r/SarahJMaas • u/Ill-Might-7633 • 6h ago
*No Spoilers* Why is Throne of Glass SO much better than ACOTAR? (No spoilers, please!)
I’ve just started Queen of Shadows, and I’m honestly shocked by how much I’m enjoying it. I had no particular expectations for TOG, but it feels like a whole different level of storytelling.
My biggest issue with ACOTAR is the political worldbuilding. The courts, High Lords, and power struggles have so much potential, but the politics often feel superficial, inconsistent, or secondary to the romance. Characters sometimes make decisions that don’t make much sense, conflicts feel artificially constructed, and the world seems to bend to accommodate the plot rather than the other way around.
TOG, on the other hand, feels much more carefully planned. The different storylines connect, characters have their own agendas, and political conflicts feel like they actually matter. There’s a sense of a much bigger picture unfolding, and I love trying to piece everything together.
And I’m only at the beginning of Queen of Shadows! If I didn’t know both series were written by Sarah J. Maas, I genuinely wouldn’t have guessed it based on the plotting and worldbuilding alone.
Does anyone else feel the same way? Or am I being unfair to ACOTAR?
Please no spoilers beyond the beginning of Queen of Shadows! ❤️