A Court of Thorns and Roses
#134.40 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Ongoing 2015–present Reading commitment Medium Sarah J. Maas Last reviewed 2026-08-07
Overview
A romantasy series following Feyre Archeron from a mortal huntress into the fae Courts of Prythian. One of the best-selling and most culturally prominent fantasy series of the 2020s, credited with driving much of the 'romantasy' publishing boom.
Romantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A Court of Thorns and Roses | 2015 | 1 | core | 4.15 (4,521,854 ratings) |
 | A Court of Mist and Fury | 2016 | 2 | core | 4.63 (3,429,319 ratings) |
 | A Court of Wings and Ruin | 2017 | 3 | core | 4.46 (2,902,502 ratings) |
 | A Court of Silver Flames | 2021 | 4 | core | 4.45 (2,255,229 ratings) |
Main numbered sequence; a 6th book is announced for October 2026 and a 7th for January 2027, both unpublished as of 2026-08-07 and isn't counted here yet.
Library / Expanded (1 work)
A Court of Thorns and Roses, Interludes Sarah J. Maas
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A Court of Frost and Starlight | 2018 | N/A |
A between-books novella/interlude rather than a numbered entry in the main quartet.
Quick answers
- How many books are in A Court of Thorns and Roses? A Court of Thorns and Roses's Core Canon is 4 books, plus 1 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for A Court of Thorns and Roses? Publication order, starting with A Court of Thorns and Roses. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is A Court of Thorns and Roses finished? Ongoing (2015–present).
- How much reading does A Court of Thorns and Roses take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books).
- How is A Court of Thorns and Roses ranked? #13 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 13,108,904 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #13?
Ranked #13 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.40 across 4 core books.
- Backed by 13.1M reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 4.15 to 4.63.
- Less than 0.01 behind #12, Shield of Sparrows (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 4 books · Ongoing · 13.1M ratings · Ranks #13 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length romantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (4 Core Canon books)
- A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015)
- A Court of Mist and Fury (2016)
- A Court of Wings and Ruin (2017)
- A Court of Silver Flames (2021)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Readers' Choice Awards (Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction), 2016: won: A Court of Mist and Fury
Related universes
- Same author Throne of Glass: Both by Sarah J. Maas. Secondary reporting describes ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City as part of a loosely shared “literary multiverse”, but this project confirmed there are no direct crossovers beyond Easter-egg references; each is registered as its own separate universe, not a merged shared world.
- Same author Crescent City: Both by Sarah J. Maas. Crescent City is confirmed a separate continuity from A Court of Thorns and Roses, sharing no direct crossover beyond Easter-egg references (the same loosely shared “literary multiverse” framing as Throne of Glass).
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what A Court of Thorns and Roses and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Empyrean Romantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.42
- Hidden Legacy Urban fantasy / Romantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.37
- Shield of Sparrows Romantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.40
- The Shepherd King Romantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.30
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.40 across 13,108,904 ratings on 4 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: A Court of Thorns and Roses admitted; Core Canon = the 4 numbered novels, novella Expanded accepted 2026-08-07
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-07
Rule: Core Canon = the 4 numbered novels; the interstitial novella A Court of Frost and Starlight is Expanded Canon. Admitted as an in-progress series: a 6th novel is announced for October 2026 and a 7th for January 2027, both unpublished as of this admission.