# Sarah J. Maas on Fantasy Influences

> Sarah J. Maas reveals how Buffy, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings inspired her fantasy books.
- Title: Sarah J. Maas on Fantasy Influences · Woman's World | Shortify
- Summary: Sarah J. Maas reveals how Buffy, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings inspired her fantasy books. Sarah J. Maas says Buffy Summers directly influenced her 'Throne…
- Keywords: sarah j. maas, throne of glass, buffy the vampire slayer, star wars, lord of the rings, fantasy, cinderella, sailor moon, harry potter, beauty and the beast, baba yaga, a court of thorns and roses
- Source: Woman's World — https://womansworld.com/entertainment/books/sarah-j-maas-reveals-the-books-movies-and-tv-shows-that-inspired-her
- Author: Ed Gross
- Published: 2026-10-04T00:30:12+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: sarah j. maas, throne of glass, buffy the vampire slayer, star wars, lord of the rings, fantasy, cinderella, sailor moon, harry potter, beauty and the beast, baba yaga, a court of thorns and roses
## Early Fantasy Love
Sarah J. Maas founded a Lord of the Rings club in high school and wrote crossover fan fiction.
## Buffy's Impact
Buffy Summers helped shape Celaena Sardothien, a young assassin who loves clothes and dancing.

> Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer was probably my favorite and one of the most life-changing heroines.
## Star Wars Inspiration
Star Wars made Sarah J. Maas long to see women taking center stage in epic adventures.

> Watching Star Wars, I loved Princess Leia, but I daydreamed about being a Jedi.
## Cinderella's Music
A piece of Disney's Cinderella score inspired the entire Throne of Glass series.

> Music literally inspired this entire series for me.
## Sailor Moon and Harry Potter
Sailor Moon and Harry Potter helped Sarah J. Maas write her own fantasy stories.

> I started writing fan fiction and that’s how I learned to write.
## Fairy Tales and Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga from Russian folklore inspired the witches in Throne of Glass.

> Baba Yaga is my all-time favorite character from folklore.
## Key Books
Garth Nix's Sabriel and Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown inspired Sarah J. Maas.
## Paper Bag Princess
Robert Munsch's The Paper Bag Princess shaped Sarah J. Maas's identity as a human being.

> I made my parents read it to me a bajillion times.
## Throne of Glass Origin
Sarah J. Maas rewrote Cinderella as an assassin who tried to kill the Prince.

> What if she was an assassin who tried to kill the Prince?
## Fan Fiction Legacy
Sarah J. Maas's books inspire millions of fan fiction and fan art.

> I find it weirdly full-circle when people write fanfic about my stories.
## Why It Matters
Sarah J. Maas created fantasy worlds where women aren't confined to one role.
## The Result
Millions of readers now imagine what they might create in their own fantasy worlds.
## The Future
Sarah J. Maas continues to inspire new generations of fantasy writers.
## The Pattern
Sarah J. Maas gravitated toward stories where women weren't confined to one role.
## Key takeaway

Sarah J. Maas says Buffy Summers directly influenced her 'Throne of Glass' heroine, while Star Wars and Lord of the Rings inspired her to write female-led fantasy adventures.