order:

Everyone has a different opinion on when to read The Assassin’s Blade, but this is a good option if you want to read the series in the order that all of the events take place. Some people say Throne of Glass will be confusing if you don’t read The Assassin’s Blade first, but I disagree. I skipped The Assassin’s Blade entirely the first time I read Throne of Glass and I never felt confused.

The Romantic Order

If you are reading this series for the romance first and the plot second, this is probably the order you’ll want to choose. You will read the series in this order:

The Emotional Order

Honestly, no matter which way you read this series, it’s going to be emotional. You’re signing up for a wild ride that will most likely put your heart through the shredder, but if you’re reading this for the plot first and the romance second, this is the likely the order you’ll want to choose. You’ll read the series in this order:

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Just a few weeks ago, Sarah J. Maas, updated her website before the drop of her newest novel, House of Flame and Shadow (a Crescent City novel), and the update included her preferred Throne of Glass reading order. Like a lot of readers, Maas herself recommends reading The Assassin’s Blade after Crown of Midnight, but as I stated earlier, there is no wrong way to read it so you can choose your own adventure.

The Tandem Read

OK, this probably feels overwhelming — it isn’t. The events of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn take place during the exact same time. Empire of Storms follows one set of characters through the timeline and Tower of Dawn follows a second set of characters through the same timeline. The tandem read combines the two books into one linear timeline and is critical for a few reasons. Most importantly, Empire of Storms ends on an absolutely mind-blowing cliffhanger and if you don’t read the two books at the same time, you’ll have to read all 663 pages of Tower of Dawn before you find out what happens after that cliffhanger. Some people end up skipping Tower of Dawn entirely because they can’t wait to find out what happens in Kingdom of Ash — do not do this. Tower of Dawn is not only an incredible book you’ll regret skipping, but it is loaded with vital information that holds clues to all three of Maas’ series. To read the books in tandem, you’ll read the chapters in this order: