5 Book Recs to Cure Your Post-ACOTAR Reading Slump

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I first read A Court of Thorns & Roses (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas in July 2023. Then I quickly devoured the 5 books currently published in the series within 3 weeks. 

This series still somehow has me in a chokehold. I think about these characters and storylines more often than I should. 

Sometimes I wish I could go back and re-read this series again for the first time. And to be honest, I definitely had one of my worst book slumps after reading this series. 

If I could go back to past me and give her some book recs to get out of that reading slump sooner than later, these are the books I would recommend. 

Starting off strong with the series that cured my post ACOTAR reading slump.

A Court This Cruel and Lovely by Stacia Stark

This series is the one that managed to pull me out of my post-ACOTAR stupor. 

The summary piqued my interest and the story itself held my attention. While the characters are fairly standard in terms of fantasy romance, enemies-to-lovers, they still pulled me in.

There is a solid amount of spice with an open door scene and plenty of slow buildup along the way.

I will admit, I have not finished this four-part series, but I would like to. 

A Court This Cruel and Lovely is full of intrigue, interesting world-building, a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance, and so much adventure. 

And lucky for us, all 4 books have currently available, so no waiting for the next book to publish. 

Blood & Steel by Helen Scheurer

This book is the first in a four part, completed series called The Legends of Thezmarr. 

The first book does a fantastic job of setting up the world of Thezmarr. There is lore and an incredibly slow-burn romance that is high up on my list of favorite pairings. 

For the sake of being transparent, the characters are a bit juvenile for their age. But the story is interesting and sets up the rest of the series well.

This series also has one of my favorite sets of side characters, literally EVER. 

I want Cal and Kipp as my real life BFFs and I will shout this sentiment from the rooftops forever. 

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

If you find you enjoy your FMC’s a little naïve and things coming to them a bit too easily, then you perhaps might like Emilia as much as Feyre. 

Kingdom of the Wicked is the original series and focuses on Prince Wrath. 

The Princes of Sin series continues on in the world of the Wicked, but focuses on the other princes of sin. 

If you find you enjoy Kingdom of the Wicked, I definitely recommend continuing on with The Princes of Sin series.

Kingdom of the Wicked though follows a semi-murder mystery plotline and begins to uncover some deep and intertwined secrets as the series unfolds.

*Please note that this series increases quite a lot in spice as the books continue. 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Okay, hear me out. 

Fourth Wing gave me an almost ACOTAR sized reading slump, but was so much fun, I had to add it to the list.

The risk of reading Fourth Wing after ACOTAR is that you might just end up in another reading slump. 

However, if you want a strong as heck FMC, mysterious shadow daddy MMC, dragons, intense slow burn, Tamlin like love interest, and tons of vibes, then Fourth Wing is for you. 

Don’t let the fact that is over hyped get to you. Fourth Wing is fueled by vibes and the vibes were satisfying. 

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

This book is a bit more mythology and logic within the plot than ACOTAR, but is still fantastic in the romance and slow burn department. 

Freya and Bjorn are such dynamic characters and I cannot wait for the second book. 

The story builds so nicely and the world-building is interesting. The romance is fantastic, and this book built a solid foundation for the rest of the series. 

The audiobook narrator also does a beautiful job reading this story aloud and truly making the experience immersive.

While these books vary slightly, they all contain slow burn romances that do eventually lead to some varying levels of spice. 

Except for Fourth Wing and A Fated Inked in Blood, the other series are all completed as well. 

So do proceed with caution if you hate cliffhangers. 

The post-ACOTAR slump is real and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. 

I’d love to talk about any books that helped your post-ACOTAR reading slump!