Reading Notes · ACOTAR
Should I read Crescent City before A Court of Splintered Harmony?
The short answer
10 out of 10 recommend it.
Why I'd read Crescent City first
You can technically read Splintered Harmony with bare minimal context to get you through. You can get by, just. But there are things that happen that just simply won't make sense, and there are things that you cannot work around.
And it can't even be book 1. You cannot fully put it together without reading Crescent City all the way to the end of book 3. Has to be the full trilogy.
I would not be going into Forgotten Melody without having read Crescent City.
I'm not trying to spoil it, so I won't say what. It's just about the whole reading order and bits and pieces like that. There are things that happen.
The reading order
This is the order I'd go in. Tap a cover for the blurb, or add it straight to Goodreads.
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ACOTAR 1A Court of Thorns and Roses2015Add on Goodreads
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
At least, he's not a beast all the time.
As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.
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ACOTAR 2A Court of Mist and Fury2016Add on Goodreads
Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.
As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different people: one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world in turmoil.
Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.
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ACOTAR 3A Court of Wings and Ruin2017Add on Goodreads
Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.
As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.
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ACOTAR novellaA Court of Frost and Starlight2018Add on Goodreads
A new, original novella in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series that picks up several months after the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin. Months after the explosive events in A Court of Wings and Ruin, Feyre, Rhys, and their companions are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated-scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.
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ACOTAR 5A Court of Silver Flames2021Add on Goodreads
Sarah J. Maas's sexy, richly imagined Court of Thorns and Roses series continues with the journey of Feyre's fiery sister, Nesta.
Nesta Archeron has always been prickly – proud, swift to anger and slow to forgive. And since the war – since being made High Fae against her will – she's struggled to forget the horrors she endured and find a place for herself within the strange and deadly Night Court.
The person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred, winged warrior who is there at Nesta's every turn. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. And when they are forced to train in battle together, sparks become flame.
As the threat of war casts its shadow over them once again, Nesta and Cassian must fight monsters from within and without if they are to stand a chance of halting the enemies of their court. But the ultimate risk will be searching for acceptance – and healing – in each other's arms.
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Crescent City 1House of Earth and Blood2020Add on Goodreads
Bound by blood.
Tempted by desire.
Unleashed by destiny.
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.
With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.
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Crescent City 2House of Sky and Breath2022Add on Goodreads
**The second book in the sexy, groundbreaking, #1 bestselling Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas, author of the Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.**
Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal. They may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.
The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri's power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels' plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed or fight for what's right. And they've never been very good at staying silent.
In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller *House of Earth and Blood*, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode—and the people who will do anything to save it.
Other books in this series include:
*House of Earth and Blood*
*House of Flame and Shadow*
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Crescent City 3House of Flame and Shadow2024Add on Goodreads
The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed Crescent City series, following the global bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath.
Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she's going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that's no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.
Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he's in the Asteri's dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce's fate. He's desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri's leash, his hands are quite literally tied.
In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt's world is brought to the brink of collapse—with its future resting on their shoulders.
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ACOTAR 6A Court of Splintered Harmony27 Oct 2026Add on Goodreads
What was broken will be remade.
Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he’s been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies hell-bent on reclaiming what was once theirs: the human lands.
The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. But with Prythian still piecing itself together in the wake of the devastating Hybern War, the task of uniting is proving more difficult by the day.
To make matters worse, those who rule and protect the Night Court are reeling from recent betrayals and revealed truths. The rifts dividing them seem insurmountable.
But to defeat Koschei’s creeping shadow, they must find a way back to each other and resurrect their former alliances. To survive, they must find a way to repair the splintered harmony all around them.
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ACOTAR 7A Court of Forgotten Melody12 Jan 2027Add on Goodreads
What was lost will be reclaimed.
Prythian might never be the same again. Traditional alliances are crumbling, and no amount of diplomacy seems sufficient to repair them. With the continued threat of Koschei the Deathless on the horizon, a united front is crucial--and farther out of reach than it has ever been before.
Bonds will be tested. Power will shift. And old enemies will emerge from nightmares of the past.
As the Night Court's Inner Circle disperses far and wide, desperate for any advantage against Koschei and his mighty allies, peace hangs by a fragile thread. But hope can be spun from the darkest of shadows, and the Night Court has its own part to play in the looming crescendo.
Before you start House of Earth and Blood
The first five chapters are absolutely brutal to read. It's not about being slow. It's just, they are hard work. You're like, what the fuck is going on? Once you get through, you're good.
Where to next
If you want the who's who, it's all on our A Court of Thorns and Roses Library page.
Already read it all? Rereads exist for a reason. Life's too short to have to do it the way someone tells you to.
Tracy x
Next in this series: What should I read after A Court of Splintered Harmony?
Tracy Smallman founded Caffeine and Curses after a Kingdom of Ash hangover sent her to her iPad. Every design is hand drawn in-house. Read her letters.
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