Sarah J. Maas

Sarah Janet Maas (born March 5, 1986) and Crescent City. As of 2024, she has sold more than 75 million copies of her books and her work has been translated into 40 languages.

Early life Maas was born on March 5, 1986, in New York City. She was adopted by a Catholic mother and a Jewish father, and they lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Maas grew up Jewish.

Maas graduated magna cum laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in creative writing and a minor in religious studies.

Career Maas began writing what would become her debut novel, Throne of Glass, at age sixteen. She posted several chapters of the novel then titled Queen of Glass on FictionPress.com, where it became one of the most popular stories on the site. It was later removed from the site when she decided to publish the novel.

In 2008, Maas sent the novel to agents before signing with Tamar Rydzinski of The Laura Dail Literary Agency in 2009. The series is available in 15 countries and 35 languages. Five prequel novellas set two years before the first novel were published and later condensed into a book, The Assassin's Blade as well as an original novella. The second book of the series, Crown of Midnight was a New York Times young adult best-seller. The final book in the series, Kingdom of Ash, was released on October 23, 2018; the finished series comprised seven books plus the novella collection. The first book of the series was written in 2009, but was not published until 2015. Due to the success and popularity of the original series, it was extended, and a spin-off series was announced, featuring stories of other popular characters. The fifth book in the series and the first of the spin-offs, A Court of Silver Flames, was published on February 16, 2021. The series was optioned for a television adaptation in 2021 by Hulu, but as of February 2024, the television series is no longer in active development.

On May 16, 2018, Maas announced her third adult fantasy series, Crescent City. The first book, titled House of Earth and Blood, was released by Bloomsbury on March 3, 2020. It was ranked one of the top twenty Science Fiction & Fantasy books of 2020 on Kobo. The sequel, House of Sky and Breath, was released on February 15, 2022 and won the Best Fantasy award for Goodreads Choice Awards in 2022. The third installation of the series, House of Flame and Shadow, was released on January 30, 2024.

Critical and commercial reception Maas's character development, particularly of morally-gray characters, has been lauded as one of her best qualities; her creation of detailed imaginary worlds has also seen praise. The Independent compared Maas's success to that of J. K. Rowling, noting their shared ability to inspire passionate fans, drive huge numbers of book-sales, and create complex worlds with complicated caste-systems. It also noted how Maas "was ahead of the game when it came to the rising appetite for empowering female heroines", acknowledging that her books "are notable for a [unique] defining factor: Female agency".

In August 2024, the Utah State Board of Education announced six of Maas's books could not be held in libraries or classrooms at public schools or charter schools due a new state law against material deemed sensitive, pornographic, or obscene. The law requires questioned books to be "disposed" and not sold or donated. Critics characterized this action as a "book-ban", though the relevant law does not actually prohibit the sale of any books in the state, nor in any way restrict books at municipal or university libraries.

Influences and style Maas attributed her love of reading and writing fantasy to Garth Nix's novel Sabriel and Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown. She has also named movie scores, classical music, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Sailor Moon as influences. Her books are known for their themes of romance, and Maas noted that she was surprised A Court of Thorns and Roses had been classified as young adult.

Controversy Maas's books have received criticism for poor handling of racial and LGBTQ+ diversity by some. Racial diversity has been criticized as being physical only, with no cultural diversity involved. Additionally, the one exception has been criticized for thinly veiled ties to Middle Eastern cultures and is described in the novels as "brutal" and "backward".

A Court of Thorns and Roses has been cited for criticism on LGBTQ+ diversity. The four LGBTQ+ characters' sexualities were all revealed in the third book, which was supposed to be the conclusion of the series. The reveals were criticized for making one of the characters a stereotype while another was forced to reveal herself as a lesbian while also maintaining an established heterosexual subplot.

On September 24, 2020, Maas revealed the cover of A Court of Silver Flames, the fourth book in the series A Court of Thorns and Roses. This received backlash due to the fact that in the same post Maas drew attention to the killing of Breonna Taylor. This was 9 days after the Louisville Metro Government settled with Taylor's family in a civil lawsuit. The post included only a photo of the book and lacked any images of Taylor. Some saw this as an attempt to promote her book through the event, while others saw it as drawing attention to the event using her platform. As of June 2026, the post remains despite numerous and continuous requests for it to be taken down.

Personal life While a freshman at Hamilton, Maas met Josh Wasserman, who was a resident assistant in her dorm building. The couple got married on May 30, 2010.

Maas and Wasserman have two children, a son born in 2018 and a daughter born in 2022. They live in New York City. Recognition Awards and nominations

Year-end lists Year Publication Work Category Result Ref 2021 Book Riot A Court of Silver Flames Top Books of 2021 2015 Bustle A Court of Thorns and Roses The 25 Best YA Books Of 2015 9 2015 BuzzFeed Queen of Shadows 16 Of The Best YA Books Of 2015 11 2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses The 32 Best Fantasy Books Of 2015 7 2018 A Court of Wings and Ruins 28 Of The Best YA Books Released in 2017 9 2018 Cosmopolitan A Court of Frost and Starlight The 71 Best Books of 2018 33 2021 Business Insider A Court of Thorns and Roses Series The 23 best fantasy book series to read right now 2021 A Court of Thorns and Roses The 21 best young adult romance books to read in 2021 2015 The Independent Queen of Shadows 10 best fantasy novels 4 2020 Kobo House of Earth and Blood Our top 20 Science Fiction & Fantasy picks of 2020 A Court of Silver Flames Our top 20 Science Fiction & Fantasy picks of 2021 2013 PopSugar Crown of Midnight The Best YA Books of 2013 2 2015 Queen of Shadows 10 Best Young Adult Books of 2015 8 2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses 22 2016 A Court of Mist and Fury The Best YA Books of 2016 13 2016 Empire of Storms 20 2017 A Court of Wings and Ruin The Best YA Romance Books of 2017 11 2021 A Court of Silver Flames A Running List of the Best Books of 2021, For All Your TBR Needs 38 2021 Wired A Court of Thorns and Roses 36 of the best fantasy books everyone should read 2024 Publishers Weekly A Court of Thorns and Roses Top 25 list of bestsellers for 2023 #11

Decade-end lists Year Publication Work Category Result Ref 2019 BuzzFeed Throne of Glass The 30 Best YA Books of the Decade 10 2019 Comic Years Throne of Glass series The Top 10 Fantasy Series Published in the Past Decade 10 2019 Cultured Vulture Throne of Glass Books of the Decade: 10 Best YA Books of the 2010s 5 2019The Young Folks Throne of Glass The 25 Best Young Adult Books of the 2010s 9 A Court of Thorns and Roses 8 2019 A Court of Frost and Starlight 10 Best Holiday YA Novels of the 2010s

Published works Throne of Glass

Others Catwoman: Soulstealer (2018)