A Court of Thorns and Roses reading order

A plan for the whole series

5 volumes, 2,958 pages, about 55 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 10 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 4, “A Court of Silver Flames” (by 40%). Plan your break after volume 3.5, before the series plans it for you.
• Readers scored volume 3, “A Court of Wings and Ruin”, below its predecessor (8.4 after 8.7). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.
• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2021. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

4 stages, with 3 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 27, 2027, 17 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 18 h11 daysby November 9, 2026

   • 1. A Court of Thorns and Roses2015 · 456 pages · 8 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 13, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 214 h18 daysby December 1, 2026

   • 2. A Court of Mist and Fury2016 · 745 pages · 14 h
4. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by December 5, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 318 habout 3 weeksby December 29, 2026

   • 3. A Court of Wings and Ruin2017 · 720 pages · 13 h
   • 3.5. A Court of Frost and Starlight2018 · 265 pages · 5 h
6. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by January 8, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 414 h19 daysby January 27, 2027

   • 4. A Court of Silver Flames2021 · 772 pages · 14 h
8. The end of the series

   January 27, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: it gets better. Readers scored the opening (7.4) below the ending (8.3). After the first volume you do not yet know how good this series is.

Best volume: A Court of Mist and Fury (8.7, 2,937 ratings). Weakest: A Court of Frost and Starlight (7.0). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 3 and 4: 40%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2021. The last volume (8.3) scores close to the series average or above it.