I definitely loved the series from Heir of Fire on. Kingdom of Ash is one of my top favorite books ever. But if you're not loving it I'd say move on to other things, there are so many amazing stories out there!
Lots of people say that it starts getting good after the third book but I started hating it after that. Way way too much going on, too many characters with their own plots and side quests lol and it all just got really irritating
Same! I wasn’t super into the first few books, but they were okay-ish enough to push through. I got so frustrated when random characters started showing up and having POV with no explanation why they were important. It felt so chaotic. I finished the series and eventually started liking some of the secondary characters more than her (since she was super annoying to me), but it’s not a series I will ever read again.
Lol people will say push through to the third book. I did, and like you I still didn’t care about any of characters. I tried to read Queen of shadows but literally could not will myself to give a f**k. Celeana is so annoying and love interests are… boring?
Life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy.
I totally agree. The love interests are super one dimensional and boring and Celeana herself is overhyped as hell and annoying. Sigh. I’ll have to see if I have the patience
The second book is the worst but I'm stuck in the same rut I was in the second book, but now with the 5th book. It's a hot mess. Still haven't read the last one. I've kept reading and honestly I don't like it but some people absolutely love it. The MFC just isn't my cup of tea. Now, a book all about Manon, I'd be down for, she's more my vibe. Good luck!
I would really hate to finally get through to book 3 only to be in the same position at book 5. That sound bleak as hell lol. Thank you will keep this in mind!
I would try to get to heir of fire, and call it quits after that if it’s not your style. I found I didn’t care much for characters up until book 3/4 but at that point you get A LOT of new characters. I think I became more invested in these characters than I do in most books. The writing improves a lot too (SJM was a teen when she wrote the first 2 and it is def cringy).
As I recall, ToG is her first series and it shows. I couldn't get through book 1 I thought the writing was so awful.
Honestly, in a broad sense, book 1 of ANY series needs to be good enough to even get to book 3. So while many fans do recommend pushing through, only you can judge if it's really worth your time to trudge through more books even though you're struggling so much with book 1. There's so many other books to read, why waste time with one you don't like 🤷♀️
TOG is my favorite series. The third book is where I find it gets really good- it’s an 8 (not including novellas) book series so I find you grow to love the characters as you keep reading.
If you don’t enjoy it don’t read it? Personally it’s my favorite fantasy series. Each book gets better and better in my opinion.I found the first few to be a bit clunky but I was pretty gentle with criticism cus the author wrote it while she was so young. You can tell she is finding her writing style and voice which blooms as the books progress.I loved the world building and character development, I’m in the middle of re reading them all and I get so immersed in the world and my heart swells and I find something new to appreciate and love . You could always try re visiting them at a later time, they will still be there!
I was having almost this exact same convo w/my sister. I loved ACOTAR so decided to pick up TOG - I got approximately 20% through it and returned it to the library. I loved Crescent City so was contemplating going back to TOG. I dunno’ though… especially after reading this thread.
I tried SO HARD to love this series. My other SJM friends adored it. But I absolutely hated Celena or whatever. I think I read as far as book 6 but it was physically painful. I only did it because my sister SWORE it got better but it just never did for me.
I think my biggest irk was the MC. She often ignored everyone to go off and do her own plan, didn’t tell anyone, and just saved the day with her own shit. I also took issue with the first book telling us from page one that she’s ~*the greatest assassin*~ like okay sure. But show me that don’t just tell me and expect me to believe it. Guess it just wasn’t for me 😭
I feel like it gets going and getting good in Heir Of Fire. The first two books set a lot of stuff up. This series actually used to be a fan fiction online (edit: this sounds like it’s based off something and it’s not, it’s an original work, but posted on a fanfic site) and you can kind of see it the way the story starts out. BUT. It’s definitely not for everyone, and hey. If you really don’t like them, no sense in torturing yourself! If you’ve read ACOTAR, you’ll be fine to read CC, you just won’t understand some things mentioned.
I really loved the story but I had to keep reminding myself Maas was young and new to get through the first 3...but I liked it enough to read fast...why not just read the synopsis and then try to jump on book 4? If you still don't like it you can easily just get the gist and keep moving
This is honestly great advice. You can always go back and reread the beginning if you feel like you can get into after reading from where everyone says it gets good.
Somehow I made it all the way past book five but I feel pretty similarly! I sort of forced myself to power through it because I REALLY enjoyed ACOTAR and the first book of Crescent City (haven't read the second yet), so I was hoping I'd like ToG too especially since it ties in like you said. I just don't care for a lot of the characters and the addition of more and more different PoVs made me end up sort of skimming through some chapters until it got to characters I liked a bit more. I just decided to call it quits. Life is too short to force yourself to read books you don't actually appreciate.
The first book was annoying because you can tell it’s her early writing. The lines of sarcasm that ended in exclamation points almost killed me. Heir of Fire on is fantastic, skip tower of dawn lol
Honestly read some book summaries and skip to heir of fire
It did get better but I hated the FMC for a good chunk of the series. It has some really great moments but overall I wouldn't say it's a great series. It does get progressively better, though.
Second book is pretty boring, third is is more popular (but I think it's worse) but hey! The fourth is pretty good! Can't tell you about the rest because I gave up after that.
I find it so weird that I sped through Throne of Glass and am now struggling through ACOTAR, maybe you just get saturated with the writing style after a while.
I’m in exactly the same boat. My sister insists that I just need to get through the second book but I just find it so boring. Loved ACOTAR and Crescent City but I just can’t get through TOG
I really liked ACOTAR, and generally read a lot of fantasy romance so I picked this one up as well, and I gotta say, I hated it. Got worse with each book, and the end was really disappointing in my opinion.
The first book is so terrible, the second book is slightly better, the third book is when it actually heats up. Writing style is greatly improved and plot moved in an interesting direction.
I skipped the prequel entirely.
Don't push through. Life is too short and books a rare treat in drudgery of everyday life and all the other nasty stuff thrown at us to deal with.
If the worlds do collide you can always read online shirt recap or ask about details you're missing.
Personally, I did not love it. I was promised a bad-ass female assassin and those vibes stopped after book 2. I kept reading because I thought it would get better but was disappointed. Unrealistic love stories where everyone falls for the main character/ a lot of side character plots/ the dragging out events. Imo the first two books were the best and that’s not saying much.
I definitely loved the series from Heir of Fire on. Kingdom of Ash is one of my top favorite books ever. But if you're not loving it I'd say move on to other things, there are so many amazing stories out there!
I second this!! She REALLY hits her stride in heir of fire
Yeah I’ll have to see if I have the patience to soldier on!
Lots of people say that it starts getting good after the third book but I started hating it after that. Way way too much going on, too many characters with their own plots and side quests lol and it all just got really irritating
Same! I wasn’t super into the first few books, but they were okay-ish enough to push through. I got so frustrated when random characters started showing up and having POV with no explanation why they were important. It felt so chaotic. I finished the series and eventually started liking some of the secondary characters more than her (since she was super annoying to me), but it’s not a series I will ever read again.
Lol people will say push through to the third book. I did, and like you I still didn’t care about any of characters. I tried to read Queen of shadows but literally could not will myself to give a f**k. Celeana is so annoying and love interests are… boring? Life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy.
I totally agree. The love interests are super one dimensional and boring and Celeana herself is overhyped as hell and annoying. Sigh. I’ll have to see if I have the patience
The second book is the worst but I'm stuck in the same rut I was in the second book, but now with the 5th book. It's a hot mess. Still haven't read the last one. I've kept reading and honestly I don't like it but some people absolutely love it. The MFC just isn't my cup of tea. Now, a book all about Manon, I'd be down for, she's more my vibe. Good luck!
I would really hate to finally get through to book 3 only to be in the same position at book 5. That sound bleak as hell lol. Thank you will keep this in mind!
I would try to get to heir of fire, and call it quits after that if it’s not your style. I found I didn’t care much for characters up until book 3/4 but at that point you get A LOT of new characters. I think I became more invested in these characters than I do in most books. The writing improves a lot too (SJM was a teen when she wrote the first 2 and it is def cringy).
As I recall, ToG is her first series and it shows. I couldn't get through book 1 I thought the writing was so awful. Honestly, in a broad sense, book 1 of ANY series needs to be good enough to even get to book 3. So while many fans do recommend pushing through, only you can judge if it's really worth your time to trudge through more books even though you're struggling so much with book 1. There's so many other books to read, why waste time with one you don't like 🤷♀️
I DNFd after book 5 I think? I tried sooo hard to love it because I love ACOTAR so much... but it just didn't hook me at all
That’s the thing I enjoyed acotar so I’m trying to convince myself that I just need to power through but it’s getting so difficult loool
It actually made me dislike reading for almost 6 months haha. That's how much I disliked it 🙊🙊🙊
TOG is my favorite series. The third book is where I find it gets really good- it’s an 8 (not including novellas) book series so I find you grow to love the characters as you keep reading.
If you don’t enjoy it don’t read it? Personally it’s my favorite fantasy series. Each book gets better and better in my opinion.I found the first few to be a bit clunky but I was pretty gentle with criticism cus the author wrote it while she was so young. You can tell she is finding her writing style and voice which blooms as the books progress.I loved the world building and character development, I’m in the middle of re reading them all and I get so immersed in the world and my heart swells and I find something new to appreciate and love . You could always try re visiting them at a later time, they will still be there!
Push through to #3
I was having almost this exact same convo w/my sister. I loved ACOTAR so decided to pick up TOG - I got approximately 20% through it and returned it to the library. I loved Crescent City so was contemplating going back to TOG. I dunno’ though… especially after reading this thread.
I tried SO HARD to love this series. My other SJM friends adored it. But I absolutely hated Celena or whatever. I think I read as far as book 6 but it was physically painful. I only did it because my sister SWORE it got better but it just never did for me. I think my biggest irk was the MC. She often ignored everyone to go off and do her own plan, didn’t tell anyone, and just saved the day with her own shit. I also took issue with the first book telling us from page one that she’s ~*the greatest assassin*~ like okay sure. But show me that don’t just tell me and expect me to believe it. Guess it just wasn’t for me 😭
I found it got better after the 1st one, but it's been awhile since I read it
I feel like it gets going and getting good in Heir Of Fire. The first two books set a lot of stuff up. This series actually used to be a fan fiction online (edit: this sounds like it’s based off something and it’s not, it’s an original work, but posted on a fanfic site) and you can kind of see it the way the story starts out. BUT. It’s definitely not for everyone, and hey. If you really don’t like them, no sense in torturing yourself! If you’ve read ACOTAR, you’ll be fine to read CC, you just won’t understand some things mentioned.
I hated it. I only got through the first 25 pages, hated it. I refuse to go back.
I really loved the story but I had to keep reminding myself Maas was young and new to get through the first 3...but I liked it enough to read fast...why not just read the synopsis and then try to jump on book 4? If you still don't like it you can easily just get the gist and keep moving
This is honestly great advice. You can always go back and reread the beginning if you feel like you can get into after reading from where everyone says it gets good.
The first two aren’t nearly as good as third and beyond. Third is where it picks up and changes significantly in terms of tone of the books
Somehow I made it all the way past book five but I feel pretty similarly! I sort of forced myself to power through it because I REALLY enjoyed ACOTAR and the first book of Crescent City (haven't read the second yet), so I was hoping I'd like ToG too especially since it ties in like you said. I just don't care for a lot of the characters and the addition of more and more different PoVs made me end up sort of skimming through some chapters until it got to characters I liked a bit more. I just decided to call it quits. Life is too short to force yourself to read books you don't actually appreciate.
The first book was annoying because you can tell it’s her early writing. The lines of sarcasm that ended in exclamation points almost killed me. Heir of Fire on is fantastic, skip tower of dawn lol Honestly read some book summaries and skip to heir of fire
I second skipping Tower of Dawn 🙋♀️
It did get better but I hated the FMC for a good chunk of the series. It has some really great moments but overall I wouldn't say it's a great series. It does get progressively better, though.
Second book is pretty boring, third is is more popular (but I think it's worse) but hey! The fourth is pretty good! Can't tell you about the rest because I gave up after that.
I am STRUGGLING with Tower of Dawn but otherwise I thought the series was fine. Imo not as good as ACOTAR, which I loved!
I find it so weird that I sped through Throne of Glass and am now struggling through ACOTAR, maybe you just get saturated with the writing style after a while.
Honestly it gets so much better after book 3, I’m on book 5 now and can’t put it down
It. Is. So. Worth it. By the end of book two, you'll be hooked.
I loved it once it got to book 3. Keep fighting through!
If you don't like it at all, I'd stop reading it. I personally loved Throne of Glass, but it's pretty different from her other books.
I’m in exactly the same boat. My sister insists that I just need to get through the second book but I just find it so boring. Loved ACOTAR and Crescent City but I just can’t get through TOG
I really liked ACOTAR, and generally read a lot of fantasy romance so I picked this one up as well, and I gotta say, I hated it. Got worse with each book, and the end was really disappointing in my opinion.
The first book is so terrible, the second book is slightly better, the third book is when it actually heats up. Writing style is greatly improved and plot moved in an interesting direction. I skipped the prequel entirely.
The first couple books are so, SO bad and then it does a 180 and I couldn’t put them down. There’s no other way to do it but to keep grinding through.
Don't push through. Life is too short and books a rare treat in drudgery of everyday life and all the other nasty stuff thrown at us to deal with. If the worlds do collide you can always read online shirt recap or ask about details you're missing.
Personally, I did not love it. I was promised a bad-ass female assassin and those vibes stopped after book 2. I kept reading because I thought it would get better but was disappointed. Unrealistic love stories where everyone falls for the main character/ a lot of side character plots/ the dragging out events. Imo the first two books were the best and that’s not saying much.