Aden Polydoros Books in Order (Updated March 10, 2026)

Aden Polydoros does not have one giant interconnected bibliography. Most of the books are standalones, with a few clear series lines: Assassin Fall, Ring of Solomon, and the newer City Beautiful follow-up sequence. That means the best reading order is usually by continuity, not by forcing every book into one uninterrupted line.

For most readers, there are three clean entry points. Start with The City Beautiful if you want the best-known YA historical fantasy. Start with Ring of Solomon if you want middle grade fantasy. Start with Project Pandora if you want the earlier YA sci-fi thriller series.

Quick answer

Best Aden Polydoros reading order by series

1. Assassin Fall: Hades Rising, Project Pandora, Project Prometheus
2. Standalones: The City Beautiful, Bone Weaver, Wrath Becomes Her
3. Ring of Solomon: Ring of Solomon, Nightmares in Paradise
4. The City Beautiful follow-up: The City Beautiful, The City of Slaughter

If you only want the simplest place to begin, start with The City Beautiful. It is one of Polydoros’s most recognized books and now leads into a confirmed follow-up novel.

The books that connect

Assassin Fall series

This is Polydoros’s early YA thriller/sci-fi sequence.

1. Hades Rising (2018): A prequel novella that fills in Hades’s backstory and works best as the first stop if you want the full Assassin Fall experience.
2. Project Pandora (2017): A foster teen trained as an assassin is dragged into a conspiracy-heavy survival story that opens the main series.
3. Project Prometheus (2018): Former assassins circle back toward the Academy for answers and revenge, closing the core series arc.

The series is explicitly presented as Hades Rising, then Project Pandora, then Project Prometheus.

Ring of Solomon series

This is a separate middle grade fantasy line.

1. Ring of Solomon (2023): A queer Jewish middle grade adventure where Zach buys a strange ring and ends up in a chaos-filled fight involving monsters, prophecy, and the possible apocalypse.
2. Nightmares in Paradise (2024): The sequel pushes Zach into even bigger mythic trouble, sending the series into a more openly cosmic second-stage adventure.

These two books are a direct series and should be read in publication order.

The City Beautiful line

This is now more than a standalone.

1. The City Beautiful (2021): In 1893 Chicago, Alter Rosen investigates the murder of his friend while possessed by a dybbuk, turning immigrant history, queer longing, and supernatural mystery into one of Polydoros’s signature books.
2. The City of Slaughter (2026): Set after the first novel, Frankie and Alter investigate missing children in a darker follow-up with detective-story elements and another supernatural threat.

This is the clearest current sequel path in Polydoros’s later work.

Standalone novels

These books are currently best treated as separate, self-contained entries.

1. The City Beautiful (2021): A queer Jewish historical fantasy-thriller set against the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where possession and murder investigation drive the story.
2. Bone Weaver (2022): Toma, the adopted daughter of benevolent undead, is swept into imperial conflict, stolen magic, and civil-war stakes in a Slavic-inflected fantasy.
3. Wrath Becomes Her (2023): In Nazi-occupied Lithuania, a grieving father creates a golem for vengeance, and the result becomes a fierce Jewish historical horror about identity, memory, and purpose.

Of these, Bone Weaver and Wrath Becomes Her are currently standalones. Polydoros has publicly described Wrath Becomes Her as a standalone for now.

Recommended reading orders

Best order for most readers

1. The City Beautiful
2. Bone Weaver
3. Wrath Becomes Her
4. Ring of Solomon
5. Nightmares in Paradise
6. The City of Slaughter

This route starts with the best-known YA work, keeps the standalones cleanly separated, and saves the sequel material until after the original books have done their work. It also avoids opening with the earlier thriller series unless that is specifically what you want.

Best order if you want only connected series

1. Hades Rising
2. Project Pandora
3. Project Prometheus
4. Ring of Solomon
5. Nightmares in Paradise
6. The City Beautiful
7. The City of Slaughter

That keeps each continuity intact and reads Polydoros by series rather than by date.

Best order if you want only standalones first

1. The City Beautiful
2. Bone Weaver
3. Wrath Becomes Her

This is the easiest no-commitment path.

Publication order

1. Project Pandora (2017): An assassin-training conspiracy thriller that begins Polydoros’s first published series.
2. Hades Rising (2018): A prequel novella that adds backstory to the Assassin Fall world.
3. Project Prometheus (2018): The second main Assassin Fall novel brings the trilogy’s main conflict back to the Academy.
4. The City Beautiful (2021): A dybbuk-haunted murder mystery in 1893 Chicago that became one of Polydoros’s most acclaimed books.
5. Bone Weaver (2022): A dark fantasy about undead family, imperial crisis, and missing magic.
6. Ring of Solomon (2023): A middle grade fantasy adventure rooted in Jewish mythology and apocalyptic mischief.
7. Wrath Becomes Her (2023): A Jewish historical horror novel set in Lithuania during World War II.
8. Nightmares in Paradise (2024): The second Ring of Solomon book raises the stakes after Zach’s first encounter with the ring.
9. The City of Slaughter (2026): A sequel to The City Beautiful that continues Frankie and Alter’s story.
10. If I Can’t Have You (2027): A YA horror-thriller about a romance simulator turning into a real-world nightmare.
11. You Should Have Been Home By Now (2027): An adult horror novel about a trauma survivor pulled back toward the site of past crimes.

Where to start

Pick based on the kind of book you want.

Start with The City Beautiful if you want the strongest blend of history, horror, mystery, and queer Jewish fantasy. It is also the best anchor for Polydoros’s current reputation.

Start with Ring of Solomon if you want younger fantasy with fast momentum and a series already in place.

Start with Project Pandora if you specifically want teen sci-fi thriller energy and do not mind starting with the author’s earlier work.

Included, optional, and separate continuity

Included

• Project Pandora
• Hades Rising
• Project Prometheus
• The City Beautiful
• Bone Weaver
• Ring of Solomon
• Wrath Becomes Her
• Nightmares in Paradise
• The City of Slaughter

Optional

• Hades Rising if you want only the main full-length Assassin Fall novels

Separate continuity

• Assassin Fall is separate from Ring of Solomon
• Ring of Solomon is separate from The City Beautiful books
• Bone Weaver and Wrath Becomes Her are separate standalones
• If I Can’t Have You and You Should Have Been Home By Now begin separate later projects rather than continuing existing series

Latest release status

The most recent Aden Polydoros book already released is Nightmares in Paradise from April 2024. The next confirmed release is The City of Slaughter on August 25, 2026. After that, If I Can’t Have You and You Should Have Been Home By Now are listed for 2027.

FAQs

Is The City Beautiful a standalone?

Not anymore in practical reading-order terms. It now has a confirmed follow-up, The City of Slaughter, so it is best treated as the start of a connected line.

Is Bone Weaver part of a series?

No confirmed sequel is attached to it, so it is best treated as a standalone.

Is Wrath Becomes Her part of a series?

At the moment, it is best treated as a standalone. Polydoros has indicated it is a standalone for now.

What is the correct Assassin Fall order?

The clearest full order is Hades Rising, Project Pandora, then Project Prometheus.

What is the correct Ring of Solomon order?

Read Ring of Solomon first, then Nightmares in Paradise.

Conclusion

Aden Polydoros is easiest to read by project, not by forcing everything into one line. The cleanest starting point is The City Beautiful. After that, choose between the standalone fantasy-horror novels, the middle grade Ring of Solomon series, or the earlier Assassin Fall thrillers depending on what kind of reading experience you want.