The Throne of Glass series will forever be my favorite series I have ever read. However, it is always so difficult to talk anyone into reading them. Why, you ask? Because it seems like such a huge task to take on, considering the series length stretches to eight books, including a tandem read, and the last book, (Kingdom of Ash) is almost a thousand pages. When I tell you it is so worth it, I would give anything to be able to read it again for the first time.

There is a lot of controversy around when to read Assassin’s Blade and whether or not to tandem read Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn. Personally I read Assassin’s Blade after Crown of Midnight. I think reading it in this order is the way to go. Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight can be kind of slow reads for some and Assassin’s Blade is a back story that will suck you in and make you really excited to keep going. Heir of Fire is where things really pick up, after you get through the emotional impact from reading Assassin’s Blade. I think reading it first wouldn’t have the same impact because there are things about the FMC you don’t understand. Reading it last is a huge mistake because you will be missing so much vital information for the entire series. If you don’t read it third at least read it fourth!

My argument for tandem reading Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn is because they happen on the same timeline and I’ve seen where people skip Tower of Dawn completely because of this. Whatever order you choose to read Assassin’s Blade is one thing, but PLEASE do not skip TOD! It’s so important. The tandem read will have you kicking your feet giggling at some parts because of things happening all across the lands. Remember this is before cell phones and being able to easily communicate with people far away. I personally think the tandem read takes away the intimidating part of the books being so large. It felt like I had stopping points when I had to stop to swap books. Included below is the tandem read order…

The series wraps up with Kingdom of Ash. If you’ve gotten to this point you need to prepare your heart. There are so many emotions throughout this book. SJM developed all of these characters so well that by the time I reached the final book, I was so invested in each of their journeys. This has been quite possibly the best and all consuming series I have ever read to this point. Throughout the series the layers of the story have continued to build. This book felt like the final crescendo of an orchestra. We saw the ripple effect of so many small acts of kindness and grace. The book is filled with devotion and love for the characters and the land they live in.
To whatever end.