15 Spicy Fantasy Reads To Devour After Sarah J. Maas's "A Court Of Thorns And Roses"

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The world of Sarah J. Maas, the New York Times bestselling author of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, is all-encompassing for readers. Devotees of the fandom, dubbed the "Maasdom," covet original print covers of her books, dissect fan theories and debate the potential casting for the upcoming Hulu show — it's a world unto itself. On bookstagram, BookTok, and in book review groups devoted to ACOTAR, there's one question asked almost daily: "What can I read next, but with spice?" And by “spice,” they mean adult content. These books vary on the spiciness level and may contain a variety of explicit content, kinks, and other sexual nature. We strongly recommend reviewing any possible content warnings before diving into their pages!

1.From Blood and Ash series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash

2.The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

There are three books in The Bridge Kingdom series and the emotional investment readers have for the main characters is a testament to Jensen's ability to create sexy but flawed protagonists you can’t help but stan. Lara Veliant is a princess of Maridrina and one of the many daughters of the cruel King Silas. At five years old, she’s pulled out of the harem she was born into, along with many of her sisters, to be raised into a cunning and brutal assassin. King Silas sends Lara to marry the new king of Ithicana, Aren Kertell, as part of an old peace treaty and to take control of the famous bridge of Ithicana, which makes or breaks a country due to trade routes — oh, and to kill her new husband. Lara is more than willing to play her part, if only to save the starving people of Maridrina. The world-building (poisonous jungles, pirates, misty islands, desolate deserts with hidden compounds) created by Jensen is lush and seductive, and the witty banter of dialogue doesn’t disappoint. The spice is a slow build with ample simmer — and by book two you don't even blink when an operation to stop an infected leg turns into a guilty, angsty bang. Yes, the cover is divisive, but don’t let that stop you. Enemies to lovers, forced marriage, and plot twists with a truly otherworldly femme fatale makes The Bridge Kingdom an engrossing read. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound.

3.King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

USA Today bestselling author, Scarlett St. Clair, knows her readers aren’t here for the maiden-to-maiden headless trope. Princess Isolde de Lara is trained in combat, sleuths around enemy war camps, and enjoys the occasional nighttime stroll of killing zombie-like beings. But when she’s suddenly within close proximity to what she believes to be the ruthless war-lord vampire, King Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, she’s fighting both her disgust and undeniable attraction to him. They marry quickly in the book — Isolde is pushed (really, volunteers) into marriage with plans to assassinate the vampire king, whose armies are gobbling up neighboring territories. Adrian demands to marry Isolde for a much more complicated reason. Shaky nuptials aside, the newlyweds have no issue consummating their marriage — like, immediately. This exchange between Isolde and Adrian is a pretty good precursor of what’s to come following their marriage: “You assume I want a wife,” he said. “But I came for a queen.” It was my turn to stare. “So our marriage will be one of pageantry?” “Oh, I think we are both too passionate for that.” The first book ends on a cliffhanger — setting up for what will be, no doubt, an equally spicy (if not more) second book, Queen of Myth and Monsters, out December 20, 2022. St. Clair is also the author of the Hades x Persephone series, which is frequently recommended for fans of ACOTAR. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.       

4.Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This spin-off of Armentrout’s Blood and Ash series follows protagonist Seraphena, the princess of a country being slowly overtaken by a plague (aka the rot) who is trained from birth for one task: marry then kill the Primal of Death. Her family believes the Primal is the cause of the rot, and the only way to ensure the country doesn’t wither and die is through a bargained marriage treaty between Seraphena’s ancestors and the Primal of Death. But Seraphena is anything but pliant, and once the Primal of Death is summoned to collect his young bride, he refuses her. Suddenly, her status as bride-savior turns to assassin in order to meet her family's political gains, and she begins the life of an outsider even more so than she experienced before. During a nightly outing, Seraphena witnesses several gruesome murders and is almost caught by the murderer, if not for the sudden arrival of what she believes to be a god, introducing readers to Ash. There’s plenty of foreplay and an eventual de-flowering, but not of the female main character —  Ash is a virgin by choice, and it’s more of a control thing. Which… also… just…builds on the tension and heat. The second book, A Light in Flame will be out November 15, 2022, so there’s plenty of time to read A Shadow in the Ember first. You do not have to read FBAA to fully enjoy Ash and Seraphena’s story; the lake scene lives rent-free in my head. Hell, I’d pay that scene rent. I’ve just started an advanced review copy (ARC) of A Light in the Flame, and it’ll make you shake. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.       

5.House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

Maas’ most recently published series, Crescent City, leans more on a modern fantasy side and is expected to be a trilogy. The first book focuses on Bryce Quinlan, a party girl whose life of quickies in bathrooms and drug-use is upended after a demon murders her closest friends, sending her into a spiral of trauma and guilt. She becomes a central suspect in the murder investigation and is forced to help detectives (a team of attractive and well-built Fallen angels) find the true killer and clear her name. Assigned to closely monitor Bryce in the investigation is Hunt Athalar — a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. Hunt dismisses Bryce as a spoiled party girl, incapable of comprehending his own present-day brutality and traumatized past. But Bryce proves to be more like Maas’ first female badass, Aelin from the Throne of Glass series. In House of Sky and Breath, we’re blessed with some of the finer scenes with the tattooed Fae Prince Ruhn — one involving a lip ring. Fallen angels, Fae shapeshifters, a Lucien-esque merman, and demons. And dear ACOTAR fans, there’s a reason why a slew of BookToks feature reader reactions to a certain chapter from A House Sky and Breath, the second in the series. Let’s just say, someone slides his hands into… Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. 

6.The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin

Yeine Darr is an outsider from the barbarian north, summoned to the opulent city of Sky following her mother’s mysterious death. There she’s named an heiress to the king — surprising no one more than Yeine. But like other badass female protagonists we’re getting to know, the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won. Jemisin is a must-read author and with the type of intricate world-building and plot she creates, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms deserves a prominent space on your #TBR  — plain and simple, it's phenomenal high fantasy. Jemisin upends a lot of the more formulaic tropes and pulls into epic fantasy a much more layered and multicultural world that other authors struggle to make feel real. The spice is on the milder side, and for some readers, it feels a little over-the-top a la mountain moving, but even though the adult moments aren’t too explicit, they are there. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.       

7.The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks

Sumptuous and vivid, Weaks’ series is a fantasy romance at its best. The Witch Collector is the first book in the Witch Walker series, which follows mostly from the point of view of witch Raina Bloodgood who cannot speak, so she communicates using a form of sign language and even weaves spells using her hands. She’s also hell-bent on killing the Witch Collector for kidnapping her sister during one of his annual witch roundups several years ago as well as the Frost King, who the witches are sent to after said roundups. On witch collecting day, when Raina has planned her attack, things go horribly wrong, and much of what she was led to believe isn’t true. She’s suddenly forced to ally with Alexus (aka the Witch Collector), who is deeply alluring and handsome, to battle a sinister evil that is destroying villages all around them. Book one is great, but like ACOTAR, the lead-up to book two, City of Ruin, is where you'll find the more explicit of spell-binding moments. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.  

8.The Winter Knight by Jes Battis

You’ll have to wait until spring 2023 to check out this fantasy/sci-fi/LGBTQIAP+ novel. Like Maas, the author pulls on favorite legends and lore and re-creates the narrative. The Winter Knight is a closer tie to Maas’ Crescent City, but once you know how that series is connected to ACOTAR the jump in time doesn’t seem that fantastical. Arthurian legends are given a fresh life in this upbeat queer urban fantasy, where the knights of the round table are alive in Vancouver. When one winds up suspiciously dead, Hildie, a Valkyrie and the investigator assigned to the case, needs to find the killer — and on her short list of suspects is Wayne, an autistic college student and the reincarnation of Sir Gawain. After finding himself at the scene of the crime, Wayne is pulled deeper into his own medieval family history, all while attempting to flirt with the charming dean’s assistant Burt — who also happens to be a prime murder suspect in Hildie’s investigation. Fallen knights, conniving runesmiths, and witches are pulled into the investigation while Wayne and Hildie struggle to find out the truth. The Winter Knight is fast-paced with queer and trans heroes and is decidedly a slow burn. The climax (of a sort) hits later in the book, and is M/M (male on male). Get it from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. 

9.What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L. Woods

Have you ever asked for the spicier sauce at a restaurant, only to have the waiter ask, “Are you sure?” This is that moment. If you’re not ready to contemplate the finer points of an apparition’s “virile member” or for a public bath display that would cause the Rite of Spring in ACOTAR to avert their eyes, then move on. While this series has certain issues, but lacking in mature content isn't one of them. The Fae love interest, Caelum, gives very “touch her and you’ll die” vibes and the first two books bring on the fated lovers, forced proximity, warring fae political houses, and enemies-to-lover tropes that ACOTAR fans seem to eat up. The series lacks world-building in a way Maas excels at (although any tie-in to Queen Mab is fabulous) and you might not even really enjoy the dialogue, save for when a few members of the Wild Hunt speak, but it does the trick when you’re looking for a bit of a quickie… There are two books in this series by Wood, titled Of Flesh and Bone, with a third coming out March 2023. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.       

10.The Serpent and the Wings of Night by ​​Carissa Broadbent

Growing in popularity, Broadbent's The Serpent and the Wings has strong similarities to The Hunger Games and ACOTAR (i.e. the trials set for Feyre by Amarantha). This is the first book in the Crowns of Nyaxia series and sets off into a world of powerful vampires and magical beings broken into warring classes, with humans at the very bottom of the feeding line. Oraya is the adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king and has grown from a girl into a woman keenly aware the world around her is designed to kill her. Her only chance to become immortal (and unbreakable in her vampire-dominated world) is by entering the Kejari: a tournament held by the goddess of death herself, in which she will compete amongst cunning and vicious opponents from different vampire houses. She’s forced into an alliance (very Under the Mountain vibes) with a mysterious rival, Raihn, who, like many of the males in the fantasy romance genre, is tall and roguishly handsome. The violent trials bring the two closer, while the more adult content doesn’t happen until, near the end of the book, it's worth the wait. The first book ends on an absolute cliffhanger, and the second book The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King will be out March 2023.  Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound.

11.Ledge by Stacey McEwan

Written by BookToker and author Stacey McEwan, book one Ledge: The Glacian Trilogy, is so hot it’s cold — forgive me, but it is a very fun romp in the fantasy genre with plenty of witty banter and an action-filled plot. Dawsyn, an axe-wielding beauty, lives on what is called Ledge, an icy place high in the mountains. Her tiny village is filled with hardship, and if you try to leave, you have two options: fall off the Ledge to your death or become a human sacrifice to the Glacians, a species of incredibly strong beings who come to steal a member of the town once every season, presumably to eat. Dawsyn is chosen by the Glacians and is ripped from her icy home — but suddenly a half-Glacian bat-winged half-breed (sound familiar?), Ryon, rescues her from an uncertain fate. The two prove to be brave companions in this chilly world, and each on their own path of revenge. The sexual tension between the two main characters smolders. It's very enemies-to-lovers with a lusty build-up for a more new adult level of spice. Check the triggers on this one too. Get it from from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound.

12.The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

Hannah Whitten’s For the Wolf is another favorite of ACOTAR fans but is on YA’s mild side when it comes to adult content. The Foxglove King, on the other hand,  is a much more adult romantic epic out March 2023 and is the first in Whitten's The Nightshade Crown trilogy series. It’s on this list for the progression of spice in the upcoming books and the flawless, gorgeous writing the author is known for. Book one is the tale of a young woman, Lore, with the secret power (Mortem) to raise the dead — which plunges her into the treacherous yet glamorous world of the Sainted King’s royal court. When Lore’s power is revealed, she’s taken by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior monks, to the Sainted King. Lore expects her life to end, but King August surprises her with an offer: use her magic and help him discover why entire villages in his country have been dying overnight, seemingly at random, or die. Suddenly pulled into the King’s court, Lore finds herself tangled within politics, religion, and forbidden romance as she attempts to navigate a Versailles-esque level of debauched society.  Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.       

13.Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa

Without fail, you’ll see The Bargainer series frequently mentioned on Bookstagram as a follow-up to ACOTAR. Bestselling indie author, Laura Thalassa, just recently released the revised and edited first book, Rhapsodic, book one in the The Bargainer series, about the dark fantasy romance between siren, Callypso Lillis, and the Bargainer Desmond Flynn, aka King of the Night. And it's widely known that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer to make it happen. Callypso is woefully indebted after several years of favor-asking, and everyone knows sooner or later the Bargainer collect his debts. And when Callie finds the Bargainer in her room one evening with a grin on his lips, she knows he’s come to collect. At first, he only asks for a “truth” — for her to acknowledge the attraction between them. But, in truth, he’s after more... Desmond needs her help in the Otherworld. Fae warriors are going missing, and only the women are returned, each in a glass casket, a child clutched to their breast. For the Bargainer to save his people, he'll need a favor from the siren. If you dig morally gray characters with a very will-they-wont-they — then they do a lot — relationship, The Bargainer is fantastic. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.  

14.Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

Fans of Dune and ACOTAR will likely enjoy this series, but fair warning: the spice flows in abundance within Carey’s epic fantasy Kushiel’s Dart, book one of the Phèdre's Trilogy. Carey masterfully builds a world of unchecked opulence, sacrifice, and political intrigue, and fascinating characters with a heroine that is flawed, but clever. Phédre nó Delaunay is born into indentured servitude to ultimately be purchased by a nobleman and trained in history, politics, foreign languages, and the finer arts of pleasure. She is also the ultimate submissive in that, through magic, pain causes her arousal. She becomes an elite courtesan and talented spy for the nobleman...and an unlikely heroine after she stumbles upon a plot that threatens her homeland, Terre d'Ange. There are many, many trigger warnings for this series, and it absolutely falls under adult reading. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.       

15.Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Kerri Maniscalco's Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy will make you hungry for more than dashing demons with wicked dialogue — it’ll make you crave Italian comfort food. Similar in many ways to ACOTAR, except instead of Fae, it involves witches and demons. Emilia is a streghe (witch in Italian), like the rest of her family, who lives secretly among humans while running a trattoria. When her vibrant twin sister is found dead, Emilia’s world turns to vengeance and she uses dark magic to summon a demon prince for answers. The hell prince who turns up is Wrath, who isn’t at all what she expected. If there could be a “second book syndrome” ACOTAR trope, then Kingdom of the Cursed falls within it. There’s a gradual build on the adult content in the series, which really hits in book two — the lagoon scene in Kingdom of the Cursed should come with a block of ice to cool down. Maniscalco is brilliant at setting the scene and creating mysterious, sexy worlds, where different kingdoms represent the different seven sins, full of hidden secrets and magic. Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore via Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.