The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas has taken the fantasy book community by storm, and one question keeps popping up across Reddit threads and BookTok: Should I tandem read Throne of Glass? If you're staring at the Book of the Fallen, a tandem handout, or just your wall of TBR books wondering whether it's worth it, here's the real talk.
So what does tandem reading mean? It's when you read Book of the Fallen (the prequel novellas about Celaena and Sam) alongside specific main-series books — usually Crown of Midnight — instead of tackling it standalone first. The idea is simple: the novellas and the main plot overlap in time, so reading them together gives you a richer, more emotional picture of Celaena's journey into purity and survival.
The biggest reason people rave about tandem reading is emotional payoff. When you experience Celaena and Sam's story at the exact moment the series consequences unfold, the heartbreak hits differently. It's not just backstory anymore — it's live context. One popular handout circulating on Pinterest and BookTok even assigns page numbers across both books so you flip between them seamlessly without losing track of where you are in the timeline.
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In real life, this shows up all over the community. Book clubs on Discord and Goodreads often team up so members tandem read together, sharing reactions chapter by chapter. Some readers say it completely changed their re-read experience; others went straight to tandem the very first time and swore they'd never do it any other way. For families sharing the hobby, parents and teens can read one book each and swap so everyone gets the full picture.
Throne Glass Tandem Read Bookmarks | Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn
If you want to try it, start with a simple plan: grab a tandem reading guide (there are free versions with page-by-page directions), keep both physical books or e-readers open, and set a consistent reading pace. Don't stress about perfection — even a rough back-and-forth will give you way more story than reading them separately ever could.
Ultimately, the decision is yours. There's no wrong way to enjoy Maas's world, and both paths lead you to the same throne. But if you want the most immersive, gut-wrenching experience possible, the community overwhelmingly says yes — go ahead and tandem read them. Your Celaena appreciation will thank you.
