Okay, let’s get something straight. I am not one of the girls who will tell you to read The Assassin’s Blade first. And I am definitely not telling you to tandem read Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. If you do… I’m sorry to say it… but you are robbing yourself of the experience. Because you’re not appreciating the way the author intentionally laid out the story.
It’s like reading Haymitch’s backstory before The Hunger Games. Yes, technically it comes first in the timeline—but emotionally? It does not hit the same. The payoff, the connections, the heartbreak… it’s all designed to unfold in a certain order. So why ruin it?
I had just finished ACOTAR, and suddenly my entire TikTok was screaming: “READ THRONE OF GLASS.” So I caved.…and I made the mistake.
I started with The Assassin’s Blade. And let me tell you—I did not care about anyone. At all. By the end, I was sitting there like… “Why are there 8 books in this series?” So I stopped reading from May 2024…. until July of 2025 when I picked up Throne of Glass. I finished it and still thought:
“Okay… this feels like a complete story. Why are there six more books? But I kept going. And it got a little better…then a little better…then better.
Until I hit Empire of Storms. And that’s when I was like: “Okay wait… WHAT?!”
Then came my next controversial moment: I refused to read Tower of Dawn. I did not care about Chaol. I said what I said. So I dropped the series again… for months. But honestly? I’m so glad I did. Because when I finally came back to it, I was ready. And somehow… I ended up loving it way more than I expected.
And then… I went straight into Kingdom of Ash. And WOW. The emotional rollercoaster? Insane.
The sacrifices? Heartbreaking. The way every character, every storyline, every tiny detail finally comes together? That book made the entire series worth it. It’s the kind of ending that stays with you—the kind that makes you sit there after the last page like… “Wait. What do I do with my life now?”
So yeah… Do not read The Assassin’s Blade first. Do not tandem read. Trust the process. Trust the order. Because when it all comes together the way it’s meant to? Nothing hits harder.
Main Characters
1. Throne of Glass
- Celaena Sardothien
- Chaol Westfall
- Dorian Havilliard
- Nehemia Ytger
- Duke Perrington
- Cain (competitor)
- Kaltain Rompier
Quick Overview: An infamous assassin is pulled from a labor camp to compete in a deadly competition to become the king’s champion… but something darker is lurking in the castle.
2. Crown of Midnight
- Celaena Sardothien
- Chaol Westfall
- Dorian Havilliard
- Nehemia Ytger
- Archer Finn
- Mort (lowkey iconic door knocker 💀)
Quick Overview: Celaena is now the King’s Champion… but she’s not exactly doing what she’s supposed to. Secrets unravel, loyalties are tested, and THAT ending changes everything.
3. Assassin’s Blade
- Celaena Sardothien
- Sam Cortland
Quick Overview: An assassin. A love story. A betrayal that breaks her, and explains everything.
4. Heir of Fire
- Celaena / Aelin Galathynius
- Rowan Whitethorn
- Dorian Havilliard
- Chaol Westfall
- Manon Blackbeak
- Abraxos (yes he counts 🖤)
- Aedion Ashryver (intro)
- Sorscha
Quick Overview: Celaena goes on a journey of healing and discovery (aka suffering), while new storylines and characters explode the world wide open.
5. Queen of Shadows
- Aelin Galathynius
- Rowan Whitethorn
- Dorian Havilliard
- Chaol Westfall
- Manon Blackbeak
- Aedion Ashryver
- Lysandra
- Elide Lochan (intro)
- Lorcan Salvaterre (intro)
- Arobynn Hamel
Quick Overview: Aelin returns to take back her power and confront her past. Revenge, reunions, and major girl boss energy.
6. Empire of Strorms
- Aelin Galathynius
- Rowan Whitethorn
- Dorian Havilliard
- Manon Blackbeak
- Aedion Ashryver
- Lysandra
- Elide Lochan
- Lorcan Salvaterre
- Maeve
- Gavriel
- Fenrys
Quick Overview: Everything is building toward war. Alliances, love, sacrifice and one of the most chaotic endings in the series.
7. Tower of Dawn
- Chaol Westfall
- Yrene Towers
- Nesryn Faliq
- Sartaq
- Hasar
- Kashin
Quick Overview: A parallel story following Chaol’s healing journey in a new continent with new characters and lore.
8. Kingdom of Ash
- Aelin Galathynius
- Rowan Whitethorn
- Dorian Havilliard
- Chaol Westfall
- Yrene Towers
- Manon Blackbeak
- Aedion Ashryver
- Lysandra
- Elide Lochan
- Lorcan Salvaterre
- Fenrys
- Gavriel
- Sartaq
- Nesryn Faliq
- The Thirteen 🖤
Quick Overview: The final battle for the fate of the world. War, sacrifice, heartbreak, and every storyline colliding.
Purchase Here
Sarah J. Maas
Sarah J. Maas is the prolific, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City series, which have sold more than 70 million copies in English worldwide and are published in thirty-eight languages. Maas is one of the most successful authors of the modern era, generating a far-reaching and ever-growing fanbase of readers, as well as a TikTok phenomenon, with the hashtag for her A Court of Thorns and Roses series having several billion views.
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