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Books like Throne of Glass: 8 series for your next 5,000-page obsession

July 23, 2026 · 6 min read read

Finished Throne of Glass and need another sprawling fantasy series with a fierce heroine and a cast you'd die for? These eight will keep you up past your bedtime.

Cover illustration for the blog post “Books like Throne of Glass: 8 series for your next 5,000-page obsession”

Throne of Glass is a full commitment. Eight books, an assassin queen, a found family that will destroy you, and a plot that pays off arcs planted five books earlier. Once it's done, most other books feel small.

These are the series I reach for when I need that same "give me a heroine, a court, and 4,000 pages" feeling.

1. The Cruel Prince / The Folk of the Air — Holly Black

Shorter than TOG (a trilogy plus novellas) but the political manoeuvring, morally grey love interest, and heroine-who-refuses-to-be-underestimated energy are all there. Jude is the closest thing to Aelin in cunning, if not in flame.

2. From Blood and Ash / Blood and Ash — Jennifer L. Armentrout

Currently at seven books and growing. Bigger on romance and spice than TOG, but the "chosen one heroine finds out the world lied to her" beat will feel like coming home.

3. Fourth Wing / The Empyrean — Rebecca Yarros

War college, dragons, and a heroine written off as too small and too fragile. Violet is Aelin's spiritual cousin, and Xaden slots neatly next to Rowan on the "brooding warrior" shelf.

4. Daughter of the Moon Goddess / Celestial Kingdom — Sue Lynn Tan

Chinese mythology instead of Wendlynn. Xingyin's arc — from hidden daughter to warrior fighting for her mother's freedom — has the same shape as Aelin's slow reclamation of Terrasen.

5. The Poppy War — R. F. Kuang

Darker. Much darker. But if what you loved about TOG was watching a young woman become the weapon the world made her, this trilogy will wreck you. Not a romance-forward pick — a fair warning — but essential.

6. An Ember in the Ashes — Sabaa Tahir

Roman-inspired empire, a soldier and a slave with alternating POVs, four books, one of the most gutting endings in YA fantasy. Perfect TOG follow-up.

7. The Wheel of Time — Robert Jordan

Hear me out. It's fourteen books and it's slow, but if you loved Aelin's huge cast, the shifting political powers, and the "the whole world is at war" feeling of the later TOG books, WoT is the biggest possible version of that. This is the "I need somewhere to live for a year" recommendation.

8. Serpent & Dove — Shelby Mahurin

Smaller in scope but perfect for a palate cleanser. Witch hunter forced to marry a witch, enemies-to-lovers done properly. Three books, tight pacing, and Lou is fun in a way TOG doesn't always let itself be.


My pick

If you want the closest emotional match to TOG, start with The Cruel Prince. If you want the scale, go The Wheel of Time. If you just want to keep the momentum, Fourth Wing is the fastest way back into a story you can't put down.

Which one are you starting? Come tell me on Instagram.

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