The short answer: read ACOTAR in publication order with the novella after book three, Fourth Wing's Empyrean series in straight publication order (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm), Throne of Glass in tandem order if you are a completionist or publication order if you are not, and From Blood and Ash starting with the first book and knowing that the prequel-parallel Flesh and Fire series interlocks after book three. Reading order arguments are the romantasy community's favorite blood sport, and this guide gives you the order, the reasoning, and the shortcuts so you can pick your lane and start reading.
Who this guide is for
New romantasy readers holding four bestsellers and hearing four contradictory orders from BookTok. Also: returning readers resuming a series after a gap and needing to know what they missed. Every order below follows one principle: the order that preserves reveals is the right order, and the order debates are mostly about one or two contested books per series.
The orders
ACOTAR (Sarah J. Maas)
| Position | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Court of Thorns and Roses | The gateway, Beauty and the Beast bones |
| 2 | A Court of Mist and Fury | The fan-favorite, the reason the series is famous |
| 3 | A Court of Wings and Ruin | Original trilogy closes |
| 3.5 | A Court of Frost and Starlight | Novella, palate cleanser |
| 4 | A Court of Silver Flames | POV shift, new arc begins |
The only real question is the novella's placement. Read it after book three (its publication slot); it is an epilogue to the first arc and a bridge to the POV shift, and reading it earlier spoils both. Five novels and a novella are published so far.
Empyrean (Rebecca Yarros)
Straight publication order, no debate: Fourth Wing, then Iron Flame, then Onyx Storm. The series is ongoing; each book has ended on a cliffhanger severe enough that starting before the next release is a calculated choice. Check the current release status before book three if cliffhanger tolerance is low.
Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas)
The contested one. Publication order (Throne of Glass first) is how the series was written and released, and it is fine. Tandem order slots The Assassin's Blade (the prequel novella collection) between books two and three, which recontextualizes characters and, fans argue, makes two deaths land harder. The pragmatic recommendation: publication order on your first pass, The Assassin's Blade later as a melancholy dessert. The series is complete at eight books.
From Blood and Ash (Jennifer L. Armentrout)
Start with From Blood and Ash, continue through A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire and The Crown of Gilded Bones. After book three, know that the Flesh and Fire series runs parallel and interleaves; the clean path is to follow each series' internal order and consult a convergence guide before the crossover books. This is the one series on the list where a printed reading-order chart genuinely helps.
Platform notes for series readers
| Platform | Why it helps series reading |
|---|---|
| Kindle Unlimited | Most romantasy backlist lives here, series pages show order |
| Everand | Audio editions for the doorstopper volumes |
| Libby | Free, but expect long waits on these specific series |
| Ouba (ouba.art) | Trope-matched romance and romantasy recommendations when you finish the big four and need a bridge series |
The closing row names a gap this guide cannot close for you: finishing the big four creates a vacuum, and the recommendation engines that ask about tropes handle the what-next better than charts do.
The checklist before you commit
One: check series completion status (two of the four are done, two are not). Two: check the spice tolerance of each series; they are not equivalent. Three: decide your cliffhanger policy now. Four: clear your schedule, because the median entry runs past five hundred pages and the binging is the point.
Between releases
The practical problem with ongoing series (Empyrean chief among them) is the gap year, and the gap has a strategy. Reread only the immediate predecessor before the new release; the fandom's recap culture (spoiler-tagged chapter summaries on series subreddits and reader Discords) replaces full rereads for everything older. Queue a completed palate-cleanser series between installments, because starting another unfinished epic mid-wait compounds the waiting. And date the reading: notes on where each book left the cast are the cheapest insurance against the specific misery of resuming a war with no memory of who holds which hill.
Sana Whitfield has re-sorted the Throne of Glass order debate annually since 2018 and remains a publication-order partisan. Last checked: October 2026.