Somebody in your life will not stop talking about Rhysand. You love them, you have no idea what a High Lord is, and you need a gift. Or that somebody is you, and you are building a wishlist with intent. Either way: this is my romantasy book gift guide, built from books I have actually read and rated, not a list of whatever is trending this week.
It covers the Sarah J. Maas books worth wrapping (A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, Crescent City), the Nora Jacobs series, and the fantasy romance fandoms with the loudest group chats. Every book opens in my Book Shop already searched for you, with my rating and the buy link in one place.
- The ACOTAR fanA Court of Thorns and Roses, book by book
- The Throne of Glass fanOr the friend who needs to start it
- The urban fantasy bingerAll four Nora Jacobs books
- Read every Maas book alreadyBooks like ACOTAR to gift next
- The BookTok fandomsDark romance, vampires, aliens, chaos
- Just answer my questionOrder, spice, what to buy first
Gifts for ACOTAR fans
If they are new to Sarah J. Maas, start with book one and nothing else. If they have read the series, the gift is the copy they do not own yet: the holiday novella, or the newest release. I found this series in 2015 and I have been rereading it ever since, so I have opinions on every one of them. The full reading order and rankings live on my Sarah J. Maas books in order page.
★★★★★
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas · ACOTAR #1
The starter gift. A Beauty and the Beast retelling that turns into something much bigger. Buy this for anyone who keeps saying they should finally read it.
★★★★★
A Court of Mist and Fury
Sarah J. Maas · ACOTAR #2
The one the whole fandom is actually about. Rhysand, the Inner Circle, the roof. If they stalled after book one, this is the push.
★★★★☆
A Court of Frost and Starlight
Sarah J. Maas · ACOTAR #4
The holiday one. A cozy Winter Solstice novella with the Inner Circle, and that is the whole point. A stocking stuffer for someone who has read the first three.
★★★★☆
A Court of Splintered Harmony
Sarah J. Maas · ACOTAR #6
The new one, and the safest gift on this page for a fan who has not picked it up yet. Four-star writing, and it handed me a whole conspiracy board.
Gifts for Throne of Glass fans
My forever favorite series, and the best answer to “they finished ACOTAR, now what?” It starts younger and sweeter than ACOTAR and gets darker with every book. Gifting the first few together is the move, because nobody stops at one.
★★★★★
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas · Throne of Glass #1
Where it all started: an assassin, a competition, mystery, magic and pretty dresses. The right first book for a teen or a brand-new fantasy reader.
★★★★★
Crown of Midnight
Sarah J. Maas · Throne of Glass #2
The book that made me scream. This is where the series shows you how dark it is willing to go. Gift it with book one so they are not stranded.
★★★★★
Heir of Fire
Sarah J. Maas · Throne of Glass #3
The one where you realize how good this series is. Brilliant writing, a heroine worn down to nothing, and plot twists I did not see coming.
★★★★★
Queen of Shadows
Sarah J. Maas · Throne of Glass #4
Bow down, the queen has arrived. For the reader who is mid-series and needs the next one in their hands before the holidays are over.
★★★☆☆
House of Earth and Blood
Sarah J. Maas · Crescent City #1
Honesty hour: Crescent City is a three-star series for me. It is still the right gift for the Maas completist who owns everything else, and it reads more like urban fantasy crime than a fae court.
The Nora Jacobs series, for the urban fantasy binger
Four books by Jackie May, set in a paranormal Detroit, with a heroine who would very much like everyone to stop touching her. It is a fun reverse harem that does not take itself seriously, and I read all four inside two weeks. These are three-star reads for me, which in this house means “I had a good time and I have notes.” A good gift for the reader who finishes a series in a weekend. Check the trigger warnings in my reviews first. The order and my rating for each one are on the Nora Jacobs series in order page.
★★★☆☆
Don’t Rush Me
Jackie May · Nora Jacobs #1
Really a prequel, and where you have to start. Nora has her Mary-Sue moments, plus glimpses of what she turns into.
★★★☆☆
Don’t Cheat Me
Jackie May · Nora Jacobs #2
The first full-length book. Nora starts growing up, and I respect how badly she wants to help people.
★★★☆☆
Don’t Bait Me
Jackie May · Nora Jacobs #3
The funniest of the four. Hilarious side characters and a heroine backstory you have not read before.
★★★☆☆
Don’t Tempt Me
Jackie May · Nora Jacobs #4
Nora’s siren side comes out and turns her into a dark killer, and I was here for it. The finale.
Books like ACOTAR to gift next
The hardest person to shop for is the one who already owns the special editions. These are the fae courts, bargains and morally questionable kings I hand to people coming off a Sarah J. Maas reread. More where these came from on my fae shelf.
★★★★★
Gild
Raven Kennedy · The Plated Prisoner #1
Five stars for the entire six-book series. A brutal beginning to a story that gets much, much bigger. Read the content warnings before you wrap it.
★★★★☆
The Cruel Prince
Holly Black · The Folk of the Air #1
Jude is a hurricane and I love her for it. Court politics, villains and anti-heroes. Not just another fey story, and a solid pick for a teen reader.
★★★★★
Rhapsodic
Laura Thalassa · The Bargainer #1
One of the best openings I have read. Callie owes the Bargainer a debt and he has come to collect. For the reader whose favorite word is “bargain.” More on my Laura Thalassa page.
★★★★★
King of Battle and Blood
Scarlett St. Clair · Adrian X Isolde #1
A vampire king, an arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and a very obsessed husband. Dark romantic fantasy that works.
★★★★★
Rose in Chains
Julie Soto · The Evermore Trilogy #1
Angst, a dual timeline that frustrated me and sucked me in at once, and an ending that left me asking when the next book is. Gift it with an apology.
Gifts for the BookTok fandoms
Not everyone on your list wants a fae High Lord. Some want a vampire academy, a blue alien, or a book they will refuse to describe to you at dinner. These are the big fandoms I have read and rated, with a warning where one is needed.
★★★★★
Vampire Academy
Richelle Mead · Vampire Academy #1
Rose Hathaway, Dimitri Belikov and an iconic forbidden romance. The nostalgia gift, and a great first series for a teen. More school settings on my academy shelf.
★★★★★
Lights Out
Navessa Allen · Into Darkness #1
A playful, spicy stalker rom-com that made me giggle, gasp and rethink dark romance. Dark-romance-lite, and laugh-out-loud funny.
★★★★☆
Haunting Adeline
H. D. Carlton · Cat and Mouse #1
The dark romance everybody has an opinion about. Four stars from me. Only for someone who asked for it by name, and read the content warnings before you buy. Not a gift for your mother-in-law.
★★★★☆
Ice Planet Barbarians
Ruby Dixon · Ice Planet Barbarians #1
My first Ruby Dixon, and I have been a loyal reader ever since. Earth girls, an ice planet, a blue alien chief. The gift that starts a very long series habit. See the Rubyverse.
★★★★☆
Caraval
Stephanie Garber · Caraval #1
Hooked me from the start: a mysterious game, a mysterious sailor and a quiet heroine who wants her own life. A pretty, low-risk gift for a younger reader.
Romantasy gift questions, answered
What is the best Sarah J. Maas book to give as a gift?
For someone new to her books, A Court of Thorns and Roses, book one of the ACOTAR series. For someone who has already read ACOTAR, the first Throne of Glass book. Throne of Glass is my favorite of her series and I rated the first four books five stars.
What do you buy an ACOTAR fan who has read everything?
A new series with the same pull. My picks are Gild by Raven Kennedy, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa and King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair. If they have not read the newest ACOTAR book, A Court of Splintered Harmony, start there.
Is A Court of Frost and Starlight a Christmas book?
Close. It is a short novella set around the Winter Solstice, so it has the cozy holiday mood. It is book four in the series, so only give it to someone who has read the first three.
What order do the Nora Jacobs books go in?
Don’t Rush Me, Don’t Cheat Me, Don’t Bait Me, then Don’t Tempt Me. All four are by Jackie May, and the first one works as a prequel.
Which of these books are okay for a teenager?
Throne of Glass, The Cruel Prince, Caraval and Vampire Academy are published as young adult. The later ACOTAR books, The Plated Prisoner, Ice Planet Barbarians, Lights Out and Haunting Adeline are written for adults, and Haunting Adeline is a dark romance with serious content warnings.
Three hundred books, sorted by how much I loved them
The Book Shop has every book I have rated, with filters for stars, spice and shelf. Pick five stars, pick a shelf, and you have a gift list in about a minute.
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