Sarah J. Maas: Complete A Court of Thorns and Roses Series + Author Q&A
Author photo by Beowulf Sheehan
“I love taking the time to get to know characters and worlds inside and out.”
A Court of Thorns and Roses, a fantasy series written by Sarah J. Maas, follows Feyre Archeron who is dragged into faerie lands for murdering a faerie—and the love story and fierce struggle that happens after she enters. The books are being adapted for a Hulu TV show by Outlander and Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ron Moore.
Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City series. Her books have sold millions of copies and are published in thirty-seven languages.
“I love building a long arc over a series,” the author told New Indian Express, “and taking the time to get to know characters and worlds inside and out. I find it really satisfying to take bits and pieces of a larger story and figure out how it all fits together.”
Find the Court of Thorns and Roses books—and an author Q&A—below. Monster Complex uses Amazon affiliate links.
#1 A Court of Thorns and Roses
When 19-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. From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.
#2 A Court of Mist and Fury
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.
#3 A Court of Wings and Ruin
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees.
But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre, but for everything—and everyone—she holds dear.
As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place amongst the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers-both magical and political-and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust amongst the cunning 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 fate of Feyre’s world is at stake as armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy it.
BONUS: A Court of Frost and Starlight
Bridging the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin and A Court of Silver Flames.
Feyre, Rhysand, and their friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly altered world beyond, recovering from the war that changed everything. But Winter Solstice is finally approaching, and with it, the joy of 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, her concern for those dearest to her deepens. They have more wounds than she anticipated-scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their court.
Bridging the events of books 3 and 4 of the series, A Court of Frost and Starlight explores the far-reaching effects of a devastating war and the fierce love between friends.
#4 A Court of Silver Flames
Sarah J. Maas’s sexy, richly imagined 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 ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.
The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.
Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.
Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance—and healing—in each other’s arms.
Interview questions for Sarah J. Maas
Q: Can you each tell us about your upcoming fairy-tale retelling? What can readers expect?
“Sure thing! A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book in my slightly darker and steamier fantasy series. It’s set in a world in which humans were once slaves to faerie overlords—and after a long, bloody war for freedom 500 years ago, a wall was built to separate the human and faerie lands.
“The story begins when my heroine, Feyre, unwittingly breaks the rules of the peace treaty between their two realms while hunting in the woods one day, and finds herself dragged into the faerie territory by a shape-shifting faerie lord as payment for her crime. But the faerie lands aren’t what Feyre expects—and neither is her captor.”
—Sarah J. Maas and Heather Lyons on fairy tale-inspired stories (USA Today)
Q: What is it about a series that appeals to you in comparison to a standalone novel?
“I love building a long arc over a series, and taking the time to get to know characters and worlds inside and out. I find it really satisfying to take bits and pieces of a larger story and figure out how it all fits together.”—Interview | ‘I never really know how things I have lived through will pop up in my stories (The New Indian Express)
Q: Are there any castles or palaces that inspired you, real or fictional?
“Oh, man. I actually went to Versailles when I was 21, and it was just so glossy! I was way more into the Petit Trianon, like the little version. And Marie Antoinette’s fake peasant village that she had built. I loved that, where the servants would clean the eggs and then lay them out and play at being peasants. I loved that!
“I went to the Outlander castle. I’m the biggest Outlander fan, so I took a photo in front of that like, ‘Maybe Jamie was standing here!’ I was wigging out after that. Castles are fun. I wish we had like actual castles in America. I just love the history.”—Author Interview: Taking Court with Sarah J. Maas (MuggleNet)
Q: This series is so full of little details that a reader might skip over that later end up being super important. How do you sketch those out as you’re writing?
“I like to know how I want each book to end and how I want the series overall to end, and some of the middle details, like the scenes that excite me, whether it’s an action scene or a really sexy, hot scene. When I’m filling in those gaps between those scenes I’ve planned out in advance, I usually wind up learning tons of little details about the characters.
“Sometimes just adding in a little detail can wind up opening up an entire pocket of the world. It’s a long process, but adding in those details is really one of my favorite parts of it. When it comes to the big reveals and all the stuff that happens in book three, a lot of that I’ll plan far in advance so that I can plant the seeds pretty early on in book one or two.”—Sarah J. Maas Can’t Wait for You to Know What Happens in A Court of Wings and Ruin. No spoilers, but there’s going to be sex. (Cosmopolitan)
Q: One of my favorite things about your books is how wonderfully you write female friendship, especially between women who, on paper, don’t seem as though they’d get along very well. Talk to me a little bit about the way these dynamics differ from the romances in your books.
“I’ve always felt that the heart of my books is really in the friendships. Friendship can be a part of romance, of course, but platonic friendships are just as important. I love writing characters who’ve found love and support in unexpected places, and who’ve been able to create a chosen family in lieu of or in addition to the families they were born into or raised in. I think it’s important for people to see that as normal, and to know it’s possible.”—Sarah J. Maas Talks Writing Her New Sequel Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath (Paste)
Q: What do you love most about Feyre, and how has writing her been different from other heroines you’ve written?
“I love that after all that she’s been through, she gives herself permission to fall in love again with art and the healing that she goes through in A Court of Mist and Fury. I love that she’s a survivor and that she’s also incredibly self-sacrificing. She’s fighting every day to keep [her family] alive and I do think that there’s so many different types of strength, and with Feyre, one of her strengths is that she’s willing to put the people she loves in front of her.”—Badass Women and Ridiculously Sexy Romance? Yep, These Books Have It All (Popsugar)
Q: Your books are populated by some very brave and resilient female characters. Who are some women in your life who have been inspirational to you?
“I was very lucky to have been brought up by and around some amazing women, who never once made me feel like my future was in any way limited because I was a girl. They encouraged me to dream big, to work hard, and to keep my head up high. I owe so much to them—but in particular, to my mom (who encouraged me to read what I loved, and never told me I was too old to believe in magic), and my grandmother, who is a Holocaust survivor (with her own amazing story) and has filled her life with adventures around the globe—and ignited my own passion for seeing new places, meeting new people, and keeping my eyes and heart open to the world around me.”—Sarah J. Maas interview (booktopia)
Q: There are countless faerie mythologies out there. Where do your faeries fit in?
“My faeries kind of come from everywhere. I drew from traditional Irish/English/Scottish mythology, but I also borrowed creatures and ideas from other cultures—the naga, for instance, were inspired by Hindu mythology. I didn’t want to be confined to one mythology when I created the world of A Court of Thorns and Roses, so it became a blend of creatures that interest and frighten me. Which has really given me the freedom to do whatever I want with Prythian and its inhabitants.”—Sarah J. Maas: Ensnared by Maas’ new romantic fantasy (BookPage)
Q: Are you nervous about starting a new journey with a new universe?
“Not at all! It’s actually been really exciting and delightful to get the chance to explore a new world and characters, and learn every detail about them! That sense of discovery is exactly why I love writing so much. It’s a total thrill for me. I’ve never quite been able to explain why I love fantasy so much, but my obsession with it has been around since I was a kid.”
—Sarah J Maas: Struggle with guilt of wanting to spend time with son when on a deadline (Hindustan Times)
Q: You started writing your first book when you were just 16, did you know from the beginning that you wanted to write fantasy novels?
“Yep! From a young age, I’ve pretty much lived half in this world, half in some other realm. I’ve always been drawn to fantasy—it’s what I love to read and write most. That I get to now write fantasy novels for a living is such a huge dream come true.”
—Interview: Sarah J Maas Talks New Releases And Rhys (United by Pop)
