Okay, we know you LOVE Sarah J. Maas, and we know you've already devoured all of Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorn and Roses. You may have also ventured into her adult fantasy series Crescent City while eagerly waiting to see what she comes up with next. But your book club can't wait, and you need to pick something RIGHT NOW to get everyone's mind off when the next book will drop. So what do you choose? We thought you might ask, so we've made it easy with these best book club books for Sarah J. Maas fans!
What readers love about Sarah J. Maas is her ability to create well-rounded, flawed, but ultimately relatable characters. Through intricately designed worlds and dialogue, readers are invested in the lives and outcomes of characters such as ACOTAR's Feyre, Tamlin, and Rhysand or Throne of Glass' Celaena, Dorian, Chaol, and Manon. While Maas plays with classic fantasy tropes, she also weaves her own uniquely original ideas throughout. So what are the best book club books that can give you the fantasy, romance, and adventure you crave?
Allow us to offer you these SJM fan book club recommendations:
Fans of Sarah J. Maas will love a dive into another universe and may have already enjoyed it in the Lorien Legacies. This time Pittacus Lore, Lorien's ruling elder, is back with all new characters and action-packed adventure in the first book of a new series Ashfall Legacy. Book two comes out in August so you don't even have to wait to see what happens next!
This Woven Kingdom is inspired by Persian mythology and has an enemies-to-lovers romance as well as a mysterious character who happens to be the devil. This is the first book in a new fantasy series by bestselling YA author Tahereh Mafi. Author of Shatter Me and Furthermore series, Mafi inspires readers with her ability to infuse so much meaning through her use of language that the words come alive. Like Maas, Mafi has the ability to create worlds so clearly and suspense so real that readers can't wait for more.
As a fan of Sarah J Maas, you may also be a sucker for fairytale storylines. A Court of Fairy Talesseries by Helena Rookwood and Elm Vince is a newish series interweaving retellings of classic fairytales. Rookwood and Vince bring readers strong heroines, fae characters, romance, and magic. The first in the series, An Enchantment of Thorns presents a new twist on the Beauty and the Beast storyline that fans are raving about. Compare Aster's relationships with Feyre, Rhysand, and Tamlin, or just simply enjoy a new take on an old story. Conversation possibilities are endless.
Continuing on the reimagined fairytales, SJM fans may want to go back to The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer which is enjoying its 10th year anniversary of Cinder's (the first book in the series) publication this year! If you haven't read them yet, you'll love the world Meyer creates where humans, cyborgs, and androids coexist to create lots of drama. See where the fairytales take you this time!
Speaking of reviving old series, your Sarah J. Maas book club may be interested in picking up The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer and rekindling or starting a new relationship with Bella, Edward, and Jacob. Are you Team Vampire or Team Wolf?
Looking for a standalone fantasy book for your book club to enjoy while waiting for the next Sarah J. Maas book drop? Rebecca Ross' most recent YA fantasy Dreams Lie Beneath is it! Readers get an absolutely unique storyline with some of their favorite parts of fantasy woven throughout: intriguing history and detailed world-building; a curse; magicians; nightmares coming to life; rivalry, secrets, deceit; and incredible character development with romance too! It has everything SJM fans want from a book club book, and readers don't have to commit to a series to find out what happens in the end!
An Ember in the Ashes features the brave trio from Blackcliff Academy that defies the Martial Empire. Laia, Elias, and Helene must find a way to survive in the brutal world they live in. Public Radio International says it "has the addictive quality of The Hunger Games combined with the fantasy of Harry Potter and the brutality of Game of Thrones.” What more can you say?
Children of Blood and Bone was on the NYT Bestseller List for more than 90 weeks in a row after it debuted in 2018. Nigerian-American author Tomi Adeyemi creates the West-African-inspired world of Orïsha full of dark magic and danger. Adeyemi's complex heroine Zélie Adebola fights to restore her land from the ruthless king who left her an orphan. Readers are taken on a roller-coaster of deep emotions in this first book of what is to be a compelling trilogy.
Another trilogy option for your Sarah J Maas fan book club is The Drowning Empire series by Andrea Stewart. The first book in the series The Bone Shard Daughter is told from multiple points of view and introduces a uniquely crafted magic system and fully-formed characters including Lin, the bone-shard daughter, and the rightful heir. Lin's father, the Emperor, uses bone-shard magic to keep their world running smoothly, but his rule is falling. A revolution is coming, and the Emperor refuses to recognize Lin as his heir so she has to take matters into her own hands to claim her birthright and save her people.
What book will your book club choose next? What books did we miss? Be sure to let us know!
