The Throne of Glass fantasy novel series by Sarah J. Maas concluded in 2018, although there’s no time like the present to join the infamous assassin Celaena Sardothien in her tragic and fantastical story in Erelia and beyond.
There are a few ways in which to read the Throne of Glass series, some being more convoluted than others. I’d suggest having a thorough inspection of the following recommended reading orders before you commit because once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop to reconsider.
Table of contents
Every way to read the Throne of Glass series
I have scoured the internet for four different variations – suggested by the Throne of Glass publication and by fans. So have a peruse and choose your favorite.
Note that The Assassin’s Blade is a series of four novellas and is a sequel to the original entry, “The Throne of Glass.” This prequel is what many of the reading orders hinge on – Celaena Sardothien’s origins. Although you’ll see this entry jump around in order a lot, it is important that you do not read it after Queen of Shadows.
Publication order
The most standard order to read the Throne of Glass series is in the order in which they were published. This is the recommended reading experience from Sarah J. Maas and her publication:
- Throne of Glass (2012)
- Crown of Midnight (2013)
- The Assassin’s Blade (2014)
- Heir of Fire (2014)
- Queen of Shadows (2015)
- Empire of Storms (2016)
- Tower of Dawn (2017)
- Kingdom of Ash (2018)
The Assassin’s Blade, the sequel story, was written after the second book, Crown of Midnight, and unveils Sardothien’s tragic past, something mostly concealed. Unveiling this after getting to know her and her struggles for the first two books makes this an excellent point in which to read The Assassin’s Blade, and it’ll allow you to experience the story as it was written.
Note that although Maas recommends this reading order, the fans do not.
Chronological order
This is the order in which I read the Throne of Glass series – in line with the chronological order of events. This means that I started with The Assassin’s Blade, which is something of a hot take, but I do have a strong case for this reading order.
- The Assassin’s Blade (2014)
- 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)
Although the mystery behind Sardothien’s origins is incredibly compelling, having been with her from the very beginning is an emotional roller coaster in its own right. Knowing the tragedy and the motivation as she goes through the woes and the paces of the first two installments and beyond allows me to share in her regrets and grief as she feels them, not just pine after concealed information.
Whenever she looked back, I looked back, too. Whenever she reflected on a piece of her past, I reflected, too. Personally, I find this makes the first installments much more emotional and personal with the context of why she is the way she is.
However, if you’d rather have an explosion of tragic exposition knowing the weight of what her future holds, then it may be wise to leave The Assassin’s Blade until a little later.
Emotional explosion order
This seems to be a very strong fan-favorite reading order. It is only a slight modification of the publication order, although many fans swear by it:
- Throne of Glass (2012)
- Crown of Midnight (2013)
- Heir of Fire (2014)
- The Assassin’s Blade (2014)
- Queen of Shadows (2015)
- Empire of Storms (2016)
- Tower of Dawn (2017)
- Kingdom of Ash (2018)
Reading The Assassin’s Blade after Heir of Fire instead of before, you’ll have the pleasant experience of getting your heart untimely ripped out of your sobbing chest. I must admit I am envious of not being able to experience the story in this order first-hand, knowing what I now know.
This is likely the best way to read the Throne of Glass series and is broadly the reading order I’d suggest. Although the emotional weight of this order can’t be shrugged off, there is incredible merit in reading the series in chronological order, as previously discussed.
The tandem variation
Interestingly, the Empire of Shadows and Tower of Dawn installments can be read in either order or in tandem. This is less of a new order and more of a variation that you can amend to your chosen reading order.
Both stories happen at the same time, so ultimately, they both lead into the final entry, Kingdom of Ash.
The order in which you read these entries will depend largely on your chosen reading order. You may wish to read Empire of Storms first as that was written first, or you may wish to read Tower of Dawn first to allow for a cleaner transition between Empire of Storms and Kingdom of Ash.
Alternatively, you can read them both at the same time to have a more fleshed-out account of what happens during this time. T.L. Traver has made a wonderfully concise PDF to assist you in this reading order.
No matter your reading order, you can adopt one of these three variations for the two penultimate entries to make your reading experience your own.
Now that you know all the recommended and best ways to read Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series, all that’s left to do is order every single one of them and not leave your room for the foreseeable future.
