"You did it—you finally finished A Court of Thorns and Roses. Or famously known as ACOTAR over on BookTok. And when I say finished, I don’t just mean book one. I’m talking the entire series—because any true ACOTAR fan knows that the action really gets going when you hit book two.
If you’ve only read the first book and have yet to continue the rest of the series, then my first piece of advice to you is to go read the rest of it. You’ve likely heard this piece of advice if you’re a reader who has spent any time over on TikTok, Instagram, and yes, even Tumblr. But if you haven’t, then heed my warning and go finish the rest of the series before reading on. Because past this point, spoilers are about to ensue, and I promise, you don’t want to miss out on all of the juicy ACOTAR goodness that our lady Sarah J. Maas has to offer.
Now if you have read the series, then congratulations, you officially know what a book hangover feels like. That feeling of reading a book or series so good, it’s going to take you a while to recover and pick up anything else. For weeks after finishing ACOTAR myself, I went down a Tumblr and TikTok rabbit hole of fan art and theories while simultaneously pretending that I didn’t just fall in love with three fictional men with bat wings.
But, eventually, you will find yourself recovering from your book hangover, and you’ll be on the hunt for something new—maybe something that includes morally gray male leads that are devilishly handsome, an inner circle of friends that feel like family, and female protagonists who change the world. While I will make this my official plea to Sarah J. Maas to please, for the love of god, give us book six… these other fantasy books can tide us over until we finally learn who Azriel’s mate is. Sigh.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would fall for a villain-like male lead with a tail, but here we are. Starting off with The Cruel Prince, which has certainly made quite a few appearances over on BookTok, the series protagonist June is forced to live within the High Court of Faerie where she meets Prince Carden, the youngest son of the King who is particularly wicked and cruel. When disaster strikes, Jude makes a particularly devious alliance to protect those she loves, giving her a secret power that helps her control the new king. The Folk of the Air is a three-book series with additional novellas and short stories.
If you’re a particular fan of spies in fantasy realms—like our beloved Inej in Six of Crows—then The Halfling Saga should be your next read. Starting with A Broken Blade, this series follows a half-elf assassin who enters a magical Faeland where she must determine if her enemy is mortal, elf, or halfling like herself. It is a quick-paced, high-fantasy series that—yes—does feature some romance. The saga continues with book two, A Shadow Crown, this May.
If you’re looking for some fantasy action that also involves vampires, this is the series for you. Death, war, mysterious rivalries, and a gut-wrenching forbidden romance will have you screaming at the first book, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, and pining for the next book set to come out later in April, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King.
Be warned—only one book is out for this series, so if you’re one who has to tear into a series all at once, proceed with caution. Although looking at the rave reviews the first book, The Foxglove King, is already getting on GoodReads, the read may be worth the future pining. This series starts off with a young girl on the run who finds out her secret power could change the fate of the kingdom as we know it (Sun Summoner vibes, anyone?). Thrust into the glamorous world of the king, Lore must deal with the politics, religion, and debauchery of the king’s court—with a little forbidden romance that will have you turning page after page.
Well, if you’re a fan of Sarah J. Maas and don’t mind being utterly destroyed by another series of hers, then your next venture should be through her seven-book Throne of Glass series. While the world of this series does not coincide with Prythian, the world in which ACOTAR takes place, some Sarah J. Maas fans online believe that these worlds are somehow all connected—and could come together in future ACOTAR books.
Speaking of connecting worlds, Sarah J. Maas’ newest series Crescent City is very much a part of the ACOTAR world and is certainly meant to be connected. The main character, half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan, seeks revenge against a demon who destroyed her friends and makes an alliance with fallen angel Hunt Athalar. As the two investigate Crescent City, they uncover the truths of a terrible dark power…and, of course, what’s a Sarah J. Maas book without some steamy love?
With lots of twists and turns, and an entire series to seek your teeth into, An Heir Comes to Rise brings you back into a world of the mystical fae with an orphan protagonist fighting for her life who eventually finds out she is harboring a dark secret that might save them all. Sound familiar? Full of all the fantasy tropes we love, this series already has five of the seven books ready for you to devour.
A protagonist forced to marry a vicious fae king and leave her family behind? Say less! This series, starting with Of Mist and Shadow, follows the story of a human girl forced to live with an immortal fae yet soon escapes and meets the elusive Mist King who is known as an enemy for what he did to her people. But of course, to free her people, they must strike a deal—and try not to fall in love in the process. Major swoon.
If Sarah J. Maas is recommending this series herself…then you know it’s about to go down. From Blood and Ash is a five-book series featuring a very strong female protagonist, evil queens, dark sinister powers, and of course, swoon-worthy steamy love scenes. And of course, similar to the overlapping shared worlds of Sarah J. Maas books, the author has a new Flesh and Fire series you can binge immediately after—all set in the same world.
