Sarah J. Maas

Sarah Janet Maas, known as Sarah J. Maas (born March 5, 1986)^[3][4] is an American fantasy author known for her fantasy series Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses,^[5] and Crescent City. As of 2024, she has sold nearly 40 million copies of her books and her work has been translated into 38 languages.^[6]

Maas was adopted by a Catholic mother and a Jewish father, and grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She was raised Jewish.^[7][8]

In 2008,^[9] Maas graduated magna cum laude from Hamilton College in New York, where she majored in creative writing and minored in religious studies.^[4]

Maas began writing what would become her debut novel, Throne of Glass, at age sixteen.^[9][10] After writing several chapters of the novel, then titled Queen of Glass, Maas posted them on FictionPress.com, where it became one of the most popular stories on the site. It was later removed from the site when Maas decided to publish the novel.^[10] The story line of the series is based on the story of Cinderella, with the premise of "What if Cinderella was not a servant, but an assassin? And what if she didn't attend the ball to meet the prince, but to kill him, instead?"^[10][11] In 2008, Maas started sending the story to agents before signing with Tamar Rydzinski of The Laura Dial Literary Agency in 2009.^[10] Throne of Glass was purchased in March 2010 by Bloomsbury, who later purchased two additional books in the series.^[12] The series is available in 15 countries and 35 languages.^[9][13] While four prequel novellas set two years before the first novel were also published, these were later condensed into one book, The Assassin's Blade plus an original novella.^[14] The second book of the series, Crown of Midnight was a New York Times young adult best-seller.^[15][16] 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.^[17][13]

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Maas' second fantasy series, is a loose retelling of "Beauty and the Beast".^[18][19] The first book of the trilogy 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.^[20] 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.^[21]

On May 16, 2018, Maas announced her first adult fantasy series, Crescent City. The first book, titled House of Earth and Blood, was released by Bloomsbury on March 3, 2020.^[22][23] It was ranked one of the top twenty Science Fiction & Fantasy books of 2020 on Kobo.^[24] 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.^[25][26] The third installation of the series, House of Flame and Shadow, was released on January 30, 2024.

Maas' character development, particularly of morally grey characters, has been lauded as one of her best qualities, as well as her world building.^[27] The Independent compared Maas' success to that of J.K. Rowling.^[28]

In August 2024, the Utah State Board of Education released its first list of banned books that all public and charter schools in the state were required to dispose of under a new law, House Bill 29. Of these thirteen, six were written by Maas.^[29][30]

Maas attributed her love of reading and writing fantasy to Garth Nix's novel Sabriel and Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown.^[31] She has also named movie scores, classical music, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Sailor Moon as influences.^[4][31]

In 2020, Maas said, "The sense of discovery is why I love writing so much. It's a total thrill for me."^[32] Her books are known for their themes of romance and sexuality, and Maas noted that she was surprised A Court of Thorns and Roses had been classified as young adult.^[33]

Maas met Josh Wasserman at Hamilton College. At the time, Maas was a freshman, and Wasserman was a resident assistant in her dorm building. They married on May 30, 2010.^[34][35]

Maas and Wasserman have two children, a son born in 2018 and a daughter born in 2022.^[35][32][36] Wasserman is supportive of Maas's career, often caring for their children while she writes.^[35] The family lives together in New York City.^[37]

• The Assassin's Blade (2014)^[9]
• Throne of Glass (2012)^[9][14]
• Crown of Midnight (2013)^[9]
• Heir of Fire (2014)^[9]
• Queen of Shadows (2015)^[13]
• Empire of Storms (2016)^[38]
• Tower of Dawn (2017)^[39]
• Kingdom of Ash (2018)^[17]

• Throne of Glass Coloring Book (2016)
• The World of Throne of Glass (2019)

• A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015)^[18]
• A Court of Mist and Fury (2016)^[40]
• A Court of Wings and Ruin (2017)^[41]
• A Court of Silver Flames (2021)^[42]

• A Court of Frost and Starlight (2018)^[43]

• A Court of Thorns and Roses Coloring Book (2017)

• House of Earth and Blood (2020)^[44]
• House of Sky and Breath (2022)^[45]
• House of Flame and Shadow (2024)

• Catwoman: Soulstealer (2018)^[46]

• Official website