Book · in order
Shadow and Bone / Grishaverse Books in Order
Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, read in order: the Shadow and Bone trilogy first, then the Six of Crows duology, then the King of Scars duology, plus the two companion books, The Language of Thorns and The Lives of Saints.
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Why this order?
The Grishaverse is a single shared fantasy world told across three connected series, so the order you choose mostly comes down to how much you want each book to land without spoilers. The recommended path keeps things simple: start with the Shadow and Bone trilogy (2012-2014), move on to the Six of Crows duology (2015-2016), then finish with the King of Scars, or Nikolai, duology (2019-2021). This is the order most readers and Leigh Bardugo herself suggest, because it follows the in-world timeline and lets the heist-crew and Nikolai stories build on characters and events you already know.
Publication order is effectively identical, since the seven core novels were released in that same sequence. The only real debate is where to slot Six of Crows. It stands well on its own, and you can technically begin there, but it lightly spoils a few outcomes of the original trilogy. For maximum payoff, finish Ruin and Rising before meeting Kaz Brekker and the Dregs.
The King of Scars duology leans on both the trilogy and the duology, so save it for last no matter which route you take. The two companion books round out the world and are best read after the trilogy: The Language of Thorns (2017) is a collection of dark, illustrated fairy tales, and The Lives of Saints (2020) is an illustrated book of in-world legends. Neither is required for the plot, but both deepen the lore.
If you came from the Netflix Shadow and Bone series, note that it blends the trilogy and the Six of Crows characters into one timeline, so the books actually separate stories the show fuses. Fans of Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass or Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter Chronicles will feel right at home in this kind of interlocking YA fantasy universe.
Timeline 2012โ2021
Every entry plotted by release year โ see the gaps, clusters and revivals at a glance.
Where to play it today
Affiliate links (Bookshop.org for books, store links for games/films) slot in here.
Frequently asked questions
How many Grishaverse books are there?
There are seven core novels: the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, and the King of Scars duology. Two companion books, The Language of Thorns (2017) and The Lives of Saints (2020), expand the world's lore, bringing the total to nine.
What order should I read The Grishaverse in?
Read the Shadow and Bone trilogy first (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising), then the Six of Crows duology (Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom), then the King of Scars duology (King of Scars, Rule of Wolves). The companion books, The Language of Thorns and The Lives of Saints, are optional and best read after the trilogy.
Can I start with Six of Crows?
You can, since it works fairly independently, but it lightly spoils outcomes of the Shadow and Bone trilogy. For the best experience, read the trilogy first.
Do I need to read the trilogy before King of Scars?
Yes. The King of Scars duology draws on characters and events from both the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology, so save it for last.
Are the companion books required reading?
No. The Language of Thorns (dark fairy tales) and The Lives of Saints (in-world legends) are optional lore companions. They aren't needed to follow the main plot, but they deepen the world and are best read after the trilogy.
Is publication order the same as reading order?
For the seven core novels, almost. They were published in the same sequence as the recommended reading order; the only debate is whether to start Six of Crows before or after finishing the original trilogy. The two companions slot in differently between the two orders: by publication, The Language of Thorns (2017) comes before King of Scars and The Lives of Saints (2020) comes before Rule of Wolves, whereas the reading order treats both as optional add-ons after the core series.
How does the Netflix series fit in?
The Shadow and Bone Netflix series adapts the trilogy and the Six of Crows characters together, blending two storylines the books keep separate. The books tell each story on its own.
Last updated · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, leighbardugo.com, Wikidata
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