10 Court Of Thorns & Roses Replacement Books To Read While You Wait For The Next One

Readers are still waiting for the next book in Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but they can turn to one of many amazing fantasy book sagas to pass the time until then. After the initial trilogy focusing on Feyre Archeron’s journey from human huntress to fae queen, A Court of Silver Flames shifts to Feyre’s eldest sister Nesta. The next A Court of Thorns and Roses installment is confirmed to be about another supporting character and/or couple, possibly Feyre’s other sister Elain, or her friend Lucien.

Meanwhile, fans are also impatiently waiting for news about the A Court of Thorns and Roses TV show, which has been indefinitely stalled at Hulu. The franchise has been in flux for years now as Maas has been busy with her other series and the people initially associated with the TV adaptation have moved on to other projects. However, A Court of Thorns and Roses exhibits a lot of the most popular tropes of young adult fantasy prevalent in BookTok books that deserve their hype, meaning it is easy to find other great similar reads while Maas and Hulu figure out what is next.

10 Throne Of Glass

Sarah J. Maas

Any fan of one of Maas’ series should read them all, just to compare their use of the same tropes.

Readers waiting for the next A Court of Thorns and Roses book can turn to Maas’ other works if they have not read them already. Throne of Glass is Maas’ flagship series that restrains itself to the YA genre, while A Court of Thorns and Roses notably moves into new adult. However, Throne of Glass has more characters and tells a bigger story, largely because Maas envisioned it as a longer series from the beginning. There was always space for the subplots of characters like Manon because of how the grandiose saga is structured.

Yet Throne of Glass still has the same tone as A Court of Thorns and Roses, with several powerful female characters rising to become great queens and an undeniable sensuality in many interactions. There are epic battles and inspirational moments to rival A Court of Thorns and Roses’ best quotes as the characters go down different but parallel paths to saving their respective kingdoms. Any fan of one of Maas’ series should read them all, just to compare their use of the same tropes.

9 A Curse So Dark And Lonely

By Brigid Kemmerer

A Court of Thorns and Roses was initially pitched as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and with the way Feyre and Tamlin’s relationship ends, prompting contemplation of the nature of this fairy tale. A Curse So Dark and Lonely also takes inspiration from the Beauty and the Beast story, delving into different facets of its themes. Harper and Rhen may get a happier ending, but they face different difficulties along the way in their relationship and ruling the kingdom of Emberfall.

Prince Rhen is cursed to be a beast until a girl falls in love with him and regains hope when he meets Harper, who he believes can fix everything. Harper has cerebral palsy and lives with a dysfunctional family before she is swept away from the streets of Washington, DC, into Rhen’s world. However, the implications of their romance are bigger than both of them, launching them into a whole trilogy of adventures where their perfect fairy tale is unraveled and remade into something entirely different.

8 Shadow And Bone

By Leigh Bardugo

While Maas might be considered one of the core pillars in the rise of the romantasy genre, Leigh Bardugo is certainly the other. Kicking things off with the Shadow and Bone trilogy, Bardugo introduced readers to a new world of strange powers and political conflict. The story is led by Alina Starkov, a young soldier who suddenly finds herself looked upon as the savior of the Grisha, the members of the population with various magical gifts.

After this entry into the Grishaverse, Bardugo continues the story in the Six of Crows duology and then the King of Scars duology. The residents of Ravka and its surrounding territories endeavor to claim power because they believe they are the most qualified to have it, facing down impossible odds. Shadow and Bone is a popular series, but the later books really get into the themes of the unbelievably brilliant characters like Kaz Brekker and Zoya Nazyalensky taking back what is theirs.

7 Immortal Longings

By Chloe Gong

For people whose favorite part of A Court of Thorns and Roses is the political intrigue and Rhysand making Feyre High Lady, Immortal Longings offers another satisfying take on the intersection of power and love. All of Chloe Gong’s best books are Shakespearean retellings, with the Flesh and False Gods series being inspired by Antony and Cleopatra. In the first book of the planned trilogy, Princess Calla and aristocrat Anton are both outlaws and participate in a fight to the death to achieve the next step in their respective grand plans.

Calla and Anton are characters engaged in complicated relationships with power, forced to choose between that power and each other. On the other hand, there are moments where the basis of their relationship is encouraging the other to attempt to rule the world. Unique fantasy elements and meticulous world-building are the foundation of this turbulent romance, surrounded by other power-hungry supporting characters. Now is the time to read Immortal Longings when the trilogy is headed into what is sure to be an explosive finale.

6 The Cruel Prince

By Holly Black

The Folk of the Heir trilogy naturally invites comparison with all of Maas’ works, as anyone involved in the romantasy BookTok world must at some point ask themselves which depiction of the fae they prefer. Maas’ different takes on the fae are still similar between each series, while Holly Black’s books feature a much more Spiderwick Chronicles-inspired setting full of more faeries with inhuman characteristics. While all the books are set in the vibrant and dangerous kingdom of Elfhame, existing parallel to the human world, it is the initial trilogy about Jude Duarte that inspired the saga’s popularity.

Jude is a human who grew up in Elfhame after her half-sister’s father killed their parents; she is clever and fierce, and not at all inclined to take abuse from the faeries who bully her for being human. Jude clashes and then is forced to ally herself with the vain Prince Cardan in her attempts to hold the kingdom together and keep someone worse from seizing power. The characters are all caught up in a game of tricks and betrayals, while the readers get the satisfaction of seeing Jude undergo an arc similar to Feyre.

5 From Blood And Ash

By Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash as a series hits a lot of the same beats as the Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses books: a lost heir emerging from the ashes, a protagonist becoming only more supernaturally powerful as the series continues, and an electric enemies-to-lovers storyline. Like Feyre, Poppy rejects the conservatively feminine role ascribed to her in favor of becoming a god-like monarch. Also like Maas’ writing, From Blood and Ash includes multiple royal lineages that are important to the story.

A Court of Thorns and Roses fans will enjoy another dark and mysterious love interest, as well as the central plot point of the protagonists challenging malevolent rulers. Furthermore, the From Blood and Ash series is extensive and will keep readers busy for much longer while they wait for the next A Court of Thorns and Roses book. In addition to the six books following Poppy and her loved ones, there is a prequel series of four books, resulting in the expansion of the world and its lore.

4 Circe

By Madeline Miller

Circe’s life showcases the tensions between compassion and power, independence and love.

On the other hand, Circe is Madeline Miller’s second standalone novel based on Greek mythology. However, it offers something similar to the big romantasy series to the discourse of women’s power in a fantasy world. Greek myths comprise a long history of women being abused and abandoned, with Circe standing out as one of the few able to claim some power herself. Miller’s Circe delves into the inner workings of this legendary witch and what she may have wanted for herself.

Circe’s life showcases the tensions between compassion and power, independence and love. Having been looked down upon by her father’s household before being exiled for showing magical potential, Circe at first finds contentment in her solitude where she can cultivate her power and hone her skills. However, her arc covers many years of tragedy stemming from different men coming to her island, and she outgrows only desiring wildlife companionship, leading to her final decisions about how she will live her life.

3 The Bridge Kingdom

By Danielle L. Jensen

The Bridge Kingdom starts from the viewpoint of Princess Lara, a warrior determined to assassinate the king of the Bridge Kingdom. However, her mission becomes complicated when she is arranged to marry the man she wants dead and is forced to question her motivations. The Bridge Kingdom sets out to tell a story of forbidden romances, malevolent monarchs, and warring kingdoms, reminiscent of the rivalries between the courts of Prythian and how Feyre once vehemently believed the Night Court was home to her enemies.

The later books in the Bridge Kingdom series move on to other characters but bring to life more star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of a war. The Inadequate Heir touches upon some themes of Romeo and Juliet with a conflict called “the Endless War,” and once again shows a protagonist learning to see things from both sides of a conflict. Several of the books utilizing the same format in their synopsis highlight a recurring motif in this series: people who are led to believe and fight for one thing but discover something different.

2 The Priory Of The Orange Tree

By Samantha Shannon

Those who feel like A Court of Thorns and Roses might benefit from multiple perspectives, missing this aspect of Throne of Glass, will be back in their element with The Priory of the Orange Tree. Additionally, Shannon’s newest fantasy world after The Bone Season is set up similarly to Prythian and its surrounding territories. While the focus remains with Feyre, the world of A Court of Thorns and Roses is much bigger, challenging readers to visualize far-off countries with distinct histories.

The Priory of the Orange Tree tells a story drawing upon various histories and cultures, following characters at different ends of the map who believe in different myths but will also soon be confronted by the same threat. Shannon goes even deeper with the prequel A Day of Fallen Night, another immensely detailed epic fantasy. The Roots of Chaos books have extensive lore but still illustrate complex experiences of women balancing duty with desire.

1 A Touch Of Darkness

By Scarlett St. Clair

Feyre’s relationship with Rhys can be considered another twist in the Beauty and the Beast tale, but it has also been compared to the myth of Hades and Persephone. These two tales exhibit some similarities, but fans of the latter are doubtlessly drawn to the dark underworld setting and the promises of power there. A Touch of Darkness is a glamorous Hades and Persephone retelling by bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair that will content readers until they meet Feyre and Rhys again.

A Touch of Darkness features a forbidden romance and a modern twist, wherein Persephone is a journalism student and Hades is a nightclub owner. Yet this novel is only the beginning of a seven-book series delving into all the intricacies of the relationship, from how they will manipulate each other to what they will do to protect the other. It looks like it is going to be a long wait for those yearning for the next A Court of Thorns and Roses books, but there are still many more dark and twisting literary adventures to be had.