Read Next · Updated June 2026
Celaena set the template for the assassin queen, and eight books later the withdrawal is real. These are the romantasy reads that come closest: deadly heroines, courts full of knives, and slow-burn romances that climb. Each one is rated on the 1-5 chilli scale so you can pick your heat as well as your body count.
by Sarah J. Maas · ACOTAR #1
The natural next Maas: more romance-forward than Throne of Glass, set in a world of dangerous fae and magical courts that feels of a piece with Erilea. The obvious step once Celaena's story ends.
by Jennifer L. Armentrout · Blood and Ash #1
A warrior-coded heroine, court politics, and a slow burn that turns scorching. The most-recommended romantasy crossover for Throne of Glass fans who want the heat dialled up.
by Rebecca Yarros · The Empyrean #1
The modern romantasy answer to 'what do I read after Throne of Glass.' A deadly training ground, a sharp heroine who should not survive, and an enemies-to-lovers burn with real spice.
by Holly Black · The Folk of the Air #1
A mortal girl clawing for power in a cruel fae court, with a heroine whose ruthless streak feels closest to Celaena's. Lighter on spice, heavy on political knife-fighting and slow-burn antagonism.
by Robin LaFevers · His Fair Assassin #1
One of the cleanest matches for the assassin angle: girls trained in a convent to serve Death, dropped into a court of poison and politics. Historical fantasy with a slow, simmering romance.
by Shelby Mahurin · Serpent & Dove #1
A witch forced to marry a witch-hunter. Banter-heavy enemies-to-lovers with the same blend of danger, wit, and slow-burn romance that makes Throne of Glass sing.
by Danielle L. Jensen · The Bridge Kingdom #1
A princess trained as a living weapon and married into enemy territory as a spy. The warrior-heroine-on-a-mission energy Throne of Glass readers love, wrapped around a slow-burn betrayal romance.
Stop reading about other people's slow burns and step into your own. Play a choose-your-own-adventure romantasy where every choice shapes the plot and the romance, or write your own spicy book boyfriend from scratch and bring him to life.
Sarah J. Maas's other worlds (A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City) are the natural next step. For the assassin angle specifically, Grave Mercy and A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair are the closest matches.
From Blood and Ash, Fourth Wing, and ACOTAR are the most romance-forward and the spiciest, around a 4. Grave Mercy, The Cruel Prince, and The Bridge Kingdom keep the romance slower and the spice lower.
It starts low on spice and builds across the eight books, reaching roughly a 3 to 4 in the later installments. The recommendations here span the full range so you can match your heat level.
It is the standard romance-reader heat scale, from 1 (sweet, closed-door) to 5 (very explicit, open-door). It rates only how steamy the on-page romance gets, so you can match a book to your taste before you start.
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