Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series is one of the most popular fantasy book series ever, so it’s only natural that you’d want to read it as soon as possible. If you are ready to start this fantasy epic but don’t know how to read Throne of Glass books in order, then I am here to help you!
In the Throne of Glass series, the focus is on a teenage assassin named Celaena Sardothien, who is a teenage assassin. She lives in a kingdom that is ruled by a cruel king. She goes through many trials and tribulations throughout the books, eventually culminating in the final book Kingdom of Ash, published in 2018.
The author of the Throne of Glass series is Sarah J. Maas, born on March 5, 1986, in New York City, where she was also raised. Once she graduated high school, she went on to graduate from Hamilton College in Creative writing, which is very telling for someone who would be a future best-selling author. Now she is a full-time writer who spends time with her husband and two children when she isn’t writing.
Throne of Glass was originally written years before it was published. It wasn’t until 2012 that the first book in the series was published, followed by seven others, including a prequel. There also were talks of a TV series appearing on Hulu, but as of yet, nothing has happened.
Apart from the Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas is also the author of yet another popular fantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses series, so you should definitely check that out too!
How Many Throne of Glass Books Are There?
Since the first Throne of Glass book came out, eight books have been released in the series. In this book, a teenage assassin has been suffering in a slave camp. After a year, she is offered a chance to compete to become the King’s Champion. If she does, then in four years, she will become free.
The book series has been well received, appearing on the New York Times best-seller list and even being marked for a television series. Over the years, it’s won many such as the best young adult fantasy and science fiction in the Goodreads awards in 2015 and 2018, respectively.
In addition, it’s been nominated for other awards and received many accolades. These accolades include:
- PopSugar’s The Best YA Books of 2016, coming in at number 20, number 8 in their list of the Best YA books in 2015, and finally number 2 in their Best WA books of 2013.
- Buzzfeed’s 16 of the Best YA books of 2015, coming in at number 11.
- The Independents 10 Best Fantasy Novels, coming in at number 4.
How to Read Throne of Glass Books in Order?
There are two different ways to read Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series, i.e., the “purist order,” which is the order of the release date, or the “romantics order.”
The only reason two different reading orders exist is because of the book titled “The Assassin’s Blade,” which is a collection of five novellas published before the main series.
So, when people are all set to start reading the Throne of Glass series, their first question often is whether to start with Throne of Glass or The Assassin’s Blade. The answer to that question is really simple.
If you want to read the books in the series according to their publication date, that’s great—no issues with that. But if you are looking for a more impactful emotional connection to the characters and the stories, following the “romantics order” might be a good idea.
I’ll leave in what order to read the Throne of Glass series to you. I’ll just list down both the orders, and you can choose the one you like the best!
Throne of Glass Series in Order of Release Date:
In this order, you start reading the series with The Assassin’s Blade, which consists of the 5 novellas, and then start with the main series.
- The Assassin’s Blade – Prequel
- Throne of Glass (2012)
- Crown of Midnight (2013)
- Heir of Fire (2014)
- Queen of Shadows (2015)
- Empire of Storms (2016)
- Tower of Dawn (2017)
- Kingdom of Ash (2018)
Throne of Glass Series – “Romantics Order:“
Apart from reading the Throne of Glass series in order of publication, you can also read it in the romantic order, which makes more sense plot-wise. In this order, you will read the first three books in the main series, then The Assassin’s Blade, and then continue with the rest.
Follow the below list to read the series in romantics order:
- Throne of Glass (2012)
- Crown of Midnight (2013)
- Heir of Fire (2014)
- The Assassin’s Blade (2014) – Prequel
- Queen of Shadows (2015)
- Empire of Storms (2016)
- Tower of Dawn (2017)
- Kingdom of Ash (2018)
The Complete Throne of Glass Series in Order:
1. The Assassin’s Blade (Prequel)
The Assassin’s Blade is the prequel to the Throne of Glass series. In this series, the protagonist Celaena works as a deadly assassin for her master named Arobynn Hamel. He is a cruel man, and Celaena despises working for him. If she can slight him, then she will jump at the chance to do so.
During her work as an assassin, Celaena has had many adventures that have taken her all over the world. In The Assassin’s Blade, her past adventures that take place before the events of Throne of Glass are told in a series of five novellas. These novellas include:
- The Assassin and the Pirate Lord has the trained assassin traveling to Skull’s Bay.
- The Assassin and the Healer has Celaena heading into the Red Desert, somewhere she’d rather not go.
- The Assassin and the Desert has Celaena returning to the Red Desert, but this time, she is there to train to become a feared assassin!
- The Assassin and the Underworld will see Celaena in her most agonizing job yet.
- The Assassin and the Empire is the last novella in this prequel, and it will have you on the edge of your seat.
2. Throne of Glass (2012)
Throne of Glass is the name of the first book in the Throne of Glass series. We see Celaena Sardothien living a difficult life. This formally renowned assassin has been living a year in a slave camp as punishment.
When she is given a chance for freedom, she jumps at the opportunity right away… though there is a catch, of course. To gain this freedom (which will see her serving as the King’s Champion). Celaena must survive a competition that sees her fighting over two dozen people.
What seems like a straightforward competition turns into something else entirely when the people she is supposed to fight start dropping dead. Celaena has no problem with killing, but she didn’t do it. Will she end up becoming the next victim?
Somehow Celaena will have to find a way to survive while also trying to figure out what is going on. Not like she has a choice. It’s either that or die at the hands of some unknown killer.
3. Crown of Midnight (2013)
When Celaena was in the slave camp, she thought about going out every day. This was why she took the first opportunity that came her way to leave. Though it didn’t go according to plan, Celaena is no longer in the slave camp but works as the King’s Champion. She hates him passionately and only pretends to be on his side.
Despite her feelings, she tries to appear loyal, but it’s not easy. People suspect something, even those that are close to her. When Celaena notices something strange going on in the castle and starts putting her nose where it doesn’t belong, it only starts to raise even more suspicions.
Everything comes to a head one particular night, leaving Celaena shaken. She may have thought getting out of the slave camp would solve her problems, but now it seems like her problems are only getting started.
4. Heir of Fire (2014)
The next book to read in the Throne of Glass books in order list is Heir of Fire! Our heroine Celaena has been through many difficult situations even though she is still in her teenage years.
First, she was a trained assassin who spent a year suffering in a slave camp. Then she got a chance to join a competition and fight to the death. If she lived, Celaena could leave the camp and become the King’s Champion. It’s not a position she wanted, but if it meant leaving the slave camp, then so be it.
It was supposed to be a step up, but then things went awry. Now Celaena has left her homeland, forced to travel to this land she knows nothing about. One reason she’s there is to learn about her past, something she isn’t sure she wants to figure out.
However, something is coming toward her land… something that will hurt everyone she cares about, even those she doesn’t know. Celaena has been through a lot in her life, but this might be her most difficult challenge yet.
5. Queen of Shadows (2015)
Celaena has finally discovered her true identity. She is more than just a deadly assassin, eventually forced to serve as the King’s Champion. She is Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen.
It’s not something she ever expected to learn about herself, but now that Celaena knows the truth, she knows what she must do. There can be no more running.
In Queen of Shadows, Celaena returns to the kingdom and is ready to take her rightful place on the throne. It will require her to fight the king she had once reluctantly worked for… a brutal king who isn’t afraid to take lives. Celaena has plenty of allies by her side, and she is going to need to call on all of them to defeat this evil king once and for all.
Out of all the novels in this Throne of Glass series in order, this has Celaena embracing her true identity, which fans are going to love.
6. Empire of Storms (2016)
Trying to take back a kingdom ripped from you unceremoniously is never easy. Celaena, or Aelin, as she is going by now, knows this all too well.
She is the long-list ruler of a kingdom that was stolen from her by a man known to be brutal and cruel. To take it back, Aelin has to engage in war, and so far, it’s been difficult. People have died, and others have been betrayed. Sure, there have been successes, but it still doesn’t erase all the difficulties they have faced.
Luckily, Aelin isn’t alone. She has plenty of people by her side, including a warrior prince who has her heart. To save her people, she has to push forward and keep going. However, with a cruel king and things from her past determined to stop her, Aelin knows she has her work cut out for her.
It’s going to take everything she has to achieve her goals, but if anyone can do it, it’s Celaena, and she has no choice in this matter!
7. Tower of Dawn (2017)
Tower of Dawn is a bit different from all the books in the Throne of Glass books in order list because it doesn’t focus on Calaena, aka Aelin.
The book focuses on two characters who go by the name of Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq. They are desperate and have traveled to Antica for many reasons. One of the biggest ones is to get Yrene Towers, a great healer, to heal Chaol.
Only Yrene can heal his injuries, but the main issue is that Yrene doesn’t want to help. Helping Chaol, given his status and place of origin, triggers her because of things she has dealt with in the past.
At the same time, Yrene took an oath as a healer, and that oath eventually wins out. Reluctantly, she agrees to help Chaol, but her agreeing to help the mysterious Lord ends up thrusting all three of these characters into chaos.
While this story might be a bit of a surprise to some, the Tower of Dawn book in the Throne of Glass series is a nice breath of fresh air. It gives us a new perspective and a chance to see things through the lens of characters who are also suffering.
8. Kingdom of Ash (2018)
Kingdom of Ash, published in 2018, is the final book in the Throne of Glass series, and what a finale it is. We are put back into the point of view of Aelin, and things aren’t going so well. She wanted to save her people. In doing so, it put her in an iron coffin, locked in there by the Queen of the Fae herself!
Every day is torture, but Aelin knows she must keep pushing forward and through it all. If she doesn’t, she’s afraid she will give in to that Queen, who will be more than happy to hurt her people and all those she cares about.
Aelin is a strong woman. However, a person can only take so much. Her friends outside her iron coffin may be Aelin’s only hope of surviving her current predicament. Hopefully, she will be able to hold on until that moment comes. Well, if it comes.
Conclusion
Sarah J. Maas’ best-selling book series is considered one of the best fantasy series to read by book readers worldwide. If you consider yourself a fan of fantasy, and you still haven’t read Throne of Glass books in order, you should make some time and explore this wonderful world and the interesting characters the author has created.
This series tells a captivating story, and the best part about this one, in particular, is that it is finished written, so you don’t have to wait a long time between all of the releases to see how the epic saga will conclude.
So next time you are at a bookstore, consider purchasing all the books in the series. Now that you know how to read Throne of Glass series in order, you can get started immediately!
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