Andrea Cremer is the name under which Andrea Robertson originally published the Nightshade Saga, the Inventor’s Secret trilogy, and the collaborative novel Invisibility.
That name change matters when building a complete reading list. Current editions of some earlier books are now credited to Andrea Robertson, while older copies still say Andrea Cremer. They are the same author.
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There are three main reading paths to keep straight:
- The Nightshade universe, including prequels, novellas, Snakeroot, and the adult companion Captive
- The Inventor’s Secret trilogy
- The later Loresmith trilogy, published as Andrea Robertson
The Nightshade universe is the only one where chronological order differs substantially from publication order.
Quick Answer: Where to Begin
If you want Andrea Cremer’s best-known books, begin with:
- Nightshade
- Wolfsbane
- Bloodrose
- Snakeroot
Do not begin with the historical prequel Rift, even though its events happen much earlier.
Nightshade was written as the reader’s introduction to the Keepers, Searchers, Guardians, and the larger magical conflict. Reading the original trilogy first preserves discoveries that the prequels later expand.
For the other series:
The Inventor’s Secret: start with The Inventor’s Secret.
Loresmith: start with Forged in Fire and Stars.
Standalone: Invisibility, written with David Levithan, requires no other books.
Andrea Cremer and Andrea Robertson: Are They the Same Author?
Yes.
Readers will now encounter both names in bookstores and online catalogs.
Andrea Cremer was the byline used for the original publication of books such as:
- Nightshade
- Wolfsbane
- Bloodrose
- Rift
- Rise
- Snakeroot
- The Inventor’s Secret
- The Conjurer’s Riddle
- The Turncoat’s Gambit
The author later began publishing as Andrea Robertson.
Current publisher material describes Robertson as the author of the Nightshade Saga, Inventor’s Secret Saga, Loresmith Trilogy, and Invisibility.
This is a name change, not a second writer taking over the series.
Nightshade Books in Publication Order
The heart of the Nightshade universe is Calla Tor’s story.
Read the main novels as:
- Nightshade (2010)
- Wolfsbane (2011)
- Bloodrose (2012)
- Snakeroot (2013)
The first three books form Calla’s original central arc.
Snakeroot continues the world after the events of Bloodrose and shifts attention toward characters including Adne and Logan.
Because Snakeroot deals directly with the aftermath of the earlier conflict, it belongs after Bloodrose.
Nightshade Main Novels Status
Nightshade: Included
Wolfsbane: Included
Bloodrose: Included
Snakeroot: Included continuation
For a novels-only read, these four books provide the clearest route through the modern-era Nightshade story.
Nightshade Novellas and Short Fiction
Several shorter works fit around the main novels.
They are useful for character perspective and continuity, but most are not required.
Shadow Days
Shadow Days (2012) is a short Nightshade prequel told from Shay’s perspective.
It takes place before Nightshade and follows Shay after he comes to live in Bosque Mar’s mansion.
Chronologically, it belongs before Nightshade.
For a first read, however, it is better saved until after Nightshade. Reading the novel first gives Bosque Mar and the supernatural world their intended introduction.
Status: Optional
Treachery
Treachery (2011) is a Nightshade novella centered on Ansel.
It belongs after Wolfsbane and before Bloodrose.
Recommended placement:
- Nightshade
- Wolfsbane
- Treachery
- Bloodrose
Treachery adds Ansel’s perspective and deals with consequences from Calla’s choices.
Status: Optional but well placed between Books 2 and 3
Aftermath
Aftermath (2012) begins after the final battle in Bloodrose.
Read it after Bloodrose and before Snakeroot.
Recommended placement:
- Bloodrose
- Aftermath
- Snakeroot
This is one of the more useful short works for continuity because Snakeroot continues from the changed world left behind by the original trilogy.
Status: Optional, continuity relevant
Nightshade Prequel Books in Order
The major historical prequel sequence is:
- Rift (2012)
- Rise (2013)
These novels tell the origins of the conflict between the magical factions that shape the later Nightshade books.
Rift comes first.
Rise is its direct sequel and completes that prequel story.
Where Does Stolen Souls Fit?
Stolen Souls (2013) is a very short prequel story involving Bosque Mar, his wraiths, and the village of Dorusduain.
It belongs to the historical side of the Nightshade universe.
A practical placement is:
- Rift
- Stolen Souls
- Rise
However, it is supplementary rather than a required middle installment.
Status: Optional short fiction
Nightshade Chronological Order
Readers who specifically want events arranged by the internal timeline can use this broader sequence:
- Rift
- Stolen Souls
- Rise
- Shadow Days
- Nightshade
- Wolfsbane
- Treachery
- Bloodrose
- Aftermath
- Snakeroot
This follows the fictional history more closely.
It is not the order I recommend for a first reading.
The prequel novels explain historical events and magical structures that were originally mysteries in Nightshade. Moving them to the front changes how those revelations unfold.
Recommended Nightshade Reading Order
For a new reader, this sequence gives the best balance between the original story and the supplementary material:
- Nightshade
- Wolfsbane
- Treachery
- Bloodrose
- Aftermath
- Snakeroot
- Rift
- Stolen Souls
- Rise
- Shadow Days
There is also a simpler option.
Readers who only want full-length novels can read:
- Nightshade
- Wolfsbane
- Bloodrose
- Snakeroot
- Rift
- Rise
That removes every short work without creating a serious gap in the main novels.
Should Rift Be Read Before Nightshade?
Not on a first read.
Rift occurs much earlier historically, but it was published after the original Nightshade trilogy had already established the world.
Starting with Nightshade allows you to encounter the mythology through Calla’s understanding of it.
Then Rift and Rise can show how that world came to exist.
Chronological order is a reasonable reread choice, not the strongest introduction.
Is Snakeroot Nightshade Book 4?
Yes.
Current publisher listings identify Snakeroot as the fourth Nightshade novel.
It takes place after Bloodrose.
This sometimes causes confusion because Bloodrose was promoted as the conclusion of the original Nightshade trilogy. Both statements can be true.
Nightshade, Wolfsbane, and Bloodrose form the original trilogy centered on Calla.
Snakeroot then continues the same universe and unresolved consequences through other characters.
Captive and the Forbidden Side of Nightshade
Captive (2013) was published under the name A. D. Robertson.
It is an adult novel set in the Nightshade universe rather than another young adult Calla novel.
The book follows Tristan Doran and Sarah, and publisher descriptions place it in the same supernatural conflict involving the Keepers and Searchers.
Where Should Captive Be Read?
The safest placement is after the original Nightshade trilogy:
- Nightshade
- Wolfsbane
- Bloodrose
- Captive
It is also reasonable to leave it until after all of the young adult Nightshade material.
Status: Optional adult companion
Continuity: Same Nightshade world
It is not necessary for understanding Calla’s main story.
Although Captive was presented as the beginning of an adult Nightshade companion line, only this one published novel can be reliably confirmed. Do not add speculative sequels to the reading order.
The Inventor’s Secret Books in Order
The Inventor’s Secret is a separate alternate-history steampunk trilogy.
It has no continuity connection to Nightshade.
Read it in this order:
- The Inventor’s Secret (2014)
- The Conjurer’s Riddle (2015)
- The Turncoat’s Gambit (2016)
The three books follow Charlotte and her companions in an alternate nineteenth-century North America where Britain retained control and industrial technology developed along a different path.
Publication order is also story order.
There is no alternate chronology to worry about.
Is the Inventor’s Secret Trilogy Complete?
Yes.
The Turncoat’s Gambit is identified by the publisher as the final chapter of the trilogy.
Read all three in sequence.
Invisibility
Invisibility (2013) was written by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan.
It is a standalone young adult fantasy romance.
The story follows Stephen, a boy who has been invisible since birth, and Elizabeth, who discovers that she can see him.
It is not connected to Nightshade.
It is not part of the Inventor’s Secret world.
Status: Separate continuity
Reading requirement: None
It can be read at any point.
Books Published as Andrea Robertson
A complete Andrea Cremer bibliography should acknowledge the books published after the author began using Andrea Robertson.
The most important later series is Loresmith.
These are not reprints of older Cremer books. They are a separate fantasy trilogy.
Loresmith Books in Order
Read the Loresmith trilogy as:
- Forged in Fire and Stars (2020)
- Cast in Secrets and Shadow (2021)
- Bound by Sword and Spirit (2023)
The series follows Ara, the heir to the role of Loresmith, as she becomes involved in a struggle over the kingdom of Saetlund.
The novels are strongly serialized.
Do not begin with Book 2 or Book 3.
Is the Loresmith Series Complete?
Yes.
Bound by Sword and Spirit is explicitly identified as the final book.
That makes the trilogy:
- Forged in Fire and Stars
- Cast in Secrets and Shadow
- Bound by Sword and Spirit
Continuity: Separate from Nightshade
Series status: Complete
Complete Andrea Cremer and Andrea Robertson Novel Order
If you want the author’s principal novels arranged by original publication year, the sequence is:
- Nightshade (2010)
- Wolfsbane (2011)
- Bloodrose (2012)
- Rift (2012)
- Invisibility (2013), with David Levithan
- Rise (2013)
- Snakeroot (2013)
- Captive (2013), as A. D. Robertson
- The Inventor’s Secret (2014)
- The Conjurer’s Riddle (2015)
- The Turncoat’s Gambit (2016)
- Forged in Fire and Stars (2020), as Andrea Robertson
- Cast in Secrets and Shadow (2021), as Andrea Robertson
- Bound by Sword and Spirit (2023), as Andrea Robertson
This list excludes the shorter Nightshade ebooks, anthology contributions, and reissued editions.
Overall publication order is useful for bibliography purposes, but there is no story reason to alternate between Nightshade, Invisibility, Inventor’s Secret, and Loresmith. They belong to separate continuities.
Andrea Cremer Short Works in Publication Order
The most important Nightshade short fiction is:
- Treachery (2011)
- Aftermath (2012)
- Shadow Days (2012)
- Stolen Souls (2013)
These titles are sometimes numbered differently by different book databases.
That happens because some databases number them according to publication sequence while others attempt to place them chronologically.
The titles themselves are more reliable than decimal numbering.
For reading purposes:
Shadow Days: before Nightshade chronologically
Treachery: between Wolfsbane and Bloodrose
Aftermath: after Bloodrose
Stolen Souls: associated with the Rift and Rise historical period
Andrea Cremer Anthology Stories
Cremer and Robertson have also contributed short fiction to multi-author anthologies.
Two notable anthologies containing her work are:
- A Tyranny of Petticoats (2016)
- Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft (2018)
These are collections by multiple authors.
They are not Andrea Cremer series volumes and should not be inserted into the Nightshade or Inventor’s Secret order.
Status: Optional anthology contributions
Do the Nightshade Prequels Spoil the Main Series?
They can change the way you experience its mysteries.
Rift and Rise explain the distant origins of conflicts that Calla encounters centuries later.
That information is not necessarily a simple plot spoiler, but reading the prequels first gives you historical knowledge that Calla does not have at the beginning of Nightshade.
Publication-based reading preserves more discovery.
That is why Nightshade first remains the better choice for newcomers.
Are Nightshade and Loresmith Connected?
No.
The fact that current editions may credit both series to Andrea Robertson does not create a shared universe.
Nightshade is built around Guardians, Keepers, Searchers, and a long magical war.
Loresmith takes place in the fantasy kingdom of Saetlund and follows Ara’s role as the Loresmith.
Treat them as completely separate continuities.
Are Nightshade and The Inventor’s Secret Connected?
No.
The Inventor’s Secret is an alternate-history steampunk series.
Nightshade is supernatural fantasy set around shape-shifting Guardians and competing magical orders.
No crossover reading order is necessary.
Are Current Nightshade Editions Different Books?
Not simply because the cover says Andrea Robertson instead of Andrea Cremer.
Current publisher pages now market the series under Robertson’s name and specifically note that the books were formerly published under Andrea Cremer.
A reader who owns an older Andrea Cremer edition does not need to buy a newer Andrea Robertson edition merely to continue the story.
Check the title rather than treating the author-name variation as a new installment.
What Is Andrea Cremer’s Latest Book?
This question depends on whether you mean books carrying the exact Andrea Cremer byline or books by the author now publishing as Andrea Robertson.
The final novel in the Inventor’s Secret trilogy, The Turncoat’s Gambit, was published in 2016 under Andrea Cremer.
Under Andrea Robertson, the author later published the complete Loresmith trilogy.
The newest confirmed novel in that broader bibliography as of August 8, 2026 is:
Bound by Sword and Spirit (2023)
It is the third and final Loresmith book.
No later original novel with a firmly verified publication date was found during the current bibliography check.
New editions or new covers for older Nightshade books should not be counted as new novels.
Andrea Cremer Books in Order FAQs
What is the first Andrea Cremer book?
Nightshade, published in 2010, is the first novel in her main published bibliography under the Andrea Cremer name.
It is also the correct starting point for the Nightshade Saga.
What order does the original Nightshade trilogy go in?
Read:
- Nightshade
- Wolfsbane
- Bloodrose
Those three books form Calla’s original trilogy.
What comes after Bloodrose?
For the continuing Nightshade storyline, Snakeroot is the next full-length novel.
If you are including short fiction, read Aftermath between Bloodrose and Snakeroot.
Is Snakeroot a sequel or a spin-off?
It is officially Nightshade Book 4 and continues the same world after Bloodrose.
The focus broadens beyond Calla’s original trilogy, which is why some older lists treat it almost like a follow-up series.
For practical reading order, simply place it fourth.
What order should I read Rift and Rise?
Read:
- Rift
- Rise
They are historical prequels to Nightshade.
For a first reading of the entire universe, save them until after the main Nightshade novels.
Where does Stolen Souls go?
Stolen Souls belongs to the historical prequel material.
It can be placed between Rift and Rise, but it is a very short optional story rather than a required Book 1.5.
Where does Shadow Days fit?
Shadow Days occurs before Nightshade and follows Shay.
New readers can read it after Nightshade rather than before it, which avoids introducing some of the setting out of its original publication sequence.
Where does Treachery fit?
Read Treachery after Wolfsbane and before Bloodrose.
It follows Ansel and adds context to events between the second and third main novels.
Where does Aftermath fit?
Read Aftermath immediately after Bloodrose.
It deals with the consequences of Bloodrose’s ending and leads naturally toward the world seen in Snakeroot.
Is Captive part of Nightshade?
Yes.
Captive was published as A. D. Robertson and is an adult companion novel set in the Nightshade universe.
It is optional rather than part of Calla’s main four-novel sequence.
Why are some Nightshade books now listed under Andrea Robertson?
Andrea Cremer now publishes as Andrea Robertson.
Current publisher listings have been updated to use Robertson on several Nightshade editions while noting that the books were formerly released under Andrea Cremer.
The story order has not changed.
Is Invisibility part of a series?
No.
Invisibility, co-written with David Levithan, is a standalone novel in a separate continuity.
How many Inventor’s Secret books are there?
There are three:
- The Inventor’s Secret
- The Conjurer’s Riddle
- The Turncoat’s Gambit
The trilogy is complete.
What are the Andrea Robertson Loresmith books?
They are:
- Forged in Fire and Stars
- Cast in Secrets and Shadow
- Bound by Sword and Spirit
The trilogy is complete and separate from Nightshade.
What should I read first if I want everything?
Begin with Nightshade.
Read Calla’s main sequence through Snakeroot, adding the relevant novellas if desired. Then go back to Rift and Rise for the historical origins.
After that, the order between Inventor’s Secret, Invisibility, Captive, and Loresmith is flexible because they do not all share continuity.
A Clean Reading Route Without the Confusion
For readers who want one practical list rather than every possible decimal number, use this:
- Nightshade
- Wolfsbane
- Treachery
- Bloodrose
- Aftermath
- Snakeroot
- Rift
- Stolen Souls
- Rise
- Shadow Days
Then leave the Nightshade universe and choose another branch.
For steampunk alternate history:
- The Inventor’s Secret
- The Conjurer’s Riddle
- The Turncoat’s Gambit
For Andrea Robertson’s later epic fantasy:
- Forged in Fire and Stars
- Cast in Secrets and Shadow
- Bound by Sword and Spirit
Invisibility can be read anywhere.
The main point is not to let chronology override the way Nightshade was originally revealed. Start with Nightshade, keep the main Calla novels together, and use Rift and Rise afterward to explore the older history behind the conflict.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.