ACOTAR Reading Order: The Complete Guide to Every Book (Including 6, 7, and 8)

There are currently five published books in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, with three more on the way. Read them in publication order. Every guide that suggests a different order is overthinking it. Maas wrote them in this sequence for a reason, and the emotional beats depend on experiencing the story the way she designed it.

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015)

2. A Court of Mist and Fury (2016)

3. A Court of Wings and Ruin (2017)

4. A Court of Frost and Starlight (2018)

5. A Court of Silver Flames (2021)

6. A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 6 (October 27, 2026)

7. A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 7 (January 12, 2027)

8. A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 8 (TBA)

Some readers ask whether they should skip A Court of Frost and Starlight because it is a novella and lighter in tone than the main trilogy. Do not skip it. It bridges the events of Wings and Ruin to Silver Flames, introduces character dynamics that matter later, and sets up emotional threads that Maas pulls on for the rest of the series. It is short. Read it.

A Court of Thorns and Roses starts as a Beauty and the Beast retelling and becomes something else entirely. Feyre is a mortal huntress who kills a wolf in the woods and gets dragged into the faerie lands of Prythian as punishment. She falls for Tamlin, the High Lord who took her. The first book is a setup. It works on its own, but Maas is laying groundwork for a much bigger story.

A Court of Mist and Fury is where the series becomes the series. Feyre is dealing with trauma from the events of book one. Her relationship with Tamlin deteriorates. And then Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court, enters the picture. ACOMAF is the book that turned ACOTAR into a phenomenon. The romance between Feyre and Rhys is one of the most discussed in modern fantasy fiction, and the way Maas handles the shift from Tamlin is a masterclass in subverting reader expectations. If you read the first book and thought it was fine but not life-changing, keep going. Mist and Fury is the reason people tattoo this series on their bodies.

A Court of Wings and Ruin is the war book. The political conflicts that have been building across two novels come to a head. Feyre returns to the Spring Court as a spy. Alliances form and break. The final battle sequence is massive. This is the book that proved Maas could write large-scale fantasy action alongside the romance. Some readers find the resolution too clean. Others think it earns its ending. Both perspectives have merit. The trilogy closes here, but the world does not.

A Court of Frost and Starlight is the breathing room between wars. It is a holiday novella set during Winter Solstice in the Night Court. The tone is lighter. The stakes are personal rather than existential. Feyre and Rhys are settling into their new reality. The Inner Circle dynamics get more screen time. Some readers love it for the warmth. Others find it slow after the intensity of Wings and Ruin. It is essential reading because Maas plants seeds here that bloom in Silver Flames and beyond.

A Court of Silver Flames is the book that divided the fandom. Not because of quality, but because of perspective. The POV shifts from Feyre to Nesta, her older sister. Nesta is angry, self-destructive, and difficult to root for at the start. She is also, by the end, one of the most compelling characters Maas has ever written. The romance is with Cassian, and it burns slow and hot. The spice levels jump significantly from earlier books. The training sequences in the Valkyrie arc are some of the most satisfying in the series. But if you are reading ACOTAR strictly for Feyre and Rhys, this book will test your patience. The payoff is worth it. Nesta's arc adds depth to the entire world that the Feyre trilogy could not reach on its own.

Here is what Sarah J. Maas confirmed during her Call Her Daddy appearance in March 2026. She sat down to write the next ACOTAR book and it grew past a thousand pages. Instead of cutting, she split the story into three parts. Book 6 is Part One (October 27, 2026). Book 7 is Part Two (January 12, 2027). Book 8 is Part Three (date TBA, but likely later in 2027).

First drafts for Books 6 and 7 are done. No titles have been announced. No cover art. No POV confirmation. The fandom has been speculating about whose perspective these books will follow since Silver Flames dropped. The leading theories are Elain (the third Archeron sister, whose story has been deliberately held back) and Azriel (the shadowsinger whose bonus chapter in ACOSF broke the internet).

Pre-orders for Book 6 already shattered SJM records before a title or cover existed. The October 27 release date puts it in direct competition with the fall publishing season, but that has never stopped a Maas release from dominating. The January 12 followup means fans will barely have time to process Book 6 before the next installment arrives. That pacing is deliberate. Maas is treating this as one continuous story delivered in parts, not three separate novels.

For new readers, this announcement means you have roughly five months to read the existing five books before the new content begins. That is tight but doable. For returning readers, this is your signal to start the re-read. Details from Frost and Starlight and Silver Flames will almost certainly be relevant.

Maas writes three main series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City. They share a universe. This became explicit in House of Earth and Blood when a major ACOTAR character appeared in the Crescent City storyline. The crossover goes deeper than a cameo.

Reading order for the full Maasverse is a separate conversation, but the short version is: you can read ACOTAR completely independently. You do not need Throne of Glass or Crescent City to understand what is happening in Prythian. But if you want the full picture of how Maas is connecting her worlds, you should read Throne of Glass before ACOTAR and Crescent City after A Court of Silver Flames. The crossover moments land harder with that context.

Throne of Glass is Maas's first series and it shows growing pains in the early books, but the back half (Heir of Fire onward) is where she hit her stride. Celaena is a different kind of heroine than Feyre, and the series is more action-heavy and less romance-focused, though both elements are present. If you have never read it and you love ACOTAR, you are leaving good content on the table.

Five months until Book 6. You have finished your ACOTAR re-read and you need something to occupy the gap. These books scratch similar itches.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros has taken the romantasy throne alongside SJM. Dragon riders, a deadly military academy, and an enemies-to-lovers romance that matches ACOTAR for intensity. The Empyrean series has its own Prime Video adaptation coming. If you have somehow not read it, now is the time.

Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole is the indie darling that secured a Hulu deal. A mortal woman in an immortal world, a slow-burn romance with a prince she is supposed to hate, and political stakes that build across four books. The Kindred's Curse Saga shares DNA with ACOTAR in ways that feel intentional and earned.

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout delivers the forbidden romance and hidden identity twists that ACOTAR readers love. Poppy's sheltered existence shatters spectacularly, and the romance with Hawke builds through secrecy and danger. The series is complete, so no waiting.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black puts a mortal girl in the faerie courts with zero magic and maximum spite. Jude's survival strategy is different from Feyre's, but the power dynamics and political maneuvering will feel familiar. The Folk of the Air trilogy is tight, complete, and rewards re-reads.

For more recommendations tailored to ACOTAR fans, check our full guide to books to read after finishing the series, or browse our fae romance and enemies-to-lovers collections for more options sorted by trope.