Sarah J. Maas

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

Early life and education
Maas was adopted by a Catholic mother and Jewish father, and grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She was raised Jewish.

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

Career
Maas began writing what would become her debut novel, Throne of Glass, when she was sixteen years old. After writing several chapters of the novel, then titled Queen of Glass, Maas posted them on FictionPress.com, where it was one of the most popular stories on the site. It was later removed from the site when Maas decided to publish the novel. 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?" In 2008, Maas started sending the story to agents before signing with Tamar Rydzinski of The Laura Dial Literary Agency in 2009. Throne of Glass was purchased in March 2010 by Bloomsbury, who later purchased two additional books in the series. The series is available in 15 countries and 35 languages. 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. The second book of the series, Crown of Midnight was a New York Times young adult best-seller. 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.

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Maas' second fantasy series, is a loose retelling of the traditional Beauty and the Beast. 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 which would feature 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.

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. It was ranked one of the top twenty Science Fiction & Fantasy books of 2020 on Kobo. 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. The third installation of the series, House of Flame and Shadow, was released on January 30th 2024.

The A Court of Thorns and Roses series was announced to be adapted into a television series for Hulu in 2021. In an interview with The New York Times, Maas confirmed that she was developing the project with the writers and the showrunner as executive producer.

In May 2023, The Verge reported that the cover of the UK edition of House of Earth and Blood uses an AI-generated image.

Writing style and influences
Maas's books are highly acclaimed and she has even been called "the next J. K. Rowling" by The Independent. In an interview with Writers & Artists, Maas told them that movie scores and classical music are her inspiration as a writer. She continued on to say that Sabriel written by Garth Nix and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley began her love for reading fantasy and writing it. She has cited Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sailor Moon as influences. Her character development has been lauded as one of her best qualities for storytelling, with morally grey characters and strong world building.

Maas has mentioned that, "The sense of discovery is why I love writing so much. It's a total thrill for me." Her books are known for heavy romantic themes, and Maas herself has said that her fantasy series A Court of Thorns and Roses "does skew older", sitting somewhere between young adult and adult genres.

Personal life
Maas met Josh Wasserman at Hamilton College, and developed a crush on him upon seeing him. At the time, Maas was a freshman and Wasserman was a resident assistant in her dorm building. They married on May 30, 2010.

On June 1, 2018, their first son, Taran, was born. Maas was 11 days overdue when she went into labor and required an emergency Caesarean section. On February 8, 2022, Maas gave birth to a daughter named Sloane. Wasserman is incredibly supportive of Maas's career, often caring for their children while she writes. The family lives together in New York City.

Main

 * The Assassin's Blade (2014)
 * The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (2012)
 * The Assassin and the Desert (2012)
 * The Assassin and the Underworld (2012)
 * The Assassin and the Empire (2012)
 * The Assassin and the Healer (2013)

Main

 * Throne of Glass (2012)
 * Crown of Midnight (2013)
 * Heir of Fire (2014)
 * Queen of Shadows (2015)
 * Empire of Storms (2016)
 * Tower of Dawn (2017)
 * Kingdom of Ash (2018)

Companion

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

Main

 * A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015)
 * A Court of Mist and Fury (2016)
 * A Court of Wings and Ruin (2017)
 * A Court of Silver Flames (2021)

Novella

 * A Court of Frost and Starlight (2018)

Companion

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

Main

 * House of Earth and Blood (2020)
 * House of Sky and Breath (2022)
 * House of Flame and Shadow (2024)

Others

 * Catwoman: Soulstealer (2018)

Adaptations
In March 2020, it was announced that Maas and Ron Moore will work together on adapting A Court of Thorns and Roses into a Hulu television series. The project will be produced by 20th Television. The release date is yet to be set.

Awards and nominations
Maas has received the following awards and nominations: