What I Learned About Plot from Reading Sarah J. Maas

“Plot isn’t just what happens. It’s what hurts, what twists, what changes.” — Me, after three chapters of A Court of Mist and Fury

Confession time: I didn’t always get the hype around Sarah J. Maas. I thought, It can’t be that deep, it’s fae and magic and smouldering eyes, right? Then I read A Court of Thorns and Roses. And now I have just finished reading Throne of Glass, and I am well into a book hangover that I hope doesn’t last long. I still have Crescent City to read, but my poor emotions need a break before I dive in.

And somewhere around the third emotional breakdown (mine, not the characters’), I realised something. Say what you want about the prose or the spice or the fandom, but this woman knows how to plot.

Not just string together events. Not just throw in twists. But build momentum. Create tension. Layer stakes. Here’s what I learned about plot by reading (and rereading, and obsessively annotating) the books of Sarah J. Maas.

🧭 She Plants, She Pays Off

If you’ve ever read a SJM series, you know: nothing is random. That weird detail you skimmed in Book 1? It’s going to break your heart in Book 3. The throwaway line about someone’s eye colour? Prepare for trauma.

Maas is a master at planting seeds — big and small — and letting them grow over time. As a writer, this taught me that good plot isn’t just surprise. It’s satisfaction. It’s payoff. The gasp-worthy kind that makes readers flip back and shout, “She told us! She warned us!”

Plot tip: don’t be afraid to play the long game. Keep a notebook. Track your own threads. Reward readers for paying attention.

⚔️ Action Serves Emotion

One of the things I expected from a fantasy series was action — and Maas delivers. Battles, training, chases, epic confrontations. But here’s the trick: the action always ties into emotional stakes.

It’s never just about surviving. It’s about why surviving matters. Who the characters are fighting for. What they’re trying to protect — or redeem.

Reading her books reminded me that plot shouldn’t just move forward. It should deepen. Every twist, every fight, every betrayal should hit harder because it’s personal.

💔 She Isn’t Afraid to Break Things

Characters die. Relationships crumble. Power shifts. People lose things — sometimes forever.

As a writer, I’ve struggled with that. I don’t like hurting my characters. But Maas showed me that safety kills stakes. You can’t have real tension if the reader doesn’t believe anything will change.

Watching her burn down happy endings — and rebuild them into stronger, messier, more earned resolutions — taught me that growth comes from fracture. And so does plot.

🌀 Subplots Weave, Not Wander

It’s easy to fall into the trap of side quests or romantic tangents that don’t really connect. But in Maas’s books, everything threads together. Romance, politics, trauma, identity — they all collide and elevate each other.

Nothing feels like filler. Nothing feels like fluff. Even scenes that seem slow at first end up shifting the emotional tectonics of the story.

As a writer, it made me realise I need to ask: What is this subplot doing for the main plot? If it’s not serving character or conflict, it’s just taking up space.

🔥 Tension Lives in Relationships

Sure, Maas writes action and magic — but the real tension comes from relationships. Not just romantic ones (though yes, that too), but rivalries, alliances, betrayals, family bonds, found family.

Every major turning point is wrapped up in the people. The choices they make. The promises they break. The lines they cross.

Reading her books reminded me that plot isn’t just external. It’s woven into who the characters are and how they collide.

✨ Final Thoughts

You don’t have to write like Sarah J. Maas. You don’t have to love every choice she makes. But if you’re a fantasy writer looking to understand plot? Study her work.

Because plot isn’t just action. It’s consequence. It’s tension. It’s connection. And Maas delivers all three.

So go ahead. Reread your favourite chapter. Map out how it works. Steal a little structure magic. I know I did.

And maybe, just maybe, break a few hearts along the way. (Plot demands it.)