This post was originally published on Audible.com.
Sarah J. Maas is the creator of not one, not two, but three successful romantasy and fantasy series ... so far. Her inventive work has become a mainstay of the BookTok community, and listeners simply can’t get enough of her characters, world-building, and vivid, propulsive prose. But with more than a dozen books to her name and counting, her catalog can feel daunting to tackle if you're new to the author. Fear not—we're here to guide you through the worlds of Sarah J. Maas so you can figure out which series most appeals to you and what stories you want to explore first.
Who is Sarah J. Maas?
Sarah J. Maas started writing her debut novel, Throne of Glass, when she was only 16 years old. Maas says she was inspired at a young age by fantasy books like Garth Nix’s Sabriel, Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown, and Robert Munsch’s The Paper Bag Princess. She also drew inspiration from classical music, movies, television, and works of art.
Throne of Glass was published in 2012, when Maas was 26. This was the start of a young adult series that would span multiple books. Meanwhile, the author was also working on a new adult series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. She started writing the steamier fantasy series in 2009, and the first book was published in 2015. Maas's third book series, Crescent City, is adult fantasy. The first book, entitled House of Earth and Blood, was released in 2020, and the most recent book, House of Flame and Shadow, was released on January 30th, 2024.
Sarah J. Maas currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Josh Wasserman, whom she married in May 2010, and their two children, a son named Taran and a daughter named Sloan.
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas says Disney's Cinderella was a major inspiration for her fantasy YA series Throne of Glass. In a blog post, Maas explained that while watching Cinderella flee the ball in that classic Disney film, "I thought music was way too dark and intense to accompany the scene. The music fit much better when I imagined a thief—no, an assassin!—fleeing the palace. But who was she? Who had sent her to kill the prince? Who might the prince’s enemies be? A powerful, corrupt empire, perhaps?"
And that's how she came up with Celaena Sardothien, an 18-year-old assassin in the kingdom of Adarlan, ruled by the brutal Havilliard family. After conquering neighboring territories, including Melisande, Terrasen, Fenharrow, and Eyllwe, and destorying their monarchies, the Havilliards set up slave trades and labor camps where prisoners were forced to work. Celaena is arrested and sent to a slave camp called Endovier to pay for her crimes. After a year of hard labor, she is given an opportunity to enter a competition with other assassins and thieves. Whoever wins will serve as the King's Champion for four years and then be set free. All Caelena has to do is defeat the 23 other contestants, and she will earn her freedom. So begins Maas's first epic fantasy series, brilliantly narrated by Elizabeth Evans.
Throughout the series, Caelena learns to fight not just for herself but also for the freedom of all the people of Adarlan as she joins rebel forces and makes alliances in different parts of the kingdom—notably, with Prince Dorian, Chaol, the Captain of the Guard, and the immortal Fae warrior Rowan Whitethorn. Ultimately, Caelena learns that she is capable of so much more than she could have ever imagined.
Maas's Throne of Glass series also includes five prequel novellas set before the events of the original series. The novellas have now been compiled into one audiobook, The Assassin's Blade.
A Court of Thorns and Roses
With A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas dives into a fantasy world that is slightly more adult, a little spicier, and very much about the romance. Maas said that the series was originally meant to be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and Tam Lin. While this is more apparent in the first novel, the series veers into new directions as the story expands.
After 19-year-old Feyre Archeron kills a wolf in the woods, a beast captures her and brings her back to the faerie lands of Prythian to pay for her crimes. Prythian is a faerie kingdom divided into seven courts—the Spring Court, the Summer Court, the Winter Court, the Autumn Court, the Night Court, the Day Court, and the Dawn Court—each ruled by a different lord.
Soon, Feyre discovers her captor is really Tamlin, an immortal faerie and ruler of the Spring Court, which borders the mortal lands from which Feyre came. The series follows Feyre's adventures through Prythian and her romantic entanglement with Tamlin and Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court. The Night Court is the northernmost court in Prythian. It is also the largest and the one most feared by the people of Prythian. Rhysand has a reputation for cruelty and arrogance, but as Feyre grows closer to him, the more she sees that all of his posturing is just a facade. In fact, nothing in Prythian is what it appears to be at first glance.
A Court of Thorns and Roses was originally planned as a trilogy, but Maas has since written two more novels and plans to write three more books that would expand on the world of Prythian beyond the original series. Hulu has also optioned the New York Times bestselling series for an upcoming television series, adapted by Ronald D. Moore.
Crescent City
Sarah J. Maas's third series, Crescent City marks her first exploration into adult fantasy. The first book in this series, House of Earth and Blood, was published in 2020, and the third and most recent book, House of Flame and Shadow, came out in early 2024. Maas has plans for a fourth book, but its title and release date have yet to be announced.
Crescent City follows the story of Bryce Quinlan, a half-fae, half-human girl who lives a fairly normal life until her best friend is murdered by a demon. After Bryce is accused of committing the crime, she finds herself responsible for investigating the death of her friend to clear her own name. Assisting her with the investigation is Hunt Athalar. A fallen angel, Hunt Athalar also has stakes in finding out who committed the crime. If he tracks down the murderer, he will no longer be enslaved to the Archangels.
Throughout the series, Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar grow closer and get drawn into a rebellion against the Asteri, the nearly god-like creatures who rule over Midgard. At one point, Bryce is even transported into another world altogether, making this series Maas's most expansive world-building to date. Throne of Glass narrator Elizabeth Evans returns to narrate, making the experience of listening to Crescent City nothing short of exceptional.
