ACOTAR Book Order: Where to start reading Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series - including crossovers
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
Here’s the reading order for Sarah J. Maas’ ACOTAR series - including different arcs, the novella, crossover books and more.
The latest book in Sarah J. Maas’ bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series is almost here after a long, five-year wait.
Fans of the massively popular romantasy books will be counting down the hours until the sixth instalment, A Court of Splintered Harmony, is released on Tuesday, October 27, with the next entry out just a few months later.
If you’ve never read any of the books before, or you’re looking refresh your memory ahead of the newest novel, there is a reading order you need to follow.
Unlike other series written by Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) is best read in publication order - including novella A Court of Frost and Starlight. If you’re a Sarah J. Maas mega-fan then it may also be good to know that some of her other books do crossover into the world of Prythian.
Sign up to The Scotsman's arts and culture newsletter for all of the latest news and reviews directly to your inbox
ACOTAR Book Order: Where to start reading
There are five ACOTAR books, which should be read in order of publication:
- A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015)
- A Court of Mist and Fury (2016)
- A Court of Wings and Ruin (2017)
- A Court of Frost and Starlight (2018) - novella
- A Court of Silver Flames (2021)
- A Court of Splintered Harmony (2026)
There are different arcs throughout the series, with books one to four following the journey of Feyre Archeron. Book five is then about Nesta, her fiery sister, while book six - A Court of Splintered Harmony - is the part of The Valkyrie Cycle.
Here’s the ACOTAR series reading order and what you need to know about each book.
1. A Court of Thorns and Roses
Released in 2015, A Court of Thorns and Roses is book one in the series and where any new readers should start.
“When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.
“As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.”
2. A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Mist and Fury is a direct sequel to ACOTAR and was was published in 2016. Among the highest-rated - and widely considered the best - in the series, expect everything you learned in book one to be flipped on its head.
Feyre is back in the Spring Court, but after the events of the first book she isn’t the same person who left. She has survived, changed but for her human heart, with the price she has to pay far steeper than previously understood.
Feyre must navigate dark political games and tempting promises following her bargain with Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court, all while a greater evil looms - one which she may be key to stopping.
3. A Court of Wings and Ruin
Published in 2017, A Court of Wings and Ruin is the third entry in the series and the final full length novel about Feyre.
War is looming over Prythian and Feyre is at the heart of it. Once again in the Spring Court, she must play a deadly game of deceit, choose who to trust among the High Lords, gather allies, confront old enemies and decide what she is willing to sacrifice for those she loves.
This is where Feyre’s main story arc comes to an end, but it certainly isn’t the last ACOTAR book.
4. A Court of Frost and Starlight (novella)
Bridging the events of book three and book five is novella, A Court of Frost and Starlight.
Not quite as heavy in tone as the main trilogy, this companion piece follows Feyre and those around her as they work to heal and rebuild as the Winter Solstice approaches.
Told from multiple perspectives, this is definitely required reading for anyone interested in continuing the series after book three as it sets the scene for everything that comes next.
5. A Court of Silver Flames
Released in 2021, A Court of Silver Flames is about Nesta and is quite different in tone than the main trilogy - and more explicit to boot. You can’t just skip ahead to book five unless you want either to be confused or to have the rest of the series spoiled for you.
A Court of Silver Flames follows an angry and traumatised Nesta Archeron as she attempts to cope with the events of books one to four. Struggling to forget the horrors she endured and find her own place in the strange new world she inhabits, one person in particular ignites her temper more than any other: Cassian, the battle-scarred, winged warrior she can’t seem to escape.
As they are forced to train together, the fire between them heats up. Amid further threats of war and treachery, the pair must battle monsters both within and without as they search for acceptance—and healing—in each other’s arms.
6. A Court of Splintered Harmony
A Court of Splintered Harmony - out on Tuesday, October 27 - and is the beginning of a brand new arc of ACOTAR.
“What was broken will be remade. Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he's been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies hell-bent on reclaiming what was once theirs: the human lands.
“The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. But with Prythian still piecing itself together in the wake of the devastating Hybern War, the task of uniting is proving more difficult by the day.”
This novel is The Valkyrie Cycle: Movement I and will be followed by A Court of Forgotten Melody on Tuesday, January 12, 2027.
What you need to know about ACOTAR’s crossovers with Throne of Glass and Crescent City
Sarah J. Maas has written two other fantasy series as well: Throne of Glass and Crescent City.
Throne of Glass is a complete epic fantasy series with eight parts, which features all of Maas’ signature world-building and found family. Then there is Crescent City, an ongoing modern, urban fantasy series currently on book number three.
There are crossovers between both series and ACOTAR, but it is far more clearly established with Crescent City, which is a more rewarding experience for those who have already read ACOTAR.
Throne of Glass and ACOTAR crossover
Kingdom of Ash, the final Throne of Glass novel, was released in 2018 and it features the first explicit crossover with ACOTAR. Series protagonist Aelin falls between worlds with the novel’s text directly referencing two Fae characters.
The timeline of events is thought to line up with A Court of Silver Flames, released in 2021.
You can buy all eight Throne of Glass books, including Kingdom of Ash, here.
Crescent City and ACOTAR crossovers
Crescent City is where Maas’ three worlds fully collide.
At the end of the second Crescent City book, House of Sky and Breath, heroine Bryce Quinlan finds herself in the world of Prythian interacting with the main characters of ACOTAR.
While you won’t need to read ACOTAR to understand, it won’t be as full of an experience without having knowledge of the series beforehand - especially because book three, House of Flame and Shadow, picks up directly where the previous novel leaves off.
It’s all very juicy and dramatic. The characters from both ACOTAR and Crescent City team up, with further references to Throne of Glass popping up along the way.
You can buy the three book boxset of Crescent City here.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.