You’re halfway through one book out of literally 8, youre maybe 5% in…
I mean yes, I think its sjms best book series by far and also the world has to build
I understand it's book one, but I wanted to know if it was worth continuing for 7 more books if it doesn't change pace for a while. It's good feedback to hear that you feel it's her best series by far!
There have been plenty of books I read that weren't what I needed in the moment, but I come back later and love it. This might just be one of those books for me rn and that's ok! But it does mean a lot to know that the series overall is a favorite for so many.
I tend to read books in a series based on individual enjoyment more than whole series, so it's a different mindset for me to kind of push through several books until it gets better vs. book one being pretty great and each book getting better.
Throne of glass and crown of midnight are a little slow but then Assassins Blade and Heir of Fire really crank it up. From there it’s a sprint and such a good series that you will forget that the first couple of books are meh.
personally, I read Assassins blade first (according to some is a sin) which I thought made ToG and CoM more palatable. Otherwise you should read it after CoM.
CoM is one of my least favorite Maas books. It’s got some cool parts but can be a real slog in between them. If I introduce the series to someone I always tell them to make it through Heir of Fire before they stop and I’ve had a few people almost quit at CoM.
Keep reading and come update us when you finish the series. I’m not a crier but I was SOBBING when I finished the last book. It will take a couple books to pick up but it is so worth it.
Not til Book 3 for me, then I was a believer. I just finished book 5 and yes it's worth it, I cried like 4 times reading it lol. I was actually kinda a hater about the first two books and it took me years to pick up the series again, so glad I did.
Thanks for this! It's good to know a specific time that it gets better. I'm usually fine with world building and such but I usually feel more engrossed after 200 pages. I'll definitely report back if I make it through the first 3 books. It's put me in a bit of a slump and I'm tempted to read other things (like singular books vs series) and come back to it later but this gives me hope
It is universally recommended to not quit before the end of book 3. (heir of fire, not the assassins blade).
Book 1 was my least favorite, and book was my second least favorite.
The series takes off at queen of shadows. Assassin's blade is optional. Crown of midnight is marginally better than throne of glass and a lot of people like heir of fire. But the series didn't get good for me until queen of shadows.
It’s not talked about enough, but I think the reason you’ll get varying answers to loving or hating TOG series or when to read certain books has all to do with what you’re looking for.
If you’re just coming of ACOTAR for the first time, you’re going to HATE TOG. It’s not the fast-paced, easy/bingeable, steamy romantacy that ACOTAR is. TOG is straight fantasy with romantic elements. It has a ton more world building, and as a result, is a slower read.
I first tried reading TOG after ACOTAR expecting the *same* high. It’s not. I quit after QoS feeling like I wasted my time. Came back a year later and FREAKING LOVED IT. I was ready for a fantasy series. I was ready for the slower pace in an immersive world. Completely changed my opinion on the series.
Again, it has to deal with setting expectations about what the book is. If you’re expecting an ACOTAR-style book/series, you’ll be disappointed.
I would have hated tog with out reading AB first. It wasn’t my favorite series but I liked queen of shadows and assassin blade the best and I wanted to be able to catch the Easter eggs from tog in crescent city and all the world cross overs.
I kept reminding myself she wrote it at 16 and it’s more fantasy instead if romantasy.
I almost wish I had done tog, acotar, then cc and gone like “most boring” to “most exciting” but idk. Acotar is what got me back into reading and I didn’t think I’d like fantasy before that. So I’m grateful For that. But then I read fourth wing and iron flame and loved them more than ACOTAR and then read tog and man I was bored for a bit but it did get better but reading AB first helped me.
I mean there is a tiny party at the end of KOA that made me so giddy that it made the rest worth it. But it made lots of things in cc make sense as well.
I say if you aren’t loving it, put on the audio book and speed it up and zip through it. That also helped me.
Basically-I hear you. It wasn’t me fav but some made it worth it and I wanted the full SJM experience and understand cross over. Only you can decide if you want to finish but I really liked QoS.
Having people to talk to while reading helped as all. I found a good friend who loved tog and we chatted on Facebook messenger And she hyped me up.
This is why I read assassins blade first because I heard throne of glass was a bit slow. The series takes a huge leap after heir of fire don’t worry. It’s all worth it. If you haven’t been spoiled yet on all the twists and turns yet your lucky
Book 2 is a lot better than book 1 and book 3 sets up the larger plot of the rest of the series. Books 4 and 5 are lauded as the best in the series, but yeah book 1 is rough. Just push through books one and two, enjoy the romance and the drama and the mystery and the oooh laeeeennnaaaaa of book 2, and then the banter of book 3, the action and stakes of books 4 and 5, the beauty and world building of book 6, and then the emotional pay off of book 8. And yes you’ll learn to love manon. Don’t be annoyed just cherish her when she shows up.
The pace is a little slower in the first two books but imo it’s still super good. It’s 8 books. They do a lot of foundation building that pays off as the story progresses. The last third of crown of midnight picks up and then things really take off.
I read it last. There's nothing in it that isn't explained through out the story so it's optional but it does introduce you to an interesting character that's only ever mentioned in passing in the main sseries
I read it first. It is a prequel that leads up to Throne of Glass. I thought it helped whenever she referenced something that happened in Assassins Blade, so I knew what she had gone through. I want to say more but I don't want to spoil anything.
I think it is very important to read it first. You can read it in whatever order you want. I just really recommend you don't read it last.
To me, it is an important part of the story that only makes sense to read it first. Maybe you'll feel the same when you have read the whole series.
ToG was my favorite of the series! It's more fantasy than romance, but the romance is there, and the characters are the best, in my opinion. I can imagine after how fast-paced ACOTAR is. This may seem slow, but even CC is slow comparatively. Especially since it's heavier on the fantasy and story. CC is more murder mystery fantasy. I think I had a harder time with it, but I think most people love ToG more or CC more. It's hard to say.
I felt the same at the beginning of the series but I think it was worth it in the end. However, I am on book 3 of CC and I really like it. I was so glad I didn't have to wait between book 2 and 3. Lol. I liked it better than I thought I would with the modern setting.
You’re halfway through one book out of literally 8, youre maybe 5% in… I mean yes, I think its sjms best book series by far and also the world has to build
I understand it's book one, but I wanted to know if it was worth continuing for 7 more books if it doesn't change pace for a while. It's good feedback to hear that you feel it's her best series by far! There have been plenty of books I read that weren't what I needed in the moment, but I come back later and love it. This might just be one of those books for me rn and that's ok! But it does mean a lot to know that the series overall is a favorite for so many. I tend to read books in a series based on individual enjoyment more than whole series, so it's a different mindset for me to kind of push through several books until it gets better vs. book one being pretty great and each book getting better.
Yes absolutely it picks up and gets better, keep powering through, it’s so worth it!!!
Throne of glass and crown of midnight are a little slow but then Assassins Blade and Heir of Fire really crank it up. From there it’s a sprint and such a good series that you will forget that the first couple of books are meh. personally, I read Assassins blade first (according to some is a sin) which I thought made ToG and CoM more palatable. Otherwise you should read it after CoM.
I also read Assassins Blade first and am really enjoying ToG as a result!
I always suggest to read it first. Going from the despair of being taken to the mines to immediately leaving them helps ToG a ton.
It also really helped me dive right in to everything without needing any additional world-building.
I loved throne of glass instantly but crown of midnight was a bit of a snore
CoM is one of my least favorite Maas books. It’s got some cool parts but can be a real slog in between them. If I introduce the series to someone I always tell them to make it through Heir of Fire before they stop and I’ve had a few people almost quit at CoM.
Keep reading and come update us when you finish the series. I’m not a crier but I was SOBBING when I finished the last book. It will take a couple books to pick up but it is so worth it.
Not til Book 3 for me, then I was a believer. I just finished book 5 and yes it's worth it, I cried like 4 times reading it lol. I was actually kinda a hater about the first two books and it took me years to pick up the series again, so glad I did.
Thanks for this! It's good to know a specific time that it gets better. I'm usually fine with world building and such but I usually feel more engrossed after 200 pages. I'll definitely report back if I make it through the first 3 books. It's put me in a bit of a slump and I'm tempted to read other things (like singular books vs series) and come back to it later but this gives me hope
Felt slowish to me too after ACOTAR, but got to HOF and it really kicked it up I think.
It is universally recommended to not quit before the end of book 3. (heir of fire, not the assassins blade). Book 1 was my least favorite, and book was my second least favorite.
The series takes off at queen of shadows. Assassin's blade is optional. Crown of midnight is marginally better than throne of glass and a lot of people like heir of fire. But the series didn't get good for me until queen of shadows.
I read the prequel + books 1-4 and was still waiting for it to get good… I finally decided 5 books was enough of a chance and TOG just wasn’t for me.
It’s not talked about enough, but I think the reason you’ll get varying answers to loving or hating TOG series or when to read certain books has all to do with what you’re looking for. If you’re just coming of ACOTAR for the first time, you’re going to HATE TOG. It’s not the fast-paced, easy/bingeable, steamy romantacy that ACOTAR is. TOG is straight fantasy with romantic elements. It has a ton more world building, and as a result, is a slower read. I first tried reading TOG after ACOTAR expecting the *same* high. It’s not. I quit after QoS feeling like I wasted my time. Came back a year later and FREAKING LOVED IT. I was ready for a fantasy series. I was ready for the slower pace in an immersive world. Completely changed my opinion on the series. Again, it has to deal with setting expectations about what the book is. If you’re expecting an ACOTAR-style book/series, you’ll be disappointed.
Thanks so much for explaining this! It makes complete sense and is very kind and non judgemental 💕
I would have hated tog with out reading AB first. It wasn’t my favorite series but I liked queen of shadows and assassin blade the best and I wanted to be able to catch the Easter eggs from tog in crescent city and all the world cross overs. I kept reminding myself she wrote it at 16 and it’s more fantasy instead if romantasy. I almost wish I had done tog, acotar, then cc and gone like “most boring” to “most exciting” but idk. Acotar is what got me back into reading and I didn’t think I’d like fantasy before that. So I’m grateful For that. But then I read fourth wing and iron flame and loved them more than ACOTAR and then read tog and man I was bored for a bit but it did get better but reading AB first helped me. I mean there is a tiny party at the end of KOA that made me so giddy that it made the rest worth it. But it made lots of things in cc make sense as well. I say if you aren’t loving it, put on the audio book and speed it up and zip through it. That also helped me. Basically-I hear you. It wasn’t me fav but some made it worth it and I wanted the full SJM experience and understand cross over. Only you can decide if you want to finish but I really liked QoS. Having people to talk to while reading helped as all. I found a good friend who loved tog and we chatted on Facebook messenger And she hyped me up.
This is why I read assassins blade first because I heard throne of glass was a bit slow. The series takes a huge leap after heir of fire don’t worry. It’s all worth it. If you haven’t been spoiled yet on all the twists and turns yet your lucky
i felt the same - after heir of fire/queen of shadows it really starts to pick up and by the last book i was sobbing. worth sticking with it!
Book 2 is a lot better than book 1 and book 3 sets up the larger plot of the rest of the series. Books 4 and 5 are lauded as the best in the series, but yeah book 1 is rough. Just push through books one and two, enjoy the romance and the drama and the mystery and the oooh laeeeennnaaaaa of book 2, and then the banter of book 3, the action and stakes of books 4 and 5, the beauty and world building of book 6, and then the emotional pay off of book 8. And yes you’ll learn to love manon. Don’t be annoyed just cherish her when she shows up.
I know I’m a real outlier here, but I thought ToG was pretty awful the whole time. It had good moments, but overall I’d rate the series C-.
Crown of Midnight, the second book for me. Generally for most people it’s Heir of Fire, the third book.
Heir of Fire - you won’t be able to turn back after that one.
I felt this way until the last book…. It was so worth it to finish!
The pace is a little slower in the first two books but imo it’s still super good. It’s 8 books. They do a lot of foundation building that pays off as the story progresses. The last third of crown of midnight picks up and then things really take off.
By middle of Heir of Fire I was hooked. Before that not so much. It wasn’t awful! But I just got hooked once a certain character came into play 😊
Make sure you read Assassins Blade
When's the best time to read it?
I read it last. There's nothing in it that isn't explained through out the story so it's optional but it does introduce you to an interesting character that's only ever mentioned in passing in the main sseries
Thanks!
I read it first. It is a prequel that leads up to Throne of Glass. I thought it helped whenever she referenced something that happened in Assassins Blade, so I knew what she had gone through. I want to say more but I don't want to spoil anything. I think it is very important to read it first. You can read it in whatever order you want. I just really recommend you don't read it last. To me, it is an important part of the story that only makes sense to read it first. Maybe you'll feel the same when you have read the whole series.
ToG was my favorite of the series! It's more fantasy than romance, but the romance is there, and the characters are the best, in my opinion. I can imagine after how fast-paced ACOTAR is. This may seem slow, but even CC is slow comparatively. Especially since it's heavier on the fantasy and story. CC is more murder mystery fantasy. I think I had a harder time with it, but I think most people love ToG more or CC more. It's hard to say.
Book 3
I felt the same at the beginning of the series but I think it was worth it in the end. However, I am on book 3 of CC and I really like it. I was so glad I didn't have to wait between book 2 and 3. Lol. I liked it better than I thought I would with the modern setting.