A Court of Thorns and Roses Paperback Box Set (5 books)

Why it's worth it

Five paperbacks covering two connected arcs in Sarah J. Maas's fae world, from Feyre's original trilogy through the Nesta-focused A Court of Silver Flames. It's the largest complete romantasy purchase available in one box.

Nothing else here gives you this much book at once. The set collects the original three novels, the novella A Court of Frost and Starlight, and A Court of Silver Flames, which shifts to Feyre's sister Nesta. That's two distinct emotional arcs inside one world. If you've just discovered you like this genre and want a month of reading secured, this is the practical answer.

ACOTAR is the series that effectively created modern romantasy, and its influence runs through nearly everything else in this guide. Starting here means every later recommendation makes more sense. A Court of Mist and Fury in particular gets cited constantly as one of the most beloved fantasy novels of its decade, and it's the book that converts skeptics.

From our review of 8 young adult fantasy book sets, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +Nothing else here gives you this much book at once
• +ACOTAR is the series that effectively created modern romantasy, and its influence runs through nearly everything else in this…
• +Owner feedback on the Bloomsbury paperbacks is unusually warm and unusually voluminous
• +The set arrives in a slipcase that's snug — several owners describe it as a tight squeeze getting books in and out

What to know

• –The content is explicit
• –Books four and five change focus, and readers split hard on it
• –It's the second-largest outlay here, and paperbacks in a five-book set take a beating if you read them the way people read these