Series reading order
ACOTAR Books in Order: The Complete Reading Order
Start with A Court of Thorns and Roses and follow publication order. The novella belongs between Wings and Ruin and Silver Flames; the Valkyrie Cycle comes next.
The reading order
Read the seven ACOTAR books in publication order
A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, A Court of Silver Flames, A Court of Splintered Harmony, then A Court of Forgotten Melody. Splintered Harmony is book 6, scheduled for October 27, 2026; Forgotten Melody is book 7, scheduled for January 12, 2027. The final two have not been read or rated here.
I'd follow publication order from the beginning. ACOTAR builds its relationships and political history across the books, so knowing who trusts whom matters as much as knowing the geography. Starting with the newest installment gives you the latest part of a conversation that has already been going on for five books.
Keep A Court of Frost and Starlight in the sequence even though it's shorter. It is a bridge after Wings and Ruin, not a competing starting point. Silver Flames then turns the focus toward Nesta before the two announced Valkyrie Cycle volumes.
This guide keeps the earlier books and the announced continuations in one sequence. Advice about order draws on the first five; dates and descriptions for the last two come from the author and publisher.
The official sequence
The ACOTAR reading order, book by book
This is the seven-title sequence listed by Bloomsbury. Some older lists call Frost and Starlight book 3.5 because it is a novella. Here it occupies the fourth reading slot; the publisher identifies Splintered Harmony as the sixth book.
1
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Begin here
Feyre's introduction to the Fae world establishes the courts, bargains and relationships the later books build on. Let the world arrive through this story rather than trying to absorb it from a recap.
My advice: Choose this if you're new to ACOTAR. I'd also start here if you know Maas through another series and want the relationships to make sense in their own order.
2
A Court of Mist and Fury
After Thorns and Roses
The second book develops Feyre's life after the first and widens the series' view of Prythian. Its changes in relationships mean much more when you arrive with the first book behind you.
My advice: Read it second. I'd avoid detailed summaries before starting; explaining every shift in advance takes away part of the reason to follow the sequence.
3
A Court of Wings and Ruin
The third book
The conflict expands into war, bringing the courts' rival interests and uneasy cooperation to the foreground. It draws on the allegiances established in the first two books.
My advice: Continue here after Mist and Fury. This is where skipping earlier relationship history would make the political stakes particularly hard to follow.
4
A Court of Frost and Starlight
The novella between Wings and Ruin and Silver Flames
This shorter installment follows the aftermath of the war and the approach of Winter Solstice. The official description presents it as a bridge between Wings and Ruin and the later novels.
My advice: I'd keep it here. You can understand why people treat it differently from the full novels without treating it as disposable: the change from war to aftermath prepares the next part of the series.
5
A Court of Silver Flames
Nesta's story, after Frost and Starlight
The focus moves to Nesta, with Cassian central to her story. That shift does not reset the series: the family relationships and shared history still come from the earlier books.
My advice: Read this before the Valkyrie Cycle. I'd treat the change in focus as a reason to pay attention to a different character, not as permission to skip the four books before it.
6
A Court of Splintered Harmony
The Valkyrie Cycle, Movement I · October 27, 2026
Bloomsbury identifies this as the sixth ACOTAR book. Its announced premise brings Koschei's threat and the need to repair fractured alliances to the foreground. Those are publication details, not a verdict on the finished book.
My advice: Come here after Silver Flames. I'd read the previous five first; there is no official basis for treating Movement I as a separate beginner's entry into ACOTAR.
7
A Court of Forgotten Melody
The Valkyrie Cycle, Movements II & III · January 12, 2027
The seventh book follows Splintered Harmony in the publisher's sequence. Its subtitle carries the next two movement labels, and the announced story continues the threat to Prythian's fragile alliances.
My advice: Keep it after book 6. This is the next series installment, so it belongs in the reading order rather than among independent alternatives to ACOTAR.
Where the sequence changes
The main stages of ACOTAR
The book numbers give you the order. These distinctions explain why a shorter installment or a new subtitle doesn't change where to begin.
| Stage | Books | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The opening sequence | Thorns and Roses, Mist and Fury, Wings and Ruin | Read in that order; don't substitute a summary for the relationship history. |
| The bridge | Frost and Starlight | Read after Wings and Ruin, before Silver Flames. |
| The shift in focus | Silver Flames | Follow Nesta's story after the earlier sequence. |
| The Valkyrie Cycle | Splintered Harmony, then Forgotten Melody | Keep the announced sixth and seventh books together in publication order. |
Why I wouldn't skip Frost and Starlight
A novella can look optional when the surrounding books are much longer. Here its place matters: war has ended, but the people who lived through it still have to work out how to live together. The quieter aftermath is part of the transition to Silver Flames.
I rate it below the main novels because so little happens, but that doesn't make its place in the sequence meaningless. For a first read, I'd keep the bridge and expect an extended epilogue rather than another war story.
Is the novella worth your time?
My Frost and Starlight review explains the quiet aftermath and the limits of its transition story.
What is the Valkyrie Cycle?
The Valkyrie Cycle is the name attached to the two announced ACOTAR volumes. Splintered Harmony carries the subtitle Movement I; Forgotten Melody carries Movements II & III. They remain books 6 and 7 of A Court of Thorns and Roses.
The movement labels describe that grouping. They don't establish a separate reading order, confirm a later volume, or tell us whose point of view or romance will lead either book. I'd stick to what the published labels actually say.
Can you start with book 6?
I wouldn't. A fresh subtitle can make a book look like a new beginning, but Bloomsbury calls this the sixth ACOTAR installment. Its description assumes a world recovering from war and alliances with an existing history.
The sensible preparation is the first five books, ending with Silver Flames. There is no need to turn a first read into a homework exercise involving bonus chapters or a collection of fan theories.
Prepare with the first five books
Start with the Thorns and Roses review; each review links to the next stage and its own alternatives.
The last published installment
Read my Silver Flames review for Nesta’s shift in perspective before the announced continuation.
Do you need Crescent City first?
No official reading guide establishes Crescent City as a prerequisite for Splintered Harmony. Maas says you can begin with any of her three series, and Bloomsbury says the series can be read in any order. I'd keep the ACOTAR sequence separate from optional wider-world context.
House of Flame and Shadow belongs to Crescent City and comes after House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath. Our review can help you judge that route, but the third book in another series would be a poor substitute for starting ACOTAR at the beginning.
Considering Crescent City?
Read the House of Flame and Shadow review for a judgment on the third Crescent City novel and its earlier-series commitment.
What to read while waiting
If you want a different fantasy romance, I'd start a new series or a standalone instead of chasing rumors about the next ACOTAR couple. Fourth Wing gives you a dragon-rider academy; Swordheart offers an adult romance with road comedy and an enchanted protector.
The alternatives guide explains what each choice shares with the established ACOTAR appeal and what changes. The release guide keeps the official date, premise and publication facts together.
Eight alternatives to ACOTAR's next installment
Choose among romantic fantasy, dangerous alliances, court conflict and smaller stories about trust.
The official facts for book 6
Check the release date, publisher description and confirmed Valkyrie Cycle position.
More books by Sarah J. Maas
Compare ACOTAR, Throne of Glass and Crescent City, with site coverage clearly separated from the wider bibliography.
Quick answers
ACOTAR reading-order questions
How many ACOTAR books are there?
The official sequence lists seven titles, including the Frost and Starlight novella and two announced Valkyrie Cycle books. Splintered Harmony is scheduled for October 27, 2026 and Forgotten Melody for January 12, 2027.
Is A Court of Frost and Starlight book 4 or 3.5?
It is the fourth title to read in publication order. Some numbering systems call the novella 3.5, but that does not change its place between Wings and Ruin and Silver Flames.
Do I need to read Silver Flames before Splintered Harmony?
I'd read Silver Flames first. It precedes Splintered Harmony in the official sequence, and a new Valkyrie Cycle subtitle does not make the sixth ACOTAR book a standalone entry.
What comes after A Court of Splintered Harmony?
A Court of Forgotten Melody is the seventh ACOTAR book, scheduled for January 12, 2027. Its subtitle is The Valkyrie Cycle, Movements II & III.
Is Crescent City required before ACOTAR book 6?
The official author and publisher reading guides do not make Crescent City required preparation. Follow ACOTAR's own publication order; wider Maas-world reading is optional context.
Sources
Sources for this guide
The series sequence, bridge description, dates and movement labels were checked on October 6, 2026. Reading advice is our editorial judgment; neither forthcoming book has been read or rated here.
Keep reading
