12 Authors Like Sarah J Maas to Read Next
There is a particular kind of book hangover that seems to happen after Sarah J. Maas. You finish A Court of Thorns and Roses, close the final book in Throne of Glass, or emerge from the sprawling world of Crescent City and immediately start searching for something—anything—that might recreate the experience.
But when readers ask for authors like Sarah J Maas, they aren't necessarily looking for someone who writes exactly like Maas. They are usually chasing a combination of things: dangerous fae courts, enemies to lovers, a strong female lead discovering the extent of her power, an immersive magic system, found family, morally gray men, enormous fantasy stakes, and—depending on the series—some real spice.
Spend enough time looking at romantasy recommendations, and a pattern starts to emerge. Rebecca Yarros, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Holly Black and Carissa Broadbent appear again and again, but for very different reasons. Yarros is frequently recommended for the addictive pacing and romance of Fourth Wing. Armentrout comes up when readers want something spicy and romance-forward. Holly Black is the answer for readers who want more dangerous fae and court politics. And Broadbent has become a favorite for readers who want romance without sacrificing a substantial fantasy plot.
So instead of pretending all of these authors offer interchangeable "ACOTAR vibes," I've organized this list around what Sarah J. Maas readers actually seem to be looking for. Think of it as a choose-your-own-book-hangover cure.
12 Authors Like Sarah J Maas
The best author to read after Sarah J. Maas depends on which part of her books you want more of. Below, I've noted the particular SJM itch each author scratches, along with whether the recommended books skew young adult, new adult or adult and approximately how spicy you can expect them to be.
1. Rebecca Yarros
Best for readers who want: ACOTAR's romance + Throne of Glass's danger + dragons
If what you really miss is that I should go to bed, but I'll read one more chapter quality, Rebecca Yarros may be the most obvious place to start.
Her Empyrean series begins with Fourth Wing, which drops Violet Sorrengail into Basgiath War College, where aspiring dragon riders are trained in an environment where failure can quite literally mean death. The series combines a strong female lead, magical powers, war, secrets, dragons and a romance that quickly becomes central to the story. Yarros herself categorizes Fourth Wing as fantasy romance, and the book contains on-page sexual content.
It is also one of the recommendations that appears most consistently when readers ask what to pick up after ACOTAR. In reader discussions, Fourth Wing is regularly treated as another gateway book into romantasy alongside Maas.
Start with:
Fourth Wing — Violet enters a deadly military college for dragon riders and discovers that brains may be a better survival tool than brute strength. Start here if you want dragons, enemies to lovers, high stakes and a dangerously appealing love interest.
Iron Flame — The second Empyrean novel expands the war, politics and magical mysteries while putting Violet through an even more brutal year at Basgiath.
Onyx Storm — Continue here once you're invested in Violet, Xaden and the larger conflict surrounding the riders and dragons.
Age category: Adult/new adult
Spice level: Spicy; open-door romance
If the dragons are what hook you, I also have an entire list of books with dragons.
What readers say: Yarros is one of the most common recommendations for readers coming directly from Maas because the reading experience is similarly propulsive. The biggest divide seems to be among readers who prioritize fantasy plot over romance: some love how central Violet and Xaden's relationship becomes, while others wish the later books spent more time away from the couple.
2. Jennifer L. Armentrout
Best for readers who want: more spice, forbidden romance and powerful heroines
If your favorite part of A Court of Thorns and Roses was the romance—and particularly the increasingly adult direction of the series—Jennifer L. Armentrout should be near the top of your list.
From Blood and Ash follows Poppy, a young woman raised as the Maiden and denied control over almost every aspect of her life. Enter Hawke, a guard who makes her question her duty, her world and what she actually wants. Even Armentrout's official description positions the book for Sarah J. Maas fans.
The result is a fantasy romance built around forbidden attraction, secrets, power, destiny and a heroine who gradually begins pushing against the identity other people created for her.
Start with:
From Blood and Ash — Start here for forbidden romance, a sheltered heroine discovering her own agency and plenty of tension.
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire — The relationship becomes even more complicated after major revelations from book one, making this especially good for readers who like betrayal tangled up with attraction.
A Shadow in the Ember — The first Flesh and Fire book follows Sera, a woman raised for a secret mission: make the Primal of Death fall in love with her and then kill him. If Celaena's assassin storyline is your favorite part of Throne of Glass, this premise should get your attention.
Age category: Adult/new adult
Spice level: Spicy to very spicy
What readers say: Armentrout is repeatedly recommended for the same addictive combination of forbidden romance, banter and fantasy stakes that draws readers to Maas. The caveat is that From Blood and Ash becomes increasingly lore-heavy as the series progresses, and reactions to that expanding mythology can be divided. Even fans sometimes recommend the Flesh and Fire books as an alternative entry point.
3. Carissa Broadbent
Best for readers who want: dark fantasy stakes without sacrificing the romance
Carissa Broadbent is one of the names that comes up most often when readers have graduated from the biggest BookTok romantasy titles and want something that still scratches the same itch.
Start with The Serpent and the Wings of Night, the first Crowns of Nyaxia novel. Oraya is a human raised by a vampire king who enters a deadly tournament and is forced into an alliance with Raihn, a vampire who happens to be both her rival and a threat to everything she knows.
If you liked Feyre navigating a world in which she is physically vulnerable but refuses to behave as though she is powerless, Oraya is an easy heroine to root for. The tournament also gives the book a strong external plot rather than treating fantasy as merely the backdrop for a romance. Broadbent describes Crowns of Nyaxia as a six-book world of vampires, gods, magic and monsters.
Start with:
The Serpent and the Wings of Night — A deadly tournament, reluctant allies, vampires and slow burn attraction.
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King — Continue Oraya's story after the fallout of the first book.
Six Scorched Roses — A shorter entry into the same universe that's useful if you want to sample Broadbent's style without immediately committing to another huge series.
Age category: Adult
Spice level: Spicy, but generally less romance-dominant than some competitors
What readers say: Broadbent tends to be recommended when someone wants the emotional intensity of romantasy but still cares deeply about worldbuilding and plot. Her name repeatedly appears alongside Yarros and Armentrout as one of the closest contemporary alternatives to Maas.
4. Holly Black
Best for readers who want: the fae courts to be even more dangerous
If your favorite parts of ACOTAR involve bargains, fae cruelty, court politics and never quite knowing whom to trust, read Holly Black.
The Cruel Prince follows Jude, a mortal raised in the High Court of Faerie after she and her sisters are taken there as children. Jude desperately wants power and belonging in a world where many fae despise humans—especially Prince Cardan. Her determination pulls her deep into the political machinery of the court.
The important distinction: do not go into The Cruel Prince expecting ACOTAR-level romance or spice. The Folk of the Air series is young adult fantasy with a romantic thread, not adult romantasy.
What you get instead is deliciously vicious fae politics.
Start with:
The Cruel Prince — Start here for Jude, Cardan, political maneuvering and enemies who genuinely dislike one another.
The Wicked King — Court politics become even more treacherous as Jude tries to hold onto power.
The Queen of Nothing — The trilogy's payoff, with political and romantic threads finally colliding.
Age category: Young adult
Spice level: Little to none
What readers say: Holly Black is frequently recommended alongside Maas because of the fae setting, morally complicated characters and court intrigue—but readers repeatedly warn newcomers that The Cruel Prince is much less romance-forward.
5. Leigh Bardugo
Best for readers who want: found family, morally gray characters and a deeper fantasy plot
Leigh Bardugo is a better match for Throne of Glass fans than readers who simply want another ACOTAR.
Her Grishaverse offers a developed magic system, political conflict, dangerous missions and characters whose loyalties become one of the most compelling parts of the story. Six of Crows, in particular, is built around an unforgettable found family of criminals attempting an impossible heist.
Start with:
Shadow and Bone — The traditional entry point into the Grishaverse, following a young woman who discovers an extraordinary magical ability.
Six of Crows — A criminal crew, an impossible heist and one of fantasy's most beloved found families. You can technically begin here if this premise appeals more.
Ninth House — For adult readers who want Bardugo darker, stranger and more mature.
Age category: Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows are young adult; Ninth House is adult
Spice level: None to little in the YA books
What readers say: Bardugo isn't the pick for someone whose main requirement is spice. She is the pick for the reader who finished Throne of Glass wishing for another large cast they could become emotionally attached to.
6. Stephanie Garber
Best for readers who want: yearning, magic and fairy-tale atmosphere
Stephanie Garber's books lean into the lush, intoxicating side of fantasy.
Her Caraval series and the related Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy offer curses, magical bargains, elaborate games, beautiful settings and romantic longing. If your favorite ACOTAR moments involve wandering into somewhere impossibly beautiful and realizing that beauty is probably concealing something dangerous, Garber understands the assignment.
Start with:
Caraval — Two sisters enter an elaborate magical competition where distinguishing performance from reality becomes increasingly difficult.
Once Upon a Broken Heart — Evangeline makes a dangerous bargain with the Prince of Hearts after losing the man she believes she loves.
The Ballad of Never After — Often the book where readers who enjoyed the first novel become fully invested in Evangeline and Jacks.
Age category: Young adult
Spice level: Little to none; heavy on tension and yearning
Garber works especially well for readers who want slow burn romance but don't necessarily need explicit scenes.
7. Rebecca Ross
Best for readers who want: emotional romance and beautiful fantasy writing
Rebecca Ross is an excellent next step when what you loved most about Sarah J. Maas was not simply the fae or spice but the emotional investment in the characters.
Divine Rivals pairs rival journalists Iris and Roman against the backdrop of a war between gods. Magical letters begin passing between them without Iris realizing who is receiving hers, creating a romance that is more tender than many of the darker books on this list.
Start with:
Divine Rivals — Rival journalists, magical correspondence and a war among gods.
Ruthless Vows — The continuation of Iris and Roman's story, with the larger fantasy conflict moving closer to center stage.
A River Enchanted — Try this if you're more interested in atmospheric adult fantasy, folklore and mystery.
Age category: Divine Rivals is young adult; A River Enchanted is adult
Spice level: Little
This isn't the choice for someone specifically searching for "ACOTAR but spicier." It's a much better match for the reader who wants romance to create a genuine emotional ache.
8. Shelby Mahurin
Best for readers who want: witches, enemies to lovers and forced proximity
Shelby Mahurin's Serpent & Dove is built around one of romantasy's favorite setups: put two people who should absolutely not be together in a situation where they can't escape each other.
Lou is a witch. Reid is a witch hunter. Circumstances force them into marriage.
You can probably see where this is going.
Start with:
Serpent & Dove — Witch plus witch hunter plus forced marriage makes this the obvious starting point.
Blood & Honey — Expands the world and consequences after the first book.
Gods & Monsters — The conclusion to Lou and Reid's story.
Age category: Young adult
Spice level: A little; considerably less explicit than later ACOTAR
If your Sarah J. Maas ranking is determined largely by romantic tension and enemies to lovers, Mahurin deserves a look.
9. Lauren Roberts
Best for readers who want: deadly competitions, forbidden attraction and dystopian romantasy
Lauren Roberts' Powerless combines fantasy romance with the structure of a dystopian competition story.
Paedyn lives in a kingdom divided by power despite having no supernatural ability of her own. After accidentally saving a prince, she ends up drawn into the Purging Trials—and increasingly entangled with the very people who could expose her.
That makes Roberts particularly interesting for readers whose fantasy tastes sit somewhere between Sarah J. Maas and Suzanne Collins.
Start with:
Powerless — Begin here for trials, secrets, banter and forbidden attraction.
Reckless — Continues the central relationship with an even stronger pursuit/enemies dynamic.
Fearless — The conclusion for readers invested in Paedyn's story.
Age category: Young adult/new adult crossover appeal
Spice level: Little; much more tension than explicit content
If competitions and oppressive kingdoms are your thing, see my list of dystopian romantasy books. And if that is the part of Powerless you love most, you may also want these books like The Hunger Games.
What readers say: Powerless frequently appears in the same recommendation clusters as ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, The Cruel Prince and other gateway romantasy books.
10. Lexi Ryan
Best for readers who want: fae courts, romantic complications and betrayals
Lexi Ryan's These Hollow Vows is perhaps one of the easiest recommendations for someone whose request is simply: Give me more fae.
Brie despises the fae, but circumstances force her into their world, where she becomes tangled between rival courts, dangerous bargains and two princes.
Start with:
These Hollow Vows — Fae courts, deception, romance and a heroine navigating a world she doesn't trust.
These Twisted Bonds — Continues Brie's story and resolves the duology.
Beneath These Cursed Stars — Return to the same world with a new central story.
Age category: Young adult
Spice level: A little
Ryan is a particularly good bridge for someone who loved early ACOTAR but wants to stay closer to YA fantasy than move into increasingly explicit adult romantasy.
11. Sabaa Tahir
Best for readers who want: the epic stakes of Throne of Glass
Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes isn't the closest match to ACOTAR, and that's exactly why it belongs here.
Readers searching for authors like Sarah J Maas sometimes focus so heavily on fae and romance that they overlook what makes Throne of Glass so satisfying: rebellion, shifting alliances, a heroine facing an oppressive system, painful choices, a widening cast and stakes that grow dramatically across the series.
Tahir delivers that kind of fantasy.
Start with:
An Ember in the Ashes — Laia infiltrates a brutal military academy to help the resistance save her brother.
A Torch Against the Night — Expands the world while escalating the consequences for its central characters.
A Sky Beyond the Storm — The final book demonstrates just how large the story has become since its beginning.
Age category: Young adult
Spice level: Little to none
If Celaena Sardothien's transformation and the expanding political stakes of Throne of Glass mattered more to you than explicit romance, move Tahir much higher on your personal ranking.
12. Kerri Maniscalco
Best for readers who want: seductive villains, supernatural danger and enemies to lovers
Kerri Maniscalco is another author whose books tend to appeal to the reader who likes their romance wrapped in danger.
Kingdom of the Wicked begins with Emilia, a witch investigating the murder of her twin sister. Her search brings her into contact with Wrath, one of the wicked princes of Hell.
Murder mystery plus witches plus demon prince is already a compelling combination, but it's the escalating attraction and distrust that make this a natural recommendation for Maas readers.
Start with:
Kingdom of the Wicked — Start here for witches, murder, Wrath and the beginning of a dangerous alliance.
Kingdom of the Cursed — The series becomes more adult and more sensual as Emilia enters the Seven Circles.
Throne of the Fallen — An adult novel set in the same world for readers who want Maniscalco with the spice turned considerably higher.
Age category: The original trilogy begins YA/crossover; Throne of the Fallen is adult
Spice level: Starts relatively mild and gets substantially spicier
Maniscalco is regularly grouped with Maas, Yarros, Armentrout and Black in recommendation lists, particularly for readers looking for enemies to lovers and dangerous supernatural men.
What Makes Sarah J Maas Books So Addictive?
Look through enough "what should I read after Sarah J. Maas?" discussions and it becomes clear that readers aren't chasing one specific ingredient. They're chasing the combination.
Some of the elements that appear again and again include:
Fae courts and politics. Prythian isn't simply a magical setting. The competing courts, alliances, histories and power structures make the world feel much larger than Feyre's immediate story.
Enemies to lovers. Maas knows how to make attraction and distrust occupy the same page, which is why readers searching for their next series so often prioritize this trope.
Slow burn romance. The anticipation frequently matters as much as the eventual relationship.
Morally gray love interests. Maas's heroes aren't always introduced as heroes, and readers clearly enjoy figuring out whether a dangerous man is actually dangerous—or dangerous to everyone except the heroine.
A strong female lead who grows into her power. Feyre, Celaena/Aelin and Bryce begin their stories in very different places, but each series is interested in women discovering that they are capable of far more than they initially understand.
Found family. The Night Court is probably the most obvious example, but Maas repeatedly creates groups readers want to spend time with beyond the central romance.
A real magic system and real fantasy stakes. The romance matters, but there are also wars, kingdoms, monsters, prophecies and political consequences.
Romance that doesn't feel tacked onto the fantasy. This may be the defining quality of romantasy. The fantasy plot and love story both matter, and each affects the other.
A cast readers become attached to over multiple books. This is one reason replacing Maas can be surprisingly difficult. Readers aren't simply looking for another couple; they're looking for another world they can inhabit for several thousand pages.
That distinction helps explain why reader recommendations can look contradictory. Someone who says The Cruel Prince is the perfect book after ACOTAR may be chasing fae politics. Someone recommending From Blood and Ash probably prioritizes romance and spice. A reader who insists on Six of Crows may actually be missing the found family. And the person shouting about Fourth Wing wants that breathless, compulsively readable combination of danger, romance and magic.
For even more options on the fantasy side of the equation, browse my recommendations for the best adult fantasy books.
Which Sarah J Maas Series Should You Read First?
If you've somehow landed on a list of authors like Sarah J Maas before reading Sarah J. Maas, you have three major starting points: Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City.
For most readers who are specifically interested in romantasy, I would point them toward A Court of Thorns and Roses first. It is the clearest introduction to the ingredients most people now associate with Maas: fae, romance, dangerous courts, magic, a heroine growing into her power and relationships that become increasingly central to the series.
It is worth knowing that the first ACOTAR book doesn't necessarily represent the experience readers are talking about when they rave about the series. The world and romantic dynamics evolve significantly as the books continue, and A Court of Mist and Fury is frequently the installment that turns interested readers into obsessive fans. If you'd rather listen, I've also broken down the different options for the ACOTAR audiobook narrator.
Choose Throne of Glass first if fantasy is more important to you than spice. The series begins closer to young adult fantasy and grows into a much larger epic involving magic, kingdoms, war, romance and an increasingly large cast. It is also the better starting point if the found-family and sweeping-fantasy elements described above sound more appealing than the romance-forward side of romantasy.
Choose Crescent City first if you already enjoy big adult fantasy novels and don't mind being dropped into substantial worldbuilding. Its urban setting makes it immediately different from the fairy-tale atmosphere of ACOTAR or the epic-fantasy framework of Throne of Glass. It is adult, dense and ambitious.
As for spice, A Court of Thorns and Roses becomes substantially spicier as the series progresses, with A Court of Silver Flames being the most explicit of the three major Maas series' commonly recommended entry points. Throne of Glass is much less focused on explicit sex, particularly early on. Crescent City is adult and contains sexual content, but its appeal is also heavily tied to the mystery, worldbuilding and enormous fantasy plot.
There is no universally correct reading order, but there is a useful way to choose:
Want romance, fae and spice? Start with ACOTAR.
Want epic fantasy, character development and found family? Start with Throne of Glass.
Want adult urban fantasy and complex worldbuilding? Start with Crescent City.
And once you've finished all three? That's when this list becomes necessary.
Finding the Right Author to Read After Sarah J Maas
The biggest mistake you can make when searching for authors like Sarah J Maas is assuming you need another author who checks every single box.
Reader discussions suggest something more interesting: there isn't really one replacement for Sarah J. Maas.
If you want the addictive pacing and adult romance, start with Rebecca Yarros. If you want even more romance and spice, try Jennifer L. Armentrout. For dangerous fae courts, choose Holly Black. For dark romantasy where the fantasy plot still carries substantial weight, go with Carissa Broadbent. For found family and morally gray characters, try Leigh Bardugo. And if the sprawling epic scope of Throne of Glass is what left the biggest hole behind, Sabaa Tahir may be a better recommendation than many of the more obvious ACOTAR readalikes.
That's ultimately what makes the current romantasy landscape so much fun. You don't have to find another Sarah J. Maas. You just have to figure out which part of her books you aren't ready to leave behind—and find the author who does that particularly well.
Which author finally cured your Sarah J. Maas book hangover? Tell me what you read after ACOTAR, Throne of Glass or Crescent City in the comments. I'm always looking for the next fantasy world worth disappearing into.
