Sarah J. Maas dropped a bombshell announcement earlier this month that has the fandom absolutely losing it. She has confirmed THREE more books coming to the series, and get this, books 6 and 7 are dropping crazy close together.
ACOTAR 6 hits shelves October 27, 2026, followed by ACOTAR 7 on January 12, 2027. That's less than three months apart! And there's an eighth book planned to wrap up what Maas is calling "one story told in four parts."
Now that we've got that tea spilled, let's rank every book in this faerie-filled, mate-bonding, wing-shredding, Cauldron-blessed series that's taken over BookTok and changed the romantasy game forever.
5. A Court of Frost and Starlight (2018)
Published as the fourth book in May 2018, this novella picks up after the devastating war concluded in ACOWAR. It's something of a palate cleanser between the original trilogy and the shift to the next generation of stories, following Feyre as she navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady while everyone around her tries to heal from the trauma they've endured. But not everyone's healing at the same pace, and some people (looking at you, Nesta) are absolutely not okay.
It's ranked fifth, but of course it's not bad, just... fluffy. After the epic war and massive stakes of the previous book, this feels like that episode in your favorite show where everyone just hangs out. We get cute moments, gift-giving, a magical snowball fight between the most powerful warriors in Prythian and relationship check-ins. But very minimal plot. It's 229 pages of setup for the next book while Feyre and Rhys are sickeningly happy and Nesta spirals in the background.
If you're here for domestic bliss with your favorite characters and want to see them just existing without mortal peril, this delivers. The multiple POVs (Feyre, Rhys, Cassian, Mor) are a nice touch. And honestly, after the emotional devastation of ACOWAR sometimes you need a breather. It's essential for series completionists but ultimately skippable if you just want the main action.
4. A Court of Silver Flames (2021)
The fifth book in the series landed in February 2021 after a four-year wait, and it completely shifts perspective away from Feyre. This one follows Nesta Archeron, who is spiraling hard after being forcibly turned into High Fae and losing her father in the war; she's drowning in trauma, self-loathing, and destructive coping mechanisms.
The Inner Circle stages an intervention and she is somewhat exiled to the House of Wind with Cassian as her babysitter/trainer. What follows is Nesta's journey through healing, rage, sisterhood, and discovering what she actually wants from life.
This is the most mature book in the series and I don't just mean the explicit content (though yes, Maas wasn't kidding about this being her filthiest book). It tackles trauma, PTSD, self-worth, and healing in ways that feel raw and real. Nesta is complicated, prickly, and deeply flawed, and her journey is messy and painful. The character development is exceptional. You will either love her or struggle with her, but you can't deny she's one of the most fully realized characters Maas has written.
The found family aspect with the Valkyries (Emerie and Gwyn!) is heartwarming, and the House of Wind being a sentient, romance-novel-reading entity is so cool. The Valkyrie training sequences and eventually the Blood Rite section are genuinely gripping. There's also an actual plot happening with ancient magical weapons, new threats, priestesses learning to fight, and a subplot involving Feyre and Rhys that gets intense in terms of stakes.
At 757 pages, it really could've been tighter. Some of the side plots feel rushed, while other sections drag for too long. This book is a deeply emotional, character-driven story about healing that also happens to have scorching romance and badass Valkyrie warriors, but it doesn't quite have the magic of the top three. It's still incredible, just not the peak.
3. A Court of Wings and Ruin (2017)
The third book dropped in May 2017, picking up right where ACOMAF left off. Feyre returns to the Spring Court as a spy, working to undermine Tamlin and gather intel on the King of Hybern's invasion plans. She's secretly married to Rhysand (God, that reveal in book 2!), she's High Lady of the Night Court and she's playing the most dangerous game of her life. Meanwhile, her sisters are dealing with their forced transformation into High Fae, new threats are emerging, and all the courts of Prythian need to unite against a common enemy, or they're all doomed.
This is quite epic. Like, actual epic fantasy war vibes. The scope expands massively as we finally meet all the High Lords, alliances are forged and broken, battle strategies are deployed, and the stakes have never been higher. Feyre's revenge arc in the Spring Court at the beginning is SO satisfying. Cassian and Azriel finally getting more page time (and that one epic ice landing scene). The moments of genuine sacrifice that hit you right in the feels.
At 700+ pages, this is great, but not all of those pages are necessary. There are plot threads that feel rushed or weirdly resolved. And while the war is epic, some readers felt the ending wrapped things up a bit too neatly and quickly (though clearly not that neatly since we're getting more books).
It's a satisfying conclusion to Feyre's main arc, though, with massive scope and high stakes, the kind of epic battle sequences that leave you breathless. It ranks third because it delivers everything an epic finale should, even if it's not quite perfect and doesn't have the emotional gut-punch of the top two.
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015)
This list is maybe a little unpopular, but I'll stand by it. The very first book, published in May 2015, lands at number two. Meet Feyre Archeron, a 19-year-old human huntress keeping her trash family alive in poverty. She kills a wolf in the woods (oops, it's a faerie), and a beast-masked High Lord named Tamlin shows up to drag her across the Wall into the magical land of Prythian as payment in a classic "life for a life" situation. She ends up at the Spring Court, falls for Tamlin despite the whole kidnapping thing, discovers there's a curse on the land, and eventually has to complete Amarantha's deadly tasks to save everyone.
Now, you might be wondering why this ranks so high when most people would put it lower. Here's the thing: knowing what comes next makes this book absolutely essential in a way that only becomes clear in retrospect. This is the setup that makes the masterpiece that is ACOMAF possible.
The atmosphere is immaculate. Maas creates this lush, dangerous faerie world that feels both beautiful and threatening. The Under the Mountain section is genuinely dark. The riddle! The moment Feyre figures everything out! And you can't deny the fairy tale magic of it all.
Yeah, there are first-book problems. Some pacing issues: the romance develops a bit fast, and there are moments where you can feel Maas figuring things out. Tamlin's controlling behavior that seems romantic here becomes "yikes" in retrospect, but that's literally the point.
This book is the gateway drug that got millions of people into this series and into romantasy as a genre. It's also the perfect contrast piece that makes the revelation of what a healthy, equal partnership looks like in ACOMAF absolutely devastating in the best way. This book deserves respect not only for starting the series but also for being the necessary foundation that makes everything that follows so much more powerful.
1. A Court of Mist and Fury (2016)
Of course. Of COURSE this is number one. Published in May 2016, the second book in the series takes everything established in ACOTAR and absolutely transforms it. This picks up after Feyre survives the events of the first book, but she's not okay. She's got PTSD, Tamlin's being controlling and dismissive, and she feels trapped in a life that's slowly suffocating her.
Enter Rhysand, who whisks her away one week per month per their bargain and shows her the real Night Court, not the nightmare everyone fears but Velaris, the city of starlight. As Feyre learns to process her trauma, discovers her own power, and falls deeply in love with Rhys, she also has to help stop a looming war with the King of Hybern.
This book does everything right. It's a romance that builds slowly and organically. It's a healing journey that takes trauma seriously. It's a found family story with the Inner Circle that's so endearing, and all the characters feel so genuinely developed. It's political intrigue and magical training and world expansion. It's Feyre discovering who she is when she's not just surviving.Â
Maas takes every expectation from the first book and flips it. It's bold, it's subversive (for the genre at the time), and it works.
We finally get to explore different courts, meet new characters, and understand the political landscape. Velaris is one of the most beloved fictional cities in fantasy for good reason. Love him or find him problematic, Rhysand as a love interest is genre-defining. The "villain" from book one is revealed to have layers, and his relationship with Feyre is built on respect, consent, and genuine partnership. They challenge each other. They're equals. The Starfall scene? Rhysand's confession chapter? Still gives readers chills.
At 640 pages, sure, pacing can be uneven, and some middle sections drag a bit. And if you were Team Tamlin (RIP), this book is rough. But those are minor quibbles.
This is the book that transforms the series from "good YA-ish fantasy romance" to "cultural phenomenon that spawned a thousand thirsty TikToks." It's everything the first book promised and then some, with emotional depth that still hits years later. ACOMAF is easily the best ACOTAR book and is one of the best romantasy novels, period. It's the peak, the legend, the blueprint.
With three more books on the horizon, the ACOTAR universe is far from over. Speculation is running wild about whose POV we'll get next. Will it be Elain? Azriel? Both? Whether you're Team Rhys, a Nesta apologist, or desperately waiting for Elain's book, there's no denying that Sarah J. Maas created something special with this series.