Sarah J. Maas

Sarah Janet Maas (born March 5, 1986) is an American fantasy author known for her series Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. As of 2024, she has sold more than 75 million copies of her books and her work has been translated into 40 languages.

Early life

Maas was born on March 5, 1986, in New York City. She was adopted by a Catholic mother and a Jewish father, and they lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Maas grew up Jewish.

Maas graduated magna cum laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in creative writing and a minor in religious studies.

Career

Maas began writing what would become her debut novel, Throne of Glass, at age sixteen. She posted several chapters of the novel then titled Queen of Glass on FictionPress.com, where it became one of the most popular stories on the site. It was later removed from the site when she 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? ... what if she didn't attend the ball to meet the prince, but to kill him, instead?"

In 2008, Maas sent the novel to agents before signing with Tamar Rydzinski of The Laura Dail Literary Agency in 2009. Throne of Glass was purchased in March 2010 by Bloomsbury Publishing, who later purchased two additional books in the series. The series is available in 15 countries and 35 languages. Five prequel novellas set two years before the first novel were published and later condensed into a book, The Assassin's Blade as well as 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's second fantasy series, is a loose retelling of "Beauty and the Beast". The first book of the series 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, featuring 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. The series was optioned for a television adaptation in 2021 by Hulu, but as of February 2024, the television series is no longer in active development.

On May 16, 2018, Maas announced her third 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 30, 2024.

Critical and commercial reception

Maas's character development, particularly of morally-gray characters, has been lauded as one of her best qualities; her creation of detailed imaginary worlds has also seen praise. The Independent compared Maas's success to that of J. K. Rowling, noting their shared ability to inspire passionate fans, drive huge numbers of book-sales, and create complex worlds with complicated caste-systems. It also noted how Maas "was ahead of the game when it came to the rising appetite for empowering female heroines", acknowledging that her books "are notable for a [unique] defining factor: Female agency".

Vox has described Maas as Romantasy's "reigning queen", praising both her writing for being "pleasingly familiar, with a gentle touch of surprise", and her deftness in working homages and references to classic Fantasy-works into her worldbuilding.

In August 2024, the Utah State Board of Education announced six of Maas's books could not be held in libraries or classrooms at public schools or charter schools due a new state law against material deemed sensitive, pornographic, or obscene. The law requires questioned books to be "disposed" and not sold or donated. Critics characterized this action as a "book-ban". The law does not prohibit the sale of any books in the state, nor restrict books at municipal or university libraries.

Influences and style

Maas attributed her love of reading and writing fantasy to Garth Nix's novel Sabriel and Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown. She has also named movie scores, classical music, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Sailor Moon as influences.

In 2020, Maas said, "The sense of discovery is why I love writing so much. It's a total thrill for me." Her books are known for their themes of romance, and Maas noted that she was surprised A Court of Thorns and Roses had been classified as young adult.

Controversy

Maas's books have received criticism for poor handling of racial and LGBTQ+ diversity by some. Racial diversity has been criticized as being physical only, with no cultural diversity involved. Additionally, the one exception has been criticized for thinly veiled ties to Middle Eastern cultures and is described in the novels as "brutal" and "backward".

A Court of Thorns and Roses has been cited for criticism on LGBTQ+ diversity. The four LGBTQ+ characters' sexualities were all revealed in the third book, which was supposed to be the conclusion of the series. The reveals were criticized for making one of the characters a stereotype while another was forced to reveal herself as a lesbian while also maintaining an established heterosexual subplot.

On September 24, 2020, Maas revealed the cover of A Court of Silver Flames, the fourth book in the series A Court of Thorns and Roses. This received backlash due to the fact that in the same post Maas drew attention to the killing of Breonna Taylor. This was 9 days after the Louisville Metro Government settled with Taylor's family in a civil lawsuit. The post included only a photo of the book and lacked any images of Taylor. Some saw this as an attempt to promote her book through the event, while others saw it as drawing attention to the event using her platform. As of June 2026, the post remains despite numerous and continuous requests for it to be taken down.

Personal life

While a freshman at Hamilton, Maas met Josh Wasserman, who was a resident assistant in her dorm building. The couple got married on May 30, 2010.

Maas and Wasserman have two children, a son born in 2018 and a daughter born in 2022. They live in New York City.

Recognition

Published works

References

External links

• Official website