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Series · romantic fantasy

Crescent City

by Sarah J. Maas

The Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with House of Earth and Blood (2020). House of Flame and Shadow is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.

Books
3 known books (3 novels)
Published
3
First published
2020
Status
ongoing
Shelved under
Romance , Fantasy
Start here: House of Earth and Blood (2020) — then read straight through in publication order.
Book one
Cover of House of Earth and Blood
House of Earth and Blood (2020)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. House of Earth and Blood

    Novel
    House of Earth and Blood (March 2020) opens Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City trilogy at 805 pages, introducing half-fae party girl Bryce Quinlan as she's drawn into investigating a murder two years after losing everyone she loved to a similar killing.
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  2. House of Sky and Breath

    Novel
    House of Sky and Breath (February 2022) continues Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City trilogy nearly two years later at 801 pages, pushing Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar's bargain with Lunathion's ruling powers toward a cliffhanger that crosses directly into the world of A Court of Thorns and Roses.
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  3. House of Flame and Shadow

    Novel
    The longest of the three at 835 pages, House of Flame and Shadow (January 2024) closes out the trilogy so far, published two years after House of Sky and Breath, with a fourth book confirmed but not yet scheduled.
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Key facts about the Crescent City series

Our list has 3 books in the Crescent City series. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.

Start with House of Earth and Blood, since it opens the publication order in 2020. House of Sky and Breath is book 2, from 2022. House of Flame and Shadow is book 3, from 2024.

We also give a recommended order, while noting it is our own advice. It is not publisher canon.

House of Flame and Shadow is the latest book with a full release date, out on 30 January 2024. The catalogue marks it as ongoing, yet no next book has a date so far.

The books came out between 2020 and 2024, while their length runs from 801 to 835 pages. That is a run of 4 years.

Sarah J. Maas has 17 books on our list. Additionally, they write Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses. We shelve the books under romantic fantasy.

About the Crescent City series

Crescent City is Sarah J. Maas's adult urban fantasy: instead of castles and courts, this universe runs on smartphones, nightclubs, and crime scenes. Half-fae, half-human party girl Bryce Quinlan is coasting through life in the modern-magical metropolis of Lunathion until a savage murder tears away everyone she loves. Two years later, when the killings start again, she is pulled into the investigation alongside Hunt Athalar — a legendary fallen angel enslaved to the city's ruling powers — and offered a bargain that could buy both of them their freedom.

The result reads like a supernatural thriller wearing epic-fantasy armor: a murder mystery up front, with rebellion, ancient history, and interworld stakes accumulating underneath. Maas uses the contemporary setting to sharpen her usual themes — grief, found family, the cost of power — and Bryce's arc from wounded hedonist to reluctant hero anchors some of the most emotional set pieces in any of the author's series.

It is the most explicitly adult of Maas's three series in both content and tone, and the one to hand readers who love her characters but want city streets, tech, and noir pacing instead of thrones. By the third book the series links openly into the wider Maas universe, making it essential reading for anyone following the ACOTAR crossover threads. A fourth book is confirmed to be in the works.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Crescent City series?

Three: House of Earth and Blood (2020), House of Sky and Breath (2022), and House of Flame and Shadow (2024). A fourth book has been confirmed by Sarah J. Maas but has no title or release date yet.

What order should I read Crescent City in?

Publication order — House of Earth and Blood, House of Sky and Breath, House of Flame and Shadow. Ideally finish ACOTAR through A Court of Silver Flames before book three to get the full impact of the crossover.

Do I need to read ACOTAR before Crescent City?

Not for the first two books. But book three, House of Flame and Shadow, features a major crossover with the ACOTAR world, so readers who know both series get significantly more out of it.

Is Crescent City book 4 coming?

Yes — Maas has confirmed a fourth book is happening, though as of mid-2026 no title or release date has been announced. Her immediate publishing schedule is focused on ACOTAR books 6 and 7 (October 2026 and January 2027).

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