Summary
- Throne of Glass is Maas' first book series, blending YA and high fantasy to deliver a high-stakes and compelling narrative.
- The earlier books in Throne of Glass have some notable flaws, though they're still fast-paced and fun additions to Maas' lineup.
- The later books showcase how much Maas expands the world, and they're among the best installments in the series.
Throne of Glass is beloved romantasy author Sarah J. Maas' first book series, and it leans more young adult and high fantasy than books like and Crescent City. Following assassin Celaena Sardothien as she fights to become the king of Adarlan's champion — and eventually to overthrow him — Throne of Glass is one of those series that raises the stake with every installment. Throne of Glass spans seven full-length novels, as well as a novella collection called The Assassin's Blade. All follow the assassin Celaena Sardothien as she moves closer to fulfilling her destiny.
Throne of Glass is an interesting addition to Maas' lineup of books, as it starts out with a distinctly young adult feel but expands into a more mature high fantasy tale before it's through. This helps to distinguish what books in the Throne of Glass series are the best and which ones are less compelling. Of course, with Throne of Glass being a best-selling series, all of its installments have something to offer; some just shine a bit more than others.
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8 Crown Of Midnight (2013)
Book 2
Crown of Midnight is a solid follow-up to Throne of Glass, but a few key flaws keep it from reaching the quality of the original book. Additionally, neither Crown of Midnight nor Throne of Glass come anywhere close to Maas' later books in this series, as they feel significantly smaller in scale and more low-stakes. Crown of Midnight follows Celaena after she's become the king's champion, and it sees her forming bonds with characters like Prince Dorian and Chaol Westfall.
These dynamics make Crown of Midnight an entertaining ride, but its main plot lacks the urgency of its predecessor and isn't as expansive as the later novels.
These dynamics make Crown of Midnight an entertaining ride, but its main plot lacks the urgency of its predecessor and isn't as expansive as the later novels. The second Throne of Glass book also makes the fatal mistake of killing off Princess Nehemia, a decision that hurts the overall legacy of Maas' series.
Throne of Glass makes an effort to diversify its cast during its later books, but Nehemia is one of the few people of color in Maas' earlier installments. Killing her off in order to push Celaena's story forward is one of Maas' worst choices, and this insensitive development is still difficult to swallow more than a decade later.
7 Throne of Glass (2012)
Book 1
Throne of Glass is a solid start to Maas' first best-selling series, and its main storyline — Celaena fighting other criminals to become the king's champion — is reminiscent of books like The Hunger Games and The Selection. With that in mind, it's easy to see why the story became such a hit, even if it doesn't hold up compared to the majority of its sequels.
Throne of Glass' competition exposes its slightly lower stakes, especially compared to the novels that follow, and its early 2010s release ensures it's laden with tropes from that time period. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does make Throne of Glass feel dated in some ways.
These are some of the reasons Throne of Glass has the lowest rating of the series on Goodreads despite spawning numerous follow-ups and kick-starting Maas' writing career. There's a lot to love about Throne of Glass, but its characters' growth and overarching plot improve tenfold as its story continues. For that reason, it ranks lower than almost every other book in Maas' series.
6 Heir Of Fire (2014)
Book 3
Heir of Fire is when Maas' Throne of Glass series truly expands its world and roster of characters, and this proves both a blessing and curse for the 2014 novel. Looking back at Heir of Fire, it's undeniably one of the most important installments in the series, introducing characters like Manon and Rowan and pushing Celaena to embrace her true identity as Aelin Galathynius.
There are some truly great moments throughout Heir of Fire, but there are also parts of the almost 600-page novel that drag on a bit too long. Slower moments are inevitable given Heir of Fire's introduction of new places, characters, and concepts. However, it's hard to consider this novel as one of the best Throne of Glass installments when it stalls so often.
Additionally, Celaena and Rowan's relationship isn't the easiest to swallow early on, even if it becomes much more compelling later. For these reasons, Heir of Fire doesn't rank among the top half of Maas' Throne of Glass books. Even its 4.47 Goodreads rating speaks to this, as it falls slightly below the final books in the series.
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5 Tower Of Dawn (2017)
Book 6
Tower of Dawn is one of Maas' most divisive Throne of Glass books, with some fans absolutely loving Chaol's solo novel and others truly disliking it. Perhaps that's why its Goodreads score is the lowest in the series after the original Throne of Glass, coming in at 4.27. This isn't bad in the grand scheme of things, but it is significantly lower than the other books in the series.
But even with Tower of Dawn's so-so reception, it's one of Maas' better installments — even if it's easy to see why some readers didn't take to it. Tower of Dawn does an impressive job of expanding Maas' world, and it treats Chaol's new disability with care. It also does a lot of work to increase the diversity of Throne of Glass' cast, something that's sorely needed by the time book six begins.
The biggest flaw when it comes to Tower of Dawn is that it's missing many of the other characters and storylines that readers love. Although Chaol is a compelling protagonist, the second-to-last book might have benefited from adding POVs outside the Southern Continent.
4 Empire Of Storms (2016)
Book 5
Empire of Storms is the third-to-last installment in the Throne of Glass series, and it sets the bar high for everything that follows. With a 4.62 rating on Goodreads, there's little doubt that the 2016 novel does a solid job bringing together multiple storylines and characters as Aelin approaches the final chapter of her story.
Empire of Storms features some stunning quotes and scenes that will stay with readers long after they close the book.
Empire of Storms features some stunning quotes and scenes that will stay with readers long after they close the book. Such elements easily land it in thetop three Throne of Glass novels, even if it doesn't quite top the list.
Empire of Storms isn't as epic as the conclusion of the series, nor is it as well-loved or critically acclaimed as the remaining two books on this ranking. That said, it's still an impressive addition to Maas' lineup. And Empire of Storms' cliffhanger is hard to top, as it left many fans in agony waiting for the remaining two books.
3 Kingdom Of Ash (2018)
Book 7
Kingdom of Ash is the grand conclusion to Maas' Throne of Glass series, and it undeniably sticks the landing. Kingdom of Ash boasts a whopping 4.69 rating on Goodreads, and it won the Goodreads Choice Awards in the Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science-Fiction category in 2018. Its reception is warranted as it delivers an action-packed and emotional finale to Throne of Glass, giving many of the characters the endings they deserve and bidding the readers farewell in a satisfying fashion.
The only reason Kingdom of Ash doesn't take the top spot in a ranking of Maas' Throne of Glass books is that its lengthy narrative does stall in places. Its plot beats can also be predictable at times, even if the developments are what fans are hoping for. These things prevent it from being the very best Throne of Glass book — but it's a close call.
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2 Queen Of Shadows (2015)
Book 4
Queen of Shadows is easily Maas' best Throne of Glass book, and its 4.60 Goodreads rating and Goodreads Choice Award win for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction book in 2015 speak to that. Its reception is nearly as positive as that of Kingdom of Ash, but Queen of Shadows doesn't drag in as many places. The stakes are high and the action is packed, but character nuance is never sacrificed for the sake of the plot.
It's also exhilarating to see Aelin embrace her true identity and reunite with the characters who only knew her as Celaena Sardothien. Queen of Shadows impressively builds on the world expansion of Heir of Fire without being as predictable or dragging as later installments. This makes it the best Throne of Glass book and one of Maas' best novels in general.
Will The Throne Of Glass Series Continue?
There is no word on a new installment coming to the Throne of Glass series, but that does not mean it has ended. In a recent interview, Sarah J. Maas said that her next novel is in the world of A Court of Thorns and Roses, but there is always a chance of her returning to Throne of Glass after that. To emphasize how fans shouldn't consider a series ended, she pointed out that "ACOTAR was meant to be three books but now it’s ongoing. Throne of Glass is technically ended but … is it?" (via TODAY)
There are two companion books in the Throne of Glass series — Throne of Glass Coloring Book (2016) and The World of Throne of Glass (2019).
This came after she said that she had plans for her next release after finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses book 9. “There’s one book that I’m going to be writing after this next ACOTAR book that I’m very excited about. I’m not going to say what world it’s in. I’m not going to say anything,” she said. The fact she immediately said that and then name-dropped the Throne of Glass series hints that there could be more to come from the beloved series, even after its apparent ending.
1 There Are Plenty Of Books Sarah J. Maas' Universes Coming Up
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Sarah J. Maas also said that she wants to keep playing in the realms that she has already created, and doesn't plan to stop anytime soon. According to the author, she has “separation anxiety” when it comes to finishing her series and usually likes to come back to them even after the stories are done. This was true for A Court of Thorns and Roses and might be true for Throne of Glass. Fans should expect her to return to her old series more often than not when she gets a new idea.
The novel she plans to write after A Court of Thorns and Roses book 9 will include some familiar characters from the universe, even if it isn't a Throne of Glass release. "It’s a story that’s been brewing in the back of my mind for a long time," Maas said. "I think it’s going to be a very emotional book for me to write just in terms of the world I’ll be writing and the characters that might pop up." While everything is just speculation right now, Maas seems very excited about the future of her created worlds.
Crescent City released its latest book in January 2024 with House of Flame and Shadow.
Maas has plenty of series she created. Some seemed finished, including The Assassin's Blade, which ended in 2013, and Throne of Glass, which ended in 2018 (with a companion book last coming in 2019). However, if Throne of Glass might return, it could lead to many options for her other worlds. Crescent City released its latest installment in January 2024 with House of Flame and Shadow. Shockingly, that was the first of seven reported Maas novels Bloomsbury has lined up.
Penny Scott-Bayfield, Bloomsbury’s chief financial officer, said House of Flame and Shadow was the first, and there will be a “further six titles with her after that" (via Proactive Investors). She then said that bringing on new authors along with Throne of Glass'Sarah J. Maas was a key part of what the company is doing, emphasizing that the author is "reaching a new audience who come in through one series and buy another."
