Kristen Ciccarelli Books in Order (Updated March 7, 2026)

Kristen Ciccarelli’s bibliography is cleaner than it first appears, but one detail matters right away: she has one completed fantasy trilogy, one completed romantasy duology, and one standalone fantasy that was later reissued under a new title.

That means the real reading-order question is not “What is the master order?” but “Which continuity do you want to enter first?”

First, separate the shelves

There are three main buckets here.

1. The Iskari books belong together and are best read in sequence.
2. The Crimson Moth books also belong together and should be read in sequence.
3. Edgewood and A Dark Forgetting are not two different novels. A Dark Forgetting is the later edition of the same story, previously published as Edgewood.

Publication order

1. The Last Namsara (2017): Asha, branded the Iskari and feared as a bringer of death, is sent to hunt dragons, but the stories she has been taught begin to crack open into larger truths about power, history, and the kingdom itself.
2. The Caged Queen (2018): Roa, a princess forced into a political marriage, tries to save her people from starvation and humiliation, turning the second Iskari novel into a court-centered struggle over survival, inheritance, and rebellion.
3. The Sky Weaver (2019): Safire, a pirate with divided loyalties, and Eris, a soldier tied to the empire, drive the series toward its broader reckoning as dragon lore, conquest, and old wounds collide.
4. Edgewood (2022): Emeline Lark is pulled back toward the cursed woods she has spent years trying to escape, and the novel becomes a dark romantic fantasy about memory, bargains, and the cost of returning to what hunts you.
5. Heartless Hunter (2024): Rune hides her identity as a witch while posing as a shallow socialite, and her attempt to manipulate a famed witch hunter turns into a dangerous enemies-to-lovers game inside a post-revolutionary republic.
6. Rebel Witch (2025): On the run and forced into uneasy alliances, Rune faces the fallout of the first book while the duology shifts from seduction and disguise toward open conflict and impossible choices.
7. A Dark Forgetting (2025): This is the retitled and updated edition of Edgewood, with the same core story about Emeline, the forest, and the curse, rather than a separate new entry in the bibliography.

The best way to read Kristen Ciccarelli

Route 1: Read by series strength

If you want the clearest first-time path, split the books by continuity and keep each run intact.

The Iskari series

1. The Last Namsara: The foundation of the world, the myths, and the dragon-centered history that the later books build on.
2. The Caged Queen: A companion-style sequel that shifts perspective but still depends on the political and emotional groundwork of book one.
3. The Sky Weaver: The book that brings the trilogy’s wider conflicts into sharper focus and works best after the first two.

This is a trilogy, not three disconnected same-world books. The changing viewpoints can make it look looser than it is, but the later books gain force when you already know the earlier history.

The Crimson Moth duology

1. Heartless Hunter: The proper entry point to Rune, Gideon, the witch purges, and the central romantic conflict.
2. Rebel Witch: The direct continuation and conclusion, with no real advantage to delaying it or trying to enter here first.

This duology is much more tightly sequential than Iskari. Read it straight through.

Standalone fantasy

Edgewood / A Dark Forgetting: A self-contained dark fantasy romance about curses, fae-like danger, and a girl returning to the place she once escaped.

Read this whenever you want a single-book Ciccarelli experience instead of a series commitment.

Recommended reading order for most readers

If the goal is the smoothest introduction to her work, this is the strongest route:

1. Heartless Hunter: It is the easiest modern entry point and the book most likely to tell you quickly whether Ciccarelli’s current style is for you.
2. Rebel Witch: Finish the duology while the setup and betrayals of book one are still fresh.
3. The Last Namsara: Move backward to her earlier fantasy and start the dragon-based trilogy from the beginning.
4. The Caged Queen: Continue once the kingdom politics and emotional consequences have been established.
5. The Sky Weaver: Finish the Iskari arc in the order it was built to expand.
6. A Dark Forgetting or Edgewood: Read the standalone last, unless you specifically want a single-book dark fantasy first.

That order is not the publication order, and it is not pretending everything belongs to one universe. It simply starts with the most accessible current series, then shifts to the earlier completed trilogy, then leaves the standalone as a flexible final stop.

A better answer for different moods

1. Choose Heartless Hunter first if you want romance-forward fantasy with immediate tension and a clean two-book commitment.
2. Choose The Last Namsara first if you want dragons, myth, and a broader YA fantasy structure.
3. Choose A Dark Forgetting first if you want one contained dark fantasy with no sequel obligation.

The Edgewood / A Dark Forgetting question

This is the one place readers can accidentally double-count.

Edgewood was the original 2022 release. A Dark Forgetting is the later retitled edition of that same novel, presented with updated packaging and bonus material rather than as a wholly new story.

So for “books in order” purposes, count them as one standalone story, not two separate novels you need to read back to back.

Is there a chronological order?

Not one that improves the experience.

Within Iskari, publication order already does the job because the trilogy opens the world gradually and then widens it through later perspectives. Within The Crimson Moth, chronological order and publication order are effectively the same. The standalone novel sits outside both.

Latest release status

There are two sensible ways to answer this.

1. The latest new full-length story is Rebel Witch.
2. The latest edition on shelves is A Dark Forgetting, which is the 2025 retitled edition of Edgewood, not a separate story.
3. That distinction matters because some lists will place A Dark Forgetting last and make it look like a brand-new standalone after Rebel Witch, which is not quite accurate.

FAQs

What Kristen Ciccarelli book should I read first?

For most readers, Heartless Hunter is the best starting point now. For readers who want her earlier dragon fantasy first, start with The Last Namsara instead.

Is A Dark Forgetting a new book?

It is a retitled later edition of Edgewood, not a completely different novel.

Do I need to read Iskari in order?

Yes. The shifting lead characters can make the trilogy look companion-like, but the books work best in sequence.

Is Rebel Witch the last book in the Crimson Moth story?

Yes. It is the second book and the conclusion of that duology.

Are any of Kristen Ciccarelli’s books connected across series?

No. Iskari, The Crimson Moth, and Edgewood / A Dark Forgetting are separate reading tracks.

Final recommendation

If you want one decisive answer, start with Heartless Hunter and read Rebel Witch immediately after it. Then go to The Last Namsara, The Caged Queen, and The Sky Weaver. Save A Dark Forgetting for whenever you want a standalone.