If you liked
Books like A Court of Mist and Fury
by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Mist and Fury is the book that turned Sarah J. Maas's ACOTAR series into an obsession, the volume where the romance recalibrates and the fandom lost its mind. If you finished it and need more fae courts, slow burns and swoony power couples, these are the reads.
The shortlist
What to read next
A Court of Thorns and Rosesby Sarah J. Maas
“A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 2015 review. A human huntress is taken to the faerie kingdom of Prythian after killing a wolf in the woods. The first ACOTAR book and the romantasy series that set the table for the genre's BookTok-era explosion.”
Fourth Wingby Rebecca Yarros
“Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 2023 review. Violet Sorrengail, a fragile scribe, is forced into the brutal dragon-riding war college. The first book of the Empyrean series and the romantasy novel that defined the 2023-2024 BookTok moment.”
Iron Flameby Rebecca Yarros
“Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros 2023 review. The second Empyrean book picks up the morning after Fourth Wing's cliffhanger and runs eight hundred pages of war-college politics, signet escalation, and the slow-burn enemies-to-lovers payoff the audience came for.”
Onyx Stormby Rebecca Yarros
“Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros 2025 review. Third Empyrean novel and the volume that takes the war into its third year. Violet flies south. The fastest-selling adult novel in the past twenty years.”
The Cruel Princeby Holly Black
“The Cruel Prince by Holly Black 2018 review. Jude Duarte, a human raised in the High Court of Faerie, navigates Prince Cardan's cruel politics. Canonical contemporary YA romantasy.”
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRueby V. E. Schwab
“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab 2020 review. A young Frenchwoman in 1714 trades her future for immortality and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. V. E. Schwab's standalone literary fantasy.”
FAQ
Common questions about A Court of Mist and Fury read-alikes
- Where do I go after the ACOTAR series?
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is the number-one landing spot, the other pillar of the current romantasy wave: dragons and a lethal war college instead of faerie courts, but the same addictive slow burn. Iron Flame and Onyx Storm continue that series, so you have a full arc ready.
- I want the fae-court intrigue specifically.
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is the pick, colder and more cunning than Maas but built on the same mortal-in-a-faerie-court tension. Great if the scheming mattered as much to you as the romance.
- I want the romance in a standalone.
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab is a single-volume, deeply romantic fantasy about a cursed woman doomed to be forgotten. No series commitment, and the yearning is off the charts.
- Should I just start ACOTAR from the beginning?
- If you somehow jumped in at book two, yes, go back to A Court of Thorns and Roses first. The payoff of A Court of Mist and Fury lands harder once you have the setup, and it is a fast read.
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