15 Books Like Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Rebecca Yarros takes you back to the very beginning of Basgiath War College in this prequel novella, and it is required reading for anyone who loved the trial-by-fire structure of Throne of Glass. Just like Celaena walking into the king's competition knowing she might not walk out, the cadets here face a brutal selection process where death is a real and constant possibility. Yarros writes physical danger the same way Maas does: viscerally, with consequences that stick. The dragon-bonding element adds a layer of spectacle that Throne of Glass fans will eat up, especially if you always wished Abraxos had shown up earlier in the series. It is short, intense, and sets the stage for one of the most talked-about fantasy series in recent years.

Welcome to Threshing Day, the brutal, high-stakes trial where would-be riders at Basgiath War College fight to earn the bond of a dragon or die trying. Amid ruthless competition and dragon fire, these thirteen cadets must survive a battlefield where desperate rivals will do anything to gain an advantage and dragons decide one’s ultimate fate―and where a single choice can forge a rider…or destroy them. Xaden Riorson, the powerful leader. Rhiannon Matthias, the clever friend. Dain Aetos, the dutiful rule-follower. Liam Mairi, the kindhearted protector. Ridoc Gamlyn, the jokester. Sawyer Henrick, the underdog. Garrick Tavis, the dependable aide. Imogen Cardulo, the impulsive fighter. Bodhi Durran, the second-in-command. Mira Sorrengail, the fearless rider. Brennan Sorrengail, the brilliant tactician. Aaric Graycastle, the restless royal. Sloane Mairi, the determined sister. On Threshing Day, there’s only one rule: don’t die. The Empyrean series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 Fourth Wing Book #2 Iron Flame Book #3 Onyx Storm Though Threshing Day can be enjoyed as an introduction to the series, due to contained spoilers, it is best read after Onyx Storm

The third installment in the Fourth Wing series pushes the war college setting into full-blown continental conflict, which mirrors exactly the kind of escalation that made Throne of Glass so gripping across its later books. Violet Sorrengail has grown from a vulnerable first-year into a battle-hardened rider carrying impossible secrets, and her arc will feel deeply familiar to anyone who watched Celaena transform into Aelin. The political betrayals here are vicious and personal, hitting the same nerve as the scheming courts in Maas's world. Yarros also delivers on the romance front with the kind of tension that keeps you flipping pages well past midnight. If you loved how Throne of Glass expanded from personal stakes to kingdom-wide warfare, Onyx Storm delivers that same trajectory with dragons.

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust. Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him. Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.

Iron Flame is the book where Yarros rips the safety net away from her characters, and it will remind you exactly of how Maas handled the midpoint turns in the Throne of Glass series. Violet discovers that everything she believed about her world, her leaders, and the war itself was built on lies, which echoes Celaena's own shattering revelations about her identity and her kingdom. The betrayals here cut deep because Yarros spent an entire first book making you trust certain people. The romance between Violet and Xaden operates on a slow-burn frequency that Throne of Glass fans will recognize instantly: two people who are drawn together but kept apart by secrets that could get them both killed. The action sequences involving dragons in aerial combat are spectacular, and the ending will leave you gasping.

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. Now the real training begins, and Violet’s wondering how she’ll get through it. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is—unless she betrays the man she loves. Although Violet’s body is weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she has her wits—and a will of iron. Leadership forgets the most important lesson Basgiath taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules. But determination to survive won’t be enough this year, because Violet knows the secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

Callie Hart writes darkness the way Maas writes it in her later Throne of Glass books: unflinching, seductive, and laced with power dynamics that make your pulse spike. Brimstone drops you into a world where the heroine is entangled with a dangerous male who is equal parts protector and threat, a dynamic that will feel very familiar if you loved the tension between Celaena and Rowan or Celaena and the King of Adarlan's court. Hart does not shy away from the spicier side of romantasy, so expect the heat to be dialed up higher than Maas typically goes. The magic system is woven tightly into the power struggle between the leads, creating a situation where every intimate moment also carries real danger. This is for the Throne of Glass reader who always wanted the series to push further into its darker impulses.

Duty. Blood. Honour. Power. Saeris Fane doesn't want power. The very last thing she needs is her name whispered on an entire court's lips, but now that she's been crowned queen of the Blood Court, she's discovering that a queen's life is not her own. A heavy weight rests upon her shoulders. Her ward - and her brother - need her back in her homeland . . . but the changes that have strengthened Saeris have also made her weak. Born under blazing suns, Saeris will surely die if she makes her way home through the Quicksilver. Which means that, once again, she must send someone else in her stead . . . 'Keep your mouth shut. Stick to the shadows. And for the love of all seven Gods, do NOT crack any jokes.' Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate has defeated armies and survived all manner of horrors, but traveling back to Zilvaren with Carrion Swift might just be the death of him. The male just will not shut up. Hidden dangers await them down the narrow alleyways of the Silver City. Unfolding secrets pose impossible threats. Fisher must wrangle the smuggler and accomplish his goals quickly if he wants to see his mate again. A darkness falls across Yvelia. The realm and their friends are in danger. Together, Saeris and Fisher will pass through fire and brimstone to save them.

If the enemies-to-lovers tension between Celaena and certain characters in Throne of Glass was your favorite part of the series, Quicksilver will hit that nerve directly. Callie Hart builds a central relationship around two people who genuinely despise each other before the attraction becomes undeniable, and the transition feels earned rather than rushed. The fantasy setting has teeth to it; this is not a gentle world, and the heroine has to fight for every inch of ground she gains. Hart writes combat and verbal sparring with the same sharp energy, which gives the book a pacing rhythm very similar to Maas's earlier Throne of Glass installments. The power balance between the leads shifts constantly, keeping you off-balance in the best way.

This #1 New York Times bestseller is a highly addicting enemies-to-lovers Romantasy with razor-sharp banter, heart-stopping action, and blistering hot romance. Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate. Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen’s reservoirs for as long as she can remember. In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water. But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone. When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares…but it turns out they’re real, and Saeris has landed right in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed. The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist’s magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him… or her. Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he’s the only way Saeris is going to make it home. Be careful of the deals you make, dear child. The devil is in the details... Now with an embossed cover, silver foiling, and an updated interior design. N.B. Quicksilver contains depictions of graphic violence/adult situations and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author's website.

Devney Perry sets this story against kingdoms teetering on the edge of destruction, and that looming sense of apocalyptic stakes will resonate with anyone who read the final Throne of Glass books. The heroine carries the weight of her people's survival on her shoulders, much like Aelin did when she finally accepted her role as queen. Perry blends the political complexity of warring factions with a romance that grows organically out of desperate circumstances. The worldbuilding has that same quality Maas excels at: it feels larger than what you can see on the page, hinting at history and mythology that extend far beyond the immediate story. If you loved the way Throne of Glass balanced personal sacrifice with epic-scale conflict, this delivers a similar emotional punch. The pacing builds steadily toward a climax that earns its intensity.

Calandra’s five kingdoms are on the verge of destruction. The crux migration is coming. And in the wake of a devastating attack, I’ve been separated from the man who owns my heart. I’m lost. Terrified. Homesick. Hunted by monsters, driven to exhaustion, and kidnapped by a powerful priest, the only thing keeping me going is the little girl counting on me to keep her safe. It’s my turn to become the Guardian. Our lives change one fateful night. A night of death. A night of monsters. A night of truths. That night, I learn the real meaning of fear—and the depth of my own strength. Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I embrace my crown? What if the secrets I uncover save our realm? What if my sacrifice means salvation for the man I love? For too long, I’ve feared the monsters we make. It’s time to discover the monster within.

This is one of the most talked-about fantasy reads in online book communities right now, and for good reason. Alchemised takes place in a post-war magical world where the scars of conflict have reshaped society, which shares DNA with the aftermath themes that permeate the later Throne of Glass books. The characters here are complex in the way Maas's best characters are complex: morally gray, carrying guilt they cannot put down, and capable of both tenderness and terrible choices. SenLinYu writes with a literary precision that elevates the genre, giving you prose you want to sit with rather than skim past. The central relationship is built on shared damage and mutual recognition, similar to how Maas pairs her characters based on who they are underneath their armor. If you want books similar to Throne of Glass but with a more literary edge, this is your next read.

“What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.” Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed. In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive. According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit? To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.

Devney Perry delivers a slow-burn romance set against high-stakes political fantasy, and the pacing here mirrors the early Throne of Glass books where Maas took her time letting Celaena's walls come down. The heroine is guarded for good reason, and the trust she builds with the love interest develops through shared danger rather than forced proximity tropes. Perry writes tension between characters the way it should be written: through small moments of vulnerability that hit harder than any grand declaration. The fantasy world is rich with factional conflict, and the heroine's role within it carries real consequences. For Throne of Glass fans who fell in love with the series because of the slow emotional build rather than the action set pieces, Shield of Sparrows scratches that exact itch.

Shield of Sparrows is a slow-burn, high-stakes romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros―where enemies become lovers, monsters stalk a cursed realm, and a forgotten princess finds the strength to tear off her crown and become the warrior she was never meant to be. The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel. I’ve spent my life kneeling―to their will and to my father's. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king. I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood. But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life. Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him―bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know. Everyone wants me to be something I’m not―a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated? And what if―for the first time―I reached for it? The Shield of Sparrows trilogy is an epic slow-burn romantasy best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 Shield of Sparrows Book #2 Rites of the Starling Book #3 Seven and the Swift

Marketed as "Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games," Dire Bound combines the competitive survival structure that opens Throne of Glass with the dragon-riding elements that Maas herself has praised in Yarros's work. The heroine is thrown into a brutal contest she was never supposed to survive, and her defiance in the face of impossible odds channels the same energy Celaena brought to the king's tournament. Sable Sorensen writes the romance hot and the violence sharp, never letting you forget that this world will kill characters you care about. The spice level is higher than Throne of Glass, leaning into the romantasy trend that Maas helped popularize. If you loved the gladiatorial tension of Throne of Glass's opening premise and wished it had stayed in that pressure-cooker setting longer, Dire Bound delivers.

Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games in this spicy, page-turning romantasy where humans and direwolves forge unbreakable bonds and fight for survival at all costs. Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them. Meryn Cooper has always hated the Bonded, elite warriors who form mental links with the massive, vicious direwolves they ride. While they live in luxury, Meryn struggles to keep her family out of poverty. When her little sister, Saela, is kidnapped—stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting—Meryn’s world falls apart. Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army and is thrown into the deadly Bonding Trials, where any mistake will cost her life. Now Meryn must survive four months of training at the castle. She is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her cold and beautiful instructor, Stark Therion, is eager to punish any weakness. Everything is a competition, and everyone is out to get her—everyone except the dangerously handsome crown prince, whose attention adds another target to her back. In the castle, every smile hides a knife…and the halls hide dark secrets. It’s bond or bleed. Duel or die. Failure is ruin. Dire Bound contains mature content including depictions of graphic violence, and is therefore recommended for readers 17+. For a full list of tropes and TWs, please visit the author's website. Readers are already falling in love with “ONE OF THE BEST READS OF THE YEAR! This book was insanely good.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Stop it right now... I’m actually quite feral for the next book…” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The plot was THICK, the tension and banter? Flawless. And the world with the wolf bond, and trials??? NEED MORE NOW.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I just finished and still trying to mentally and emotionally recover to what just happened to me. You need to read it IMMEDIATELY.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “If you’re into dark romantasy with high stakes, fierce characters, and just the right amount of emotional wreckage, Direbound is your next obsession.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “What an incredible read!! … I am blown away. … The romance, the anguish, the BANTER! I love a book with good banter and this was FULL OF IT!” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I. Am. OBSESSED. … Left me spiraling in the best way possible. The morally grey anti-hero? Perfection. The slow-burn tension? Electric.

Fury Bound is driven by vengeance, and Throne of Glass fans know that energy intimately. Celaena spent years fueled by rage at what was taken from her, and the heroine of this book carries that same white-hot need for retribution. Sorensen writes a protagonist who is dangerous not because she is invincible but because she has nothing left to lose, which gives the story a desperate, volatile tension throughout. The romantasy elements intertwine with the revenge plot in ways that complicate both, forcing the heroine to choose between the person she is becoming and the mission she started with. The worldbuilding supports the emotional arc without overwhelming it, keeping the focus tight on character. For readers who loved the way Maas channeled Celaena's grief into action, this book operates on that same frequency.

Revenge demands sacrifice. CROWNED BY DESTINY. CONSUMED BY VENGEANCE. Against all odds, Meryn Cooper has inherited the crown—and a deadly war. As the Kingdom of Nocturna splinters under the weight of generations of lies, it is up to Meryn, her bonded direwolf Anassa, and their allies to bring the country back from the brink. But the commoners, the Bonded, and the nobles are distrustful of their new queen and Meryn is caught in a deadly game of politics. Meanwhile, Meryn’s beloved younger sister, Saela, is more at risk than ever. Confusingly, the one person Meryn can trust is Stark Therion—the dark, dangerous Alpha she thought hated her as much as she loathed him. Yet, his loyalty is unshakeable. His presence is intoxicating. And with his guidance, Meryn can seize an unthinkable level of power. With enemies closing in and shadows stirring in her dreams, Meryn stands to lose her kingdom—and her heart. Blood will spill. Bonds will break. Fate will be tested.

Alex Aster made a name for herself with Lightlark, and Starside pushes further into fantasy romance territory that will appeal to Throne of Glass fans looking for lush worldbuilding and romantic tension. The story features a heroine navigating a world of ancient magic and dangerous alliances, which tracks closely with the court politics Celaena had to survive. Aster writes with a cinematic quality; you can see every scene playing out like a film, which is something Maas also excels at. The romance is central but never overshadows the fantasy plot, maintaining that balance readers who loved Throne of Glass expect. The stakes feel personal even when the conflict is epic in scale. If you enjoyed the glamour and danger of Maas's immortal courts, Starside offers a fresh take on similar territory.

From Alex Aster, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lightlark series, comes her first adult romantasy. Enter the world of Starside , where swords wield magic and power is not inherited...but claimed. Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals—the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic. Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn’t after the gods’ magic—she’s going to kill them. First, she must survive the Culling, the king’s deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice, Aris doesn’t have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords—ones that contain power—are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor—but a target. Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren’t dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can’t trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king’s guard who betrayed her years ago—and who may now be the key to her survival. But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family’s death. And when it’s revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what’s coming…

Sheila Masterson hit the NYT bestseller list with this enemies-to-lovers fantasy, and the central dynamic will feel immediately familiar to Throne of Glass fans. The heroine and love interest are on opposite sides of a conflict that should make any relationship between them impossible, much like several of the pairings Maas writes across her series. Masterson builds the tension through forced proximity and reluctant dependence, creating scenes where every conversation carries double meaning. The "poison" element adds a literal layer of danger to the romance that keeps the stakes physical as well as emotional. The writing is sharp and the pacing relentless, making it the kind of book you finish in a single sitting. If you liked Throne of Glass for its dangerous love stories wrapped in political intrigue, this belongs on your list.

The Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller The must-have, true enemies-to-lovers standalone romantasy about a woman whose lips are deadly poison . . . until she meets the one man who can survive her kiss. This edition features a full-color illustrated case, designed endpapers, and an exclusive bonus chapter from Henry’s POV. In the absence of a conscience, men need something to fear. I’ve made myself their monster. Every person Harlow Carrenwell kisses dies immediately, and that’s the way she likes it. The poison-lipped youngest daughter of Lunameade’s magical founding family has used her power to annihilate their opposition. Her first husband is in the ground. Her mysterious new betrothed is next. But Harlow has a secret. When she’s not acting as an assassin at her parents’ whims, she moonlights as a vigilante hunting abusive men in their walled-off city. Meet a man. Lure him in. Kill him with a kiss. Until one night Harlow kisses a mark and he doesn’t die. Worse, the man immune to her kiss is her new betrothed, Henry Havenwood, and now he knows about her double life. The only way to protect her secret and her city is get close enough to Henry to figure out why the Havenwoods have reappeared after years of silence and what they have planned. Cursed with a husband she can’t kill and trapped in a fortress surrounded by vampire-infested woods, Harlow’s survival requires her to do the Make the man who knows she’s a killer fall in love with her anyway. Marriage of inconvenience / Feminine rage / Forced proximity / Touch her and die / Enemies to lovers / Vigilante FMC / Dash of vampires / Primal/fear play / “Who did this to you” / Dual POV

Rachel Gillig proved with her Shepherd King series that she can write dark fantasy romance with real emotional weight, and The Knight and the Moth continues that tradition. The story pairs a hardened warrior with a more vulnerable counterpart, creating a dynamic that echoes the protector-and-protected tension Maas builds between her leads before flipping it on its head. Gillig's prose is atmospheric and moody, pulling you into a world that feels genuinely threatening in ways that matter to the characters. The romance develops through shared danger and grudging respect, which is the exact formula that made Throne of Glass relationships so addictive. The dark fantasy elements are not window dressing; they shape the plot and force impossible choices. This is for the Throne of Glass reader who wants their romance served with a side of genuine dread.

Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum's windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams. Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil's visions. But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral's cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.

Liv Zander's tagline for this book includes the phrase "wed me, bed me, slit my throat," and that should tell you everything about the tone. This is dark romance set in a fantasy world where the heroine's survival depends on navigating a marriage that is also a death trap, calling back to the way Celaena had to play political games while hiding her true power. Zander writes morally gray characters who are genuinely dangerous to each other, not just performatively brooding. The tension between desire and self-preservation drives every chapter, creating a reading experience that is both thrilling and deeply uncomfortable in the best way. If you loved the moments in Throne of Glass where Celaena was at the mercy of powerful men and plotting her way out, Crown Me Dead lives in that energy permanently. The spice is significant and integrated into the power dynamics of the story.

Wed me. Bed me. Slit my throat. Born in dirt, raised in rot, I dig graves for the dead, while the living decay around me. When my brother coughs blood, he appears. A man too polished for the graveyard, with a bargain too cruel for the light: Seduce the King. Become the Queen. Die. And my brother lives. Kael is a nightmare of living ruin, the rotting ruler of a festering realm. And Vale is his shadow, the cold architect of my demise. One man needs my heart to beat. The other plans to stop it forever. They think I’m a pawn. But I’m the gravedigger's daughter. And I know exactly where to bury them. Welcome to the funeral. Darkly seductive, beautifully written, and deeply emotional, the Heartstring Duet will sweep you away into a world of forbidden desire, deadly intrigue, shocking twists, and impossible choices.

Rachel Gillig brings gothic atmosphere to the romantasy genre here, and the result is something that will appeal to Throne of Glass fans who loved the darker, more mysterious elements of Maas's world. The magic system has a sinister quality that permeates every interaction, similar to the wyrdmarks and dark forces Celaena uncovered beneath Rifthold's glass castle. Gillig writes romance that grows in the shadows, built on secrets and mutual fascination rather than instant attraction. The gothic setting gives everything a brooding weight that intensifies both the emotional beats and the action sequences. The central relationship is complicated by the kind of world-altering stakes that Maas specializes in, where loving the wrong person could doom more than just your heart. For readers who want books like Throne of Glass with a moodier, more atmospheric edge, this is an excellent choice.

Rachel Gillig, the queen of gothic romantasy, returns with higher stakes, darker mysteries, and deeper longings in this gorgeous sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling sensation The Knight and the Moth. Aisling Cathedral is in ruins. Rodrick Myndacious, Bartholomew, and Maude Bauer are rumored to be dead—and the king has taken Sybil Delling as his bride. To show off their union and solidify his power over Traum, Benji proposes a series of tournaments throughout the hamlets. Captive and drugged, Sybil remains determined to vanquished him as she once did the Omens, even if she destroys the kingdom’s faith—and herself—in the process. But then a mysterious knave rises to the top of the lists, a man with no name and no memory who may just be Sybil’s ticket to undoing Benji’s power. For in a land where stories repeat themselves, where a king can prove as cruel as a god, the only way to truly destroy the Stonewater Kingdom’s faith is to save it.