Laini Taylor Books in Order (Updated March 7, 2026)

Laini Taylor’s books fall into three separate reading tracks: the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy and companion novella, the Strange the Dreamer duology, and the earlier Dreamdark books. These are not one shared series, so the main goal is to read each continuity in the right internal order.

For most readers, publication order is the best order. Taylor tends to build mystery through staged reveals, so reading in release order preserves discoveries better than trying to force a timeline-first approach.

Quick answer

If you want one clear starting point, begin with Daughter of Smoke & Bone.

If you would rather read a shorter completed arc, start with Strange the Dreamer.

If you are specifically looking for Taylor’s earlier middle-grade fantasy, start with Blackbringer, which is now also being reissued as The Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch.

Laini Taylor books in publication order

Daughter of Smoke & Bone series

1. Daughter of Smoke & Bone (2011): In Prague, Karou’s double life collides with an angel-linked war, opening the central mythology and the series’ biggest emotional mystery.
2. Days of Blood & Starlight (2012): The story widens into open conflict and consequence, shifting from revelation to fallout as loyalties, grief, and strategy take over.
3. Night of Cake & Puppets (2013): A companion novella focused on Zuzana and Mik’s enchanted first date, best read as optional extra context rather than a required main installment.
4. Dreams of Gods & Monsters (2014): The trilogy’s endgame brings the world-scale stakes forward and resolves the long war that has shaped the earlier books.

Strange the Dreamer series

1. Strange the Dreamer (2017): Lazlo Strange’s obsession with the lost city of Weep turns into a journey toward buried history, myth, and a carefully layered romantic fantasy arc.
2. Muse of Nightmares (2018): The second book continues directly from the first, deepening the history of Weep and bringing the duology’s emotional and political conflicts to a full resolution.

Dreamdark / Guardians of Dreamdark

1. Blackbringer (2007): Magpie Windwitch, a bell-ringing faerie with a dangerous job, is pulled into a quest that introduces Dreamdark’s mythology and adventure-first tone.
2. Silksinger (2009): Whisper Silksinger’s flight across a threatened world expands the same continuity and raises the stakes around the series’ larger cosmology.
3. The Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch (2025): This is the newer reissue presentation of book one’s continuity, so for reading-order purposes it functions as the same starting point as Blackbringer, not a separate new series.

Standalone and separate works

1. The Drowned: A Tale of Mystery and Horror (2004): A graphic novel set apart from Taylor’s later fantasy series, with a darker Gothic setup and no continuity connection to her prose novels.
2. Lips Touch: Three Times (2009): A standalone collection of three stories, best treated as separate from the novels and read whenever you want a self-contained sample of Taylor’s style.

Recommended reading order

For most new readers, this is the cleanest path:

1. Daughter of Smoke & Bone: The strongest general entry point and the best introduction to Taylor’s major fantasy work.
2. Days of Blood & Starlight: Read immediately after book one because the emotional and plot consequences land best without a break.
3. Dreams of Gods & Monsters: Finish the trilogy before stepping sideways into companion material.
4. Night of Cake & Puppets: Read here as an optional bonus if you want more of the world without interrupting the trilogy’s momentum.
5. Strange the Dreamer: Move next to Taylor’s other major series for a fresh setting and a complete two-book arc.
6. Muse of Nightmares: Read right away, since this duology is essentially one continuous story split into two volumes.
7. Blackbringer: Then go back to Taylor’s earlier Dreamdark work if you want to explore the roots of her fantasy style.
8. Silksinger: Follow directly with book two to complete that continuity.
9. Lips Touch: Three Times: Fit this in anytime after the novels if you want standalone fiction rather than series continuation.
10. The Drowned: A Tale of Mystery and Horror: Read whenever you want, since it sits fully outside the novel continuities.

Best reading order by series

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

For first-time readers, use this order:

1. Daughter of Smoke & Bone: Start here for the central setup, core mysteries, and emotional foundation.
2. Days of Blood & Starlight: This is a direct continuation and works best before any side reading.
3. Dreams of Gods & Monsters: Finish the main trilogy before adding companion material.
4. Night of Cake & Puppets: Optional, charming, and worthwhile, but not necessary for understanding the trilogy.

A stricter publication-order reader can place Night of Cake & Puppets before Dreams of Gods & Monsters, but most readers are better served by finishing the main arc first.

Strange the Dreamer

1. Strange the Dreamer: The entire premise, world, and emotional architecture begin here.
2. Muse of Nightmares: Read second without delay, because book one is not designed as a stopping point.

There is no meaningful alternate order here.

Dreamdark

1. Blackbringer: The original entry point into Dreamdark and the best way to meet the world on its own terms.
2. Silksinger: Read second to stay inside the same continuity and payoff structure.

If you are buying newer editions, treat The Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch as the updated starting version of book one rather than a different branch.

Should you read Laini Taylor in chronological order?

Not really.

Across her bibliography, the books do not form one timeline, so a global chronological order is not useful. Inside each series, publication order already does the job better because it preserves reveals, especially in Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Strange the Dreamer.

Where to start with Laini Taylor

Start with Daughter of Smoke & Bone if you want the safest recommendation.

Start with Strange the Dreamer if you want a shorter completed sequence and do not want to commit to a trilogy first.

Start with Blackbringer only if you already know you want her earlier, younger-leaning fantasy before the later books.

Novellas, companions, and separate continuity

Included

• Night of Cake & Puppets belongs with Daughter of Smoke & Bone, but as companion reading rather than a core numbered entry.

Optional

• Night of Cake & Puppets is optional for plot comprehension and mainly adds character texture and tonal contrast.

Separate continuity

• Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares are separate from Daughter of Smoke & Bone.
• Blackbringer / Windwitch and Silksinger are separate from both of those.
• Lips Touch: Three Times and The Drowned stand alone.

Latest release status

The most recent confirmed Laini Taylor release is The Guardians of Dreamdark: Windwitch (2025), a new edition of the Dreamdark starting point. A matching Silksinger reissue is listed for September 15, 2026, so the Dreamdark line is the part of her bibliography with the clearest currently scheduled activity.

I did not find a reliably confirmed brand-new unrelated Laini Taylor novel beyond those Dreamdark editions, so it is safest to describe her latest release status as an active reissue rollout rather than a newly launched separate series.

FAQ

Do all Laini Taylor books connect?

No. Her major works divide into separate continuities.

Is Night of Cake & Puppets required?

No. It is companion reading, not essential plot reading.

Is Windwitch a new series?

No. For reading purposes, it is the refreshed entry point for the same Dreamdark continuity that began with Blackbringer.

What is the best first Laini Taylor book?

For most readers, Daughter of Smoke & Bone.

Final recommendation

If you want the simplest and safest route, read Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Days of Blood & Starlight, and Dreams of Gods & Monsters first, then treat Night of Cake & Puppets as optional. After that, move to Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares, then save Dreamdark for later unless that earlier fantasy line is the reason you came to Laini Taylor in the first place.