- Status
- Complete series
- Published books
- 8 of 8 planned
- Commitment
- Long series
- Audience
- Young Adult / Crossover
A complete epic fantasy sequence about an assassin whose contest for freedom expands into a war for kingdoms.
The published sequence is complete. The count includes the prequel collection The Assassin’s Blade alongside the seven main novels.
The first book should not be scored as an average of the later epic. Its contained structure, lower magic visibility, and narrower viewpoint are deliberate starting values.
Best if you want
- A complete Sarah J. Maas series with escalating romance and epic scope.
- A long character journey that expands far beyond its opening competition.
Think twice if you need
- The adult content level or immediate romantic focus of later ACOTAR books.
- A short series or a stable cast and scale from the first volume onward.
Across the books
How the series changes
The series moves from a contained castle competition into a multi-viewpoint epic with war, wider magic, and changing romantic relationships.
- Plot complexity
- StartsA castle competition and murder mysteryLaterSeveral armies, kingdoms, and converging viewpoints
- Worldbuilding depth
- StartsOne court under an authoritarian kingLaterA broad continent with several peoples and magical histories
- Romance role
- StartsMajor threadLaterSeveral major relationships across the ensemble
Outside the score
Reader context
Series information guides suitability and commitment. Matrix scores remain attached to individual books.
Reader advisories
- Violence
- Child peril
- Grief and loss
Books in this series
Compare the individual volumes.
1 of 8 published books currently have a full Matrix profile.
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas
Celaena Sardothien competes to become the king's champion while a series of deaths inside the castle reveals a threat beyond the contest.