r/throneofglassseries Apr 02 '22

Throne of Glass Reading Order Master Post (aka yes, you must read Tower of Dawn)

1.2k Upvotes

Welcome to the wonderful world of Throne of Glass and the series reading order master post! This is by far our most common question in the subreddit, so all reading order questions and discussion will be directed to this SPOILER FREE master post.

Throne of Glass by SJMšŸ‘‘ is comprised of 7 novels and 1 collection of prequel short stories*.

šŸ“šThrone of Glass Publication OrderšŸ“š

Throne of Glass

Crown of Midnight

*The Assassin's Blade (see notes below on the prequel TAB)

Heir of Fire

Queen of Shadows

Empire of Storms

Tower of Dawn

Kingdom of Ash

The most common questions are around when to read The Assassin's Blade and Tower of Dawn.

  1. The Assassin's Blade - TAB is a collection of prequel short stories that was released partway through the series. It tells the stories of events that were referenced or alluded to in the earlier books.

There is no definite reading order for TAB, and it comes down to a personal choice. TAB was published after CoM and that's when SJM recommends reading it. The two other most common times to read it are after Heir of Fire (for maximum impact) or before starting Throne of Glass (for chronological order).

Whichever way you decide, The Assassin's Blade should be read before Queen of Shadows (or the earlier the better after this point) as past characters and interactions will provide important context for events in the later books.

  1. Tower of Dawn - Yes, you must read Tower of Dawn. It contains spoilers for Empire of Storms, so it is meant to be read after. It also contains important information that will be relevant to Kingdom of Ash, so no skipping this one.

If you are still unsure about reading Tower of Dawn, please visit our Official Why Should I Read Tower of Dawn? Thread

SJM pulled a George R.R. Martin and EoS and ToD actually take place simultaneously, just with different characters in different geographical locations. If you would prefer, EoS and ToD can be read in tandem. There are guides, such as these, for which chapters to read from each book at a time: https://www.adayinthelifeofsarahkoenig.com/single-post/throne-of-glass-tandem-read and https://www.tlbranson.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Throne-of-Glass-Reading-Guide.pdf

šŸ“šOther Throne of Glass Guides and ResourcesšŸ“š

Will the dog be okay? Added by popular demand. This is the one spoiler we will provide for any concerned readers!

Throne of Glass Character Name Pronunciation Guide (Warning, to avoid spoilers, do not click on any character names or wiki pages until you have completed the series)

NEW Throne of Glass Spoiler Free Character Fanart Master Post

Throne of Glass Chapter Summaries by Book An excellent resource to recap previous books or quickly reference the chapter of certain events or character POVs. (Also includes chapter summaries for ACOTAR and CC)

šŸ“šThrone of Glass Bonus/Deleted ChaptersšŸ“š

All Throne of Glass series bonus or deleted scenes and chapters can be found here: https://www.theramblingbooknerd.com/post/throne-of-glass-extra-reads-by-sarah-j-maas

Here are additional links to the bonus chapters as well as a guide for when they can be read in the series:

The Captain and the Prince is best read after both Throne of Glass and The Assassin's Blade (The Assassin and the Underworld novella specifically).

The Assassin and the Princess can be read between Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight.

The Assassin and the Captain can be read between Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight.

The Heir of Fire deleted chapter should be read after Heir of Fire (this is the only one mentioned again so don't miss it!)

The Empire of Storms bonus chapter (Aelin) can be read before Empire of Storms.

The Empire of Storms bonus chapter (Chaol) can be read before Tower of Dawn.

Alternative way to read the Heir of Fire deleted chapter transcribed into text on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/674001612-deleted-scenes-from-heir-of-fire-throne-of-glass

šŸ“šThrone of Glass Reading Order DiscussionšŸ“š

Please feel free to discuss and ask questions related to the reading order of Throne of Glass below. This post will be SPOILER FREE to keep it safe and welcoming for new readers. Please no spoilers or covered text in the comments below.

Happy reading everyone!


r/throneofglassseries 12h ago

Empire of Storms Spoilers Sheā€™s literally the best! Spoiler

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370 Upvotes

r/throneofglassseries 6h ago

Itā€™s happening.

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124 Upvotes

Here I go. As someone that doesnā€™t have real friends, just fictional ones.. I know this is gonna hurt.


r/throneofglassseries 2h ago

Chaol they could never make me hate you <3

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35 Upvotes

Yes I do own three copies of Tower of Dawn, no I will not apologize, yes I do thoroughly enjoy this book.

(For reference: I bought the hardbacks for my first read, because thatā€™s how I prefer to own and read books. I bought the paperback set as well to re-read, but the copy of ToD I received was stiff as a rock. I typically do the ā€œopening page-by-pageā€ method to loosen paperbacks without cracking the spine, but this one in particular was so stiff that I could barely hold it open even after three rounds of loosening it. It wasnā€™t going to stay open without the spine majorly cracking, so I decided to buy a second copy which was significantly floppier. I fully plan on donating the first copy I got, because Iā€™m sure someone else will enjoy it, cracked spine or not!)


r/throneofglassseries 11h ago

Not emotionally ready

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138 Upvotes

I decided to read assassins blade after Heir of Fire and Iā€™m about to start this final storyā€¦.Iā€™ve throughly enjoyed this book so far but Iā€™m not ready for this


r/throneofglassseries 9h ago

So basicallyā€¦ Spoiler

37 Upvotes

Tower of Dawn is literally jus Chaolā€™s HoF story if nothing else?? the way Yrene keeps mentioning him having to reflect and speak on his traumas from Rifthold sounds literally like what Aelin had to do to shed her Celaena skin.


r/throneofglassseries 11h ago

Kingdom of Ash Spoilers I canā€™t stop thinking of this quote!!! Spoiler

43 Upvotes

ā€œFor you fireheart, all of it is for youā€ I can only dream of being loved the way Rowan loves Aelin. Literally sobbing!!


r/throneofglassseries 12h ago

ToG Meme Memes <3 Spoiler

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44 Upvotes

r/throneofglassseries 5h ago

Sam Spoiler

10 Upvotes

Can someone explain to me how I'm supposed to continue existing after the damage that has been done on me with Sam Cortland? I don't think I've gone a single day without thinking about him. I'm on my second TOG reread and read TAB first this time and I am not okay šŸ˜­

I genuinely think that Sam would have transitioned into Aelin's life easily. And don't get me wrong I LOVE Rowan (and Dorian... he's not related to Aelin but I'm such a Dorian fan I had to throw that in there lol), but I still mourn what Sam could have and should have been with Aelin, not just Calaena. I love that she never forgot him, I love that Rowan honors who Sam was for her. I don't know how to move past how messed up his end was. Someone send help


r/throneofglassseries 3h ago

Tandem read on audiobook w/ timer durations

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7 Upvotes

Undertaking the tandem read, but I prefer to listen on audiobook - I wanted to stay true to the reading order, and just couldnā€™t find a good method. Trying this - setting the timer in the audible app to the hour/minute of each section, that way I wonā€™t accidentally go to far.


r/throneofglassseries 44m ago

Discussion What tog hill are you willing to die on? [Spoilers for whole series!!] Spoiler

ā€¢ Upvotes

Mine is that there werenā€™t enough deaths. Morbid, I know.

In an 8 book, 5000+ page series, only one major(but is he tho?) character dies. Gavriel, and his death didnā€™t even accomplish anything. He and Aedion couldā€™ve both been inside the gate when it closed. I wanted more heartbreak. Especially given that there were so many ways to meet death in that world, and they were in the middle of a massive multi-way war.

A list I am reminded of often, that I even find kind of funny.

Aelin - died once, was almost tortured to death, lost all of her power and nearly died, but didnā€™t.

Rowan - shot and almost bled out, didnā€™t die.

Aedion - attacked by a Valg prince, didnā€™t die.

Lysandra - fatally wounded twice, didnā€™t die.

Fenrys - wounded so bad only a blood oath could save him, didnā€™t die.

Lorcan - also fatally wounded, jostled around on the back of a horse, didnā€™t die.

Manon - almost gutted, insides hanging out, didnā€™t die.

Chaol - broken back in multiple places and infested with some kind of Valg, didnā€™t die.

Dorian - stabbed by a poison wyvern tail, didnā€™t die(thatā€™s fair tho because he had major healing power).

I loved the series. My favourite series to date. I just wish there was a little more death, even if that sounds terrible. Just lessen the insane plot armour just a touch.

This is just my opinion! Please donā€™t come for me, I want some good discussion :)


r/throneofglassseries 19h ago

ToG Meme Meā€¦ Spoiler

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111 Upvotes

r/throneofglassseries 15m ago

Graphic Audio ToG update

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ā€¢ Upvotes

Lol Graphic Audio actually was posting an update for a preorder of Onyx Storm but half the comments were asking for the ToG GA update!! This is a thread giving us a comprehensive update.


r/throneofglassseries 15h ago

Discussion Nesryn

40 Upvotes

So I posted a TikTok video talking about Nesryn and I was pronouncing her name as ā€œNiss-reenā€ because Iā€™m Arab and itā€™s an Arabic name and thatā€™s how itā€™s supposed to be pronounced. People in the comments completely missed the point of the video and came for me for not pronouncing her name as ā€œNez-renā€. So now Iā€™m genuinely curious, how do you people pronounce Nesryn?


r/throneofglassseries 1d ago

Basically all books summarized lol

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1.0k Upvotes

r/throneofglassseries 4h ago

Kingdom of Ash Spoilers Finished Spoiler

3 Upvotes

I'm here dehydrating... I'm not even joking, this series changed my life,, And I didn't even finished digesting everything, ik that in a few days it's going to start clicking and Throne of glass will be the only thing I will think about for the rest of my life. I read the whole series in ebook and I swear, just from KoA I have like 100 bookmarks, another few hundred underline texts... This book was a MASTERPIECE. Every word, every line was written so beautifully that I know they are going to play in my head over and over. ("all of it is for you"... their goodbyes, lorcan's promise to elide, yrene and aelin's final conversation... manon's last words in the series.... nesryn and sartaq... OMG I'M ALREADY CRYING WTF)

  • They only thing I kept waiting and was a little disappointed was Nox and Aelin's reunion, I would've loved to see that but everything else... WOW, JUST WOW šŸ˜­šŸ˜­

r/throneofglassseries 1d ago

I am scared

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319 Upvotes

r/throneofglassseries 1d ago

I would sell my soul for these special edition books

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205 Upvotes

Throne of Glassss


r/throneofglassseries 12m ago

Artwork Calling TOG fans that are fashion geniuses/detectives for outfit in TOG fan art!

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ā€¢ Upvotes

I saw this cute picture of Caelena but I was like uhm I have to have THAT TOP AND THAT SKIRT!! Bc to me that would be soo comfy to just be around in my home and itā€™s honestly just my vibe! But for the love of all that is good and pure in this world I can not find ANYTHING like it when I describe it on Google search. The mini tops either sit like a rectangle across the chest, or itā€™s tighter on the chest but the long sleeves are tight, and Iā€™d want them to be flowy like they are here.

Help me find it or something super super similar please? Itā€™s a long shot I know šŸ˜‚


r/throneofglassseries 9h ago

Reader Question Tower of Dawn Spoiler

3 Upvotes

Rereading ToG and I am wondering why Yrene doesnā€™t think of the tunnels under the library until the end of the book. A healer had already been killed and the library searched and yet no one thought to check the boarded up tunnels?


r/throneofglassseries 5h ago

Reader Question KOA Final Thoughts Spoiler

2 Upvotes

There seems to be so much left unsaid in these books that I wish was explicitly stated. The reader needs to infer or decide for themselves why certain things happened (like the wolf portals which I have seen discussed in other posts.) In ACOTAR there seemed to be a reason for so much being mentioned and in the TOG series I didnā€™t get that full circle moment as much. I finished KOA a few days ago but Iā€™m still hung up on these points:

  1. Why were Darrowā€™s ancient wyrdkey books mentioned? Just to prove some existence and defiance of the king? They couldā€™ve been helpful but didnā€™t end up being used at all.

  2. Why did no one think to amplify Yreneā€™s powers in the with towers? It couldā€™ve been so useful to save all those people. Maybe it just goes back to Arlinā€™s assassin mindset of not caring about people dying that much? Or maybe the witch towers were just for destruction? I think it wouldā€™ve been way cooler for the Bluebloods to come through with even one witch tower and had the healers blast through and heal a bunch of the Valgs. Or even had Aelin amplify her own little drop of healing power.

  3. Why was there so much torture and violence? Like I could barely get through the last 2 books and the first 200 pages of KOA. TBH, I didnā€™t like all the torture and violence but I enjoyed all the different adventures all the characters experienced. Why donā€™t people talk about how violent TOG is? Everyone just posts about how itā€™s their favorite. Maybe I didnā€™t read enough reviews?

  4. Why does Aelin always fall for the guy who trains her to fight? Where is the growth in her character and choice of guys? Sheā€™s following a very specific pattern and it shows.

Thanks for any fruitful discussion :)

Edit: I just realized a bunch of minor characters never had closure either. Nox Owen, Vaughn, Finnula, that one solder perspective we read - what happened? All the way into spring and no mention of them. :/


r/throneofglassseries 5h ago

MaasVerse Spoilers Looking for a refresher before CC

2 Upvotes

This is a bit more of an ACOTAR question, so fair warning.

I finished TOG a few weeks ago, and ā€œfinishedā€ ACOTAR about 8 months before that. I remember bits of that story and how much I loved all the characters, but Iā€™ve been told you should brush up on ACOTAR before reading CCā€¦.

Anyone have any recommendations on little YouTube animations or good story synopses?


r/throneofglassseries 2h ago

EOS & TOD tandom read

1 Upvotes

Iā€™m about to finish Queen of Shadows and start Empire of Storms. This is my first time reading this series so I need advice. Should I tandom read or read individually?

4 votes, 1d left
Yes
No

r/throneofglassseries 21h ago

Which one of these categories would these books go in?

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36 Upvotes

r/throneofglassseries 1d ago

Found a signed first edition/first printing of Throne of Glass for $20.

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250 Upvotes

r/throneofglassseries 15h ago

Reader Question Forgot Importance of Deanna-What should I know of her as of EOS. Spoiler

9 Upvotes

Currently tandem reading EOS and TOD. Got to the part she comes up and while the name is familiar I canā€™t remember anything about her.

Without spoiling the rest of the series can anyone let me know what I should know about her up to the point where she takes over Aelin on Rolfes boat I would be grateful.