Throne of Glass Series Explained: Where New Readers Should Start
Spoiler-light guide: This article avoids major endgame reveals and focuses on helping new readers understand the series, reading order, and key characters.
Quick answer: Throne of Glass is Sarah J. Maas’s completed epic fantasy series about assassin Celaena Sardothien and a story that expands into magic, kingdoms, war, found family, romance, and destiny. New readers can start with Throne of Glass itself, then follow publication order. The Assassin’s Blade is a prequel collection, and the official Sarah J. Maas order places it after Crown of Midnight.
What is the Throne of Glass series?
If you keep seeing Aelin edits, “Fireheart” sweaters, Manon Blackbeak fan art, and people emotionally yelling about Terrasen on BookTok without knowing where any of it comes from, welcome. You have found Throne of Glass.
The Throne of Glass series is a completed fantasy saga by Sarah J. Maas. It begins with a deadly competition and an imprisoned assassin named Celaena Sardothien, but the story gets much bigger than the setup of Book 1 suggests. What starts as a castle mystery gradually becomes an epic fantasy about lost magic, ancient enemies, kingdoms, loyalty, identity, war, friendship, and the kind of found-family bonds that will absolutely ruin your emotional stability.
For new readers, the biggest thing to know is this: do not judge the entire series by the scale of the first book. The world opens dramatically as you move through the books.
Where should a new reader start with Throne of Glass?
The easiest spoiler-free answer is: start with Throne of Glass.
That is also the first novel in the main series and the place where you meet Celaena, Chaol Westfall, Dorian Havilliard, Nehemia Ytger, and the kingdom of Adarlan.
There is one reason this question becomes confusing: The Assassin’s Blade.
The Assassin’s Blade is a collection of five prequel novellas about Celaena’s life before the events of Throne of Glass. Because those stories happen chronologically first, some readers prefer starting there. Other readers want to meet Celaena in the main novel before going back into her past.
Both can work, but if you want the cleanest official path, the Sarah J. Maas website lists this order:
- Throne of Glass
- Crown of Midnight
- The Assassin’s Blade
- Heir of Fire
- Queen of Shadows
- Empire of Storms
- Tower of Dawn
- Kingdom of Ash
And honestly? For a first-time reader who does not want to spend three hours comparing TikTok reading-order graphics, this is the path I would use.
Should you read The Assassin’s Blade first?
You can, but you do not have to.
This is probably the most aggressively debated question in the Throne of Glass fandom.
Reading The Assassin’s Blade first gives you chronological context. You understand more about Celaena’s past immediately and already know the emotional history behind several things she references later.
Reading it after Crown of Midnight, however, lets you meet Celaena without having every piece of her history explained up front. Then the prequel fills in emotional context before the series expands in Heir of Fire and beyond.
The publisher Bloomsbury also recommends publication order, placing The Assassin’s Blade after Crown of Midnight. So if the internet is making you overthink it: follow that order and keep reading.
Do you have to tandem read Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn?
No. The tandem read is a fandom-created reading method, not a requirement.
Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn occur across roughly the same period but follow different characters and locations. Some readers alternate chapters between the two books so the timelines unfold together.
Other readers read them separately in publication order: Empire of Storms first, then Tower of Dawn.
Bloomsbury specifically recommends publication order if you want to avoid spoilers between the books. So if switching between two giant fantasy novels sounds like homework instead of fun, please know you are allowed to simply read the books normally.
You are still a real Throne of Glass fan. I promise no one from Terrasen is coming to confiscate your books.
What kind of fantasy is Throne of Glass?
Throne of Glass is best described as epic fantasy with romance, adventure, magic, political conflict, assassins, fae, witches, dragons, war, and found family.
If you are coming from ACOTAR specifically for the romance, I need to set expectations correctly: TOG is not structured like a romance-first series.
There is romance. There are relationships people will argue about until the end of time. But the central story becomes much more focused on character growth, kingdoms, magic, friendship, sacrifice, and war.
That is also why so many readers who finish the series talk about it differently from ACOTAR. You do not just become attached to one couple. You become attached to an entire group of people scattered across this enormous story.
Who are the main Throne of Glass characters?
Celaena Sardothien
Celaena is the assassin at the center of the opening books. She is talented, dramatic, competitive, obsessed with beautiful clothes and books, and carrying far more history than the people around her initially understand.
Dorian Havilliard
Dorian is the Crown Prince of Adarlan. His role grows considerably as the series explores power, family, responsibility, and the consequences of the kingdom his father controls.
Chaol Westfall
Chaol begins the series as Captain of the Guard. His relationship with Celaena and his loyalty to the crown become major sources of conflict and character development.
Manon Blackbeak
Manon enters later, but BookTok girlies know exactly why she gets mentioned constantly. She is an Ironteeth witch whose storyline introduces an entirely different part of the world, including the Thirteen and her wyvern, Abraxos.
If Manon and the Thirteen already own your soul, Bookish Closet currently lists the Throne of Glass The Thirteen Witches Sweater among its bookish apparel.
Rowan Whitethorn
Rowan becomes important as the story expands beyond Adarlan. I am keeping that intentionally vague because this is supposed to be a new-reader guide, not a surprise-destruction service.
What is Terrasen?
Terrasen is one of the most important kingdoms in the wider Throne of Glass world. Even if the name does not mean much when you first begin, it becomes increasingly central to the history, identity, and political stakes of the series.
This is exactly why TOG fandom merch uses terms like Terrasen, Fireheart, the Thirteen, and other in-world references instead of simply printing the book title everywhere. The deeper you get into the series, the more those symbols become emotional shorthand between readers.
You can browse current Throne of Glass merch and bookish sweaters from Bookish Closet’s best-seller collection, including Fireheart and The Thirteen designs.
When does Throne of Glass really “get good”?
I am going to say something slightly controversial: if you are waiting for the series to feel exactly like ACOTAR from page one, you may miss what TOG is trying to do.
The first two books establish Celaena, Adarlan, the castle, and the political foundations of the story. Heir of Fire is where many readers feel the scale and tone shift significantly.
That does not mean you should rush through the earlier books. Their character relationships and apparently small details become much more meaningful later.
TOG is a series that rewards patience.
There are names, objects, places, promises, and relationships introduced early that will suddenly matter hundreds or thousands of pages later. Sarah J. Maas really said, “remember that tiny thing from three books ago?” and then chose violence.
Is Throne of Glass connected to ACOTAR or Crescent City?
Sarah J. Maas is the author of all three series: Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City.
You do not need to read ACOTAR before starting Throne of Glass. Bloomsbury says the three Sarah J. Maas series can be read in any order.
That makes TOG a very good next step if you finished ACOTAR and want something with a larger epic-fantasy scope, or if you want a complete SJM series without waiting for the next release.
Is the Throne of Glass series complete?
Yes. The main Throne of Glass story is complete.
That is one of its biggest advantages for new readers right now. You can start the story knowing that Kingdom of Ash gives you an ending rather than dropping you into an unfinished series and telling you to emotionally survive until the next publication date.
My recommendation for first-time readers
If you want one simple plan, do this:
Start with Throne of Glass and follow the official publication-style order.
Do not obsess over the tandem read before you even know whether you like the series. Do not search every character on TikTok because the autocomplete suggestions will absolutely spoil you. And do not Google fan art until you are very confident you know who everyone is.
Just enter the world through Celaena’s story and let it grow.
Because one minute you think you are reading about an assassin competing for her freedom, and several books later you are emotionally invested in kingdoms, witches, wyverns, princes, warriors, lost magic, and people you did not even know existed when you opened Book 1.
That is the Throne of Glass experience.
And once phrases like Fireheart, Terrasen, and the Thirteen start hurting your feelings, Bookish Closet has book-inspired apparel for readers who like wearing the fictional worlds they refuse to emotionally leave.
FAQ: Throne of Glass for new readers
How many books are in the Throne of Glass series?
The main reading path includes seven novels plus The Assassin’s Blade, a collection of five prequel novellas. The main novels run from Throne of Glass through Kingdom of Ash.
What is the best Throne of Glass reading order?
Sarah J. Maas’s official preferred order is Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, The Assassin’s Blade, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, and Kingdom of Ash.
Should I read The Assassin’s Blade before Throne of Glass?
You can, because the novellas take place earlier chronologically. However, the official Sarah J. Maas order places The Assassin’s Blade after Crown of Midnight. Both approaches are common among readers.
Do I need to tandem read Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn?
No. The tandem read is optional. Reading Empire of Storms and then Tower of Dawn in publication order is completely valid and is the order recommended by Bloomsbury.
Should I read ACOTAR before Throne of Glass?
No. You can start Throne of Glass without reading ACOTAR. Sarah J. Maas’s major series can be read independently, although readers often move between them after finishing one.
Is Throne of Glass more fantasy or romance?
Throne of Glass is primarily an epic fantasy series with significant romance. As the story develops, the focus expands heavily into magic, kingdoms, war, identity, friendship, and found family.
Is Throne of Glass finished?
Yes. The main Throne of Glass series is complete, ending with Kingdom of Ash.
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