Amélie Wen Zhao Books in Order (Updated March 7, 2026)

Amélie Wen Zhao’s books are easy to sort once you separate them by world. She does not currently have one giant interconnected bibliography. Instead, she has three distinct fantasy lines, and each one is best read straight through in publication order.

That means the real question is not whether to mix the series together. It is which world you want first.

The shelf map

Blood Heir Trilogy
A completed trilogy of imperial fantasy, conspiracy, and Affinite powers.

Song of the Last Kingdom
A completed duology built around a fallen kingdom, buried history, and demon gods.

The Three Realms
A newer duology that begins with a deadly trials story in a world threatened by demons.

These are separate continuities. You do not need one series to understand another.

If you want the cleanest path

1. Start with Blood Heir if you want the finished series that first established her readership.
2. Start with Song of Silver, Flame Like Night if you want the strongest completed duology entry point.
3. Start with The Scorpion and the Night Blossom if you want her newest ongoing world.

By series

Blood Heir Trilogy

1. Blood Heir (2019): Anastacya Mikhailov, a princess with a forbidden blood Affinity, becomes the prime suspect in her father’s murder and is forced into the open while trying to uncover a larger imperial conspiracy.
2. Red Tigress (2021): Ana’s flight turns into a broader political struggle as the rebellion, the empire, and the consequences of her power all become harder to separate.
3. Crimson Reign (2022): The trilogy closes the fight over Cyrilia’s future, bringing Ana’s personal arc and the wider imperial conflict to their final reckoning.

Reading note: Read these in order with no gaps. This is one continuous trilogy, and the later books depend heavily on the first book’s political setup.

Song of the Last Kingdom

1. Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (2023): Lan, marked by hidden power and the memory of a conquered people, is pulled into a struggle over lost history, magic, and the demons sleeping beneath her ruined kingdom.
2. Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White (2024): The duology turns from discovery to open conflict as Lan and Zen are forced onto sharper, more dangerous sides of a war already underway.

Reading note: This is a true duology. Publication order is also the best first-time reading order.

The Three Realms

1. The Scorpion and the Night Blossom (2025): Àn’yīng enters the Immortality Trials to save her mother in a realm slipping into eternal night, only to find that the contest, the demons, and her allies are all more dangerous than they first appear.
2. The Dragon and the Sun Lotus (2026): The sequel continues Àn’yīng’s story as the realms move closer to collapse, making it the direct second half rather than a separate companion novel.

Reading note: Start with book one and continue straight into book two. This is currently the newest Zhao series and should be treated as its own contained lane.

Publication order across all novels

1. Blood Heir (2019): Imperial fantasy centered on a fugitive princess, blood magic, and a murder accusation that exposes deeper unrest.
2. Red Tigress (2021): The middle volume broadens the rebellion plot and raises the political cost of Ana’s choices.
3. Crimson Reign (2022): The Blood Heir story reaches its conclusion here.
4. Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (2023): A new world begins, shaped by occupation, memory, and demon-linked magic.
5. Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White (2024): The second and final Song of the Last Kingdom novel.
6. The Scorpion and the Night Blossom (2025): A fresh duology opener built around magical trials, demons, and a darker romantasy tone.
7. The Dragon and the Sun Lotus (2026): The announced second Three Realms novel.

Recommended reading orders

For most readers

1. Blood Heir
2. Red Tigress
3. Crimson Reign
4. Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
5. Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White
6. The Scorpion and the Night Blossom
7. The Dragon and the Sun Lotus

This route moves from the finished trilogy into the finished duology, then ends with the newest series.

If you want the strongest completed starting point

1. Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
2. Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White

This is the shortest finished entry path and the easiest place to test whether Zhao’s style works for you.

If you want the newest books first

1. The Scorpion and the Night Blossom
2. The Dragon and the Sun Lotus

This is the right lane if you are following her current series as it releases.

Does chronological order matter?

Not really.

Within each series, publication order already gives the intended reveals. There is no meaningful alternative chronology that improves a first read. The safest rule is simple: pick one series and read it straight through.

Latest release status

As of March 7, 2026, The Scorpion and the Night Blossom is the most recent released Amélie Wen Zhao novel I could verify, and The Dragon and the Sun Lotus is the next book clearly listed for the Three Realms line. The Blood Heir trilogy and Song of the Last Kingdom duology both appear complete.

Final recommendation

If you want one decisive answer, start with Song of Silver, Flame Like Night for the cleanest finished introduction, or Blood Heir if you want her first major series from the beginning. If your priority is the newest work, begin with The Scorpion and the Night Blossom.