They'll tell you it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling. That's the bait. Five books later we've all got a favourite court, strong opinions, and a personality that's mostly this series now. We'd know.
So, what is ACOTAR?
A Court of Thorns and Roses — ACOTAR — is a fantasy-romance series by Sarah J. Maas. It opens as a loose Beauty and the Beast retelling: Feyre, a mortal huntress, kills the wrong wolf in the woods and gets pulled across the wall into the faerie realm of Prythian to answer for it. That's the setup. That is not the series. Because about a hundred pages in, the fairy tale quietly walks offstage and something much bigger takes its place — seven fae courts, a war five hundred years in the making, and a found family we'd defend with our entire chest. Five books exist. Two more are coming. We've reread them more times than we'll admit in writing, and we genuinely envy anyone about to start, because you get to meet these people for the first time. Go on. We'll be right here when you surface, needing to talk about it immediately.
Read them in order.
Or don't — starting on Book 2 is a completely valid life choice. Five out, two announced.
BOOK 01 · 2015 · 448 pages
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Where it all begins. A huntress, a curse, and a door into Prythian none of us got to un-walk through.
BOOK 02 · 2016 · 624 pages
A Court of Mist and Fury
The one that broke us. The Night Court arrives, and whatever this series was to us before, it rewires right here.
BOOK 03 · 2017 · 705 pages
A Court of Wings and Ruin
The war that bound them. Every court, every debt, every promise called in at once.
BOOK 04 · 2018 · 229 pages
A Court of Frost and Starlight
The quiet between wars. Short, warm, and quietly devastating in the way only a calm chapter gets to be.
BOOK 05 · 2021 · 757 pages
A Court of Silver Flames
Nesta. Cassian. The Valkyries. The redemption arc we'd have waited three more books for — and didn't have to.
BOOK 06 · 2026
— Title TBA —
Announced. Title still under wraps. The second SJM says a word, this updates.
BOOK 07 · 2027
— Title TBA —
Announced. Title still under wraps. We refresh the feeds like it's a full-time job.
Prythian · one world
The Seven Courts.
Seven courts, and sooner or later everyone's loyal to one of them. Find yours.
Court of DreamsThe Night CourtThe court that stole the whole series out from under the others. Two faces, one hidden city, our entire heart.Enter The Night Court →
Where it beginsSpring CourtThe retelling, the roses, and the golden court where it all quietly begins to unravel.Enter Spring Court →
Sun and seaSummer CourtBlue water, good people, and the hospitality we will be apologising for indefinitely.Enter Summer Court →
Fire and ambitionAutumn CourtFire, foxes, and the worst family dynamics in Prythian. Compelling, though.Enter Autumn Court →
Snow and long memoryWinter CourtSnow and quiet and a grief that never fully thawed. Softer than it lets on.Enter Winter Court →
Healers and peacekeepersDawn CourtHealers and mountains and the court doing the quiet, unglamorous work of keeping everyone alive.Enter Dawn Court →
Light and ten thousand secretsDay CourtLibraries for days, secrets for longer, and the most charming High Lord on the map.Enter Day Court →
The Inner Circle
Found Family.
The Inner Circle. Rhys calls them his family. We call them the reason we have a favourite and refuse to pick.
We're Caffeine and Curses. The Library started as my design research — I can't put Feyre on a shirt without knowing which arm her tattoo is on — so we keep the notes here where everyone can use them. The pages are fan-made, not official; the licensed designs are in the shop.
It follows Feyre Archeron, a mortal huntress taken into the faerie realm of Prythian after she kills one of its own. It begins as a Beauty and the Beast-inspired romance and grows into a saga of seven fae courts, a looming war, and the found family at its centre. By Sarah J. Maas.
What's the ACOTAR reading order?
A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015), A Court of Mist and Fury (2016), A Court of Wings and Ruin (2017), A Court of Frost and Starlight (2018), and A Court of Silver Flames (2021). Two further books have been announced but aren't yet titled or dated.
How many ACOTAR books are there?
Five are out, with at least two more announced. The first three centre on Feyre; A Court of Frost and Starlight is a shorter interlude; A Court of Silver Flames shifts to her sister, Nesta Archeron.
Is this an official ACOTAR site?
No. The Library is a fan-made project by Caffeine & Curses — built by readers, for readers. The merch in our shop is officially licensed; these encyclopedia pages are our own fan tribute.
Where can I buy ACOTAR merch?
In our shop — officially licensed Sarah J. Maas designs across ACOTAR, the Night Court and beyond. The Library pages are free and fan-made; the shop is the real, licensed merch.
CURATED · BY Tracy Smallman
LAST UPDATED · 2026-07-09
Made by fans who never left.
These pages are fan-made. For officially licensed merch, see our shop.
This whole place is written for people who already fell in — so we spoil freely, name names, and never explain the lore. That's kind of the point. Not caught up yet? Wander gently.
