Choosing Your Path Through Erilea
Sarah J. Maas's sprawling high fantasy series Throne of Glass is a modern cornerstone of the young adult and new adult fantasy genres. Spanning eight books, including a compiled prequel novella collection, the saga of assassin Celaena Sardothien features intricate world-building, high-stakes political intrigue, and deep emotional arcs. Because of the prequel collection, The Assassin's Blade, and two parallel-running novels, readers have debated the best reading order for years. There are three primary pathways to choose from, each offering a distinct narrative experience.
1. The Romantic Order (Recommended)
The Romantic Order is the most popular reading pathway recommended by the fan community. In this order, you save the prequel novellas for later, reading them after the third novel, Heir of Fire. This allows you to build momentum with the main plot and form a strong emotional connection to Celaena before diving back into her history.
- 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) — Read in tandem or sequence
- Kingdom of Ash (2018)
Why it works: The events in The Assassin's Blade directly impact the plot of Queen of Shadows. Reading the prequel right before book four ensures all the references, returning characters, and emotional beats are fresh in your mind for maximum impact.
2. The Chronological Order (Prequel First)
If you prefer a strictly linear timeline, starting with the prequels is the cleanest route. This approach places the backstory first, showing you exactly how Celaena became the notorious assassin introduced in the first book.
- The Assassin's Blade
- Throne of Glass
- Crown of Midnight
- Heir of Fire
- Queen of Shadows
- Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn
- Kingdom of Ash
Why it works: You will fully understand Celaena's trauma and relationships from page one of the main novel. The downside is that the writing style in the earliest novellas is slightly different from the later books, and some readers find starting with short stories slows down their initial immersion in the main plot.
3. The Publication Order (The Purist Route)
This pathway follows the exact order in which the books were released. Because the individual novellas were published electronically in 2012 before being compiled in 2014, purists often insert the compilation between Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire, which is also the official recommendation listed on the publisher's reading guides.
- 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
The Legendary "Tandem Read" Explained
As you progress to the latter half of the series, you will encounter a unique structural challenge: Empire of Storms (Book 5) and Tower of Dawn (Book 6) take place concurrently. While the former focuses on the main continental battlefront, the latter follows Chaol Westfall's journey to the Southern Continent. Because Empire of Storms ends on an agonizing cliffhanger, reading it first can make transitioning to the slower-paced, parallel-set Tower of Dawn difficult for some readers.
To solve this, the fan community created the Tandem Read. By alternating chapters between both books using a community-made guide, you experience both storylines simultaneously, building up to the final book, Kingdom of Ash, without experiencing timeline backtracking. If you prefer a simpler experience, reading them in publication order (Empire of Storms then Tower of Dawn) is perfectly valid, but be prepared for the sudden shift in focus and pace.
The Assassin's Blade: Novella Breakdown
First published individually as e-novellas in 2012, the stories in The Assassin's Blade were compiled into a single volume in 2014. These stories are essential to the main plot and cannot be skipped. The collection includes:
- The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
- The Assassin and the Healer
- The Assassin and the Desert
- The Assassin and the Underworld
- The Assassin and the Empire
Each story details a crucial chapter in Celaena's past, introducing key players like Sam Cortland, Rolfe, and Ansel of Briarcliff, all of whom return to play pivotal roles in the main series' final chapters.
What to Know Before You Start
Initially serialized online as Queen of Glass on FictionPress when Sarah J. Maas was just 16, the series underwent significant revision before Bloomsbury published the first novel in 2012. As a result, the tone transitions naturally from a young adult palace mystery in the first two books to an expansive high fantasy epic with multiple points of view and mature themes starting in Heir of Fire. None of the main books can be read as standalones, as they form a continuous, highly interconnected narrative arc that concludes in the massive finale, Kingdom of Ash.