Leigh Bardugo Books in Order (Updated March 7, 2026)

Leigh Bardugo’s work falls into four distinct lanes: the Grishaverse, the Ninth House / Alex Stern books, her standalones, and a small shelf of picture books, journals, and anthology work. These lanes do not need to be mixed. The only place order truly matters is inside the Grishaverse and the Alex Stern books.

If you want the safest rule, use this one: start earlier than you think. Bardugo has several books that can technically be read first, but some of them quietly spoil earlier series or land better once you already know the world.

One clear warning before you start

Do not begin the Grishaverse with King of Scars unless you already know you do not mind spoilers.

Bardugo’s own reading-order page says Six of Crows can be read first, but it may spoil events from the Shadow and Bone trilogy, and it says King of Scars works best after the earlier Grishaverse books. That makes the spoiler-safe order very straightforward.

The Grishaverse in the best reading order

1. The original Ravka entry

1. Shadow and Bone: Alina Starkov discovers a power that drags her out of ordinary military life and into Ravka’s central struggle, making this the cleanest starting point for the world.
2. Siege and Storm: The first book’s revelations widen into open pursuit, politics, and power, so this works as a direct continuation rather than a side adventure.
3. Ruin and Rising: The original trilogy closes here, and finishing it first gives later books their proper historical and emotional weight.

2. The Ketterdam shift

4. Six of Crows: Kaz Brekker’s crew begins the heist branch of the Grishaverse, in a new country with a new cast and a sharper criminal focus.
5. Crooked Kingdom: The fallout from the Ice Court job turns into a street-level war for survival, revenge, and leverage, so this belongs immediately after book one.

3. The Ravka return

6. King of Scars: Bardugo brings the story back to Ravka through Nikolai, and this duology lands best after both the trilogy and the crows books.
7. Rule of Wolves: The Grishaverse’s current mainline endpoint raises the scale to national survival, finishing the King of Scars duology.

That is still the best first-time route: trilogy, heist duology, then Nikolai’s duology. Bardugo’s own reading-order page supports exactly that sequence and explicitly warns that later Grishaverse books can spoil earlier ones.

The Grishaverse extras, clearly separated

These books are real parts of the shelf, but they do not all do the same job.

• The Language of Thorns: A darkly illustrated fairy-tale collection from inside the Grishaverse atmosphere, readable on its own and also safe for newer readers.
• The Lives of Saints: An illustrated book of saints’ stories. Bardugo’s reading-order page calls it spoiler-free, but better after you have at least started the Grishaverse.
• The Severed Moon: A Year-Long Journal of Magic: A guided journal built from quotations and prompts drawn from the series, not a story installment.
• Demon in the Wood: A graphic-novel prequel about the Darkling before Shadow and Bone. It is a prequel in timeline terms, but Bardugo’s official reading guide says it is best enjoyed after Shadow and Bone.
• Six of Crows: A Darker Shore: A new Grishaverse short work, presented on Bardugo’s site as a found-documents mystery set after Crooked Kingdom.

For most readers, the clean placement is this: read The Language of Thorns whenever you want, read The Lives of Saints after starting the world, read Demon in the Wood after the original trilogy, and save A Darker Shore until after Crooked Kingdom.

If you only want the fastest good Bardugo entry

Choose by taste:

• Start with Shadow and Bone if you want the full Grishaverse in spoiler-safe order.
• Start with Six of Crows if you mainly want the heist books and accept some spoilery context risk.
• Start with Ninth House if you want adult dark academia instead of YA fantasy.
• Start with The Familiar if you want a standalone historical fantasy.
• Start with Wonder Woman: Warbringer only if you specifically want the DC Icons tie-in.

That split matches Bardugo’s current catalog, which officially separates Grishaverse books, the Ninth House trilogy, and standalones like The Familiar and The Invisible Parade.

The Alex Stern / Ninth House books

1. Ninth House: Galaxy “Alex” Stern enters Yale’s world of occult societies, murder, class power, and dangerous magic in Bardugo’s adult debut.
2. Hell Bent: Alex pushes deeper into the underworld to rescue Darlington, so this is a direct second step, not a fresh start.
3. Dead Beat: Officially listed by Bardugo and Macmillan as book three of the Ninth House trilogy, with publication scheduled for September 15, 2026.

Read these in strict order. This is a true trilogy, and book two already depends heavily on the first book’s rules, relationships, and damage.

Standalones and separate books

1. Wonder Woman: Warbringer: Diana’s rescue of a mortal girl breaks Amazon law and kicks off a DC Icons novel that sits entirely outside Bardugo’s own universes.
2. The Familiar: Set in Madrid, this historical fantasy follows Luzia Cotado, a servant hiding a talent for small miracles, and works as Bardugo’s cleanest one-book fantasy entry.
3. The Invisible Parade: A picture book, co-created with John Picacio, set on Día de Muertos and built around courage, grief, and reunion.
4. Better Pets: A picture book with Liz Climo, scheduled for June 2, 2026, and completely separate from Bardugo’s fantasy continuities.

These can all be read independently. None of them depends on Grishaverse or Alex Stern knowledge.

A practical all-books reading order

If you want one usable route through the main Bardugo shelves without mixing continuities awkwardly, this is the strongest path:

1. Shadow and Bone: Start with the original Grishaverse foundation.
2. Siege and Storm: Continue Alina’s arc without interruption.
3. Ruin and Rising: Finish the original trilogy first.
4. Six of Crows: Shift to Ketterdam once Ravka already makes sense.
5. Crooked Kingdom: Finish the crows duology while the heist aftermath is still fresh.
6. King of Scars: Return to Ravka only after the earlier Grishaverse books.
7. Rule of Wolves: Complete the current main Grishaverse arc.
8. The Language of Thorns: Read anytime after entering the world.
9. The Lives of Saints: Best after you already know the setting.
10. Demon in the Wood: Read as a later prequel bonus.
11. Six of Crows: A Darker Shore: Save until after Crooked Kingdom.
12. Ninth House: Then move to Bardugo’s adult dark-academia shelf.
13. Hell Bent: Continue the trilogy.
14. Dead Beat: Read third when available.
15. The Familiar: Take the standalone historical-fantasy detour here or earlier if you want a one-book sample.
16. Wonder Woman: Warbringer: Read whenever you want the franchise novel.
17. The Invisible Parade: Fit this in anywhere, since it is a separate picture book.
18. Better Pets: Another separate picture-book shelf, with no continuity ties.

This route is not the only possible one, but it keeps spoilers under control and avoids forcing unrelated Bardugo books into one artificial chain.

What counts as core, optional, and separate continuity

Core Grishaverse:
Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising, Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom, King of Scars, Rule of Wolves.

Optional Grishaverse extras:
The Language of Thorns, The Lives of Saints, Demon in the Wood, The Severed Moon, Six of Crows: A Darker Shore.

Separate continuity:
Ninth House, Hell Bent, Dead Beat, The Familiar, Wonder Woman: Warbringer, The Invisible Parade, Better Pets.

Latest release status

The newest currently published Bardugo books on her official site are The Familiar and The Invisible Parade, both released in 2024. Looking ahead, Macmillan lists Better Pets for June 2, 2026, and Dead Beat for September 15, 2026; Bardugo’s site also now lists Six of Crows: A Darker Shore as an announced Grishaverse short work set after Crooked Kingdom.

Final recommendation

If you want one decisive answer, read Bardugo in this order: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising, Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom, King of Scars, Rule of Wolves. After that, treat the Grishaverse extras as optional, move to Ninth House and Hell Bent for her adult trilogy, and use The Familiar as the best standalone sample of her non-series fantasy.