Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas
Born
Sarah Janet Maas

(1986-03-05) March 5, 1986 (age 38)
New York City, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHamilton College (BA)
OccupationAuthor
Notable work
Spouse
Josh Wasserman
​
(m. 2010)​
Children2[1][2]
Websitesarahjmaas.com

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]

Early life and education

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]

Career

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.

Critical and commercial reception

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]

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.[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]

Personal life

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] The family lives together in New York City.[37]

Bibliography

Throne of Glass

Main article: Throne of Glass
  • 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]

Companion books

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

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Main article: A Court of Thorns and Roses
  • 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]

Novella

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

Companion books

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

Crescent City

Main article: Crescent City
  • House of Earth and Blood (2020)[44]
  • House of Sky and Breath (2022)[45]
  • House of Flame and Shadow (2024)

Non-series

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for Sarah J. Maas
Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2017 Dragon Awards Best Young Adult Novel A Court of Wings and Ruin Nominated [47]
2012 Goodreads Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction Throne of Glass Nominated [48]
2013 Crown of Midnight Nominated [49]
2014 Heir of Fire Nominated [50]
2015 Queen of Shadows Won [51]
A Court of Thorns and Roses Nominated
2016 A Court of Mist and Fury Won [52]
Empire of Storms Nominated
2017 A Court of Wings and Ruin Won [53]
Tower of Dawn Nominated
2018 Best of the Best A Court of Mist and Fury Nominated [54]
Queen of Shadows Nominated
A Court of Wings and Ruin Nominated
Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction Kingdom of Ash Won [55]
A Court of Frost and Starlight Nominated
2020 Best Fantasy House of Earth and Blood Won [56]
2021 A Court of Silver Flames Won [57]
2022 House of Sky and Breath Won [58]

Year-end lists

"Year-end" accolades for Sarah J. Maas works
Year Publication Work Category Result Ref
2021 Book Riot A Court of Silver Flames Top Books of 2021 — [59]
2015 Bustle A Court of Thorns and Roses The 25 Best YA Books Of 2015 9 [60]
2015 BuzzFeed Queen of Shadows 16 Of The Best YA Books Of 2015 11 [61]
2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses The 32 Best Fantasy Books Of 2015 7 [62]
2018 A Court of Wings and Ruins 28 Of The Best YA Books Released in 2017 9 [63]
2018 Cosmopolitan A Court of Frost and Starlight The 71 Best Books of 2018 33 [64]
2021 Business Insider A Court of Thorns and Roses Series The 23 best fantasy book series to read right now — [65]
2021 A Court of Thorns and Roses The 21 best young adult romance books to read in 2021 — [66]
2015 The Independent Queen of Shadows 10 best fantasy novels 4 [67]
2020 Kobo House of Earth and Blood Our top 20 Science Fiction & Fantasy picks of 2020 — [24]
2021 A Court of Silver Flames Best audiobooks of 2021 — [68]
A Court of Silver Flames Our top 20 Science Fiction & Fantasy picks of 2021 — [69]
2013 PopSugar Crown of Midnight The Best YA Books of 2013 2 [70]
2015 Queen of Shadows 10 Best Young Adult Books of 2015 8 [71]
2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses 22 [72]
2016 A Court of Mist and Fury The Best YA Books of 2016 13 [73]
2016 Empire of Storms 20 [74]
2017 A Court of Wings and Ruin The Best YA Romance Books of 2017 11 [75]
2021 A Court of Silver Flames A Running List of the Best Books of 2021, For All Your TBR Needs 38 [76]
2021 Wired A Court of Thorns and Roses 36 of the best fantasy books everyone should read — [77]

Decade-end lists

"Decade-end" accolades for Sarah J. Maas works
Year Publication Work Category Result Ref
2019 BuzzFeed Throne of Glass The 30 Best YA Books of the Decade 10 [78]
2019 Comic Years Throne of Glass series The Top 10 Fantasy Series Published in the Past Decade 10 [79]
2019 Cultured Vulture Throne of Glass Books of the Decade: 10 Best YA Books of the 2010s 5 [80]
2019 The Young Folks Throne of Glass The 25 Best Young Adult Books of the 2010s 9 [81]
A Court of Thorns and Roses 8
2019 A Court of Frost and Starlight 10 Best Holiday YA Novels of the 2010s — [82]

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