Tog Books In Order Novels & Stories

Okay, so the core 'Throne of Glass' books are a bit of a thing. You've got the main series, which most folks agree is seven books. That's 'Throne of Glass', 'Crown of Midnight', 'Heir of Fire', 'Queen of Shadows', 'Empire of Storms', 'Tower of Dawn', and 'Kingdom of Ash'.

But then the confusion kicks in with 'The Assassin's Blade'. It's a prequel collection of novellas. Some people call it book 0.5, others count it as the first book in the series for reading order purposes. So your total count is either seven or eight depending on whether you include the novellas as a proper 'book'.

Honestly, the most common answer you'll see online is 'eight books' because reading 'The Assassin's Blade' first is heavily recommended. I'd go with that to avoid missing crucial backstory. Trying to slot it in later just feels messy.

Alright, so I see this question pop up a lot, and honestly, I think people stress about it way too much. The publisher's official order is fine, but if you really want to dig into the world-building chronologically, it gets messy. 'Kingdom of Ash' obviously starts the whole saga, but reading it first can feel like jumping into the deep end without knowing how to swim.

My advice? Start with 'Tower of Dawn.' Yeah, I know it's technically a mid-series book, but it functions almost like a prequel for several key characters, especially Chaol. It sets up the political landscape and the magic system in a way that's less overwhelming than the main sequence. Then, loop back to 'Kingdom of Ash' and proceed from there.

Some purists will yell at me for this, but I found it way more satisfying. You get the 'why' before the 'what,' which made the bigger conflicts in the later books hit harder for me. Just skip the novellas on your first read-through; they're more for superfans who want extra crumbs.

Well, the publishing order versus chronological order debate is a classic for a reason. Throne of Glass is the natural starting point—it's the first book Sarah J. Maas published, and it introduces Celaena Sardothien fresh out of the salt mines. You get her voice, her arrogance, her trauma, right from the source.

Some folks argue for the prequel novellas in 'The Assassin's Blade' first, but I think that's a mistake on an initial read. Those stories hit so much harder when you already care about Celaena and understand what she lost. Jumping in with 'Assassin's Blade' feels like homework; starting with 'Throne of Glass' feels like stepping into an arena.

Just be ready for the series to evolve wildly from that first book. The tone, scale, and even genre shift dramatically by the end.