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ACOTAR Reading Order Guide for A Court Of Splintered Harmony

Sarah Parker October 29, 2026

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So you want to read Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series but don’t know where to start. With so many main series books and interlinking crossovers, it can be confusing to know where to begin. While publication order is an obvious choice, there are a few quirks to the series timeline that can make it tricky to get the most out of the story doing it that way.

Readers debate the ideal order for diving into the extended Maasverse, especially with ACOTAR book 6 finally out in the wild. After all, other Sarah J. Maas series like Throne of Glass and Crescent City are technically separate from the ACOTAR books. But as Maas wrote books like Crescent City while working on the ACOTAR series, they’ve become pretty interlinked. Thanks to crossovers between all three series, reading everything about the ACOTAR universe has gotten a bit more complicated. As such, reading each series separately and in straightforward publication order might not always give you the fullest picture and context.

If you’re just starting to get into the Maasverse thanks to A Court of Splintered Harmony hype, or if you want to make your next series re-read extra optimal, reading order matters. To get the most out of the Sarah J. Maas extended romantasy universe, follow this fan-approved ideal reading order for every book in ACOTAR and beyond.

Throne of Glass

Publication Order	Recommended Reading Order
Throne of Glass (2012)	The Assassin’s Blade
Crown of Midnight (2013)	Throne of Glass
The Assassin’s Blade (2014)	Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire (2014)	Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows (2015)	Queen of Shadows
Empire of Storms (2016)	Empire of Storms
Tower of Dawn (2017)	Tower of Dawn
Kingdom of Ash (2018)	Kingdom of Ash

For the most part, you can read Throne of Glass in the same order the books were published without any major issues or confusion. However, readers debate the best placement for The Assassin’s Blade, the third published book in the series. Though the book was published after Crown of Midnight, it’s a compilation of prequel novellas that predate the events of Throne of Glass. As such, it’s best to read this book first, then dive into the rest of the series in publication order. That way, you’re experiencing the books in true chronological order.

Some readers prefer to keep the series in publication order, even though The Assassin’s Blade is a prequel. The argument there is that some of the emotional beats in the novella collection hit harder if you’ve got more context for the characters. Even so, most readers agree that keeping events in chronological order is the best way to go with the Throne of Glass series, and that means pushing The Assassin’s Blade up to the top of the list.

As for how Throne of Glass plays into the broader Maasverse, that’s a bit muddier. Crossovers for ACOTAR don’t come into play until the last book, and Throne of Glass itself will still make perfect sense without reading ACOTAR first. That said, the brief crossover encounter in Kingdom of Ash could be considered a minor potential spoiler for events in A Court of Silver Flames. So, you could hold off on finishing Throne of Glass until you read book 5. Unless you’re really spoiler-avoidant, though, reading it in the recommended order entirely before moving on toACOTAR is still the best way to go.

ACOTAR 1-5

A Court of Thorns and Roses(2015)

By and large, reading the first fiveACOTARbooks in publication order is the way to go. The first three books are quite closely linked and function as a mini-trilogy within the series, so they’re best read back-to-back. After that, though, things get a bit stickier. Book 4,A Court of Frost and Starlight,is a novella that many readers recommend skipping altogether.

The shorter interlude between the closely-knit starting trilogy does little to progress the series’ plot. Its slice-of-life vibes flesh out the world and characters but don’t add anything earth-shattering to the events of the broader series. Still, it’s just around 230 pages compared to 400+ pages typical for anACOTAR read. So a true completionist run can and should include it without slowing you down too much.

Crescent City

For the most part, readingCrescent Cityis pretty straightforward. As far as the series itself goes, publication order and chronological order are one and the same. We also don’t have that potentially skippable novella situation as with earlyACOTARbooks. So if you’re just here forCrescent City,you can pick up these books and read them in their release order without any issues.

However, there are someACOTARcrossovers that make things a bit confusing if you haven’t read those books yet. Starting withHouse of Sky and Breath,characters from Night Court start popping up here and there. As such, it’s best to read this series after finishing first fiveACOTARbooks. That way you’ve got full context on who Rhysand is and can enjoy that crossover content fully.

ACOTAR 6-8

A Court of Forgotten Melodyis set to release in January 2027. So you’ll want to finishACOTAR 6before year ends if you plan to jump right in as soon as next book arrives. Beyond January 2027 we don’t know much about what’s coming next for book 8. The title and release timeline will likely be revealed sometime after releaseA Court of Forgotten Melody.

If you’re looking forward to more from Sarah J. Maas’ universe…