*This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if you make a purchase through links on our site. This is at no additional cost to you.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is one of my all-time favorite book series. In my opinion, it’s one of the best series for someone who is looking to get into High Fantasy as a genre!
The whole series consists of seven books and one collection of novellas that acts as a prequel (so basically it’s just the eighth book in the series).
Now that the full series has been published and out for some time, there are a few different orders to reading this YA epic fantasy.
I will talk you through a couple of different options for how to read this series, as well as recommend my preferred order of reading!
The first book, Throne of Glass, follows Celaena Sardothien, who is Adarlan’s assassin. She’s been imprisoned in Endovier (the salt mines) for her crimes.
The book begins with the crown prince, Dorian Havilliard, and his captain of the guards, Chaol. They offer Celaena an opportunity to earn freedom, but at a cost.
The King of Adarlan is holding a competition to find his champion, and Dorian wants Celaena to partake. However, Celaena HATES the King.
She agrees to play in the King’s games, and she goes to live in the Glass Castle. While there, she trains and competes against other assassins and thieves for the role of the King’s Champion.
We soon realize that there are darker things at play, and as Celaena competes for her freedom, she also tries to solve the murders happening around her.
It’s a great start to a great story, and with each book, both the world and the characters develop in super complex and rich way.
This book has romance, magic (even though all the magic has disappeared in Adarlan), heists, adventures, and mystery!
The tone of the books following Throne of Glass has much more of an epic fantasy feel, whereas the first one, although the stakes are high, is not quite the end of the world as we know it.
My Recommended Throne of Glass Reading Order
I think for the truest first-time reading experience, it’s best to read the books in order of publication, except for the novellas.
These are better read not when they first were released but when they were published as a collection in The Assassin’s Blade.
My recommended order is as follows:
1. Throne of Glass
2. Crown of Midnight
3. Heir of Fire
4. The Assassin’s Blade
5. Queen of Shadows
6. Empire of Storms
7. Tower of Dawn
8. Kingdom of Ash
Personally, I think it’s best to read in this order because you get to experience information the same way as readers who were reading the books as they came out.
I find the order in which information unfurls is the most satisfying.
For example, knowing that Sam is someone from Celaena’s past but not knowing his origin story from reading The Assassin’s Blade till after Heir of Fire creates such a better build-up rather than reading it as the first book in the series.
Other Throne of Glass Reading Orders
Another popular option for reading the TOG series is to read in chronological order. Like I said above, I feel that you lose some of the best OMG!!!! moments when doing this, except for the tandem read (which I’ll talk about in a sec!).
However, if you are doing a re-read, this could be a fun way to experience the series for the second (or third or fourth hehe) time.
Let’s be real, Sarah J. Maas has a chokehold on all of us in a different way, so a re-read of TOG is pretty much inevitable.
The chronological order is as follows:
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 & Tower of Dawn (these happen simultaneously!)
7. Kingdom of Ash
The Tandem Read
Okay, before we continue, there are some minor Throne of Glass series spoilers ahead.
Like I mentioned earlier, the events of Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn take place at the same time. However, they follow two different characters on two separate continents.
Empire of Storms follows our main cast of characters and conflict on the continent of Erilea while Tower of Dawn follows Chaol on the southern continent, Antica.
Chaol, during a battle in Queen of Shadows, is injured and left without the use of his legs. He travels to Antica to search for a cure from the healers of Torre Cesme, and he finds so much more!
Now, I would not recommended reading these two books in tandem if you are reading for the first time, but I would recommend if you’re re-reading the series.
I personally love Chaol (unpopular opinion), but he was one of my favorite characters from even the first book, so I am a Tower of Dawn STAN.
I know some people who feel less inclined to read a whole book following Chaol. If you’re one of those people, you may have a desire to skip this book, but you CANNOT!!!
Not only is it a great book where you get to meet some new characters and tie in some great plot points from The Assassin’s Blade, but it’s also pivotal to the plot of Kingdom of Ash.
So even though you may be jonesing to find out what happed to Aelin, do not skip Tower of Dawn.
If you’re interested, you can click here for a chapter by chapter of the tandem read!
Should I Read The Assassin’s Blade First?
Though you can read The Assassin’s Blade first, I strongly suggest reading the Throne of Glass series in order of publication.
This would mean reading The Assassin’s Blade after Heir of Fire and before Queen of Shadows.
There would be no spoilers if you do choose to start with The Assassin’s Blade, but the overall reading experience is, in my opinion, best if not read in chronological order on your first time reading through the Throne of Glass series.
Can I Read A Court of Thorns and Roses Before I Read Throne of Glass?
Yes! You can read the ACOTAR series before reading the TOG series. These two series are not exactly connected…or are they?
You do not need any information from either series to enjoy reading them before or after each other.
Both ACOTAR and TOG stand on their own from each other, and you do not need to read one to enjoy the other. However there are some easter eggs that you will get giddy over if you do read both series 😉
What Order To Read Sarah J. Maas Books
I laid out what I think the best Sarah J. Maas reading order is my post ranking all the books in the ACOTAR series.
Of course, you can read them however you please, but for ultimate reading enjoyment/experience I would read them in my recommended order!
The TOG series has been out for awhile now but we did just get new Throne of Glass paperback covers this last Febuary! I’m personally waiting to start my next re-read when I get the new paperback books.
I love the new covers, though I do find the old ones iconic in their own 2012 kinda way.
However, when it comes down to it, I much prefer the aesthetic of the upcoming covers. They just look so timeless and classic!
What do you guys think of the new covers? And do you have a preferred reading order I didn’t go over? Let me know, and happy reading!
-Paisley
Other Articles From PaisleyReads: Once Upon A Broken Heart – Summary & Review