Ranking every single Sarah J. Maas book

If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with Sarah J. Maas, the bestselling fantasy romance author whose work has captured the hearts of millions. As of 20204, Maas has sold over 40 million copies of her books and her journey as a writer began at just sixteen years old. Her debut novel, Throne of Glass, started as a story she posted on FictionPress, where it quickly became one of the site’s most popular works. Eventually, Maas took it down to publish a revised version, but I can’t help but wonder what the original Queen of Glass version was like. 

Before you read any further, this is your spoiler warning for all Sarah J. Maas books, so read ahead at your own risk. At the time of writing this, Maas has published seventeen books and I will be ranking all of them purely on the basis of my opinion. 

17. Catwoman: Soulstealer 

Okay, okay, okay… I haven’t actually read this book so it’s not completely fair to rank it last. If you have no idea what Catwoman: Soulstealer is, it is part of the DC Icon Series, a line of novels published by DC Comics that brings iconic superhero characters from the DC Universe to life through the lens of young adult fiction. Each book is written by a different well-known author and reimagines a superhero origin story.Sarah J. Maas contributed to the DC Icons series with her novel Catwoman: Soulstealer, which was released in August 2018. Maas’s entry focuses on Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman), one of Gotham’s most famous antiheroes. The novel is a reimagining of her origin, featuring a young Selina grappling with her dual identity as a skilled thief and someone struggling to reconcile her darker instincts with the possibility of redemption. 

I do find it interesting that Catwoman is called Selina which is so close to the name Celaena from the Throne of Glass series which Sarah would have been writing at the same time. 

Although it’s not really fair that I’m ranking this book last, I can’t really see myself picking this one up and therefore it unfortunately defaults to seventeenth. 

16. Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath 

This book is the second book in the Crescent City series and was unfortunately a massive let down after reading book one. I had high hopes for this series given that book one was such a strong start and Sarah’s books usually improve as the series goes on. I couldn’t wait to delve further into the world of Lunathion and Bryce and Hunt but was sorely disappointed by the long and drawn out nature of this book. 

House of Sky and Breath continues the story of Bryce and Hunt as they come down from the dramatic events at the end of book 1. Unfortunately, this book felt like a slug to get through as it meanders through a bunch of side plots that don’t entirely feel relevant to the main thread of the book. We also get an expansion of POVs in this book with chapters from the perspective of Ithan and Tharion which were both incredibly boring characters to follow when all I really wanted was to follow Bryce and Hunt’s story. 

This book was a let down because it felt like all of the momentum from the first book fell to the wayside and we got long and drawn out scenes just to drag out the book. The will-they-won’t-they between Bryce and Hunt quickly got boring and the rest of the storylines weren’t engaging enough to carry it through. Although I did find the villain arc of the story and the Asteri to be very interesting, we hardly interacted with the Asteri at all, instead focusing the story around Ithan, Tharion and Bryce being an annoying Aelin wannabe. 

15. A Court of Frost and Starlight

Although this book is coming in at third last, I don’t actually have any glaring issues with it, there are just so many great books in Sarah’s backlog that I couldn’t in good faith place this book above any of the others. 

A Court of Frost and Starlight felt like a bridging story. It was Sarah’s way of wrapping up the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy and Feyre’s story, to move the series onto its next stage and setting up the story between Cassian and Nesta.

I purchased this book on the day it was released and essentially devoured it in one sitting. I was counting down the days until this book was released, desperate for any morsel of content about my favourite characters in the world. I actually really enjoyed reading it at the time and was just so grateful to be back in the ACOTAR world after finishing the original trilogy and feeling as though I had a gaping hole in my chest which no other series or characters could fill. 

Don’t get me wrong, I can completely admit that the first time I read this it was with rose tinted glasses on. Upon re-read, I can see that this novella is entirely unnecessary and adds little to the story. Also the scene of Feyre and Rhys having sex while he is flying through the sky over Velaris? Not sexy. 

14. Assassin's Blade

Again, I don’t dislike this book by any means but compared to the other books further up, I can’t place it any higher. Assassin’s Blade is the origin story of the main character in the Throne of Glass series, Celaena Sardothian. It was published after Crown of Midnight and acted as a prequel for the series, exploring four short stories that shaped the character we grew to love in Throne of Glass. 

I really enjoyed each of the short stories and loved the introduction of beloved characters such as Yrene and Ansel of Briarcliff. I also felt as though the dynamic established between Celaena and Arrobyn added so much more depth to Celana’s character that makes reading Queen of Shadows so much more powerful.

However, the most heart wrenching of all has to be the story of Celeana and Sam. Going into this book I obviously knew Sam’s fate but that didn’t stop me from feeling absolutely devastated with the ending of the book. 

13. Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass… where it all began. I remember reading this book for the first time and feeling fairly neutral about it. After coming down from the high of reading ACOTAR, it was quite the change of pace and felt childish in tone after reading about Feyre and Rhys. Nevertheless, this series would go on to become my favourite series of all time and although the first book isn’t the strongest start to the series, it still holds a soft place in my heart. 

This book feels extremely 2012 with the assassin competition, the castle, the balls and the two love interests of Dorian and Chaol. If I read this book when I was twelve, I’m sure I would’ve eaten it up from page one. 

Although it does set some great groundwork for the rest of the series and Sarah is a master at foreshadowing, it’s just not as strong as the other books on this list. 

12. Crown of Midnight

I definitely enjoyed Crown of Midnight more than Throne of Glass and found that the series really began to find its feet once the whole ‘competition’ saga was over and we could focus more on the lore and character building of this world. 

In this book we also got to see the development of the romance between Celaena and Chaol which was interesting to read at the time even though Chaol turned into an idiot by the end of the book. I really feel like Sarah started to find her feet with this series towards the end of the book especially when we get the reveal that Celaena is fae and her true name is Aelin Galythinius. 

We did also get the death of Nehemia which was completely shocking and in retrospect almost feels a little out of place in this series. Yes, this series has some hard hitting moments and other character deaths, but to have such a pivotal character die in such a brutal way so early into the series was a shock. 

11. Crescent City: House of Flame and Shadows

I waited years for this book… YEARS. I pre-ordered it on my Kindle and the day it came out I set my alarm for 4am so I could read as much of it as I could before I started work. I know that many SJM fans felt let down by this book and I completely understand the gripes with it, it’s certainly not the show stopping crossover finale showdown I was expecting. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy reading this book. 

Maybe it was because I had been so starved for Sarah’s writing for the two years between her publishing a book that I would’ve loved a steaming pile of shit stamped inside a book cover that had her name on it. Who knows. 

Was the plotline between Bryce, Nesta and Azriel a meandering mess that was a complete let down? Yes. Did Bryce behave like a spoiled brat for the majority of this book? Yes. Did it feel like Bryce and Hunt lowkey kinda hated each other at times instead of being the fated mates they were sold as? Yes. Did I skim read over the Tharion and Ithan POV chapters because they were so bloody boring I wanted to tear out my eyeballs? Also yes. 

But I still loved it. I read it in two days. I can’t help it! I love an epic final battle. 

10. Tower of Dawn

This book was such a pleasant surprise for me. I had absolutely no intention of enjoying it, in fact I was prepared to hate it. Going into this book, Chaol was my most hated character. I found him whiny, annoying and completely unsympathetic. I couldn’t believe I was being forced to read a whole book about him. Suffice to say I had low expectations going in. 

I loved the world building in this book. I loved the lore of the Southern continent and the expansion of the Throne of Glass world. I loved the Khagante royal drama and the politics between the royal heirs. I LOVED Yrene and the healers. Yrene Towers is probably the only thing that could redeem Chaol for me because she’s just such a badass that by association that makes his character better. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love Sarah’s kickass warrior characters that are absolute legends on the battlefield, but I love having a character that shows strength in a different way. That Yrene is so powerful and respected without needing to don a sword and armour. 

9. A Court of Thorns and Roses

I first read A Court of Thorns and Roses back in 2018 (yes, I was an early adopter and I wanted to brag) on a whim when I saw it in the ‘staff’s pick’ section at the sprawling two-story Dymocks store in Brisbane CBD. I had no clue what it was about but I read the back of the book and it looked enticing so I bought it then and there without having heard of it. 

Having not read anything for a few years, I was trying to rediscover my love of books and reading A Court of Thorns and Roses did exactly that. The world felt so immersive and I fell in love with the ethereal faerie lands of Prythian. I loved the magic and the different magical courts seemed so interesting.

My favourite part of the book was of course the trials under the mountain. From the moment Feyre made her bargain with Rhys, I was done for. I couldn’t have cared less about Tamlin and was instead yearning for Feyre to give the morally grey dark haired guy a chance. 

8. Heir of Fire

Heir of Fire is where the Throne of Glass series really takes a turn in my opinion. It goes from a young adult book focused on a competition to become  the superfluous King’s Champion and a love triangle between an assassin, a prince and a royal guard to a high stakes fantasy novel with a cast of complex characters and political dynamics that deals with trauma. 

By the end of Crown of Midnight Chaol had pissed me off so thoroughly that I welcomed the introduction of Rowan. I also loved the introduction of more fae mythology in the series and really liked the many training montages we had of Celaena letting go of her assassin persona to step into her identity as Aelin Ashryver Galythinius, Queen of Terrasen. 

The fact that we also got the introduction of one of my favourite characters of all time, Manon Blackbeak, is just the cherry on top of why I enjoyed this book so much. The introduction of witches brought a whole new element to worldbuilding and lore. The epic ending of this book with the battle of Mistward and Celaena severing the blood oath between Maeve and Rowan also had me clutching my pearls the first time I read it.   

7. A Court of Silver Flames 

I was torn between placing A Court of Silver Flames at 8 or 7, but ultimately it ended up here. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had been desperate to read about Cassian and Nesta ever since their romance was first teased in A Court of Mist and Fury. The character development of Nesta was so well done given that I went from being in the camp of people that absolutely despised her after her actions in A Court of Frost and Starlight, to completely adoring her by the end of this book. 

I found the element of female friendship so touching in this book and loved the development of sisterhood between Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie. The inclusion of the Valkyrie warrior lore also added a great touch and made me really root for the girls. 

Nesta was also a complete badass at multiple points during this book with some of my favourite moments being the Bog of Oorid/death mask scene, the dancing with Eris scene and of course her showdown during the Blood Rite. 

Many people really didn’t like the portrayal of Rhys in this book and I’ve seen lots of commentary online that this book made some people even hate him. While their feelings are completely fair given Rhys’ actions, I’m going to be honest and say I didn’t actually realise how ‘problematic’ Rhys’ behaviour was until I saw other people comment on it. He made some questionable decisions but this is Nesta’s book so I didn’t really pay too much attention to Rhys during this book. 

6. A Court of Wings and Ruin

Coming off the back of A Court of Mist and Fury, this book had big shoes to fill and I believe it did so effectively. I devoured this book and couldn’t rest until I knew the conclusion of the war against Hybern. I feel as though this book was a great conclusion to the original series and was a satisfying way to end the Hybern story arc. 

There are some incredible moments in this book and one that springs to mind is the moment where Feyre and Lucien are fighting his brothers in the Winter Court and Cassian and Azriel land on the ice. I think I literally sobbed when that happened. 

I’m also a sucker for a good battle scene so I really enjoyed seeing the battles play out and how the High Lords transformed themselves into beasts to fight at the hordes of Hybern soldiers. Reading about the Illyrians in action was also really interesting to me. 

One thing I will say though is that I was slightly disappointed at Feyre’s lack of action during the actual battles… I understand that she wasn’t trained as a soldier but we got so much build up of her training during A Court of Mist and Fury and the book cover even said “for her world, she will become a weapon” so I really thought that she would be more involved in the actual fighting, rather than staying on the sidelines. 

5. Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood

Don’t get me wrong, the first five chapters of this book had my head spinning but it still managed to win me over and end up in my top 5 Sarah J. Maas books. This book was unlike anything I’d ever read before and I felt immediately swept up in the immersive world of Midgaard. The lore was so fascinating with the different houses of creatures and their respective sectors of the sprawling urban city. 

The urban fantasy city setting was something completely different to what we had seen from Sarah in the past and I was entranced by the combination of angels, vampires, shifters and modern technology. 

What really puts this book in the top 5 for me was the ending. Like many Sarah J. Maas books, the final 10 chapters of this book have your heart beating out of your chest with anticipation. Micah confronting Bryce in the gallery, the tense fight between them, the God Slaying rifle, the vacuum (!!!), the demons streaming through the portal, the epic fight on the streets with the Fendyr sword, the video streaming the entire exchange to the conference, Hunt flying in via helicopter to save Bryce, the drop??? 

The ending of this book had me crying in the staff room of the retail store I worked at while devouring the last few chapters on my lunch break. Yes, people were giving me strange looks but I didn’t care because I was so close to finishing this book. 

With such a strong start to the series, I really thought Crescent City was going to be Sarah’s best series yet and I was so excited to see where the series was going to go. Safe to say I was disappointed with where the series ended up but it had so much potential to start off with. 

4. Queen of Shadows

I have to be so honest with myself here… the first time I read this book, I wasn’t that fussed on it! It was only upon rereading the entire Throne of Glass series that I developed a whole new appreciation for this book and all of the groundwork that was laid here. 

I can’t even pinpoint my favourite scene in this book because there are so many great parts. The introduction of Lysandra was amazing and I found her character to be such an interesting juxtaposition to the usual trope of the femme fatale. The entire dinner scene at Arobynn’s keep lives in my head rent free, Rowan aka Mr My Skin Was Feeling A Little Try Whitethorn was so bad for that. Adding Elide into the mix of the witches storyline was also such a great inclusion and I found her so compelling to read about and such a great companion to help us sympathise with Manon. 

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much more on reread is because it really sets up so much for the final two books in the series. We see the epic conclusion of Aelin’s war against the King of Adarlan and we see each of the characters go through such a transformative journey. We also get to see Aelin transition between her old mask as Celaena the heartless assassin to Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. 

3. Empire of Storms

Empire of Storms feels like the continuation of such an epic build up to the final book in this series. We really see the pieces of this story come together during this book with Aelin calling in old favours and rallying an army, Manon rebelling against her grandmother and the witches to later reunite with Aelin and crew, the cadre coming together to fight for Aelin (sorta) and Dorian stepping into his power and honing his raw magic. 

This book goes from strength to strength with so many action packed scenes. The scene at the beach in Skull’s Bay where Lysandra battles the sea wyverns is a standout for me and I often find myself rereading that scene alone. Don’t even get me started on the ending when Maeve shows up and has a brutal showdown on the beach with Aelin… Chills!

But one of the unexpected standouts for me when reading this book was the romance that developed between Elide and Lorcan. What started off as an unexpected converging of storylines quickly became my favourite part of the book and I love the scene where Elide flings the axe at the ilken. 

2. A Court of Mist and Fury

I know, I know…. I can’t believe this is coming in at 2nd when it is such an incredible book. Narrowing down between position 1 and 2 was so difficult considering both of these books were so special and so impactful to me. I absolutely adored this book from the very first time I read it and it holds such a special place in my heart. 

From the moment we read about Feyre standing at the altar in her hideous wedding gown and we hear the thunder clap in the background followed by Rhys purring “hello, Feyre darling” I was done for. By the end of A Court of Thorns and Roses I was already over Tamlin and ready for Rhys to take front and centre of this love story so I was delighted by how the start of the book played out. 

The gradual build of the relationship between Feyre and Rhys and their transition from enemies to lovers needs to be studied for how good it is. Like seriously, what did Sarah put on this book to make millions of women go crazy over it? 

Chapter 54 is a masterclass on how to write a love confession. Reading as Rhys pours his heart out to Feyre and tells her his entire story never fails to bring a tear to my eyes. I’ve read this book more times than I can count and the feeling of pure escapist joy never goes away. 

1. Kingdom of Ash

As I said, I was really torn between 1 and 2 but ultimately Kingdom of Ash wins out because what a finale! From the moment I had this book in my hands I couldn’t put it down, which wasn’t great because at the time I recall being a university student in the middle of assessment period who was also juggling an internship and a full time job. But it was worth it to read this absolute masterpiece. 

The first third of the book while Aelin was Maeve’s prisoner I was essentially holding my breath, waiting for her to be freed. The moment shared between her and Fenrys after they have been found by the crew and Fenrys dying after breaking his blood oath still makes me sob. Live Fenrys, LIVE! 

I feel like I need to write an entire article on my favourite moments from this book because I simply can’t narrow them down. The battle of Anielle, Elide racing for Lorcan on the back of Farasha, Manon fighting the witch matrons, Dorian tricking Maeve, the crochan witches fighting for Terrasen, Aelin riding on the back of the Lord of Night into battle for her kingdom. 

I think the reason I’ve given this one the top spot over A Court of Mist and Fury is because for me, this was the perfect way to complete the Throne of Glass series. I was so happy with where each of our characters ended up and this book felt like such a great pay-off for the entire series.