Ten Sarah J. Maas books checked so far: 3 better heard, 4 better read and 3 that work either way.
Sarah J. Maas was born in New York City in 1986 and lives in Pennsylvania. She started writing Throne of Glass at sixteen, posting early chapters online, and graduated from Hamilton College in 2008.
Throne of Glass was published in 2012, A Court of Thorns and Roses in 2015 and the first Crescent City book, House of Earth and Blood, in 2020.
Sources: Wikipedia, read 6 November 2026.
Scroll for every verdict so far.
Celaena Sardothien, an assassin, competes against twenty-three rivals for the post of King’s Champion, and then competitors start dying.Why read: The story switches between four characters, Celaena, Chaol, Dorian and Kaltain, and one narrator reads them all, which can be hard to follow over audio. On the page it’s easier to keep track of whose chapter you’re in.
Feyre, a huntress, kills what she believes is a wolf. It was a faerie, and she is taken to Prythian by a masked captor in this retelling of Beauty and the Beast.Why listen: Elizabeth Evans voices Feyre in the 10th anniversary recording. At 432 pages it's a long read, which goes further on audio, and the print map doesn't carry the plot, so you lose little by listening.
Feyre picks up her story about three months after A Court of Thorns and Roses, as it moves to a new court and its city in the second book of Sarah J. Maas’s series.Why listen: Elizabeth Evans voices Feyre in the 10th anniversary recording. At 656 pages in paperback, a long read goes further on audio. The maps in print are extras rather than part of the plot, so you lose little by listening.
After a prologue from Rhysand, Feyre takes up the story for the last time, as it runs forward towards war with Hybern in the third book of A Court of Thorns and Roses.Why listen: Elizabeth Evans voices Feyre across the 10th anniversary recordings. At over 700 pages in print, a long read goes further on audio across 20 hours 49 minutes.
In the Night Court, in the days before and after the Winter Solstice, Feyre, Rhys, Cassian, Mor and Nesta take turns to tell a companion tale that bridges two of the main novels.Why read: Five characters take turns telling the story (Feyre, Mor, Cassian, Nesta and Rhys), and one narrator reads them all. A reviewer found their voices blend together even in print, so over audio they can be harder still to tell apart.
Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan seeks revenge after a demon-driven murder spree, with the Fallen angel Hunt Athalar at her side, in the first book of Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series.Close call: Read it for the map, which only the print edition has, and to keep track of the invented names and terms on the page. Listen if a book of just over 800 pages is easier to finish by ear: Elizabeth Evans reads all 27 hours 50 minutes on her own.
The story moves from Feyre to her sister Nesta and to Cassian, in the longest book of Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series.Close call: Listen for Elizabeth Evans voicing both leads, as a book of 757 to 784 pages goes further on audio across 22 hours 55 minutes. Read it for the map, which only the print editions have, since no PDF is mentioned for the audiobook.
The second Crescent City book picks up about three months after House of Earth and Blood and gives more of the story to a growing cast beyond Bryce and Hunt.Close call: Read it for the map, which only the print edition has, and to keep a growing cast straight on the page. Listen if a book of about 800 pages is easier to finish by ear, with Elizabeth Evans reading all 27 hours 42 minutes.
With Bryce stranded in a strange new world and Hunt back in the Asteri’s dungeons, the third and longest Crescent City book moves between more characters than ever.Why read: As many as six characters share the story, sometimes switching within one chapter, and Elizabeth Evans reads every one of them, which can be hard to follow over audio. On the page you can see each change as it happens, and the print edition has a map.
The sixth A Court of Thorns and Roses book opens The Valkyrie Cycle, and its story passes between more characters than any book before it, from Azriel and Feyre to Gwyn and Mor.Why read: The story passes between as many as seven characters, from Azriel and Feyre to Gwyn and Mor, and Elizabeth Evans reads them all. In print the chapter headings tell you whose head you’re in, which is easy to lose over audio with one voice.
| # | Book | Year | Series | UK audiobook narrator | UK length | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Throne of Glass | 2012 | Throne of Glass, book 1 | Elizabeth Evans | 13h 3m | Read, 60% |
| 2 | Crown of Midnight | 2013 | Throne of Glass, book 2 | Elizabeth Evans | 12h 43m | Verdict coming |
| 3 | The Assassin’s Blade | 2014 | Throne of Glass, five prequel novellas | Elizabeth Evans | 12h 52m | Verdict coming |
| 4 | Heir of Fire | 2014 | Throne of Glass, book 3 | Elizabeth Evans | 17h 56m | Verdict coming |
| 5 | A Court of Thorns and Roses | 2015 | ACOTAR, book 1 | Elizabeth Evans | 14h 4m | Listen, 64% |
| 6 | Queen of Shadows | 2015 | Throne of Glass, book 4 | Elizabeth Evans | 20h 43m | Verdict coming |
| 7 | A Court of Mist and Fury | 2016 | ACOTAR, book 2 | Elizabeth Evans | 19h 35m | Listen, 64% |
| 8 | Empire of Storms | 2016 | Throne of Glass, book 5 | Elizabeth Evans | 25h 18m | Verdict coming |
| 9 | A Court of Wings and Ruin | 2017 | ACOTAR, book 3 | Elizabeth Evans | 20h 49m | Listen, 64% |
| 10 | Tower of Dawn | 2017 | Throne of Glass, book 6 | Elizabeth Evans | 22h 39m | Verdict coming |
| 11 | A Court of Frost and Starlight | 2018 | ACOTAR, novella | Elizabeth Evans | 6h 5m | Read, 65% |
| 12 | Catwoman: Soulstealer | 2018 | Standalone (DC Icons) | Julia Whelan | 10h 0m | Verdict coming |
| 13 | Kingdom of Ash | 2018 | Throne of Glass, book 7 | Elizabeth Evans | 33h 11m | Verdict coming |
| 14 | House of Earth and Blood | 2020 | Crescent City, book 1 | Elizabeth Evans | 27h 50m | Either, 50% |
| 15 | A Court of Silver Flames | 2021 | ACOTAR, book 5 | Elizabeth Evans | 22h 55m | Either, 50% |
| 16 | House of Sky and Breath | 2022 | Crescent City, book 2 | Elizabeth Evans | 27h 42m | Either, 50% |
| 17 | House of Flame and Shadow | 2024 | Crescent City, book 3 | Elizabeth Evans | 29h 42m | Read, 66% |
| 18 | A Court of Splintered Harmony | 2026 | ACOTAR, book 6 | Elizabeth Evans | 12h 1m | Read, 65% |
| 19 | A Court of Forgotten Melody | 2027 | ACOTAR, book 7 | Elizabeth Evans (announced) | Not announced | Out 12 January 2027 |
Publication order. Narrators and lengths are from Audible UK, checked 2 November 2026, for the recording the verdicts score. Throne of Glass books 1 to 3 and The Assassin’s Blade are Bloomsbury’s 2021 recordings; books 4 to 7 and the Crescent City books are Audible Studios recordings; the A Court of Thorns and Roses books are Elizabeth Evans’s recordings for Recorded Books. RBmedia announced Elizabeth Evans as the narrator of A Court of Forgotten Melody on 24 August 2026; no length has been given yet. Print years are from Wikipedia. Left out on purpose: the colouring books and the GraphicAudio dramatised adaptations. Books without a verdict yet show “Verdict coming”.
Read them in publication order. The publishers suggest reading The Assassin’s Blade after Crown of Midnight, even though its five stories are set earlier (Wikipedia). Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn overlap in time, so some readers read the two side by side, which guides call a tandem read. The series is complete, ending with Kingdom of Ash in 2018.
Read books 1 to 7 in publication order, with the novella A Court of Frost and Starlight between books 3 and 5 (some listings number A Court of Silver Flames as book 4). Book 7, A Court of Forgotten Melody, is due on 12 January 2027. Full ACOTAR comparison, including the original narrators: see the ACOTAR series page.
Three books so far, read in publication order. Sarah J. Maas has confirmed a fourth book, but it has no title or date (as of November 2026).
The Crescent City and A Court of Thorns and Roses books are connected in a shared world, which later books reveal. Audible files the two series together under a “Maasverse” label; the Throne of Glass listings do not carry it (Audible, 2 November 2026). T. L. Branson recommends finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses books 1 to 5 before House of Sky and Breath, and says House of Earth and Blood can be started without them. The Catalyst (Greta Patterson) suggests A Court of Thorns and Roses, then Throne of Glass, then Crescent City.
| Series | Audiobook, UK | At 1.5x | At 2x |
|---|---|---|---|
| Throne of Glass, seven novels and the prequel collection | 158h 25m | 105h 37m | 79h 12m |
| Crescent City, books 1 to 3 | 85h 14m | 56h 49m | 42h 37m |
| A Court of Thorns and Roses | See the ACOTAR series page | ||
Elizabeth Evans’s recordings on Audible UK, checked 2 November 2026. Totals and speed times are calculated. The longest single audiobook is Kingdom of Ash, at 33 hours 11 minutes.
Pick a series and read it in publication order. If you plan to read both A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City, read A Court of Thorns and Roses books 1 to 5 before House of Sky and Breath.
A Court of Thorns and Roses is the usual starting point, and the one Crescent City later connects to. Throne of Glass is the one to start with if you want a finished series.
A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City share a world, which the later Crescent City books reveal. Throne of Glass stands apart in the sources checked.
Not for House of Earth and Blood. For the later two books, guides recommend reading A Court of Thorns and Roses books 1 to 5 first, to avoid spoilers.
Elizabeth Evans reads every Throne of Glass and Crescent City book and the ACOTAR anniversary recordings on Audible UK, and RBmedia has announced her for A Court of Forgotten Melody. Julia Whelan reads Catwoman: Soulstealer. The original ACOTAR recordings had other narrators (see the ACOTAR series page).
Seven novels, plus The Assassin’s Blade, a collection of five prequel novellas.
After Crown of Midnight, as the publishers suggest.
Throne of Glass runs about 158 hours in total and Crescent City about 85 hours. The longest single book is Kingdom of Ash, at 33 hours 11 minutes (Audible UK, November 2026).
On 12 January 2027. RBmedia has announced Elizabeth Evans as the narrator.
Sarah J. Maas has said yes, but there is no title or release date (as of November 2026).
Not as of November 2026. Hulu dropped its ACOTAR series in February 2025, and Maas says the rights are back with her. A Throne of Glass series was planned for Hulu in 2016 but never went ahead.
It depends on the book. Listen to the first three A Court of Thorns and Roses books. Read Throne of Glass (book 1, the only one checked so far), A Court of Frost and Starlight, A Court of Splintered Harmony and House of Flame and Shadow, where the story passes between several characters in one voice. A Court of Silver Flames and the first two Crescent City books are close calls.
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