InCryptid
urban fantasy
Series · fantasy
Throne of Glass
The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas has 8 known books (8 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Throne of Glass (2012). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is Kingdom of Ash.
- Books
- 8 known books (7 novels + 1 omnibus)
- Published
- 8
- First published
- 2012
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: Throne of Glass (2012) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Throne of Glass
Throne of Glass (2012) opens Sarah J. Maas's series by following Celaena Sardothien, an eighteen-year-old assassin dragged out of a brutal labor camp and offered one dangerous chance at freedom: win a competition to become the king's personal killer. What starts as palace intrigue steadily widens into an epic about buried magic and ancient wars across the six novels that follow.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Throne of Glass - Book 2:
Crown of Midnight
Crown of Midnight (2013) continues Celaena Sardothien's story after winning her freedom in Throne of Glass, deepening the buried magic and ancient wars that Sarah J. Maas's series steadily grows into. At 448 pages, it falls between Throne of Glass and the prequel novella collection The Assassin's Blade.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Crown of Midnight - Book 3:
The Assassin's Blade
The Assassin's Blade (2014) collects five prequel novellas chronicling Celaena Sardothien's life before Throne of Glass, published third but most often recommended between Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows for maximum emotional impact. It runs 435 pages and fills in the assassin's backstory that the main series builds on.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Assassin's Blade - Book 4:
Heir of Fire
Heir of Fire (2014) is the third Throne of Glass novel, widening Sarah J. Maas's cast from Celaena Sardothien alone into the sprawling web of witches, princes, warriors, and healers that carries the series toward its endgame. It runs 584 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Heir of Fire - Book 5:
Queen of Shadows
Queen of Shadows (2015) continues Throne of Glass between Heir of Fire and Empire of Storms, deepening the long-arc payoffs Sarah J. Maas plants across the series -- characters introduced as villains or footnotes in earlier books grow load-bearing here. It runs 672 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Queen of Shadows - Book 6:
Empire of Storms
Empire of Storms (2016) is the fifth Throne of Glass novel, escalating the epic scope Sarah J. Maas built from Celaena Sardothien's original assassin's-competition premise into a battle-heavy story of buried magic and ancient wars. At 704 pages, it's the longest volume before the finale.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Empire of Storms - Book 7:
Tower of Dawn
Tower of Dawn (2017) runs parallel to Empire of Storms, following a different lead in a distant location whose storyline delivers characters, alliances, and revelations that Kingdom of Ash depends on. At 680 pages, it's not to be skipped despite sitting outside the main narrative thread.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Tower of Dawn - Book 8:
Kingdom of Ash
Kingdom of Ash (2018) concludes Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series at 987 pages, its longest volume, following Tower of Dawn to pay off the buried magic, ancient wars, and interconnected cast built up since Celaena Sardothien's introduction. It closes the series before Maas's connected A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City universe.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Kingdom of Ash
The order the story's events happen in, novellas slotted where they belong.
- Book 1:
The Assassin's Blade
The Assassin's Blade (2014) collects five prequel novellas chronicling Celaena Sardothien's life before Throne of Glass, published third but most often recommended between Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows for maximum emotional impact. It runs 435 pages and fills in the assassin's backstory that the main series builds on.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Assassin's Blade - Book 2:
Throne of Glass
Throne of Glass (2012) opens Sarah J. Maas's series by following Celaena Sardothien, an eighteen-year-old assassin dragged out of a brutal labor camp and offered one dangerous chance at freedom: win a competition to become the king's personal killer. What starts as palace intrigue steadily widens into an epic about buried magic and ancient wars across the six novels that follow.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Throne of Glass - Book 3:
Crown of Midnight
Crown of Midnight (2013) continues Celaena Sardothien's story after winning her freedom in Throne of Glass, deepening the buried magic and ancient wars that Sarah J. Maas's series steadily grows into. At 448 pages, it falls between Throne of Glass and the prequel novella collection The Assassin's Blade.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Crown of Midnight - Book 4:
Heir of Fire
Heir of Fire (2014) is the third Throne of Glass novel, widening Sarah J. Maas's cast from Celaena Sardothien alone into the sprawling web of witches, princes, warriors, and healers that carries the series toward its endgame. It runs 584 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Heir of Fire - Book 5:
Queen of Shadows
Queen of Shadows (2015) continues Throne of Glass between Heir of Fire and Empire of Storms, deepening the long-arc payoffs Sarah J. Maas plants across the series -- characters introduced as villains or footnotes in earlier books grow load-bearing here. It runs 672 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Queen of Shadows - Book 6:
Empire of Storms
Empire of Storms (2016) is the fifth Throne of Glass novel, escalating the epic scope Sarah J. Maas built from Celaena Sardothien's original assassin's-competition premise into a battle-heavy story of buried magic and ancient wars. At 704 pages, it's the longest volume before the finale.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Empire of Storms - Book 7:
Tower of Dawn
Tower of Dawn (2017) runs parallel to Empire of Storms, following a different lead in a distant location whose storyline delivers characters, alliances, and revelations that Kingdom of Ash depends on. At 680 pages, it's not to be skipped despite sitting outside the main narrative thread.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Tower of Dawn - Book 8:
Kingdom of Ash
Kingdom of Ash (2018) concludes Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series at 987 pages, its longest volume, following Tower of Dawn to pay off the buried magic, ancient wars, and interconnected cast built up since Celaena Sardothien's introduction. It closes the series before Maas's connected A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City universe.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Kingdom of Ash
Our shelf-tested path for first-time readers.
- Book 1:
Throne of Glass
Throne of Glass (2012) opens Sarah J. Maas's series by following Celaena Sardothien, an eighteen-year-old assassin dragged out of a brutal labor camp and offered one dangerous chance at freedom: win a competition to become the king's personal killer. What starts as palace intrigue steadily widens into an epic about buried magic and ancient wars across the six novels that follow.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Throne of Glass - Book 2:
Crown of Midnight
Crown of Midnight (2013) continues Celaena Sardothien's story after winning her freedom in Throne of Glass, deepening the buried magic and ancient wars that Sarah J. Maas's series steadily grows into. At 448 pages, it falls between Throne of Glass and the prequel novella collection The Assassin's Blade.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Crown of Midnight - Book 3:
Heir of Fire
Heir of Fire (2014) is the third Throne of Glass novel, widening Sarah J. Maas's cast from Celaena Sardothien alone into the sprawling web of witches, princes, warriors, and healers that carries the series toward its endgame. It runs 584 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Heir of Fire - Book 4:
The Assassin's Blade
The Assassin's Blade (2014) collects five prequel novellas chronicling Celaena Sardothien's life before Throne of Glass, published third but most often recommended between Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows for maximum emotional impact. It runs 435 pages and fills in the assassin's backstory that the main series builds on.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Assassin's Blade - Book 5:
Queen of Shadows
Queen of Shadows (2015) continues Throne of Glass between Heir of Fire and Empire of Storms, deepening the long-arc payoffs Sarah J. Maas plants across the series -- characters introduced as villains or footnotes in earlier books grow load-bearing here. It runs 672 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Queen of Shadows - Book 6:
Empire of Storms
Empire of Storms (2016) is the fifth Throne of Glass novel, escalating the epic scope Sarah J. Maas built from Celaena Sardothien's original assassin's-competition premise into a battle-heavy story of buried magic and ancient wars. At 704 pages, it's the longest volume before the finale.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Empire of Storms - Book 7:
Tower of Dawn
Tower of Dawn (2017) runs parallel to Empire of Storms, following a different lead in a distant location whose storyline delivers characters, alliances, and revelations that Kingdom of Ash depends on. At 680 pages, it's not to be skipped despite sitting outside the main narrative thread.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Tower of Dawn - Book 8:
Kingdom of Ash
Kingdom of Ash (2018) concludes Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series at 987 pages, its longest volume, following Tower of Dawn to pay off the buried magic, ancient wars, and interconnected cast built up since Celaena Sardothien's introduction. It closes the series before Maas's connected A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City universe.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Kingdom of Ash
About the Throne of Glass series
Throne of Glass follows Celaena Sardothien, an eighteen-year-old assassin dragged out of a brutal labor camp and offered a single, dangerous chance at freedom: win a competition to become the king's personal killer. What begins as a palace intrigue about a sharp-tongued prisoner in glittering court dress steadily widens into an epic about buried magic, ancient wars, and a young woman deciding what she owes a broken world.
Across seven novels and a collection of prequel novellas, Sarah J. Maas expands the cast from one antiheroine to a sprawling web of witches, princes, warriors, and healers, each carrying a piece of the endgame. Few modern fantasy series commit so fully to long-arc payoff: characters introduced as villains or footnotes in early books become load-bearing by the finale, and details planted in book one detonate five volumes later.
The series sits at the older end of young adult fantasy, growing darker and more adult as it goes. It rewards readers who love found family, slow-burn romance that shifts across the series rather than settling early, and battle-heavy final acts. If you enjoyed the scope of The Wheel of Time but want a faster, more romantic engine driving it, this is the Maas series to start with — it is where her interconnected universe began.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Throne of Glass series?
Eight: seven novels plus The Assassin's Blade, a collection of five prequel novellas. The series is complete, running from Throne of Glass (2012) to Kingdom of Ash (2018).
What order should I read Throne of Glass in?
Publication order works well: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, Kingdom of Ash. For The Assassin's Blade, we recommend reading it after Heir of Fire and before Queen of Shadows for maximum emotional impact, though some readers prefer it first since it is chronologically earliest.
Should I read The Assassin's Blade first?
You can, since its events happen before book one, but reading it between Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows is the most popular recommendation — it preserves book one's reveals and sets up Queen of Shadows perfectly. Just don't skip it entirely.
Can I skip Tower of Dawn?
No. It follows a different lead in a distant location, but its storyline delivers characters, alliances, and revelations that Kingdom of Ash depends on.
Is Throne of Glass finished?
Yes. Kingdom of Ash (2018) concluded the series. Sarah J. Maas's other series — A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City — share a connected universe, and ACOTAR is continuing with new books.
If you like the Throne of Glass series
Reading order last verified .