Since I began heavily investing my time in the bookstagram community, I’ve noticed one thing. Everyone is OBSESSED with Sarah J. Maas. Her books, with their very distinct covers, seem to pop up everywhere. I can now identify them from a mile away. And how many books has she written, a million? Is she ancient? Is Sarah J. Maas a pen name for Stephen King? WHAT IS GOING ON?
As you might be able to imagine at this point, I haven’t yet read any of her work. This wouldn’t be a problem in and of itself if I could somehow manage the curious feeling I get, that drowns out the entire world around me, every time I see another one of her books. So I did a little research.
Sarah J. Maas is only 31 and she’s written a whopping 18 NOVELS and that doesn’t even include the titles Wikipedia tells me are “in progress”. THAT IS INSANE. Seriously, does not compute.
I also learned that even though she has a couple standalone works, the majority of her books fall into one of two series: Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses. I’ll admit here that due to the similarity in titles, I assumed this was all one thing. That’s also where a lot of my initial reluctance came from – I’m not trying to commit to reading the Dark Tower series or anything. There are a lot of great books out there and I consider myself an equal opportunity reader. Can’t get tied down to one series.
But bookstagram won’t shut up about these books and bookstagram is not often wrong, en masse, about things like this. And god knows I LOVE a good fantasy series. I see people talking about “Night Court” and “Dawn Court” and “Winter Court” and “fae” and I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ANY OF THAT MEANS*. But I want to.
So, this is my cry for help. Where do I start? Which of the above monikers belong to which series? Who are your favorite characters, and which book are they a part of? I feel like there are too many threads for me to sort out on my own, and I have access to a large group of experts. I’d be crazy not to ask for your help.
The only thing I know going in is that Throne of Glass is evidently based loosely on Cinderella and that Maas envisioned it with Cinderella as an assassin instead of a servant. I have to say, I find that pretty intriguing. But what is the deal with A Court of Thorns and Roses? It seems that’s the series that generates slightly more fandom conversation, but it’s so hard to tell! Help!
Please let me know in the comments or on social media where your vote lies and maybe a little bit about why you think that series is particularly special. I can’t wait to read my first Sarah J. Maas novel and join you in the conversation!
*Seriously, I have no idea. So if some of that is wrong I apologize. I’ll get better soon.
